Battle of Spercheios
Battle of Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars | |||||||
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Bulgarians put to flight by Ouranos at the Spercheios River from the Chronicle of John Skylitzes | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Bulgarian Empire | Byzantine Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Samuil of Bulgaria Gavril Radomir | Nikephoros Ouranos | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
~1,000 killed, ~12,000 captured | unknown |
The Battle of Spercheios (
Historical background
After the success of the
Battle
On his way back, Samuil met a Byzantine army on the opposite side of the Spercheios river, led by the Domestic of the West, Nikephoros Ouranos. Basil II had appointed Ouranos commander of all Balkan and Greek territories of the Byzantine Empire and gave him a large army to defeat the Bulgarians. He followed the Bulgarian army and confronted it after the Bulgarians went through the Thermopylae pass on the river of Spercheios.[5]
After heavy rainfalls, the river had swollen and flooded a large area on both shores. The Bulgarians camped on the southern shore and the Byzantines on the northern, separated from each other by the river. The two armies remained thus encamped for several days. Samuil was confident that the Byzantines could not cross, and neglected taking measures to protect his camp. Ouranos however, sought and found a ford, led his army across during the night, and attacked the Bulgarians at dawn. The Bulgarians were not able to put up effective resistance, and the larger part of their army was destroyed and captured. Samuil himself was wounded and he and his son
Aftermath
The battle was a major defeat of the Bulgarian army. At first Samuil showed readiness for negotiations but upon the news of the death of Bulgaria's official ruler Roman in prison, he proclaimed himself the sole legitimate tsar[8][9] and continued the war. Although Samuil initially managed to recover, the Byzantines decisively took the lead in the war. In 1014, they decisively defeated the Bulgarians and conquered the country. According to Skylitzes, the victory was entirely Ouranos's achievement, and Basil II is credited with little besides appointing him to the office of Domesticos.
References
- ISBN 0-19-927968-3, pp. 163–165, 196
- ^ Стоименов, Д., Временна византийска военна администрация в българските земи 971–987/989 г., ГСУ НЦСВП, т. 82 (2), 1988, с. 41–43, 55–56
- ^ Ангелов, Д., Чолпанов, Б., Българска военна история през Средновековието (X–XV век), Издателство на БАН, София 1994, с. 45
- ^ Божилов, Ив., България в епохата на цар Самуил, с. 200, в: сп. Исторически преглед 1999, кн. 5–6
- ^ Златарски, В., История на българската държава през средните векове, том I, част 2, София 1971, с. 660–662 (взето на 1.2.2008)
- ISBN 0-521-81530-4, p. 17
- ^ Златарски, В., История на българската държава през средните векове, том I, част 2, София 1971, с. 662-663 (взето на 1.2.2008); Гръцки извори за българската история, том VI, с. 278–279 (взето на 31.1.2008)
- ^ a b Розен, В. Р., Император Василий Болгаробойца. Извлечения из летописи Яхъи Антиохийского, с. 34 (взето от "Библиотека Якова Кротова" на 1.2.2008)
- ^ Златарски, В., История на българската държава през средните векове, том I, част 2, София 1971, с. 663–665, 668–669 (взето на 1.2.2008)
Further reading
- Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Велико Търново, 1996.
- Ioannes Scylitzes, Synopsis Historion