Byzantine–Bulgarian wars
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| Byzantine–Bulgarian wars | |
|---|---|
Balkan peninsula | |
| Result | Inconclusive |
| Territorial changes | Both empires had numerous territorial changes |
Second Bulgarian Empire
Nikephoros II Phokas
John I Tzimiskes
Basil II the Bulgar-slayer
Gregory Taronites †
Nikephoros Ouranos
Michael IV the Paphlagonian
Michael VII Doukas
Isaac II Angelos
Alexios III Angelos
John III Doukas Vatatzes
Theodore II Laskaris
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Andronikos II Palaiologos
Michael IX Palaiologos
Andronikos III Palaiologos
The Byzantine–Bulgarian wars were a series of conflicts fought between the
In 971
After the army of the
Asparuh's war
The Byzantines first clashed with the founders of Bulgaria (the Bulgars) when
Tervel's wars
A mere three years later Justinian II himself violated this arrangement and apparently commenced military operations to recover the ceded area. Tervel routed him at the
According to the chronological information of the
Constantine V's wars
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After the death of Sevar, Bulgaria descended into a long period of crisis and unrest, while the Byzantines consolidated their positions. Between 756 and 775, the new Byzantine Emperor Constantine V led nine campaigns against his northern neighbour to establish a Byzantine border on the Danube.[2] Due to the frequent change of rulers (eight Khans held the throne in twenty years) and the constant political crisis, Bulgaria was on the verge of destruction.
In his first campaign in 756, Constantine V was successful and managed to defeat the Bulgars twice, but in 759,
Constantine VI's failed retaliations
In 791, the Byzantine emperor
In 792, Constantine VI led another army against the Bulgars and encamped at
By 796, the imperial government was recalcitrant and Kardam found it necessary to demand the tribute while threatening to devastate Thrace if it were not paid. According to the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor, Constantine VI mocked the demand by having dung sent instead of gold as "fitting tribute" and promising to lead a new army against the elderly Kardam at Marcellae. Once again the emperor's army headed north, and once again it encountered Kardam in the vicinity of Adrianople. The armies faced each other for 17 days without entering into battle, while the two monarchs probably engaged in negotiations. In the end, conflict was averted and the peace resumed on the same terms as in 792.
Khan Krum's wars
Khan
Conflict with Nikephoros I
In early 811, Nikephoros I undertook a massive expedition against Bulgaria, advancing to Marcellae (near Karnobat). Here Krum attempted to negotiate on July 11, 811, but Nikephoros was determined to continue his advance. His army managed to avoid Bulgar ambushes in the Balkan Mountains and defeated an army of 12,000 that tried to block their advance into Moesia. Another hastily assembled army of 50,000 was defeated before the walls of the Bulgarian capital, Pliska,[8] which fell to the emperor on July 20. Here Nikephoros, who had been a financial minister before becoming emperor, helped himself to the treasures of Krum, while setting the city ablaze and turning his army on the population. A new diplomatic tentative from Krum was rebuffed. Nikephorus showed great cruelty, ordering his army to kill the population of the capital.[9]
Increasingly concerned about the breakdown of discipline in his army, Nikephoros finally began to retreat towards Thrace. In the meantime, Krum had mobilized as many of his subjects as he could (including the women) and had begun to set traps and ambushes for the retreating imperial army in the mountain passes. At dawn on July 26 the Byzantines found themselves trapped against a moat and wooden wall in the Vărbica pass.[10] Nikephoros was killed in the ensuing battle along with many of his troops, while his son Staurakios was carried to safety by the imperial bodyguard after receiving a paralyzing wound to his neck. According to tradition, Krum had the Emperor's skull lined with silver and used it as a drinking cup. This enhanced his reputation for brutality and won him the nickname "New Sennacherib".
Conflict with Michael I Rangabe
Staurakios was forced to abdicate after a brief reign (he died from his wound in 812) and was succeeded by his brother-in-law,
In February 813, the Bulgars raided into Thrace but were repelled by the emperor's forces. Encouraged by this success, Michael I summoned troops from the entire empire and headed north, hoping for a decisive victory. Krum led his army south towards Adrianople and pitched camp near Versinikia. Michael I lined up his army against the Bulgars, but neither side initiated an attack for two weeks. Finally, on June 22, 813, the Byzantines attacked but were immediately turned to flight.[11] With Krum's cavalry in pursuit, the rout of Michael I was complete, and Krum advanced on Constantinople, which he besieged by land. Discredited, Michael was forced to abdicate and become a monk — the third Byzantine emperor undone by Krum in as many years.
Conflict with Leo V the Armenian
The new emperor, Leo V the Armenian, offered to negotiate and arranged for a meeting with Krum. As Krum arrived, he was ambushed by Byzantine archers and was wounded as he made his escape. Furious, Krum ravaged the environs of Constantinople and headed home, capturing Adrianople[12] en route and transplanting its inhabitants (including the parents of the future Emperor Basil I) across the Danube. In spite of the approach of winter, Krum took advantage of good weather to send a force of 30,000 into Thrace, capturing Arkadioupolis (Lüleburgaz) and carrying off some 50,000 captives. The loot from Thrace was used to enrich Krum and his nobility and included architectural elements utilized in the reconstruction of Pliska, perhaps largely by captured Byzantine artisans.
Krum spent the winter preparing for a major attack on Constantinople, where rumor reported the assemblage of an extensive siege park to be transported on 5,000 carts. He died before he set out, however, on April 13, 814, and was succeeded by his son
Omurtag's peace treaty
The reign of Khan Omurtag opened with an invasion of the Byzantine Empire after the rejection of Byzantine offers for peace. The Bulgars penetrated as far south as modern
Brief war with Theophilos
After the expiration of the original 20-year peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire in 836, Emperor
Emperor Theophilos sought Bulgar support in putting down the rebellion, but he simultaneously arranged for his fleet to sail through the Danube delta and undertake a clandestine evacuation of some of the Byzantine captives settled in trans-Danubian Bulgaria by Krum and Omurtag. In retaliation Isbul campaigned along the Aegean coasts of Thrace and Macedonia and captured the city of Philippi, where Theophilos set up a surviving memorial inscription in a local church. Isbul's campaign may have resulted in the establishment of Bulgar suzerainty over the Slavic tribe of the Smoljani.
Wars of Boris I
Despite his able diplomacy, statesmanship, and his importance in the process of converting Bulgaria to Christianity, Boris I was not a particularly successful leader in war, being at various times defeated by the Franks, Croats, Serbs, and Byzantines.
War of 852
Soon after coming to power Boris launched a brief campaign against the Byzantines in 852. No details of the outcome of this war are extant, though it is possible he may have gained some territory in inland Macedonia.[13]
War of 855–856
Another conflict between the Byzantines and Bulgarians started in 855–856. The Empire wanted to regain its control over some areas of inland Thrace and the ports around the Gulf of Burgas on the Black Sea. The Byzantine forces, led by the
Military conflict connected to the Christian conversion of Boris
In 863 Boris made a decision to embrace Christianity, and he sought a mission from the Franks. The Byzantines could not countenance so close a neighbor as Bulgaria falling under Frankish religious control. Byzantium had recently gained a major victory over the Arabs and was free to field a considerable military force against Bulgaria. A fleet was sent into the Black Sea and an army dispatched to invade Bulgaria. As the bulk of Boris' army was campaigning against Moravia far to the northwest, he had little choice but to yield immediately. He broke off the Frankish alliance, allowed Greek clergy to enter Bulgaria, and was eventually baptized, with the Byzantine emperor Michael III as his sponsor; Boris took the additional name of Michael at his baptism. The Bulgarians were allowed to recover the debatable region of Zagora as a reward for their change of religious orientation.[16]
Simeon I's Imperial ambitions
With the ascendance of
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After the death of Leo VI on 11 May 912 and the accession of his infant son
Shortly after Simeon visited Constantinople, Constantine's mother Zoe returned to the palace on the insistence of the young emperor and immediately proceeded to eliminate the regents. Through a plot, she managed to assume power in February 914, practically removing Patriarch Nicholas from the government, disowning and obscuring his recognition of Simeon's imperial title, and rejecting the planned marriage of her son to one of Simeon's daughters. In retaliation, Simeon invaded Thrace in the summer of 914 and
Simeon pursued an aggressive policy regarding the
Desperate to conquer Constantinople, Simeon planned a large campaign in 924 and sent envoys to the
In 924 Simeon sent an army led by
After 14 years of war Simeon was ultimately too frustrated in his designs on the Byzantine throne. In the year following the destruction of his army in Croatia, while planning another attack on the Byzantines, he died of a heart attack in his palace in Preslav on May 27, 927.[21]
Peter's relations with the Byzantines
Soon after his accession, Simeon's son
Sviatoslav's invasion and the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria
Campaigns of Sviatoslav and John Tzimiskes in Bulgaria
In 968 Boris II, future emperor of Bulgaria, went to Constantinople again to negotiate a peace settlement with Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, and apparently to serve as an honorary hostage. This arrangement was intended to put an end to the conflict between Bulgaria and Byzantium, which would now join forces against Prince Sviatoslav I of Kiev, whom the Byzantine emperor had pitted against the Bulgarians. In 969 a new Kievan invasion defeated the Bulgarians again, and Peter I abdicated to become a monk. In circumstances that are not entirely clear, Boris II was allowed to return to Bulgaria and sit on his father's throne.
Boris II was unable to stem the Kievan advance and found himself forced to accept Sviatoslav of Kiev as his ally and puppet-master, turning against the Byzantines. A Kievan campaign into Byzantine Thrace was
Tsar Samuel and the conquest of Bulgaria by Basil II
Although the ceremony in 971 had been intended as a symbolic termination of the Bulgarian empire, the Byzantines were unable to assert their control over the western provinces of Bulgaria. These remained under the rule of their own governors, especially a noble family led by four brothers called the
Although the Byzantines eventually managed to capture all of Bulgaria, Samuel resisted Basil II for decades and is the only man to ever defeat him in battle, when in 986 Samuel drove Basil II's army from the field at the Gates of Trajan, and the emperor (barely surviving the heavy defeat) soon turned to the east for new conquests. The victory by Samuel prompted Pope Gregory V to recognize him as Tsar, and he was crowned in Rome in 997. In 1002, a full-scale war broke out. By this time, Basil's army was stronger, and the emperor was determined to conquer Bulgaria once and for all. He deployed much of the imperial army, battle-seasoned from the Eastern campaigns against the Arabs, and Samuel was forced to retreat into his country's heartland. Still, by harassing the powerful Byzantine army, Samuel hoped to force Basil to the peace table. For a dozen years, his tactics maintained Bulgarian independence and even kept Basil away from the main Bulgarian cities, including the capital of Ohrid.
On July 29, 1014, however, at
Ivan Vladislav
The Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Vladislav restored the fortifications of Bitola in 1015 and survived an assassination plot undertaken by Byzantine agents. Although the Byzantines sacked Ohrid, they failed to take Pernik and received troubling intelligence that Ivan Vladislav was attempting to induce the Pechenegs to come to his aid, following up the general practice of his predecessors.
While Byzantine armies had penetrated deep into Bulgaria in 1016, Ivan Vladislav was able to rally his forces and commenced a siege of
Peter II
The newly proclaimed Bulgarian emperor
Peter II Delyan's successes ended, however, with the interference of his cousin Alusian, whose father, Ivan Vladislav, had murdered Peter's father, Gavril Radomir, in 1015. Alusian joined Peter II's ranks as an apparent deserter from the Byzantine court, where he had been disgraced, and was welcomed by Peter II, who gave him an army to attack Thessalonica. The siege was raised by the Byzantines, however, and the army was defeated. Alusian barely escaped and returned to Ostrovo.
One night in 1041, during dinner, Alusian took advantage of Peter II's inebriation and cut off his nose and blinded him with a kitchen knife. Since Alusian was of the blood of Samuel, he was quickly proclaimed emperor in place of Peter II by his troops, but he conspired to defect to the Byzantines. As the Bulgarian and Byzantine troops were preparing for battle, Alusian deserted to the enemy and headed for Constantinople, where his possessions and lands were restored to him, and he was rewarded with the high courtly rank of magistros.
Meanwhile, though blind, Peter II Delyan resumed command of the Bulgarian forces, but the Byzantine Emperor Michael IV determined to take advantage of the situation and advanced against them. In an obscure
Peter III
The troops of the newly crowned
Theodore and the Second Bulgarian Empire
In 1185 Theodore (
The rebellion failed to immediately capture Bulgaria's historic capital Preslav, but established a new capital city at
Isaac II Angelos' failed retaliations
After the passing of the Third Crusade, Isaac II Angelos decided to deal with the Bulgarians decisively. The expedition was planned on a grand scale and reached Tărnovo before besieging it for a protracted period. By this time Peter IV had crowned Ivan Asen I as co-emperor in 1189 and, without abdicating, retired to Preslav. In charge of the defense of the Tărnovo, Ivan Asen I incited the Byzantine emperor to a hasty retreat by spreading rumors about the arrival of a great Cuman army to the relief of the besieged city. The retreating Byzantine army was ambushed by Ivan Asen I in the Balkan passes and Isaac II barely escaped with his life in 1190.
Success now definitely swung in favor of the Bulgarians, who captured the areas of
Rise of the Latin Empire
The war between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines was stalled in 1204, when Catholic forces of the
Latin Wars
Although during the period of time from 1204 to 1261 the Bulgarians and the Byzantines mainly fought the Latins, both still held resentment towards each other. In spite of the initially welcome successes of the Bulgarians against the Latins, the Byzantine aristocracy now began to rebel or conspire against its rule. Kaloyan also changed course and turned mercilessly on his former allies, adopting the sobriquet Rōmaioktonos ("slayer of Romans"), as a counter-derivative from Basil II's Boulgaroktonos ("slayer of Bulgarians"). But generally the relations between the Bulgarians and Nicaea, the main Byzantine successor state, remained strong, as the new pro-Nicaean alignment of Bulgaria culminated with the marriage between Ivan Asen II's daughter Elena and the future Theodore II Laskaris, the son of Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes of Nicaea. The dynastic union was celebrated in 1235 and coincided with the restoration of the Bulgarian patriarchate with the consent of the eastern patriarchs and with a siege of Constantinople by the combined forces of John III and Ivan Asen II. Later on, the Bulgarians decided to aid neither the Latin Empire nor the Nicaeans because both were too involved fighting each other to attack Bulgaria. During 1240s and 1250s the Emperors John III Doukas Vatatzes and his son Theodore II Laskaris led successful campaigns against the Tsardom.
Bulgarian civil wars
Soon after the Byzantine empire was restored under
Shortly after this, still in 1279, Ivailo suddenly appeared before Tărnovo with an army, but he failed to take the well-fortified city. He nevertheless
Theodore Svetoslav's Byzantine war
During the 13th century the Byzantine and Bulgarian empires were beginning to fade, and they often allied with each other to ward off powerful foes, such as the
George Terter II's Byzantine war
Michael Asen III's wars
The death of George Terter II was followed by a brief period of confusion and uncertainty, which was exploited by the Byzantine Emperor
Although Michael Asen III managed to force Andronikos III to retreat, the Byzantines managed to capture Philippopolis while the Bulgarians were changing garrisons. In spite of this loss, Michael Asen III expelled Vojsil and recovered control over northern and northeastern Thrace in 1324. The status quo was confirmed by a peace treaty with the Byzantine Empire, which was cemented by Michael Asen III's marriage to Theodora Palaiologina, the sister of Andronikos III Palaiologos, who had been previously married to Theodore Svetoslav of Bulgaria.
Byzantine civil war
In 1327 Michael Asen III involved himself in the
Nevertheless, Michael Asen III entered into negotiations with Andronikos II, offering military support in exchange for money and border lands. Marching to the frontier with his army, Michael Asen III sent a detachment to ostensibly help Andronikos II, but which actually intended to capture the Emperor. Forewarned by his grandson, Andronikos II prudently kept the Bulgarian detachment away from the capital and his person. Giving up on his ploy, Michael Asen III attempted to gain the lands by force but retreated before the advance of Andronikos III. Another showdown in front of Adrianople in 1328 ended without battle and with the renewal of the peace treaty, after which Michael Asen III returned to his country, but not before securing a large payoff.
Ivan Alexander's defence of Bulgaria
In the early 1340s, relations with the Byzantine Empire temporarily deteriorated.
In 1341–1347, the Byzantine Empire was plunged into a second protracted civil war, between the regency for Emperor John V Palaiologos and his intended guardian John VI Kantakouzenos. The neighbors of the Byzantines took advantage of the civil war, and while Stefan Dušan sided with John VI Kantakouzenos, Ivan Alexander backed John V Palaiologos and his regency. Although the two Balkan rulers picked opposite sides in the Byzantine civil war, they maintained their alliance with each other. As the price for Ivan Alexander's support, the regency for John V Palaiologos ceded him the city of Philippopolis (Plovdiv) and nine important fortresses in the Rhodope Mountains in 1344.
Another Byzantine
Fall of Bulgaria and Byzantium
In 1396
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, pp. 357–360
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, p.429
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, p.431
- ^ Nicephorus. Opuscula historica, pp. 69–70
- ^ Nicephorus. Opuscula historica, p. 73
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, p. 437
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, pp. 484–486
- ^ Anonymus Vaticanus, pp. 148–149
- ^ Chronique de Michel de Syrien, p.17
- ^ Theophanes Confessor. Chronographia, pp. 489–492
- ^ Scriptor Incertus. Historia. pp. 337–339
- ^ Georgius Monachus. Chronicon, col.981
- ^ Fine 1983, p. 112.
- ^ Gjuzelev 1988, p. 130.
- ^ Bulgarian historical review, v. 33:no. 1–4, p. 9.
- ^ Fine 1983, pp. 118–119.
- ^ Runciman, pp. 53–56
- ^ Runciman, pp. 85–89
- ^ Runciman, pp. 90–96
- ^ Fine, pp. 157
- ^ Runciman, p. 96
- ^ Fine 1983, pp. 160–161.
- ^ a b Catherine Holmes, the Governance of Basil II
References
- Fine, John V. A. Jr. (1983), The Early Medieval Balkans, Ann Arbor
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Balkans : A history of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Rumania, Turkey / by Nevill Forbes ... [et al.]. 1915.
- Bulgarian Historical Review (2005), United Center for Research and Training in History, Published by Pub. House of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, v. 33: no. 1–4.
- Gjuzelev, V. (1988), Medieval Bulgaria, Byzantine Empire, Black Sea, Venice, Genoa (Centre Culturel du Monde Byzantin), Verlag Baier
- History of Bulgaria / Hristo Hristov ; [translated from the Bulgarian, Stefan Kostov ; editor, Dimiter Markovski]. Khristov, Khristo Angelov,. c1985.
- History of Bulgaria, 1393–1885 / [by] Mercia MacDermott. MacDermott, Mercia, 1927–[1962].
- Concise history of Bulgaria. R.J. Crampton. 1997.
- Short history of Bulgaria / [by] D. Kossev, H. Hristov [and] D. Angelov ; [Translated by Marguerite Alexieva and Nicolai Koledarov ; illustrated by Ivan Bogdanov [and] Vladislav Paskalev]. Kossev, D. 1963.
- Short history of Bulgaria / Nikolai Todorov ; [L. Dimitrova, translator]. Todorov, Nikolai, 1921–1975.
- 12 Myths in Bulgarian History/ [by] Bozhidar Dimitrov; Published by "KOM Foundation", Sofia, 2005.
- The 7th Ancient Civilizations in Bulgaria [The Golden Prehistoric Civilization, Civilization of Thracians and Macedonians, Hellenistic Civilization, Roman [Empire] Civilization, Byzantine [Empire] Civilization, Bulgarian Civilization, Islamic Civilization] [by] Bozhidar Dimitrov; Published by "KOM Foundation", Sofia, 2005 (108 p.)
- Jordan Andreev, Ivan Lazarov, Plamen Pavlov, Koj koj e v srednovekovna Bălgarija, Sofia 1999.
- John Skylitzes II, 455, 13
- Helene Ahrweiler, Les Européens, pp. 150, Herman (Paris), 2000.
- Runciman, Steven (1929) The Emperor Romanus Lecapenus and His Reign. Cambridge.
- Woodhouse 1986, 109; Sp. Lambros, Argyropouleia, Athens 1910, 7,29
- Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chapter 53.
Further reading
- Stoyanov, Aleksandr (July 2019). "The Size of Bulgaria's Medieval Field Armies: A Case Study of Military Mobilization Capacity in the Middle Ages". Journal of Military History. 83 (3): 719–746.