Battle of Skafida
| date | 1304 |
|---|---|
| place | near Skafida (near Burgas in Bulgaria ) |
| output | Victory of the Bulgarians |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Emperor Michael IX. Palaiologos |
Tsar Todor Svetoslav |
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | unknown |
| losses | |
|
heavy |
unknown |
The Battle of Skafida ( Bulgarian Битка при Скафида ) was a confrontation in 1304 near Poros (now Burgas in eastern Bulgaria ), on the Skafida River between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian Empire . The battle ended in a clear Bulgarian victory.
prehistory
When the Boljar Todor Svetoslaw was crowned tsar in 1300 , he looked for the culprits for Bulgaria's dependence on the Tatars in the years before. He took tough action and also made before the Bulgarian patriarch Ioakim III. not stop. After he had internally consolidated the Bulgarian Empire, Todor directed his efforts against Byzantium, whose diplomacy had incited the Tatars to attack and pillage against Bulgaria. In 1303 the Bulgarian tsar invaded Thrace with his army and took many cities in the Zagore region and the Black Sea coast.
In the next year, the Byzantine Emperor Michael IX moved. Palaiologos to counterattack. He followed the Via Pontica with his army and both armies met at the Skafida River near the present-day city of Burgas.
The battle
The battle took place on the west bank of the river. After a deception in which the Bulgarian army pretended to withdraw, the Byzantines were certain of their victory and went into pursuit. When the Bulgarian reserve wanted to grapple with the wings of the Byzantines, they retreated over a small bridge. At the bridge in front of which the army was standing, it was finally wiped out. In addition, the bridge collapsed from the weight of the soldiers and many drowned in the deep river.
consequences
After the victory, the Bulgarian empire was able to consolidate. Emperor Michael IX. made another push against Bulgaria the following year. He devastated the Zagore region and took the coastal cities south of Sosoplis again. Tsar Todor Slwetoslaw was able to recapture it in the same year.
A peace and thus an end to the Byzantine-Bulgarian wars could only be concluded in 1307. Byzantium pledged to pay tribute and recognized the status quo after the Battle of Skafida. Bulgaria secured the cities of the southern Black Sea coast as far as Agatopolis . The Bulgarian Tsar then married Theodora Palaiologos , one of the daughters of the Byzantine Emperor Michael IX, which also contributed to peace.
literature
- Васил Н. Златарски: История на българската държава през средните векове. Част I, II изд., Наука и изкуство, София 1970.
- Атанас Пейчев и колектив: 1300 години на стража. Военно издателство, София 1984.
- Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков: Българските ханове и царе. Велико Търново, 1996.
- Nicephorus. Opuscula historia, pp. 69-70