Battle of Anchialus (917)
The Bulgarians defeat the Byzantines at Anchialus in 917
| date | August 20, 917 |
|---|---|
| place | near Anchialos (today Pomorie in Bulgaria ) |
| Casus Belli | "Expansion of power" |
| output | devastating defeat of the Byzantines |
| Territorial changes | Thrace |
| consequences | Simeon I became the "Tsar (Emperor, Greek Basileus) of the Bulgarians and Rhomeans (= Eastern Romans)". The Bulgarian Empire dominated the Balkan Peninsula, and the Byzantines pledged to pay annual tribute |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Emperor Constantine VII and Leon Phokas |
|
| Troop strength | |
| 60,000 to 70,000 | 60,000 to 110,000 |
| losses | |
|
devastating |
20,000 |
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The Battle of Anchialos ( Bulgarian Битката при Ахелой / Bitkata pri Acheloj, Greek : Μάχη του Αχελώου) found on 20 August 917 at the mouth of the river Acheloj into the Black Sea , near the town Anchialos (today Pomorie ) and today's Bulgarian city Acheloj place . The battle was a military and political disaster for the Byzantine Empire .
On the morning of August 20, 917, the battle between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines began. The Byzantine generals wanted to overtake the Bulgarian right wing in order to force Simeon's troops off the Balkan passes. The Bulgarian ruler concentrated his strongest forces in the two wings, leaving the center relatively weak in order to be able to encircle the enemy if the center yielded to the Byzantine attack. Simeon himself led the great cavalry reserve, which was hidden behind hills, to deliver the decisive blow.
The Byzantine attack was fierce and it was not long before the Bulgarians slowly retreated at the center of their battle formation. The Bulgarian position became desperate as it failed to hold the heights south of the river. A hasty retreat to the north began. The Byzantine battle formations now disintegrated, especially as rumor spread that their commander, Leo Phocas , had been killed. Simeon, realizing the disorder in the Byzantine formation, ordered his army to stand still. He himself, at the head of his heavy cavalry corps, attacked the Byzantine left wing. The cavalry attack caused panic and the Byzantines fled. The Bulgarian troops reached the refugees on the Achelos River. Many soldiers drowned in the river.
Simeon personally took part in the fight, his horse being killed at the height of the battle. Leo Phocas, the commander of the Byzantine troops, initially managed to escape to Mesembria (now Nesebar). At the end of the day, the Bulgarians overwhelmed and captured the city's defenders. Leo Phocas escaped on a ship.
The victory was a huge success for the Bulgarian king, who shortly afterwards in Constantinople Opel to the Emperor ( Tsar crown) and the Bulgarian church leader for Patriarch was appointed. The Byzantine army lost at least 20,000 soldiers. Several commanders were also killed. The battle was one of the bloodiest in medieval history .
It was the third great battle between the First Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires that took place at Anchialus , after the battle in 708 and the battle in 763 .
See also
literature
- Fine, Jr./John VA: Chapter 5. Bulgaria under Symeon, 893-927 in " The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century, " University of Michigan Press, 1991, pp 137-157 , ISBN 978-0-472-08149-3 .
- Warren Treadgold: A History of the Byzantine State and Society , Stanford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8047-2630-2 .
- Constantin Jireček : Chapter VIII. The Car Symeon in History of the Bulgarians , Georg Olm Verlag, 1977 (Orig .: Verlag von F. Tempsky, Prague 1876).