Battle of Peritheorion
The Battle of Peritheorion was fought on July 7, 1345 between the troops of Momchil , the quasi-independent ruler of the Rhodope Mountains , and an allied force of Byzantine troops under John VI. and Turkish troops under Umur Bey from Aydin . The two armies met in front of the city walls of the city of Anastasioupolis-Peritheorion (near Xanthi , abandoned today). The outcome was a clear victory for John VI, while Momchil fell on the battlefield.
Origins of the conflict
From 1341 there was a civil war in the Byzantine Empire between the party of the still underage John V Palaiologos and John VI. Kantakouzenos raged. In this struggle, both sides called on foreign rulers for help. Kantakouzenos initially relied on the help of Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan of Serbia, in 1343 his old friend Umur Bey also came to his aid, which considerably strengthened his position.
In the same year Momchil, a Bulgarian robber baron who had his seat in the Rhodope Mountains , swore John VI. Allegiance. For this he was rewarded with the title of Sebastokrator and received rule over the Merope area, which stretched east of the Nestos to Komotini . The next year Umur Bey was forced to withdraw his troops to Anatolia and Momchil switched to the side of John V, for which he received the title of despot . He began to plunder the areas that were still loyal to Kantakouzenos and to wipe out the few remaining Turkish troops of Kantakouzenos. He managed to burn some Turkish ships near Porto Lago . When Umur ordered his troops back to Europe in the spring of 1345, Momchil, who had benefited from his position in the no man's land between Serbia, Bulgaria and Byzantium, had de facto risen to become the independent ruler of the Rhodope Mountains.
battle
In the late spring of 1345 Umur's troops reached Thrace (according to the sources, 20,000 men). He and Kantakouzenos now set about subjugating Momchil. The two armies met on July 7th at Peritheorion. Momchil tried to evade the much larger enemy force and retreat behind the walls of Peritheorion, but the citizens of the city closed the gates to him. The battle that followed was more like an escape; the more numerous Turks destroyed Momchil's troops.
consequences
After the rebel's death, the forces of the Kantakouzenos regained control of the Merope region. However, the dominant role of the Turks in the event gave an indication of the Turkish conquest of the Balkans, which began a few years later. Momchil's eventful life and his historically transfigured role as a defender against the Turks secured him a place in local folklore.
literature
- John Van Antwerp Fine: The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest , University of Michigan Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0-472-08260-5 , pp. 303-305
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Fine: The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest , p. 304
- ^ Fine: The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest , p. 303
- ↑ a b c Fine: The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest , p. 305
Remarks
- ↑ In the book The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest , Momchil is mentioned under the name Momĉilo .