Battle of Serdica
| date | Spring 809 |
|---|---|
| place | Sofia |
| output | Victory of the Bulgarians |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
unknown |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | 6,000 |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
6,000 |
The siege of Serdica ( Bulgarian Обсадата на Сердика ) took place in 809 on the site of today's Sofia . As a result, the city then called Serdica became permanently part of the Bulgarian Empire.
prehistory
After the destruction of the Avars , Krum began to conquer the Struma valley and parts of Macedonia . His greatest obstacle in this attempt was the Byzantine fortress Serdica.
The siege
In the spring of 809, Krum ordered the siege of the city, which was unsuccessful for several weeks. Finally, he promised the Byzantine garrison safe conduct if they surrendered the city without a fight. The Byzantines accepted this promise, but were killed by Krum's troops when they left, as were some of the city's residents.
consequences
With the conquest of the Serdicas, the Bulgarians fell into their hands on an important transport hub in the Balkans along the Via Militaris . As a result, Byzantium not only lost the direct route to its western Balkan provinces, but soon also the provinces themselves, which were divided between Bulgarians, Serbs and Croats. For the Bulgarians, the city was also the starting point for further campaigns in the direction of Pelagonia , Thessaly , Western Thrace and Epiros .
literature
- Васил Н. Златарски, История на българската държава през средните векове, Част I, II изд., Наука и изкуство, 1970.
- Атанас Пейчев и колектив, 1300 години на стража, Военно издателство, София 1984.
- Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Велико Търново, 1996.