.gif)
Battle of Plovdiv (1208)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Philippopolis or battle of Plovdiv took place on 30 June 1208 in the surroundings of Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
between the armies of the Bulgarian Empire
and the Latin Empire
. The Crusaders
were victorious.
seized the Byzantine
capital Constantinople
in 1204 they established a new empire on previously Byzantine territories and continued to fight the states which emerged from the Byzantine Empire
- the Despotate of Epiros in Europe
and the Nicaean Empire in Asia Minor
. Its Emperor Baldwin I
rejected the peace proposal of the Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan
and on the following year the Crusader army was annihilated by the Bulgarians in the battle of Adrianople
and Baldwin himself was captured and died as a prisoner in Tarnovo.
However, Kaloyan was murdered during the siege of Thessalonike
in 1207. The conspirators were organized by his cousin Boril
who succeeded the Bulgarian crown. The new Emperor had to cope with the supporters of the country's legitimate heir Ivan Asen II
who was juvenile at that time. This gave precious time for the Latin Empire to reorganize.
and defeated
the Crusaders near Stara Zagora
. Inspired, Boril marched southward and on 30 June 1208 he encountered the main Latin army. The Bulgarian army outnumbered its enemy - Boril had 33,000 soldiers while Henry had 2,000 knight
s and several thousand soldiers. Boril tried to apply the same tactics which Kaloyan used at Adrianople - the light cavalry tried to harass the Crusaders, to stretch their line and to lead them towards the main Bulgarian forces. The knights, however, had learned the bitter lesson from Adrianople and did not repeat the same mistake. Instead, they organized a trap and attacked the detachment which was personally commanded by the Tsar
. Boril had 1,600 men and could not withstand the enemy assault and fled after which the whole Bulgarian army pulled back.
The Bulgarians knew that the enemy would not chase them in the mountains so they retreated towards one of the eastern passes of the Balkan mountains
, Turia. The Crusaders who followed the Bulgarian army were attacked in a hilly country near the contemporary village of Zelenikovo by the Bulgarian rear guard and after a bitter fight they were defeated. However, they did not collapse as the main Latin forces arrived. The battle continued for a very long time and finally the Bulgarians retreated to the north when the bulk of their army had safely passed through the mountains. The Crusaders also retreated to Plovdiv.
who ruled in Prosek
- Strez received the high title sevastokrator and the right to govern his lands freely. In 1211 the Bulgarians formed an alliance with the Niceans but the allies could not take Constantinople. After that failure Boril reorientated his policy and the two Empires settled peace after the marriage of Kaloyan's daughter Maria of Bulgaria
and the Latin Emperor Henry.
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
between the armies of the Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
and the Latin Empire
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261...
. The Crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
were victorious.
Origins of the conflict
After the armies of the Fourth CrusadeFourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
seized the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
capital Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 1204 they established a new empire on previously Byzantine territories and continued to fight the states which emerged from the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
- the Despotate of Epiros in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Nicaean Empire in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. Its Emperor Baldwin I
Baldwin I of Constantinople
Baldwin I , the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI Count of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the capture of Constantinople, the conquest of the greater part of the Byzantine...
rejected the peace proposal of the Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan
Kaloyan of Bulgaria
Kaloyan the Romanslayer , Ivan II , ruled as emperor of Bulgaria 1197-1207. He is the third and youngest brother of Peter IV and Ivan Asen I who managed to restore the Bulgarian Empire...
and on the following year the Crusader army was annihilated by the Bulgarians in the battle of Adrianople
Battle of Adrianople (1205)
The Battle of Adrianople occurred on April 14, 1205 between Bulgarians under Tsar Kaloyan of Bulgaria, and Crusaders under Baldwin I. It was won by the Bulgarians after a skillful ambush using the help of their Cuman and Greek allies. Around 300 knights were killed, including Louis of Blois, Duke...
and Baldwin himself was captured and died as a prisoner in Tarnovo.
However, Kaloyan was murdered during the siege of Thessalonike
Thessalonike
Thessalonike, may refer to:* Thessalonike of Macedon, a daughter of king Philip II of Macedon* Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, named after Thessalonica of Macedon* Thessaloniki, a poem-song of Nikos Kavvadias...
in 1207. The conspirators were organized by his cousin Boril
Boril of Bulgaria
Boril reigned as emperor of Bulgaria from 1207 to 1218. He was the son of an unnamed sister of his predecessor Kaloyan.-Biography:It is unclear whether Boril was party to the murder of Kaloyan in front of the walls of Thessalonica in 1207, but Kaloyan's intended heirs, his nephews Ivan Asen and...
who succeeded the Bulgarian crown. The new Emperor had to cope with the supporters of the country's legitimate heir Ivan Asen II
Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
-Early rule:He was a son of Ivan Asen I of Bulgaria and Elena . Elena, who survived until after 1235, is sometimes alleged to be a daughter of Stefan Nemanja of Serbia, but this relationship is questionable and would have caused various canonical impediments to marriages between various descendants...
who was juvenile at that time. This gave precious time for the Latin Empire to reorganize.
The battle
In the spring of 1208 Boril considered that the internal situation in Bulgaria had calmed down and turned his attention to the foreign-political affairs. It seems that he supported the policy of his predecessor and continued the war against the Latin Empire. The Bulgarian army invaded ThraceThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and defeated
Battle of Boruy
The battle of Boruy took place in June 1208 near the city of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria between the Bulgarians and the Latin Empire. It resulted in a Bulgarian victory.- Origins of the conflict :...
the Crusaders near Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
. Inspired, Boril marched southward and on 30 June 1208 he encountered the main Latin army. The Bulgarian army outnumbered its enemy - Boril had 33,000 soldiers while Henry had 2,000 knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s and several thousand soldiers. Boril tried to apply the same tactics which Kaloyan used at Adrianople - the light cavalry tried to harass the Crusaders, to stretch their line and to lead them towards the main Bulgarian forces. The knights, however, had learned the bitter lesson from Adrianople and did not repeat the same mistake. Instead, they organized a trap and attacked the detachment which was personally commanded by the Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. Boril had 1,600 men and could not withstand the enemy assault and fled after which the whole Bulgarian army pulled back.
The Bulgarians knew that the enemy would not chase them in the mountains so they retreated towards one of the eastern passes of the Balkan mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, Turia. The Crusaders who followed the Bulgarian army were attacked in a hilly country near the contemporary village of Zelenikovo by the Bulgarian rear guard and after a bitter fight they were defeated. However, they did not collapse as the main Latin forces arrived. The battle continued for a very long time and finally the Bulgarians retreated to the north when the bulk of their army had safely passed through the mountains. The Crusaders also retreated to Plovdiv.
Aftermath
The defeat was not disastrous and on the following year the war waged with unceasing rage. Boril was energetic and persistent but he could never fulfill his plans. In 1209 Henry managed to win over Alexius Slav who ruled the Rhodopes and married his daughter to the Bulgarian noble. To compensate that, Boril had to arrange an alliance with his brother StrezStrez
Strez was a Bulgarian sebastokrator and a member of the Asen dynasty. A major contender for the Bulgarian throne, Strez initially opposed the ascension of his close relative Tsar Boril...
who ruled in Prosek
Prosek
Prosek , also known as Stenae, is an archaeological site located in the Demir Kapija Canyon, in Republic of Macedonia. This ancient settlement had an excellent strategical and war position. It was discovered in 1948...
- Strez received the high title sevastokrator and the right to govern his lands freely. In 1211 the Bulgarians formed an alliance with the Niceans but the allies could not take Constantinople. After that failure Boril reorientated his policy and the two Empires settled peace after the marriage of Kaloyan's daughter Maria of Bulgaria
Maria of Bulgaria, Latin Empress
Maria of Bulgaria was the second Empress consort of Henry of Flanders, Latin Emperor of Constantinople.-Family:She was a daughter of Kaloyan of Bulgaria. Her mother may have been his wife Anna of Cumania. She went on to marry Boril of Bulgaria, a nephew of her first husband. Her paternal uncles...
and the Latin Emperor Henry.