The Battle of Kleidion (also Clidium and Klyuch, "(the) key", or Belasitsa) took place on July 29, 1014 between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911). ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Events February 14 - Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany July 29 - Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock... Belasica (Macedonian and Bulgarian: Беласица, also transliterated as Belasitsa or Belasitza; Greek: Μπέλες, Béles, or Κερκίνη, Kerkíni) is a mountain range in the region of Macedonia in Southeastern Europe, shared by northwestern Greece (about 50%), southeastern Republic of Macedonia (30%) and southwestern Bulgaria (20%). The area is particularly famous for the... Blagoevgrad Province (Bulgarian: област Благоевград, oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast), also known as Pirin Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония, Pirinska Makedoniya), is a province (oblast) of southwestern Bulgaria. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Painting of Basil II, from an 11th century manuscript. ... It has been suggested that Samuils Inscription be merged into this article or section. ... The Byzantine Empire in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911). ... Combatants Bulgaria Byzantine Empire Commanders Tervel Justinian II Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Heavy The battle of Anchialus occurred in 708 near the town of Pomorie, Bulgaria. ... Combatants Bulgaria Byzantine Empire Commanders Khan Vinekh Constantine V Strength Unknown Very large army Casualties Light Heavy The battle of the Rishki Pass took place in the pass of the same name, Stara Planina, Bulgaria in 759. ... Combatants Bulgaria Byzantine Empire Commanders Kardam Constantine VI Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Heavy The battle of Marcelae (Bulgarian: битка при Маркели) took place in 792 near the town of Karnobat in south eastern Bulgaria. ... Combatants First Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Krum Unknown Strength Unknown c. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nicephorus I† Krum Strength aroud 80,000 Unknown Casualties almost the whole army, including the emperor Unknown The Battle of Pliska (Battle of Vărbica pass) took place on July 26, 811, between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria, resulting in one of the worst defeats... During the Battle of Adrianople the Bulgarian emperor Krum led his army south towards Adrianople and pitched camp near Versinikia. ... The Battle of Versinikia was fought in 813 between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarians. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Bulgaria Commanders Unknown Simeon I of Bulgaria Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Almost the whole army Unknown The battle of Bulgarophygon occurred in the summer of 896 near the town of Babaeski in modern Turkey. ... This article refers to the Battle of Anchialus fought in 917. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Samuil of Bulgaria Basil II Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Light Very few survivors The battle of Trayanovi Vrata (Bulgarian: Битка при Траянови Врата) was a battle between Byzantine and Bulgarian forces in the year 986. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Peter Delyan Michael IX Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Ostrovo occurred in 1041 near Ostrovo, an area close to the lake of the same name in modern northern Greece. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Despotate of Epirus Commanders Ivan Asen II Theodore Komnenos Doukas Strength Unknown Much larger force Casualties Light Almost the whole army was killed or captured The Battle of Klokotnitsa (Bulgarian: , Bitka pri Klokotnitsa) occurred on 9 March 1230 near the village of Klokotnitsa (today in Haskovo Province... The Battle of Adrianople was fought in 1254 between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarians. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Ivailo of Bulgaria Unknown Strength Smaller force 10,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The battle of Devnya occurred on 17 July 1279 near Devnya, Varna Province, Bulgaria. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Theodore Svetoslav Michael IX Palaiologos Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The battle of Skafida(Bulgarian: Битка при Скафида) occurred in 1304 near Sozopol, Bulgaria. ... Combatants Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire Commanders Ivan Alexander Andronikos III Palaiologos Strength 11,000 3,000 Casualties Light Heavy Categories: | | ... Belasitsa is a Bulgarian football team founded in 1923. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... Events February 14 - Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany July 29 - Battle of Kleidion: Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage treatment of 15,000 prisoners reportedly causes Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria to die of shock... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ...

Prelude

The Byzantines and Bulgarians had been at war for decades. The largest phase of the war began in 1002, as Tsar Samuil of Bulgaria attempted to expand his territory into Byzantine Greece. Samuil successfully captured land as far south as Athens. Byzantine emperor Basil II wanted to stop this expansion and take back the land that had been lost to the Bulgarians in previous decades and centuries. Every year, Basil marched into Bulgaria to pillage the land, and by 1005 he had recaptured Thessaly, Macedonia, and Greece, and formed an alliance with the Serbs. Events November 13 - English king Ethelred gives order to kill all Danes in England, leading to the St. ... It has been suggested that Samuils Inscription be merged into this article or section. ... Nickname: City of Athena or Cradle of Democracy Location of the city of Athens (red dot) within the Prefecture of Athens and Periphery of Attica Coordinates: Country Greece Peripheries Attica Prefecture Athens Founded circa 2000 BC Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis Area    - City 38. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... Painting of Basil II, from an 11th century manuscript. ... Events Malcolm II succeeds Kenneth III as king of Scotland. ... Map showing Thessaly periphery in Greece Thessaly (Θεσσαλια; modern Greek Thessalía; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is one of the 13 peripheries of Greece, and is further sub-divided into 4 prefectures. ... Anthem: Bože pravde (English: God of Justice) Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment    - Formation 8th century   - Independence c. ...

The battle

The culmination of years of war came in 1014 when Basil finally faced the entire Bulgarian army in battle, which he had been unable to do in the previous 12 years. Samuil had built ditches along the frontier and had fortified many of the valleys and passes with walls and towers, especially the pass of Kleidion on the Struma River, which Basil would most likely need to march through to reach the heart of Bulgaria. While leading his troops towards Kleidion, Basil was frequently attacked by Bulgarian raiders, but the Bulgarians were defeated by a detachment of Byzantine troops under Theophylactus Botaniates, the strategos (duke) of Thessalonika. The Struma (Bulgarian: Струма, Greek: Strimonis, Turkish: Karasu (meaning black water in Turkish)) is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. ... The term strategos (plural strategoi; Greek στρατηγός) is used in Greek to mean general. In the hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor. ... Coordinates 40°38′ N 22°57′ E Country Greece Periphery Central Macedonia Prefecture Thessaloniki [1] Population 363,987 source (2001) Metropolitan area population 1. ...

At Kleidion Basil besieged the fortifications, but was unable to pass through the valley, which was defended by about 15-20,000 Bulgarians. Basil's general Nicephorus Xiphias (the strategos of Philippopolis) then took his forces around Mt. Belasitsa and ambushed the Bulgarians from behind, trapping them in the valley. The Bulgarians abandoned their towers to face this new threat, and Basil was able to break through. In the confusion, thousands of Bulgarians were killed; according to the account of Byzantine historian John Skylitzes, Samuil was present at the battle and was able to escape only with the help of his son's horse. Ancient Theater, Plovdiv International Fair, Plovdiv Plovdiv is a city in Bulgaria and the capital of the Plovdiv Oblast (district). ... John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ...

Bulgarians' Defeat

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Skylitzis Chronicle John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Greek Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ... Image File history File links The_Chronicle_of_Ioannis_Skylitzis_Bulagar_Defeat. ... Image File history File links The_Chronicle_of_Ioannis_Skylitzis_Bulagar_Defeat. ...

The prisoners

Botaniates was ambushed and killed by more Bulgarian raiders after the battle. Skylitzes also records that Basil completely routed the rest of the Bulgarians and took 14 000 prisoners. Basil then divided them into groups of 100 men, blinded 99 men in each group, and left one man in each with one eye so that he could lead the others home; this was possibly done in response to the death of Botaniates. Stylitzes says that Samuil died of a heart attack as he saw his forces march past on July 31, although other sources say Samuil was not present at the battle and lived until October 6. July 31 is the 212th day (213th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 153 days remaining. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ...

Aftermath

Because of his victory Basil gained the nickname Bulgaroktonos, "the Bulgar-slayer." Despite Skylitzes' account, the Bulgarians under Samuil's successors must have had some army left, as Basil did not immediately capture the rest of Bulgaria. The war lasted another four years, until Bulgaria was completely defeated in 1018. In that year Bulgaria's last stronghold at Dyrrhachium was captured, and Bulgaria became a province of the Byzantine Empire till the successful uprising led by the Asen brothers in 1185. // Team# 1018 Pike High School Robotics Team Team #1018 FIRST Logo Check Out Our FIRST WIKI Page Events Bulgaria becomes part of the Byzantine Empire. ... Durrës (Italian: Durazzo; see also different names) is the most ancient and one of the most economically important important cities of Albania. ... The Asen dynasty ruled the Second Bulgarian Empire between 1187 and 1280. ...

Sources

• John Skylitzes, Synopsis Historion, translated by Paul Stephenson. [1]
• Warren T. Treadgold, A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2