Battle of Velbazhd

On this day, 686 years ago, Bulgarian and Serbian armies clashes each other near the town of Velbazhd (present day Kyustendil).

The growing power of the Serbian Kingdom from the late 13th century raised serious concerns in the traditional Balkan powers Bulgaria and Byzantine Empire which agreed for joint military actions against Serbia in 1327.



Serbian armies clashed at Velbazhd and the Bulgarians were caught by surprise. Serbian victory shaped the balance of power in Balkans in the next two decades. The Bulgarians did not lose territory after the battle but were unable to stop the Serbian advance towards Macedonia. Serbia managed to conquer Macedonia and parts of Thessaly and Epirus reaching its greatest territorial extent ever.

Our new King Stefan Dušan was crowned Emperor with Bulgarian help in 1346.

If few centuries earlier Croatians didn't save Serbs from Bulgarians, the story from above wouldn't exist

A very long and arduous war was prosecuted between the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I, who wanted to take over the Byzantine Empire, and the Empire's monarch Romanos I. Under heavy pressure from the Bulgarians and amassing defeat after defeat, the Byzantine Empire negotiated with Serbia and Croatia in an effort to forge an alliance against the Bulgarians. Having been informed of these plans by Prince Michael of Zachlumia, who was forced to the islands as the Serbian rulers took direct control most of his local lands for themselves, Simeon overran Serbia in 924, destroyed it by tricking its nobility, and made it directly part of the Bulgarian Empire. Serbia's ruler Zaharija Pribislavljević fled and found exile at the Croatian court, while after the realm's destruction massive waves of Serb refugees fled and found refuge in Tomislav's Croatia. Trying to gain Croatian entry into this coalition, Romanos I ordered the province of Dalmatia in ca. 925 to pay taxes not to Byzantium but rather to the Croatian state; the Dalmatian territories, including most cities and the northern islands, were henceforth administered by King Tomislav and were to remain under Croatia. Tsar Simeon sent Duke Alogobotur to drive the Serb refugees further into Croatia, causing outright war in ca. 926.

The climax of the war was the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands that same year, when Croatian forces under the command of King Tomislav completely defeated the Bulgarian forces under the command of Alogobotur, killing most of the Bulgarians in the battle. The Croatian victory was so decisive and the battle so big that contemporary sources greatly overestimated Croatia's Army at 160,000 men, with a slightly bigger force on the Bulgarian side. This was the only battle Tsar Simeon ever lost. Since both rulers maintained good relations with Pope John X, the pope was able to negotiate an end to the war soon afterward without any further border changes. Although the eastern border was extended down to the river of Bosnia, the Croatian realm was greatly strengthened both militarily and in natural resources: it emerged from the war as one of the most modern realms of the period and was able to consolidate a moderately sized navy. On the same day as the battle Simeon died in Preslav and his successor Peter I faced internal difficulties and revolts by his brothers Michail and Ivan. The Serbs were able to take advantage of this situation and many of them returned by 931 to their homes in the renewed Serbian realm, thus terminating Croatia's short-lived Bulgarian neighbor at the east.

Scritto da Croat, 28.07.2016 at 08:34

If few centuries earlier Croatians didn't save Serbs from Bulgarians, the story from above wouldn't exist

A very long and arduous war was prosecuted between the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I, who wanted to take over the Byzantine Empire, and the Empire's monarch Romanos I. Under heavy pressure from the Bulgarians and amassing defeat after defeat, the Byzantine Empire negotiated with Serbia and Croatia in an effort to forge an alliance against the Bulgarians. Having been informed of these plans by Prince Michael of Zachlumia, who was forced to the islands as the Serbian rulers took direct control most of his local lands for themselves, Simeon overran Serbia in 924, destroyed it by tricking its nobility, and made it directly part of the Bulgarian Empire. Serbia's ruler Zaharija Pribislavljević fled and found exile at the Croatian court, while after the realm's destruction massive waves of Serb refugees fled and found refuge in Tomislav's Croatia. Trying to gain Croatian entry into this coalition, Romanos I ordered the province of Dalmatia in ca. 925 to pay taxes not to Byzantium but rather to the Croatian state; the Dalmatian territories, including most cities and the northern islands, were henceforth administered by King Tomislav and were to remain under Croatia. Tsar Simeon sent Duke Alogobotur to drive the Serb refugees further into Croatia, causing outright war in ca. 926.

The climax of the war was the Battle of the Bosnian Highlands that same year, when Croatian forces under the command of King Tomislav completely defeated the Bulgarian forces under the command of Alogobotur, killing most of the Bulgarians in the battle. The Croatian victory was so decisive and the battle so big that contemporary sources greatly overestimated Croatia's Army at 160,000 men, with a slightly bigger force on the Bulgarian side. This was the only battle Tsar Simeon ever lost. Since both rulers maintained good relations with Pope John X, the pope was able to negotiate an end to the war soon afterward without any further border changes. Although the eastern border was extended down to the river of Bosnia, the Croatian realm was greatly strengthened both militarily and in natural resources: it emerged from the war as one of the most modern realms of the period and was able to consolidate a moderately sized navy. On the same day as the battle Simeon died in Preslav and his successor Peter I faced internal difficulties and revolts by his brothers Michail and Ivan. The Serbs were able to take advantage of this situation and many of them returned by 931 to their homes in the renewed Serbian realm, thus terminating Croatia's short-lived Bulgarian neighbor at the east.

And you at one point made Skopje your capital so upvote

Scritto da Oleg, 28.07.2016 at 08:15

On this day, 686 years ago, Bulgarian and Serbian armies clashes each other near the town of Velbazhd (present day Kyustendil).

The growing power of the Serbian Kingdom from the late 13th century raised serious concerns in the traditional Balkan powers Bulgaria and Byzantine Empire which agreed for joint military actions against Serbia in 1327.



Serbian armies clashed at Velbazhd and the Bulgarians were caught by surprise. Serbian victory shaped the balance of power in Balkans in the next two decades. The Bulgarians did not lose territory after the battle but were unable to stop the Serbian advance towards Macedonia. Serbia managed to conquer Macedonia and parts of Thessaly and Epirus reaching its greatest territorial extent ever.

Our new King Stefan Dušan was crowned Emperor with Bulgarian help in 1346.

You created albania by destroying epirus thx.

Scritto da Helly, 28.07.2016 at 12:42

You created albania by destroying epirus thx.

oh my god fuck serbia forever

Scritto da Helly, 28.07.2016 at 12:42

Scritto da Oleg, 28.07.2016 at 08:15

On this day, 686 years ago, Bulgarian and Serbian armies clashes each other near the town of Velbazhd (present day Kyustendil).

The growing power of the Serbian Kingdom from the late 13th century raised serious concerns in the traditional Balkan powers Bulgaria and Byzantine Empire which agreed for joint military actions against Serbia in 1327.



Serbian armies clashed at Velbazhd and the Bulgarians were caught by surprise. Serbian victory shaped the balance of power in Balkans in the next two decades. The Bulgarians did not lose territory after the battle but were unable to stop the Serbian advance towards Macedonia. Serbia managed to conquer Macedonia and parts of Thessaly and Epirus reaching its greatest territorial extent ever.

Our new King Stefan Dušan was crowned Emperor with Bulgarian help in 1346.

You created albania by destroying epirus thx.

albania was always there , besides how can you create a country by destroying another country? you americans should know better since you destroyed countless countries so far

Scritto da AlBoZzZ, 28.07.2016 at 13:46

albania was always there , besides how can you create a country by destroying another country? you americans should know better since you destroyed countless countries so far

And you've made statues of every single President that has done that

Scritto da AlBoZzZ, 28.07.2016 at 13:46

Scritto da Helly, 28.07.2016 at 12:42

Scritto da Oleg, 28.07.2016 at 08:15

On this day, 686 years ago, Bulgarian and Serbian armies clashes each other near the town of Velbazhd (present day Kyustendil).

The growing power of the Serbian Kingdom from the late 13th century raised serious concerns in the traditional Balkan powers Bulgaria and Byzantine Empire which agreed for joint military actions against Serbia in 1327.



Serbian armies clashed at Velbazhd and the Bulgarians were caught by surprise. Serbian victory shaped the balance of power in Balkans in the next two decades. The Bulgarians did not lose territory after the battle but were unable to stop the Serbian advance towards Macedonia. Serbia managed to conquer Macedonia and parts of Thessaly and Epirus reaching its greatest territorial extent ever.

Our new King Stefan Dušan was crowned Emperor with Bulgarian help in 1346.

You created albania by destroying epirus thx.

albania was always there , besides how can you create a country by destroying another country? you americans should know better since you destroyed countless countries so far

epirus was a greek land now its a slavic land, when serbia settled epirus and destroyed the greek settled there, either by displacement absorbing them into there culture or by destroying the infrestructure in place, it allowed for a diferent immegrant from the steppe (albanians) to settle there much easier once serbia couldnt control it.

Nice revisionist history everyone!

Scritto da Helly, 28.07.2016 at 14:07

epirus was a greek land now its a slavic land, when serbia settled epirus and destroyed the greek settled there, either by displacement absorbing them into there culture or by destroying the infrestructure in place, it allowed for a diferent immegrant from the steppe (albanians) to settle there much easier once serbia couldnt control it.

Thanks Professor Helly!

Scritto da AlBoZzZ, 28.07.2016 at 13:46

albania was always there , besides how can you create a country by destroying another country? you americans should know better since you destroyed countless countries so far

"you americans" and this is why you need to expell muslims from europe and USA, they will never integrate and its just a matter of time before they rebell

Croats became experts in history from 1992.

Scritto da Oleg, 28.07.2016 at 15:41

Scritto da Helly, 28.07.2016 at 12:42

You created albania by destroying epirus thx.

Fuck you, did you really need to makw this in flame topic idiot. And then others hate me for staring flamewars....

andertes remember temper temper, nobody liked that andertes.