It was a warm summer afternoon in Lower Moesia. Bulgar and Slavic camp dwellers were strengthening the earthworks with sticks and branches, as Khan Asparuh strolled amongst the tents. A recent report he had received from his outriders hinted that the enemy was not ten kilometres away. Bulgar Khan didn’t expect the encounter to happen so soon, as he still awaited some of his best troops to arrive. But the enemy would not wait. The sound of horns heralded the Imperial Roman army approaching their position. Asparuh realised, that the fate of his people would soon be decided on that boggy plain ahead. The battle was about to begin. This video is sponsored by Rise of Kingdoms. If you love historic-style, real time strategy games then we recommend you check out, Rise of Kingdoms. A free-to-play mobile tactical game that boasts 11 unique civilizations to play, Rise of Kingdoms pits you against other players online, around the world. Build vast armies and move them through a massive and varied world that is almost endless in its size. What’s more, with unrestricted troop movements, you can position armies, divided your forces and assign different roles for complete tactical control. Craft alliances with players, share resources, engage in diplomacy and move together to crush your enemies! By far, our favourite feature of the game is the integrated translation feature. Meaning that there are no boundaries to meeting new allies and unifying under a single banner! Support our channel by clicking the link in the description below. Download Rise of Kingdoms and build your legacy! It is the first half of 7th century. The vast plains of the western Pontic Steppe are dominated by the Bulgars, a semi-nomadic Turkic people whose power base extended between the lower Volga and Dnieper rivers. The polity of Great Bulgaria was created by Khan Kubrat, a strong chieftain who managed to unite the squabbling tribes under his own supremacy. But as was often the case with many tribal communities, long before and after the Proto-Bulgarians, the power of a state was strictly determined by the authority of its ruler. Therefore, around thirty years after the establishment of this confederation of tribes, in 665 Khan Kubrat passed-away and his eldest son assumed leadership. Though sources are scarce, it would seem that the new Khan didn’t rise to the challenge, and within three years, the confederation of Bulgar tribes succumbed to its powerful neighbour, the Khaganate of the Khazars. The loss of independence and subsequent Khazar pressure on the Bulgarian ruling class sparked many chieftains to migrate, seeking a better life elsewhere. Some of them ventured north, where they established Bulgarian communities at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. Others migrated to the west, but for today, we are going to focus on the tribes that roughly followed the coast of the Balkan sea to the south west led by a warlord named Asparuh, who, according to tradition, was one of the five sons of the late Khan Kubrat. In the middle of the 670s, this group found themselves close to the Danube, and settled in the area around its delta. Over the next several years, encountering little opposition, the Bulgars led by Asparuh spread their influence to the west, subdued territories on both sides of the Danube, pushing back the Avars and exerting dominance over the Southern Slavic tribes inhabiting the area. By the year 680, Asparuh ruled over many people and a considerable stretch of land, which formed a solid foundation for the future state. The deeds of Asparuh and the Danube Bulgars could be seen as a fascinating yet unexplored part of history, but those that know anything about the history of this place and time are probably wondering: where were the Eastern Romans, simply allowing this Bulgar expansion, especially south of the Danube? The answer is fairly simple. Upon reaching their destination, Asparuh and his people were able to settle and organise the territory relatively unbothered, mostly due to the recent expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate, which put an enormous amount of pressure on the Eastern Roman Empire. This in turn added to the weakening of the Empire, as it followed the long, exhausting war against Sassanid Persia some fifty years earlier. Suffice it to say that the reigning emperor, Constantine IV, was not only presented with many age-old challenges inherited from the preceding emperors, but also a collection of some very recent problems too. In the time when the Bulgars were settling along the lower Danube, Constantine led the Byzantine effort against the Arabs, who engaged numerous armies and fleets to take over the capital of the Empire and thus deliver a crushing blow to the Eastern Romans. The Siege of Constantinople lasted for five long years and took a great toll on both sides. Moreover, in the middle of his conflict against the Umayyads, Emperor Constantine learned of another worrisome event. The Slavic tribes inhabiting the European part of the empire took advantage of the Emperor being distracted by the Arab incursion and rose up in revolt. They soon lay siege to Thessaloniki, the second largest city of the Empire. Undoubtedly, Constantine faced a myriad of problems, and the Empire he ruled was on the brink of catastrophe. But, without going into too much detail, as both these sieges deserve their own episodes, in the end, Emperor Constantine prevailed against the odds and by the year 680 he managed to stabilize the situation across the country. He forced the Arabs to call for a truce by destroying a good part of their fleet, and then marched to lift the siege of Thessaloniki, punishing the rebellious Slavic tribes. Furthermore, the Umayyad Caliphate soon plunged into civil war which gave the Byzantines a moment of respite from the almost constant state of warfare. Constantine used this time wisely, addressing internal problems of the empire and Church, but was also able to finally focus on the new threat that emerged to the north. He spent the first months of the year 680 gathering an army strong enough to take on the invaders and in the late spring of the same year the imperial army departed Constantinople, marching north. Simultaneously, the Roman fleet sailed along the coast transporting supplies and providing possible reinforcements. Upon reaching the Danube delta, Emperor Constantine, who personally commanded the expedition received scouts report, that the Bulgars under Asparuh had erected defensive earthen ramparts, reinforced with wood, in a marshy area near one of the branches of the river. This was a bit unexpected, as Constantine’s troops were prepared rather to face the enemy in an open battle. Nevertheless, the Imperial army advanced to meet the Bulgars and set a camp a few kilometres from their fortifications. For Asparuh’s men the sight of around 30,000 Byzantine soldiers approaching in the distance was surely intimidating, and they almost unwittingly retreated behind the ramparts. Asparuh had enough reasons to be concerned too, as the number of his fighting men was possibly between ten to fifteen thousands, among those, many infantrymen were provided by his Slavic allies. A decent force on its own, but its potential quickly waned when compared to the robust host fielded by Constantine. A couple of days passed, while the two belligerents examined each other and considered their options. Oddly enough, for Emperor Constantine the situation appeared to be hardly favourable. Thorough examination of the battlefield deemed the marshy terrain dividing the two sides to be unsuitable for any large scale attack with a high risk of the imperial troops being bogged down. What’s more, fresh news brought by scouts hinted that Bulgarian cavalry was harassing Byzantine supply lines, which were already hampered by the difficult terrain in the area. Regardless of these problems, Constantine remained moderately confident, mostly due to his recent victories against the Slavs and the Arabs. Yet his underestimation of the Bulgar chieftain stripped the Byzantines of tactical options, as Constantine wasn’t prepared for the prolonged siege of Asparuh’s fortified positions. Dwindling supplies urged the Emperor to command an attack, as he was unwilling to retreat empty-handed. Thus, on the very next morning, Eastern Roman infantry units traversed through the marshes with difficulty and engaged the Bulgar and Slavic warriors defending the ramparts. The battle raged as both sides conceded first casualties. The defenders, especially the Bulgars were well disciplined and proved to be a worthy opponent for the Byzantine troops. Time passed, but the attackers were unable to breach a hole or find a weak spot in the Bulgar defensive line. Seeing that this assault was going nowhere, Constantine called his units back. But he didn’t give up yet. Over the course of the next few days, several more attacks were performed by the Eastern Romans, but their gains were minimal. Despite some losses, Asparuh’s men stood confident and showed no trace of doubt. Roughly a week into the battle, Emperor Constantine, upon giving orders to his generals to maintain the pressure on the enemy, unexpectedly left the camp with his retinue. The sources differ as to the reasons for this action, serving varying explanations. It is said that Constantine’s health deteriorated due to the apparent gout he was suffering from and the Emperor retreated to seek mineral baths to soothe his pain, an explanation which is quite unlikely since he was still in his late twenties. The other possible cause was that he personally led his men, struggling to protect the supply lines from the Bulgarian cavalry, some kilometres away from the battlefield. Whatever the truth is, the Emperor left the camp, an event which soon bore long lasting repercussions. Meanwhile on the battlefield, another Byzantine attack failed to push through the Bulgar ramparts and force the enemy to yield. Around this time, a rumour spread among the Eastern Romans that the Emperor was no longer present, which quickly became a serious hit to the morale of the attacking troops. Instead of performing an orderly retreat, a panic burst out and many men fled in disarray. Upon seeing order among the Byzantine’s collapse, Asparuh saw an opportunity and commanded his mounted units, waiting for orders in the reserve, to strike. In a matter of hours, the uncoordinated Byzantine retreat suffered considerable losses in manpower and equipment, as many soldiers left their armour and weapons on the field. It was a momentous, though fairly uncharacteristic defeat of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had just begun to recover from the Umayyad attacks over the past decade. For Asparuh and his people it was a game-changing victory. Not only had their presence in the territories around the lower Danube been secured, but the very next year, Emperor Constantine signed a peace treaty with Khan Asparuh. This formally recognised the creation of the new Bulgarian state, along with an agreement to send a yearly tribute to the Bulgarian Khans, which seriously undermined the Emperor’s authority. Constantine’s possible overconfidence and blunder gave rise to the strong state, the Bulgarian Khanate, which was to become one of the most important political entities for the next several hundred years. A big thank you to the sponsor of our video today, Rise of Kingdoms! Remember, show your support, click the link in the description below, try out the game for free and build your legacy!
