Siege of Serdica (809)
The Siege of Serdica (Bulgarian: Обсадата на Сердика) took place in the spring of 809 at modern Sofia, Bulgaria. As a result, the city was annexed to the Bulgarian State and remained so until the fall of the First Bulgarian Empire.
| Siege of Serdica | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bulgarian Empire | Byzantine Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Krum | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 6,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 6,000 | ||||||
Historical background
After the destruction of the Avar Khaganate, Khan Krum turned his gaze to the southwest to liberate the Slavs who populated the valley of the Struma River and Macedonia. The main obstacle was the strong Byzantine-held fortress of Serdica (Sofia). The Byzantine Empire was the first to initiate the conflict. In 807, the emperor Nikephoros I marched against Bulgaria but was soon forced to return to Constantinople due to a conspiracy against him. The following year, the Bulgarians, in response to an equestrian raid in the valley of the Struma River, defeated the Byzantines and captured their baggage. In the spring of 809, Khan Krum surprised his enemies with the siege of Serdika.
The siege
In the beginning of 809 Krum besieged the city, but he could not break the resistance of the garrison for several weeks. The food supplies of the city were in decline and the numbers of the garrison were reduced due from the fact that part of the hired mercenaries were released during the winter. The Byzantines were soon forced to give up the city. Khan Krum promised to give safe conduct for the Byzantines on condition they yield the fortress. They agreed and Krum entered Serdica before Easter, but he killed the whole 6,000-strong garrison and some citizens nonetheless. Nikephoros I was unhappy with the Byzantines who escaped from the city and some of them decided to stay with the Bulgarians. One of these was the highly skilled mechanic Evmat who would help Krum later on with the construction of siege machines.
Aftermath
The successful siege was of great importance for Bulgaria because Serdica was a major crossroad in Southeast Europe. It was used as a main base by the later rulers of the country to expand their borders and influence to the south and southwest.
Sources
- Васил Н. Златарски, История на българската държава през средните векове, Част I, II изд., Наука и изкуство, Sofia, 1970.
- Атанас Пейчев и колектив, 1300 години на стража, Военно издателство, Sofia, 1984.
- Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Veliko Tarnovo, 1996.
- Norwich, John J. (1991). Byzantium: The Apogee. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0-394-53779-3.