Battle of Pigae
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Pegae occurred between March 11 and March 18, 922 in the outskirts of Constantinople
. The result was a Bulgarian victory.
, but in 919 admiral Romanos Lekapenos
, who was trying to prevent the Bulgarian
influence in Byzantium
, replaced the young Emperor's mother Zoe as regent and by 920 he proclaimed himself for co-Emperor which ruined Simeon's ambitions to ascend the throne by diplomatic means. In 920 the Bulgarian Emperor waged a war and a took almost all Byzantine possessions on the Balkans
between 920-924.
marched swiftly through the Strandzha
Mountains and reached the outskirts of Constantinople
. Romanos sent troops under the Domestic of the Schools
Pothos Argyros
and the admiral Alexios Mosele
to face the Bulgarians. The battle took place at Pegae. The initial Bulgarian blow was irresistible, and the Byzantine commanders were the first to flee, with Mosele drowning in a desperate attempt to reach a ship. Most of the Byzantine soldiers and sailors were killed, drowned, or captured.
, and triumphantly returned to Preslav
.
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:...
. The result was a Bulgarian victory.
Origins of the conflict
After the major victories in 917, Simeon tried to assume the Byzantine throne and his first step was to become a regent of the juvenile Emperor Constantine VIIConstantine VII
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
, but in 919 admiral Romanos Lekapenos
Romanos I
Romanos I Lekapenos was Byzantine Emperor from 920 until his deposition on December 16, 944.-Origin:...
, who was trying to prevent the Bulgarian
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
influence in Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, replaced the young Emperor's mother Zoe as regent and by 920 he proclaimed himself for co-Emperor which ruined Simeon's ambitions to ascend the throne by diplomatic means. In 920 the Bulgarian Emperor waged a war and a took almost all Byzantine possessions on the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
between 920-924.
The battle
In 922, a large Bulgarian army under the first minister Theodore SigritsaTheodore Sigritsa
Theodore Sigritsa was a Bulgarian military commander and noble, kavkhan of Emperor Simeon I The Great ....
marched swiftly through the Strandzha
Strandzha
Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı in Turkey, while the...
Mountains and reached the outskirts of 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:...
. Romanos sent troops under the Domestic of the Schools
Domestic of the Schools
The Domestic of the Schools was a senior Byzantine military office, extant from the 8th century until at least the early 14th century. Originally simply the commander of the Scholai, the senior of the elite tagmata regiments, the Domestic quickly rose in prominence: by the mid-9th century, its...
Pothos Argyros
Pothos Argyros (10th century)
Pothos Argyros was a Byzantine general active in the first half of the 10th century.He was the son of the magistros Eustathios Argyros, Drungary of the Watch under Leo VI the Wise . Pothos and his brother served under Leo VI as manglabites. Ca. 921 he was appointed to the post of Domestic of the...
and the admiral Alexios Mosele
Alexios Mosele (admiral)
Alexios Mosele , or Musele/Mousele , was a Byzantine admiral in the early reign of Emperor Romanos I Lekapenos . He was killed in 922, leading a detachment of imperial marines along with the imperial tagmata under the domestikos ton scholon, Pothos Argyros, against the forces of the Bulgarian...
to face the Bulgarians. The battle took place at Pegae. The initial Bulgarian blow was irresistible, and the Byzantine commanders were the first to flee, with Mosele drowning in a desperate attempt to reach a ship. Most of the Byzantine soldiers and sailors were killed, drowned, or captured.
Aftermath
After the battle the Bulgarians burned the palaces in Pegae, looted the Golden HornGolden Horn
The Golden Horn is a historic inlet of the Bosphorus dividing the city of Istanbul and forming the natural harbor that has sheltered Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and other ships for thousands of...
, and triumphantly returned to Preslav
Preslav
Preslav was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire from 893 to 972 and one of the most important cities of medieval Southeastern Europe. The ruins of the city are situated in modern northeastern Bulgaria, some 20 kilometres southwest of the regional capital of Shumen, and are currently a...
.