- Battle of Tryavna
Infobox Military Conflict
caption=
conflict=Battle of Tryavna
partof=theByzantine-Bulgarian Wars
date=Spring1190
place=nearTryavna ,Bulgaria
result=Bulgarian victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=Ivan Asen I
commander2=Isaac II Angelos
strength1=Unknown
strength2=Unknown
casualties1=Unknown
casualties2=HeavyThe battle of Tryavna ( _bg. Битка при Трявна) occurred in 1190 in the mountains around the contemporary town of
Tryavna , centralBulgaria . The result was a Bulgarian victory which secured the successes achieved since the beginning of the Rebellion of Asen and Peter in 1185.Origins of the conflict
After his second campaign in
Moesia and the fruitless siege ofLovech in 1187 theByzantine EmperorIsaac II Angelos was forced to conclude a truce thus "de facto " recognizing the independence of Bulgaria. Until 1189 both sides observed the truce. TheBulgarians used this time to further organize their administration and military. When the soldiers of theThird Crusade reached the Bulgarian lands atNiš , Asen and Peter offered to help the Emperor of theHoly Roman Empire Frederick I Barbarosa with a force of 40,000 against the Byzantines. However the relations between theCrusaders and the Byzantines smoothed and the Bulgarian proposal was evaded.The battle
The Byzantines prepared a third campaign to revenge for the Bulgarian actions. Like the previous two invasions they managed to overcome the passes of the
Balkan mountains . They made a feint indicating that they would pass near the sea byPomorie but instead headed to the west and passed through the Rishki Pass toPreslav . The Byzantine army next marched westwards to besiege the capital atTarnovo . At the same time the Byzantine fleet reached theDanube in order to bar the way ofCuman auxiliaries from the northern Bulgarian territories.The siege of Tarnovo was unsuccessful. The defense of the city was led by Asen himself and the morale of his troops was very high. The Byzantine morale, however, was quite low for several reasons: the lack of any military success, heavy casualties and particularly the fact that the soldiers' pay was in arrears. This was used by Asen, who sent an agent in the guise of a deserter to the Byzantine camp. The man told Isaac II that despite the efforts of his navy an enormous Cuman army had passed the river Danube and was heading towards Tarnovo to relive the siege. The Byzantine Emperor panicked and immediately called for a retreat through the nearest pass. The Bulgarian Emperor deduced that his opponent would go through the Tryavna Pass. The Byzantine army marched southwards, and their troops and baggage stretched for kilometers. The Bulgarians reached the pass before them and staged an ambush from the heights of a narrow gorge. The Byzantine vanguard concentrated their attack on the centre where the Bulgarian leaders were positioned. Once the two forces met, and hand to hand combat had begun, Bulgarians stationed on the heights showered the Byzantine force below with rocks and Arrows. In panic, the Byzantine force broke up and began a disorganized retreat, prompting a Bulgarian charge. The Bulgarians slaughtered everyone on their way. Isaac II Angelos, the Byzantine Emperor, barely escaped; his guards had to cut a path through their own soldiers, enabling their commander's flight from the rout. The Byzantine historian Nikita Chroniates wrote that only Isaac Angelos escaped and most of the others perished.
The battle was a major catastrophe for the Byzantines. The victorious army captured the Imperial treasure of Byzantium including the golden helmet of the Byzantine Emperors, the crown and the Imperial Cross which was considered the most valuable possession of the Byzantine rulers - a solid gold
reliquary containing a piece of theHoly Cross . It was thrown in the river by a Byzantine cleric but was recovered by the Bulgarians. These trophies later became the pride of the Bulgarian Treasure and were carried around the capital Tarnovo during official occasions.Aftermath
The victory was very important for Bulgaria. Up to that moment the official Emperor was Peter IV but after the major successes of his brother he gave the power to his smaller brother Asen who was proclaimed Emperor later that year. Officially Peter preserved his title and ruled from Preslav but the state now governed by Ivan Asen I. In the next two years he liberated many lands to the west and south-west including
Sofia and Niš. His troops lootedThrace and the Byzantines were powerless to resist the Bulgarian attacks.
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