jun 8, 801 - Battle of Moesia

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Battle of Novae caused a catastrophe, most of experienced Tagmata lost in the battle, what's more, the towns along the Danube now had convinced that the Bulgars couldn’t be driven out quickly, so most of them then surrendered to Krum rather than resist.
Krum thus, could pushed south without being threatened from his back or flank, Nicopolis and Marcianopolis try to resist, then gave up and fallen to the Bulgars due to lack of aid, in the later of the year. With the fall of both cities all of the theme of Moesia was in Bulgar hands, apart from the phrourions which continued to hold out.

Theodosius raised more soldiers, not only northen themes but easten themes and foreign mercenaries, thirty thousand men in total. The Emperor marched north and sent four thousand reinforcements to Hadrianopolis and Philipopolis, then moved on Marcianopolis. Though small Bulgar garrison fled the city when the Emperor arrived, he was intercepted on the road by Krum when he advanced to the Danube. Krum now had an army of nearly forty thousand total, his smashing victory over the Romans had attracted new recruits who previously had not dared go south of the Danube. The two armies met in hilly country in Moesia, which Theodosius hoped would negate the Bulgar advantages in cavalry. He was right, if Krum’s total force was only about twenty-thousand like his assumption, and didn't hide ten thousand men behind hills on both flanks.

Battle was embroiled on June 8, 806. The Roman infantry pushed their Bulgar counterparts back and inflicted heavy casualties, and the Roman cavalry managed to route the heavy cavalry of the Bulgars, but the flanking forces then merged and charged home. Roman Army broke and ran under the assault from their sides. Theodosius managed to pull some of them together and fought their way out, but as the Romans successfully withdrew a final flurry of Bulgar arrows came, and one of them struck the Emperor in the back. He fell from his horse and had to be retrieved by his son, caused another panick in the army.

Nikephoros got his father onto a horse, and realizing something was very wrong he tied him to the saddle, then sent the Emperor on with a small guard of men before turning himself and rallying the army. Once gain the retreat was organized, and the Romans withdrew from the field. Twelve thousand Romans had been killed, while the Bulgars had lost eight thousand. Krum let the Romans go as his own army fell upon the Roman camp and looted it.

Later when Nikephoros arrived back in Marcianopolis on June 15 he would discovered that though the arrow had not been a fatal wound as he had feared, but it had paralyzed Theodosius from the waist down, and would never again be able to ride a horse.

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