aug 5, 816 - Battle of Vinimicium

Description:

Nikephoros went to Nicopolis with his army of twenty-five thousand in 816, while Krum crossed in Dacia and set up in Sirmium, preparing to try and break through the Theme and Macedon and cross into Hellas. As Nikephoros resecured the Danube trading towns Krum drove south, defeating the theme army of Macedon and raiding into Hellas proper. But when his men gathered loot, word came that the Frankish army had crossed the border and had overrun what garrisons Krum had left in Dalmatia, and local Croati had surrendered to the Franks. By mid-June the Frankish army was poised on the border of Dacia.

As response, Krum withdrew north, hoping to reoccupy Sirmium, but Nikephoros had already took the city. Facing the possibility of being flanked by Nikephoros from the east and Charlemagne from the west, Krum tried to flee across back across the river once again, however, he had been caught up by the Frankish king at Vinimicium.

Twenty-thousand Bulgar army had been outnumbered by forty thousand Frankish. Though Kataphraktoi were placed on the wings and horse archers were set in front of the army, Frankish troops had higher number and highly disciplined and experienced veterans, especially archers. After first confrontation, the Bulgars lost two thousand horse archers, against the Franks three thousand foot.

Krum then ordered his kataphractoi to charge, in response, Charlemagne ordered his own knights forward. The Frankish knights met the Bulgar Kataphractoi between the two main armies, and again Frankish numbers carried the day. The Bulgar heavy cavalry broke and fled before the Franks, fleeing back through their own army, led to Bulgar line badly disrupted and soon broke and ran.

Krum himself was killed in the fighting, and the steppe army tried to cross the Danube back to safety. But, the Romans had just sent a fleet to Sirmium before the battle. Knowing what was happing Charlemagne had sent the commander of the fleet back down the Danube, and now with the battle won the Roman fleet fell upon the fleeing Bulgars, smashing their boats and shooting men who dove into the river. Only seven thousand made it back across the Danube to Bulgar territory.

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