13 magg 774 anni - Bulgars raid of 774

Descrizione:

The Bulgars once again crossed the Danube and began sacking Moesia in 770, but this time they penetrated further south, and actually cross the Hemus mountains to raid Greece itself. Though John, who succeeded his post of the Domestic of the Scholae as Artabasdos son, took the Tagmata out to fight them, and drove them back before the end of the year, the Bulgars keep returned in 771 and 772, and were held off each time by the theme armies.

It wasn’t until 773 that John was forced to once again march out and confront the Khan directly. A battle was fought near SIrmium, and while the khan was victorious he did decide to withdraw north of the Danube. Knowing he could probably get a decent peace treaty now the Bulgar leader Telerig sent envoys to the Romans, but Constantine cut their heads and sent those back as the Empire would not be paying anymore tribute.

The Bulgars were incensed, and in 774 they launched the largest raid in their history across the Danube, smashing their way down through the Mountains and to Thessalonika. The city was laid under siege and the country-side was pillaged. John once again marched out with the army.

The campaign was successful, as the general successfully broken the Bulgar siege, and then pursued the khan north hoping to deal a full defeat to the Bulgars and force them to come to better terms, army had wintered in Sirmium, and was preparing to cross the Danube, before the chao in palace that can't be halt due to the leave of John cause a civil war.

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