Siege of Lovech - Misplaced Pages

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Siege of Lovech

Part of the Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars

Lovech Fortress Plan.

Date	Spring 1187
Location	Lovech
Result	Bulgarian victory

Belligerents

Bulgarian Empire

Byzantine Empire

Commanders and leaders

Unknown

Isaac II Angelos

v t e Byzantine–Bulgarian wars
Early wars 1st Constantinople Ongal 1st Anchialus 1st Marcellae Rishki Pass 2nd Anchialus Litosoria 2nd Marcellae Krum's campaigns Serdica Pliska Debeltos Versinikia 1st Adrianople 2nd Constantinople Mesembria Burdizon Simeon I's campaigns War of 894–896 Boulgarophygon War of 913–927 Achelous Katasyrtai Pegae 3rd Constantinople Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria 1st Arcadiopolis Dorostolon Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria Trajan's Gates 1st Thessalonica Spercheios Skopje 2nd Thessalonica Kreta 3rd Thessalonica Kleidion Strumitsa Bitola Setina Dyrrhachium Uprising of Peter Delyan 4th Thessalonica 5th Thessalonica Ostrovo Second Bulgarian Empire Lovech Tryavna 2nd Arcadiopolis Serres Varna Klokotnitsa 2nd Adrianople Uprising of Ivaylo Devina Skafida Rusokastro

Byzantine–Bulgarian wars

Early wars

Krum's campaigns

Simeon I's campaigns

War of 894–896
- Boulgarophygon
War of 913–927

Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria

Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

Uprising of Peter Delyan

Second Bulgarian Empire

The siege of Lovech (Bulgarian: Обсада на Ловеч, romanized: Obsada na Lovech) took place in the spring of 1187 between the forces of Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. The three-month siege resulted in Bulgarian victory and Byzantine defeat.

Origins of the conflict

In 1185, the brothers Asen and Peter led an uprising against the Byzantines to restore the Bulgarian Empire. The whole region of Moesia except for Varna was quickly liberated and the brothers started attacking the Byzantine garrisons to the south of the Balkan Mountains. The Bulgarian tactics included quick assaults and haste movement and the Byzantines were unable to charge them.

In order to change that situation, the Byzantine Emperor, Isaac II Angelos, decided to move the military actions to northern Bulgaria and strike directly to the rebel's heartlands around Tarnovo.

The siege

In the late autumn of 1186, the Byzantine army marched northwards through Sredets (Sofia). The campaign was planned to surprise the Bulgarians. However, the harsh weather conditions and the early winter postponed the Byzantines and their army had to stay in Sredets during the whole winter.

In the spring of the following year, the campaign was resumed, but the element of surprise was gone and the Bulgarians had taken measures to bar the way to their capital Tarnovo. Instead the Byzantines besieged the strong fortress of Lovech. The siege lasted for three months and was a complete failure. Their only success was the capture of Asen's wife in an ambush, but Isaac was forced to accept a truce thus de facto recognizing the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.

Aftermath

According to the treaty, the youngest of the Asen brothers, Kaloyan, was sent as a hostage to Constantinople to guarantee the peace, whilst the captured wife of Asen was released. However, Niketas Choniates noted that the situation became even more grim for the Byzantines because soon after the Bulgarians in Macedonia rebelled under Dobromir Chrysos.

The peace lasted until 1189 when, due to the Bulgarian proposal to support the Third Crusade against the Byzantines, Isaac Angelos launched another campaign and suffered a heavy defeat in the Battle of Tryavna.

Sources

Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Велико Търново, 1996.

Origins of the conflict

The siege

Aftermath

Sources

Further reading