Battle of Kleidion
Valley near Klyuch, between the Belasitsa and Ograzhden mountains, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria
What happened
The Byzantine emperor Basil II and his general Nikephoros Xiphias fought the army of Emperor Samuel of Bulgaria. For decades the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria had fought over the Balkans. Samuel blocked a mountain pass with a strong wall, and Basil's attacks on it failed. Then Xiphias led troops over the mountain to the Bulgarians' rear, the defenders abandoned the wall, and the Bulgarian army was defeated.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was the decisive battle of the long war, and Bulgaria could not recover. Within four years Bulgaria became part of the Byzantine Empire.
What came next
Samuel died on 6 October 1014. In 1018 Bulgaria became a Byzantine province, which it remained until 1185.
Did you know?
Both the Bulgarian village name Klyuch and the Greek name Kleidion mean 'key', because the pass was the key to the Bulgarian heartland.
Timeline
- 976Basil II becomes emperor.
- 29 July 1014The Byzantines win at Kleidion.
- 6 October 1014Emperor Samuel dies.
- 1018Bulgaria becomes a Byzantine province.
- 1185Bulgaria regains independence.