A decisive Bulgarian victory near Constantinople that exposed Byzantine military weakness and enabled Bulgarian dominance over Thrace in the early 920s.
Key Facts
- Date range
- 11–18 March 921
- Location
- Pegae, outskirts of Constantinople
- Conflict
- Byzantine–Bulgarian War of 913–927
- Adrianople captured
- 922, following Bulgarian success at Pegae
- Follow-up battle
- June 922 Byzantine defeat near Constantinople
- Primary sources
- Theophanes Continuatus, John Skylitzes, Leo the Grammarian
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Bulgarian Empire under Simeon I had been waging an aggressive war against Byzantium since 913, seeking to expand Bulgarian control across Thrace and pressure Constantinople. By 921 Bulgarian forces had advanced to the outskirts of the Byzantine capital, bringing the two empires into direct confrontation near the locality of Pegae.
Between 11 and 18 March 921, Bulgarian and Byzantine forces clashed at Pegae, a locality near Constantinople named after the Church of St. Mary of the Spring. The Byzantine lines collapsed at the first Bulgarian assault, commanders fled the battlefield, and most Byzantine soldiers were killed, drowned, or captured in the ensuing rout.
The Bulgarian victory opened Thrace to further conquest; by 922 Bulgarians had captured Adrianople and Bizye and defeated another Byzantine army near Constantinople. Although Bulgaria lacked naval power to besiege the capital, its dominance over the Balkans was confirmed. A Bulgarian attempt to ally with the Fatimids for a joint assault on Constantinople was uncovered and neutralised by the Byzantines.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent