When the Hero of a Nation is the Villain of its Neighbor…

A Greek national hero and despised figure to Bulgarians, Alexander Kiossev best summed up the feelings around Basil II when he wrote, “the hero of a nation might be the villain of its neighbor.”

War has always been brutal. But medieval warfare was perhaps the most barbaric the world has seen. Subscription to ‘rules of engagement’ and ‘rules of war’ were not as widely held back then. Thus, the commanders of soldiers would do anything in their power to defeat their enemy.

Oftentimes this resulted in the use of rather brutal tactics. A common goal with the implementation of such tactics was not only to conquer their opponent, but to frighten and crush the morale of their foe.

It was believed that should a winning force also decimate an opponent’s morale, they would not only be left in a much weaker state than prior to the conflict, but the memory of the atrocities that befell the defeated would prevent them from desiring to engage in conflict again.

A Byzantine Legend

Such was the strategy of Basil II Porphyrogenitus at the Battle of Kleidion in 1014. Basil, whose brutal tactic in 1014 would earn him the nickname, the Bulgar Slayer, and bring about the beginning of the end of the Bulgarians.

Having grown up during the rule of the Byzantines, a period of time plagued by constant war, Basil II was surrounded by ongoing conflict. As a result, he became a skilled and successful military leader. These skills would propel him as a senior emperor of Byzantine for half a century.

The Byzantines vs. the Bulgarians

Despite a list of accomplishments and successes that many believe make Basil II one of the greatest emperors of the Byzantine era, perhaps the most memorable was his conflict with the Bulgarians, specifically the Battle of Kleidion.

By 1014, Bulgarian forces had begun to weaken as a result of Basil II’s decade long strategy of attrition. Over the previous decade, Basil II had engaged in regular invasion of Bulgarian lands. While there, his forces would siege outlying forts and pillage the countryside.

The strategy never secured any significant victories, but it did wear down the Bulgarians. Unable to land a decisive counter blow, Bulgarian leader, Tsar Samuel watched as his strength began to dwindle. Not only was Samuel growing weary of the constant invasions and defeats, he began to lose the support of his noblemen.

The culmination of Basil II’s long game would occur in the Rupel Pass along the Struma River. Samuel knew that the Byzantine forces would have to invade Bulgarian lands through various mountain passes in order to reach the heart of Bulgaria.

The Battle of Kleidion

Though conflict between Byzantines and Bulgarians had raged on for the better part of 675 years, Basil II’s march through the mountain passes and into the Strumitsa Valley was aimed at ending the feud and finally securing Bulgarian lands.

The Bulgarians, prepared for this onslaught, had built up multiple strongholds throughout the passes, and in the valley reinforced various fortified palisades. Hoping to use the topography to their advantage, Samuel planned to stall the Byzantine push in the mountains.

Basil II, knew his conquest would lead his forces throughout the mountains. But he prepared an alternative strategy should the resistance in the passes be too much for his initial push. To ensure success, he not only gathered a large force, but he appointed some of his most skilled and seasoned generals to lead in the field.

The Bulgarians, despite an admirable effort, were no match for the Byzantines. In the Rupel Pass, while continuing to advance on the Bulgarian wall, Basil II sent a second force to flank the Bulgarians and trap them in the valley. The topography Samuel had hoped would strengthen the Bulgarians was about to become an enemy.

In the height of summer in 1014, General Nicephorus Xiphias successfully led Byzantine forces along a steep mountain pass and encircled the Bulgarian forces. Chaos broke out as the Bulgarians found themselves fighting an intensive two front battle.

Basil II would advance on the wall, successfully overtaking the stronghold. With Basil II advancing down the pass and Xiphias’ forces advancing from the rear, the battle with the Bulgarians quickly became a rout.

The Blinding

After securing the pass, Basil II marched towards Strumitsa, along the way seizing the Matsukion fortress. Basil II’s forces captured nearly 15,000 prisoners. What happened next secured Basil II’s legacy and earned him the nickname the “Bulgar-Killer.”

Dividing up the prisoners into groups of 100, Basil II had 99 men from each group blinded. Only one man in each group was left with a single eye. That man’s job was to lead the other 99 blinded men in his respective group home.

When the prisoners arrived home, the grisly sight was not easy to stomach for the Bulgarians. Not only did it strike fear into the hearts of many, stories quickly spread that Samuel himself suffered a heart attack at the sight of so many of his men returning gruesomely blinded. The goal of impacting morale it would seem succeeded.

Basil II’s Legacy Features the End of the Bulgarians

Though the defeat at Kleidion did not bring the immediate end to the Bulgarians, it certainly sealed their fate. Just two months after the battle, Samuel would pass away - a blow that Bulgaria never recovered from. Within four years, Bulgaria would be completely defeated and would become a province of the sprawling Byzantine Empire.

As for Basil II, he would live until 1025 securing a reign that is deemed one of the most significant in Byzantine history. Under his military campaigns, the Byzantine power reached its zenith - having secured an alliance with Kiev and the Rus, successfully restored Danubian frontier lines, beating the South Slavs into submission, and conquering the Bulgarians, he secured relative peace across the Balkan lands. A peace that kept key Byzantine cities, like Constantinople, safe from siege for a further 400 years.

History for the Hurried

February 1, 2003: Sixteen minutes before its scheduled landing, the Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart over west Texas. All seven crew members aboard are killed. It is the second shuttle disaster in a twenty year period.

February 2, 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed ending the war between the U.S. and Mexico. For the small price of $15 million, the U.S. would acquire areas encompassing all of present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Texas.

February 4, 1861: Apache Chief Cochise is arrested in Arizona after raiding a nearby ranch. He would soon after escape, declare war on the United States, and formally start the Apache Wars.