The battle of Thessalonica ( bg, Битка при Солун) occurred in 1040 near the city of

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

in contemporary

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

between the

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

and the Byzantines. The battle ended with a Bulgarian victory.

Origins of the Conflict

In 1018 the Byzantines conquered Bulgaria after a bitter half-century struggle. In 1040 one Delyan who claimed to be a descendant of the Bulgarian Emperor

Samuil Samuel (also Samuil; bg, Самуил, ; mk, Самоил/Самуил, ; Old Church Slavonic: Самоилъ; died October 6, 1014) was the Tsar (''Emperor'') of the First Bulgarian Empire from 997 to 6 October 1014. From 977 to 997, he was a ...

led an

uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the Byzantine occupation which broke out in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

and was proclaimed Emperor under the name Peter II after the sainted Emperor

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

(927-969). At the same time local Bulgarians in Dyrrhachium, in what is now

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, revolted under the officer

Tihomir Tihomir (Bulgarian, Macedonian and sr, Тихомир) is a South Slavic male given name which means "quiet" and "peace" (South Slavic: ''Tiho'' = quiet, ''mir'' = peace). In Russian however the word “mir” мир also means world. So in Rus ...

. The two leaders met and to avoid distraction Peter Delyan was chosen as the only commander of the rebel army and Tihomir was killed.

The battle

After the two armies united Peter II Delyan marched eastwards to Thessalonica where at that time was the Byzantine Emperor Michael IV. The Byzantines were defeated and Michael IV had to flee for his life leaving his personal tent and large quantity of gold and silver.

Aftermath

Soon the Bulgarian successes continued as they seized the important

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

port Dyrrhachium. Another army invaded

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...

and seized its northern parts. That caused serious troubles for the government in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

which had to act swiftly in order to stop the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire. The Byzantines gained a victory over the Bulgarians later in the year in the

Battle of Thessalonica (2nd 1040) The battle of Thessalonica ( bg, Битка при Солун, el, Μάχη της Θεσσαλονίκης) took place in the fall of 1040 near the city of Thessalonica in contemporary Greece between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines. The b ...

References

*Йордан Андреев, Милчо Лалков, Българските ханове и царе, Велико Търново, 1996. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thessalonica (1040), 1st 1040s in the Byzantine Empire 11th century in Bulgaria Battles involving the First Bulgarian Empire Battles of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars in Thessalonica Conflicts in 1040 1040 in Europe Military history of Thessaloniki Uprising of Peter Delyan