The Battle of Peritheorion on 7 July 1345 was between the forces of

Momchil Momchil ( bg, Момчил, el, Μομ ��ζίλος or Μομιτζίλας, sr, Момчило / Momčilo; – 7 July 1345) was a 14th-century Bulgarian brigand and local ruler. Initially a member of a bandit gang in the borderlands ...

, the quasi-independent ruler of

Rhodope Rhodope may refer to: * Rhodope (mythology), a figure of Greek mythology * Rhodope Mountains, in Bulgaria and Greece * Rhodope (regional unit) Rhodope ( el, Ροδόπη, ''Rodópi'' ) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the reg ...

, and an allied

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

-Turkish force headed by

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene ( el, , ''Iōánnēs Ángelos Palaiológos Kantakouzēnós''; la, Johannes Cantacuzenus; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under An ...

and Umur Bey of Aydin. The two armies met in front of the walls of the city of Peritheorion (now in ruins), and the battle resulted in a crushing victory for the allied army, with Momchil himself falling in the field.Fine (1994), p. 304

Origins of the conflict

From 1341, a civil war had been going on in the Byzantine Empire between the regency for the infant

John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, ''Iōánnēs Palaiológos''; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. Biography John V was the son of E ...

and the former regent

. In this conflict, both sides called upon aid from neighbouring states. Kantakouzenos initially relied upon aid by

Stefan Dushan Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

of Serbia, but in 1343, the arrival of his old friend and ally, Umur Bey, greatly strengthened his position. In the same year,

, a

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

brigand active in the northern

mountains, pledged allegiance to Kantakouzenos. He was rewarded with the title of ''

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...

'' and given the governance of the region of Merope, stretching from east of the Nestos river to the vicinity of

Komotini Komotini ( el, Κομοτηνή, tr, Gümülcine, bg, Комотини) is a city in the region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope-Evros super-p ...

.Fine (1994), p. 303 In the next year however, Umur Bey was forced to withdraw with his forces to Anatolia, and Momchil defected to the regency's side, for which he was rewarded with the title of ''

despotes Despot or ''despotes'' ( grc-gre, δεσπότης, despótēs, lord, master) was a senior Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initi ...

''. He began raiding the lands still loyal to Kantakouzenos and harassing the small Turkish forces left to Kantakouzenos, achieving a small victory when he burned a number of their ships at Porto Lago. By the time Umur returned in force in spring 1345, Momchil, taking advantage of his position in the

no man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

between the warring Serbian, Bulgarian and Byzantine states, had established himself as a virtually independent prince in the area of the Rhodope.

The battle

In late spring of 1345, Umur arrived again at

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to t ...

with a force of reputedly 20,000 men. He and Kantakouzenos then proceeded to subdue Momchil. The two armies met outside Peritheorion on 7 July. The right flank is command by Umur and the left flank by byzantine noble John Asen, brother of empress

Irene Asanina Irene Asanina ( el, ) (died after 1354), was the Empress consort of John VI Kantakouzenos of the Byzantine Empire. She is known to have participated in military issues in a degree uncommon for a Byzantine empress. She commanded the garrison of D ...

and son of

Andronikos Asen Andronikos Asen (? - 1322?) was the ''epitropos'' ("steward, overseer") of the Byzantine province of the Morea between 1316 and 1322. Life Andronikos Asen was the son of Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen III and Irene, who was the sister of Byzantine e ...

. Momchil tried to avoid the far larger enemy force by retreating within the walls of Peritheorion, but its citizens shut the gates against him.Fine (1994), p. 305 The ensuing battle was a rout, as the far more numerous Turks crushed Momchil's army and killed him in the process.

Aftermath

After his death, Kantakouzenos' forces regained the Merope region. However, the role played by the Turks in this battle presaged late events, as the Ottoman conquest of the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

would begin barely a few years later. Momchil's colourful career and his perceived role as a defender against the Turks secured him an important place in the epic folklore of the region.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peritheorion, Battle of Battles involving the Byzantine Empire 1340s in the Byzantine Empire Conflicts in 1345 Battles in medieval Thrace History of Western Thrace 1345 in Europe Aydınids