Varbitsa Pass ( bg, Върбишки проход ) is a
mountain pass in the
Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
. It connects
Shumen and Petolachka crossroads.
The famous
Battle of Pliska was fought in the pass on July 26, 811 between the armies of
Bulgarian Empire led by Khan
Krum
Krum ( bg, Крум, el, Κροῦμος/Kroumos), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome ( bg, Крум Страшни) was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory ...
and the
Byzantine Empire
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 ...
under
Nicephorus I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
which ended with a decisive Bulgarian victory and the death of the Byzantine Emperor.
References
Mountain passes of Bulgaria
Balkan mountains
Landforms of Shumen Province
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