阿德里安堡战役 (1205年)

Background

In 1204, financial difficulties led the armies of the Fourth Crusade to deviate from their intended goal of Jerusalem. Instead, they captured and sacked Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine government was driven out of the city, and a Latin Empire established in its place. At first this new power controlled only the environs of Constantinople and the province of Thrace, but eventually it expanded into Bithynia, Thessaly and central and southern Greece.

Around the same time, Tsar Kaloyan, the Tsar of Bulgaria, successfully completed negotiations with Pope Innocent III. The Bulgarian ruler was recognized as "rex", i.e. emperor (tsar), while the Bulgarian archbishop regained the title "primas", equal to that of patriarch.……

Siege

The Latins did not attack the castle head on; rather, they began a prolonged siege, in order to tire the defenders. By surrounding the city with siege machinery and digging mines under the walls, they greatly weakened the defences and patiently waited for an opening. The main forces of Latin knights created well-structured guarded camps around the city to spot and ward off any aid that may have come. In front of each gate of the castle walls a unit was placed, which notably included a Venetian contingent led by Doge Enrico Dandolo.

Honouring his obligations to the rebellious Greeks, Tsar Kaloyan arrived with his army and encamped approximately 25 kilometers northeast of the city on April 10, 1205.……

Location of the battle

Numerous researchers pinpoint the location of the battle north of Adrianople and near the keep of Vukelon - K. Jireče, V. Guzelev, St. Boyadjiev - yet there is no conclusive evidence.

According to Niketas Choniates, a Byzantine historian, in the day of the battle Tsar Kaloyan chose the place of the ambush in the following manner: "After which Yoan and his army hid in the ravines, entered the precipice and through those steep places crept to the highlands, making sure their opponents did not notice they were there". In other scriptures, it reads "...and hid in the narrows in the shadowy forests".

Tricked by the Cuman cavalry, the knights chased them for at least two leagues before reaching the place of the ambush, which is between 7 and 9 kilometers, depending on……

Forces

Army of Tsar/King Kaloyan

According to the French historian Geoffrey of Villehardouin, the Bulgarian army numbered around 54,000 strong. Within that army was the light cavalry of the Cumans, which, at that time, were allies or mercenaries of Kaloyan, as the Tsar himself was married to the Cuman princess Anna. The French historian points out that there were about 14,000 of them and that "... they were not christened". Nonetheless, their cavalry played a key role in the battle.

The Vlachs —ancestors of modern Romanians - dispersed across much of the Balkan Peninsula —formed a significant component of the Bulgarian army. Their close alliance with the Bulgarians had developed during the joint uprising of 1185–1186, which led to the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.

Forces of Adrianople and Thrace

Although they do not take part in the battle itself, all of the Byzantine rebels……

Battle

The battle was fought for two days, one week after the Orthodox Easter celebration.

First day, 13 April 1205

On 13 April Kaloyan sent the Cuman cavalry to scout and to make a "test attack" against the knights. The Cumans landed a surprise attack on Emperor Baldwin I, then pretended to flee from the knights' skillful counter-attack. A long chase ensued, luring the knights out of their camps. At its conclusion the Cumans turned sharply around and began firing arrows at the stampeding enemy, killing many people and war horses. Realizing their own foolishness, the knights decided to stand their ground and wait for the attack of the Bulgarians.……

Second day, 14 April 1205

On Thursday, 14 April 1205, during the celebration of Catholic Easter, the Cuman light cavalry made a sweeping attack on the camp of the knights wit……

Aftermath

The capture of the supposedly impregnable city of Constantinople had added to the knights' aura of invincibility. News of Adrianople broke this illusion, and within a year the Latin Empire had declined.

End of Emperor Baldwin I

After his capture by the Bulgarians, the fate of Emperor Baldwin I was unknown to his subjects; his brother Henry of Flanders assumed regency in his absence. Whilst it is known that Baldwin died in captivity, the precise circumstances are unknown. Apparently treated at first as a valuable prisoner, he was later left to die in one of the towers of Tsarevets. There are many legends regarding his demise, the most famous being that he was condemned to death after trying to seduce Kaloyan's wife.……

Kaloyan the Roman-slayer

Two years after the battle of Adrianople, Kaloyan set out to burn other Latin ci……