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

Momchil Momchil (, , ; – 7 July 1345) was a 14th-century Bulgarians, Bulgarian brigand and local ruler. Initially a member of a bandit gang in the borderlands of Second Bulgarian Empire, Bulgaria, Byzantine Empire, Byzantium and Serbian Empir ...

, the quasi-independent ruler of

Rhodope Rhodope may refer to: * Rhodope (mythology), several figures of Greek mythology * Rhodope Mountains, in Bulgaria and Greece * Rhodope (regional unit), of Greece * Rhodope (province), a Roman and Byzantine province * 166 Rhodope, an asteroid * Rhodop ...

, and an allied

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

-Turkish force headed by

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...

and

Umur Bey Umur Ghazi, Ghazi Umur, or Umur The LionDonald MacGillivray Nicol, ''The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453'', Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 144./ref> ( Modern Turkish: ''Aydınoğlu Umur Bey'', c. 1309–1348), also known as Umur Pa ...

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 (; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. His long reign was marked by constant civil war, the spread of the Black Death and several military defea ...

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,

, greatly strengthened his position. In the same year,

, a Bulgarian brigand active in the northern

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

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' (, ; ; ), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers whose states bordered the Empire or were within its sphere of influence (Bulgarian Empire, Serbian Empire). The word is a compound ...

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

Komotini Komotini (, , ), is a city in the Modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace, northeastern Greece and its capital. It is also the capital of the Rhodope (regional unit), Rhodope. It was the administrative centre of the Rhodope- ...

.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'' () was a senior Byzantine court title that was bestowed on the sons or sons-in-law of reigning emperors, and initially denoted the heir-apparent of the Byzantine emperor. From Byzantium it spread throughout the late medie ...

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

Battle

In late spring of 1345, Umur arrived again at

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

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 and son of

Andronikos Asen Andronikos Asen (; died ) 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 em ...

. 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 ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

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 History of Western Thrace 1345 in Europe Aydınids