| Battle of Thessalonica | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theByzantine–Bulgarian wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Bulgarian Empire | Byzantine Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Nestoritsa | Theophylactus Botaniates | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Unknown | ||||||
Thebattle of Thessalonica (Bulgarian:Битка при Солун) was fought between theBulgarian and theByzantine Empires in the summer of 1014 near the city ofThessalonica in contemporary northern Greece. TheBulgarian army under the command ofNestoritsa was defeated by the Byzantines led by the governor of ThessalonicaTheophylactus Botaniates and it was unable to divert the main Byzantine forces who were attacking the Bulgarian ramparts between theBelasitsa andOgrazhden mountains.
In the summer of 1014 the Byzantine EmperorBasil II launched his annual campaign against Bulgaria. FromWestern Thrace viaSerres he reached the valley of the Strumeshnitsa river where his troops were halted by a thick palisade guarded by an army under the personal command ofSamuil.[1] To divert the attention of the enemy theBulgarian Emperor sent a large force under his general Nestoritsa to the south to attack the second largest city of the Byzantine Empire, Thessalonica.[2]
Several days later Nestoritsa reached the vicinity of Thessalonica. On the fields to the west of the city[2] or according to otherhistorians near the river of Galik[1] it was confronted by a strong army led by thedoux (governor) of Thessalonica, Theophylactus Botaniates and his son Michael. The son of the governor charged the Bulgarians but was surrounded. In the fierce battle there the Bulgarians had many casualties and pulled back under the cover of archers. A second attack by Michael and the Byzantine cavalry resulted in a complete defeat for Nestoritsa's troops and they fled.[3] The victorious Byzantines captured many soldiers.[4] After he had secured Thessalonica, Botaniates joined Basil's army atBelasitsa.[5]
Later in that summer, Botaniates and his army were defeated in the gorges to the south ofStrumitsa and he perished in thebattle, killed by Samuil's sonGavril Radomir.[4][6] Nestoritsa, who survived the defeat, surrendered to Basil II four years later in 1018, after theByzantine Emperor entered the capital of BulgariaOhrid.[7][8]