Battle of Achelous (917) 917
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 917 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Bulgaria | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Byzantine–Bulgarian War of 913–927 | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Byzantine Empire, First Bulgarian Empire | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 42.6431, 27.6367 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Achelous or Acheloos (Bulgarian: Битката при Ахелой, Greek: Μάχη του Αχελώου), also known as the Battle of Anchialus, took place on 20 August 917, on the Achelous river near the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, close to the fortress Tuthom (modern Pomorie) between Bulgarian and Byzantine forces. The Bulgarians obtained a decisive victory which not only secured the previous successes of Simeon I, but made him de facto ruler of the whole Balkan Peninsula, excluding the well-protected Byzantine capital Constantinople and the Peloponnese. The battle, which was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the European Middle Ages, was one of the worst disasters ever to befall a Byzantine army, and conversely one of the greatest military successes of Bulgaria. Among the most significant consequences was the official recognition of the imperial title of the Bulgarian monarchs, and the consequent affirmation of Bulgarian equality vis-à-vis Byzantium.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Achelous (917) (revision 1370430905), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Byzantine–Bulgarian War of 913–927
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Browse more: battles in Bulgaria · Europe · Medieval battles