Today in Military History: April 14, 1205:Battle of Adrianople: Bulgarians Defeat Forces of the Latin Empire, Capture Emperor

, 2015 by Siggurdsson

 

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Contemporary painting (artist unknown) of the battle of Adrianople, 1205
Courtesy of paradoxplaza-decline-fall-of-roman-civilization
(Unless otherwise indicated, all illustrations are courtesy of Wikipedia)

Today's spotlight on military history shines on a little known conflict in the aftermath of the sack of Constantinople in the "Fourth Crusade." [Readers wishing to read about that incident should see my two previous posts from April of 2013: siege_of_constantinople and Part II entitled fall_of_constantinople] The victorius Western forces and their Venetian allies divided the shrinking East Roman Empire between them, but still sought to expand their possessions, and to prevent surviving Byzantine forces from recovering what the Westerners had fought for.

Background

Map of the "Latin Empire of Romania" aka the "Latin Empire" (in yellow), circa 1205

With the capture and sack of Constantinople, the leaders of the "Fourth Crusade" quickly took over areas of the Byzantine Empire and organized them along western feudal lines. One of the Western leaders was recognized as the emperor of the Latin Empire of Romania, better known to modern historians as the "Latin Empire." He was Baldwin, Count of Flanders and Hainault. Major vassals of the Latin Empire were the Kingdom of Thessalonica, the Duchy of Athens, the Principality of Achaia, and the Duchy of the Archipelago [see map above]. Many areas of the Byzantine Empire – mainly ports and islands important for trade – were awarded to the Venetians for their assistance in the capture of Constantinople [the green areas on the map].

During the winter of 1204-1205, the Latins sought to incorporate other portions of the Byzantine Empire into their orbit. These areas remained Byzantine, and were controlled by East Roman nobles; the Despotate of Epirus, the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond. However, the most immediate threat to the Latin Empire was their nearest neighbor and rival in the Balkans, the Second Bulgarian Empire [the purplish areas in the upper part of the map].

2nd Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Kaloyan, c. 1205 (dark tan areas)
[Light tan areas were obtained by later rulers]

The Second Bulgarian Empire had organized late in the twelfth century after the East Roman Empire began to decay. Various rebellions finally yielded results, and the Second Bulgarian Empire was established in 1185. When Constantinople fell to the Western Crusaders and the Venetians, the Bulgarian kingdom became the leading nation of the Balkans by default. When the Latin Empire attempted to negotiate an alliance with the Bulgarians against the remaining Byzantine territories, the Bulgarians resisted the Western blandishments, feeling more comfortable with the enemy they knew rather than the new enemy from western Europe. [This situation probably prevailed because of Byzantine diplomatic prowess. Many histories – both Western, Byzantine, and others – noted how the East Romans used diplomacy and bribes just as effectively as their armies to win wars, or rather, to win without going to war.]

The Bulgarian tsar (emperor) was Kaloyan I. He was the third of three brothers who ruled the new Bulgarian realm since 1185 (generally considered the date of the re-founding of the Bulgarian empire). He was crowned rex Bulgarie et Blachie ("King of Bulgaria and Wallachia") in late 1204, receiving an official blessing from the Western Pope, Innocent III. Kaloyan (which translates as "John the Good" or "John the Handsome") desperately wanted the recognition of imperial power in the Balkans, feeling that the conquest of Constantinople by the Western coalition had essentially destroyed the Byzantine Empire. Although Kaloyan agreed to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church using Roman (Western Christian) rites, nothing changed in Bulgarian religious services.

Prelude to the Battle

In early 1205, Byzantine Greek officials in the city of Adrianople revolted against the Latin Empire, chasing out its ruling officials and declaring their allegiance to the old Byzantine regime. Knowing that Latin Emperor Baldwin would likely respond in force, the rebels sent an urgent message to Kaloyan and the Bulgarians, seeking support for their rebellion. By late March or early April, a large Bulgarian army had assembled at the capital of Tarnovo and began marching to aid the Greek rebels in Adrianople.

At about the same time, the Emperor Baldwin set out from Constantinople with a force of mainly cavalry, with some infantry and contingents of Venetian archers. He was accompanied by Louis of Blois, one of the leaders of the "Fourth Crusade," Enrico Dandalo the Doge (ruler) of Venice, and Geoffrey de Villehardouin (who would later write the chronicle of the siege and capture of Constantinople and the battle of Adrianople). Upon sighting Adrianople, the Latins saw the flag of the Bulgarians flying from the city walls. [The Bulgarians were likely not inside the city, but the rebels probably were flying the flags so the Bulgarians would not attack the town.] Seeing this foreign flag on the city walls, the Latins promptly besieged the city. The Latins probably did not possess much siege machinery, so it is likely the "siege" was simply a blockade, bent on keeping the city's inhabitants in, as well as keeping reinforcements and supplies on the outside.

Coat of arms of the Latin Empire

The siege began sometime around Palm Sunday, April 3. At some point during the next 10 days, the first elements of the Bulgarian army appeared near the Latin camp. Units of Cuman horse archers probed the Latin camp, causing a few casualties. Some of the Latin leadership wanted to attack the enemy immediately, but as units of knights and men-at-arms left the camp, the Cumans simply fled. [This was a typical tactic of steppe and desert nomads and other nations with mostly mounted forces. They would advance toward their enemy, shower them with arrows, and when the enemy responded, the horsemen would simply retreat out of range of attack.]

Bulgarian-Cuman Army

The chronicle of Geoffrey de Villehardouin provides vast numbers for the Bulgarian-Cuman force at Adrianople. He stated that the Bulgarians fielded 40,000 men: this army was the equal of the Westernized Latin army, with mostly armored nobles, mounted men-at-arms, small numbers of spearmen and foot archers. Geoffrey further indicated that the Cuman horse archers numbered 14,000. It had been forged in conflicts with the Byzantines, the Hungarians, and the Cumans (the latter were now being hired as allies). Even if we believe the Bulgarian-Cuman army was half the size as imagined by Geoffrey, it was still a formidable force. There are also hints that some Byzantine army units may have joined the Bulgarians to oppose the usurping Latins.

Latin Empire Army

The numbers for the Latin army are non-existent. We know that there was somewhere between 140 and perhaps 300 knights present. The army which captured Constantinople one year previously had contained some 12,000 soldiers. Considering losses from the storming of the city, with some possible reinforcements from Western Europe – and the need to garrison the capital and other major cities – the Latin Empire's army may have consisted of no more than about 7000-8000 men [that's just my own guess, which is thoroughly unscientific]. Therefore, perhaps half of the Latin Empire's soldiers marched to besiege Adrianople.

Battle of Adrianople

Battle of Adrianople, April 14, 1205

On the evening of April 13, Latin Emperor Baldwin held a council of war. The two main participants were Louis of Blois, considered one of the better leaders in the empire, and Venetian Doge Dandalo. [According to the chronicles, Dandalo was quite old – possibly in his 90's – and completely blind. But his age was considered a sign of wisdom.] Louis counseled an attack the next time the enemy showed its face, while the Doge counseled restraint. Consequently, a plan was developed. When the Cumans approached the Latin camp again, Louis would lead a foray against them, taking a division of knights and men-at-arms. He would be followed by a second division of mounted warriors led by Baldwin himself. Venetian Doge Dandalo would be left in command of the Westerners' camp. While all this was going on, Geoffrey de Villehardouin was left in charge of the blockade of Adrianople.

The next morning, bodies of Cuman horse archers appeared and began showering the Latin camp with clouds of arrows. Within minutes, Louis of Blois and his division were organized and left the camp to challenge the stinging bites of the mounted Cuman "insects." As Louis's troops advanced toward the enemy, right on cue as though they were characters in a play, the Cumans pulled back and retreated northward. Shortly afterward, after receiving a message from Louis asking for reinforcements, Emperor Baldwin and the troops under his command deployed. Both groups began to pursuit the "fleeing" enemy.

Cuman light horse archers, c. 1054-1394
[Illustration courtesy of http://www.dbaol.com]

[You would think that Western Crusaders would remember some of the lesson learned after their experiences in the Middle East during the first three Crusades between 1097 and 1192. The feigned retreat was a common battle tactic used again and again against the egotistical Western knights. On many occasions, the Westerners were lured into traps and slaughtered. But, I'm getting a little ahead of myself…]

The Cumans fled northward along the banks of the Taza River. The terrain boasted rolling, forrested hills, little different from how the area looked when the last major battle was fought in this area in 378 between the Romans and the Goths. [Any readers interested in that battle should read my BurnPit posts from August of 2012: battle-of-adrianpole and part-II-battle-adrianople] There were also occasional boggy areas that could trap the unwary.

After a pursuit of two leagues (about six miles), the Cumans stopped and launched more missiles at the pursuing Westerners, then continued to withdraw and stopped again in a swampy bog. Heedless of the terrain, Louis of Blois and his troops were filled with blood-lust, advancing at a gallop to come to grips with the lightly-armed and –armored steppe warriors. Then disaster struck…

As Louis of Blois and his knights and mounted sergeants approached the southern edge of the bog, they suddenly discovered they had ridden into a trap. Dozens of pits had been dug by the Bulgarians, and had been carefully hidden. As the Westerners became confused and their battle ordered was disrupted, hidden Bulgarian heavy cavalrymen and heavy spearmen attacked from east and west, trapping the Latins. Then, the Cumans rode back toward the struggling Latin vanguard and shot swarms of arrows at them, adding to the chaos. Caught completely unawares, Louis and his followers were sorely pressed and many of the best knights in the Latin Empire fell dead or sorely wounded.

Then to add to the disarray, the Emperor Baldwin and his batallion rode right into the middle of the trap. Unable to sort out the chaos, the trap was securely closed on the Westerners. During the fight, Baldwin was twice wounded and fell when his horse was slain under him. A nearby French knight gave his own horse to the Emperor, and urged him to flee the battle, for it was surely lost. But Baldwin refused, and he was taken prisoner. Shortly after, the battle of Adrianople ended.

Some of the Western knights and horsemen managed to fight their way free of the trap and routed back to the Latin camp. They were pursued by the Bulgarians and Cumans. Seening the defeated Latin riders returning, Geoffrey de Villehardouin abandoned the siege of Adrianople and ordered the Westerner soldiers back to camp. By late afternoon, bands of Bulgarian and Cuman horsemen were attacking the Latin camp, with little effect.

Aftermath

Casualty figures for this battle are not known. The Latin lost 300 knights, and probably most of the mounted men-at-arms. Bulgarian-Cuman losses could be characterized as light.

Footnote #1: Tsar "John the Good" and his forces pursued the retreating Latins, but failed to catch them. Consequently, the Bulgarians began raiding throughout Macedonia and northern Greece.

Footnote #2: The remnants of the Latin army left its camp early the next morning. After a three day march to the southeast, the fugitives made their way to the Venetian-ruled port of Rodosto (modern day Terkirdağ, Turkey), which is 84 miles west of Constantinople on the Sea of Marmara. Eventually, the survivors reached the capital, where they licked their wounds, and prepared for further conflict with the rampaging Bulgarians and their Cuman allies.

Footnote #3: Emperor Baldwin was held as a prisoner by the Bulgarians for a great length of time, but by July of 1206, it was determined that he was dead. It seems that he was at first treated well as a valuable hostage, but was sacrificed by the Bulgarian monarch in a sudden outburst of rage, perhaps in consequence of the revolt of the city of Philippopolis (modern-day Plovdiv, Bulgaria), which passed into the hands of the Latins. According to a Bulgarian legend, Baldwin had caused his own downfall by trying to seduce Kaloyan's wife. One historian reported that the Tsar had Baldwin's skull made into a drinking cup.

Footnote #4: Tsar Kaloyan wrote to Pope Innocent III, reporting that Baldwin had died in prison. A tower of the Tsarevets fortress of the medieval Bulgarian capital, Veliko Tarnovo, is still called "Baldwin's Tower;" supposedly, it was the tower where he was interned.