Greetings all,
On this Day we commemorate with sadness the battle of the Gates of
Trajan, fought on August 17th in 986 AD between Byzantine forces under
Emperor Basil II and
Bulgarian forces:
It was the largest defeat of the Byzantines under Basil II. The
Byzantine army had tried to take the city of Sredetz without success,
and were forced to withdraw due to a lack of supplies. Other Bulgarian
units had fortified mountain passes and blocked the retreat, which
turned into a rout. Basil II barely escaped with his life. This narrow
escape may even have contributed to his later harshness in finishing the
Bulgarian War.
-Marcus Cassius Julianus
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