Battle of Velbazhd

The Battle of Velbazhd was part of the Bulgarian–Serbian wars. While Bulgaria and Byzantium were at war, the Kingdom of Serbia conquered lands belonging to both states. This prompted the Bulgarians to retaliate. Tsar Michael III Shishman Asen formed an anti-Serbian coalition with the Byzantine emperor and the rulers of Wallachia, Moldavia and the Black Jassic people. On 19 July 1330, the Bulgarian ruler marched towards Serbia with a large army, which was joined by the allied armies. The troops crossed the Sofia plain and entered the valley of the Struma River near Velbazhd, present-day Kyustendil. The clash took place there on 26 July of the same year. The Serbian army was led by King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski.

After the armies' initial encounter, the two sides declared a one-day truce on 27 July. Hostilities resumed the following day. The battle ended in defeat for Bulgaria, and Tsar Michael III Shishman was killed by the Serbian forces, who broke their truce with the Bulgarians and launched a surprise attack on the tsar's small remaining force. Exactly when and how Michael III was killed is uncertain; the hypotheses are that he died either during the attack itself or after being captured and taken before the Serbian prince.