Bulgarian–Croatian War

In the second half of the tenth century, the Kingdom of Croatia was ruled by King Stephen Držislav, who allied himself with Byzantium. In return, the Byzantines recognised his authority over his lands. After Držislav's death in 997, his son Svetoslav Suronja continued the policy of cooperation with Byzantium. His brothers Krešimir III and Gojslav, however, opposed his rule and sought to overthrow him, turning to the Bulgarian tsar Samuel for help. Samuel answered their appeal and in 998 sent an army that besieged the Dalmatian towns of Trogir and Split.

The Bulgarians subdued Trogir and Split and continued their advance, but were halted before Zadar. The Bulgarian troops returned home along the roads through Bosnia. The territory Samuel captured during the war was granted to Krešimir and Gojslav, who, with Bulgarian support, won the Croatian civil war and took power in the kingdom in 1000. Svetoslav Suronja was sent into exile in Venice and later Hungary. After Tsar Ivan Vladislav's death in 1018, Bulgaria fell under Byzantine rule, and Krešimir III and Gojslav became Byzantine vassals.