The Battle of Klokotnitsa

After Tsar Ivan Asen II ascended the throne, Bulgaria's influence over regional politics increased considerably. The ruler of Epirus, Theodore Komnenos, decided to challenge Bulgarian dominance and launched a military campaign against Bulgaria. The two armies met on 9 March 1230 by the Klokotnitsa River and the village of the same name near Haskovo. The brief clash ended in a decisive Bulgarian victory. Ivan Asen II kept only the Epirote despot, his family and retinue captive, releasing the ordinary enemy soldiers and commanders. According to contemporaries, this generous act made him loved and respected “not only by the Bulgarians, but also by the Byzantines and the other peoples of the Balkans”.

The battle ended in success for the Bulgarian state. To honour his victory, Tsar Ivan Asen II ordered the construction of the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs in his capital, Tarnovo.