The Battle of Varbitsa Pass

In 811, Byzantine troops led by Emperor Nikephoros I Genikos entered Bulgarian territory and reached and besieged Pliska around 20 July. Khan Krum was forced to leave the capital, which was plundered and devastated. While the Byzantines were occupied with violence against the local population, Krum mobilised all available forces and blocked the exits of the Balkan passes, the Byzantine army's only route of retreat. On 26 July, they entered Varbitsa Pass, where the Bulgarians suddenly attacked them in its narrow defiles. The ensuing battle killed not only vast numbers of Byzantine soldiers but also almost the entire military and political elite of Byzantium, including Emperor Nikephoros himself. The Bulgarian victory created the conditions for the country to become a dominant power in the Balkans.

The Bulgarian state consolidated its position in the newly conquered western territories.