Versinikia 813 - Byzantine - Bulgarian Wars DOCUMENTARY

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Our new animated historical documentary series on the Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars continues with the aftermath of the battle of Pliska fought in 811 bit.ly/2DIGTVH as the khan Krum continues his advance into the Eastern Roman Empire and has to fight against the new Roman emperor Michael I Rangabe. This portion of the conflict culminatedat the battle of Versinikio of 813
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We are grateful to our patrons and sponsors, who made this video possible: docs.google.com/document/d/1D...
The script video was written by Matt Hollis.
This video was narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
Machinimas were made on Total War: Attila engine by MalayArcher ( / mathemedicupdates )
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Sources:
Paul Sophoulis - Bulgaria and Byzantium 775 - 831
Dennis B Hupchick - The Bulgarian-Byzantine Wars for Early Medieval Hegemony
R.J Crampton - A Concise History of Bulgaria
Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com
#Documentary #Versinikia #Krum

[@KingsandGenerals]

To support our channel download Smite Blitz from this link: www.patron.me/generalssmite Please click the link, it is how we are getting paid. :-)

[@christermi]

Cool video ! Can't wait till I actually get to see it : - )

[@albatros33]

Kings and Generals Byzantine-Bulgar Wars not bulgarians en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgar

[@albatros33]

Kings and Generals en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgar

[@albatros33]

ÖLÜMLÜHAYATBUGÜNVARSINYARINYOKSUN 2 sa :D

[@TyrannosaurusRex5027]

Kings and Generals you can have my soul. And I will buy more SPQR hoodies for my new legion

[@Turaga]

Solo-rushing B never works when your teammates are useless

[@KingsandGenerals]

If a game analyst says that... :-)

[@mustipunyaemail]

RUSH B!

[@BleedForTheWorld]

World of Tanks tomatoes

[@enesakhan4032]

when your team says Bomb at B but its actually at A and you are the only one alive in the match

[@Kilen_BE]

😂

[@Joker-yw9hl]

Holy crap that is the most frustrating battle I've ever seen

[@ZhaoDrek]

indeedddddd man...

[@adamschaeffer1436]

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...

[@sirantiochus2748]

Seriously

[@reshpeck]

I don't know why this would be a featured battle on Kings and Generals, it was total shit. It would have sufficed to give it a couple sentences worth of mention in the context of a different battle. I'd rather have heard more about the siege earlier in the video.

[@Adventurer32]

@@reshpeck It's to torture us. Watching this was more stressful than exams. Fuck Michael.

[@Lord_Lambert]

The absolute state of Michael.... no wonder Rome fell with Emperors like this.

[@4lan866]

Lambert2191 Especially with the amount of people who wanted to be the Emperor

[@solar3013]

I originally thought this was the decline of the Byzantines, but it would be decades before they actually fall. So there would be more competent leaders later on.

[@nothuman3083]

How both empires of Rome fell was incompetent emperors taking over, then killing competent generals, then getting invaded, old emperor gets overthrown, repel invasion then facture into civil war and restart the whole order of events again.

[@Quickshot0]

@@nothuman3083 To be fair, this way of selecting new leaders still let them last longer then most empires. So for all its obvious weaknesses with bad leaders and stupid massive internal wars, there clearly is something to say for being able to eliminate some of your worst leaders. Still the Republic before that was probably even more adaptable and much of the rise of Rome was under that system, so one wonders if the switch to Empire already undermined it a fair bit.

[@Vincent-S]

@@Quickshot0 Probably helped that the old Republic Consuls were former military men rather than some random brother in law of the emperor with little to no military experience and probably spent a pretty penny getting on the military officer's good sides. Aaargh this was so frustrating, why did they choose some random step brother with little to no military experience during a crisis that pretty much required the next leader to be a former or current military officer. Was there no other brother or step brother who was in service?

[@Gigas0101]

Gotta hand it to Krum, he was blessed with skill, confidence, and comically inept opponents. My schooling left me with a sad blank spot on the Eastern Roman Empire so enjoying this for the first time through the best lens possible. Thanks for broadening my horizons and giving me a look into some fascinating history!

[@skelet8337]

I was thought that krum would have conquer byzantine but he died while they were seiging constantinople by unknown means maybe poisoned is theoriesed

[@boyanbogdanov1854]

@@Cecil_Augus There are bulgarian sources form these years. They were some messengers who went to the franks. They describe the regions of modern day France and Germany as very poor and that people don't even have shoes. Check Achelous battle in 917. It's even bigger defeat for the romans......

[@doomdrake123]

@@boyanbogdanov1854 Yeah I'd like source on that.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

I wouldn’t call the biggest empire in the western world “comically inept”. the eastern Roman Empire outlasted its western counterpart by nearly a millennium - while being crushed by bolgars on one side and Arabs on the other. And they didn’t do it by being comically inept. A better way of saying what you are trying to convey: the Bolgars were brave and opportunistic soldiers, blessed in the skill of guerilla warfare. In this sense, they are similar to their cousins of the steppe - the Mongols, Turks and Huns (in their various forms/names). The Bulgarian Empire’s strengths brought the Eastern Roman Empire’s weaknesses into focus.

[@justinian-the-great]

John: Rush B! Michael: *Grabs popcorns* Leo: *"Ight imma head out!"*

[@ggoddkkiller1342]

Leo: Alt+F4😂😂

[@samuelcruzdeazambuja6128]

They need you back Justinian...

[@sisi4361]

Justinian I the Great Byzantine need you once again Emperor !

[@eric11]

@@samuelcruzdeazambuja6128 basil ii is arriving

[@alexanderpavlovichromanov3065]

If only you could live forever... My emperor...

[@sirross625]

Krum scratching his head thinking hes been sipping from the skull one too many times during this battle.

[@AltsekBUL]

lol

[@21stEidein]

Lmao

[@jeffreywong33]

Krum probably still smoking on Nicephorus and Leo pack in haven rn

[@umaransari9765]

Bulgarians vs Romans, one of the most underrated rivalry in History

[@13paoolethira]

The only reason that bulgarians had a fighting chance in the first place was the incompetence of byzantines to access the situation and act on it. It is ridiculous.

[@shef7074]

It's one of the least talked about topics in european history for sure

[@tylerellis9097]

Lud Buhalov Yet Sivatoslav stomped you before that. Bulgaria is underrated, First Bulgarian Empire was the third strongest in Europe and doesn’t deserve the shit it gets but it was not the Byzantines Equal.

[@tylerellis9097]

Lud Buhalov you Conveniently ignore Constantine V isaurios and Michael the drunkard who fairly defeated Bulgaria, Michael converting them to Orthodoxy. Enemies on all sides isn’t an excuse. Byzantium had Enemies on all sides and had to actually fight the Abbasid Caliphate the strongest country in the world at the time.

[@umaransari9765]

@@tylerellis9097 yep I agree, throughout History, Byzantines have always been surrounded by fierce enemies, and still managed to survive for so long, while most of other state would have fallen, truly a glorious state

[@Tareltonlives]

I remember being a Harry Potter fan and looking up more about the name Krum. I stumbled on to some history articles on the nascent web about the Bulgarian Khan and I became a fan. Can't wait till you get to Simeon.

[@aleksk4151]

yeah Krum is bulgarian name and the actor in Harry potter 4 is bulgarian. Can't wait for the battle of Achelous 917! possibly the greatest Bulgarian victory over the Byzantine empire

[@mperorsimonthegreat3920]

Ah those were the days!

[@georgiborsukov2344]

@@mperorsimonthegreat3920 DDD

[@Tareltonlives]

@@Cecil_Augus Better not tell you about people who vote their modern equivalents into power then

[@mariotodorov382]

You are literaly the first person out of Bulgaria to see which is so interested in our history. Respect !

[@justinian-the-great]

Honestly, I don't blame Leo too much for his withdrawal. They accused him of treason, but he could have simply be like: "Screw this Michael! I am not gonna sacrifice my men for this idiot!"

[@Bazerald777]

@@buttan3399 Yes the plan was to engage the enemy the next day but then again you still need the advance order from your highest commander before doing so. Since Mikey didn't even signal any attack order, military law wise, Leo is correct but then again Leo is not an amateur. He probably decided to just stay put knowing his commander is blatant idiot and decided to just leave and blame him when the battle is lost.

[@DrumApe]

I feel honoured that Kings and Generals is doing Bulgarian history, which I always felt was underrepresented in world history.

[@user-ep5bk1un5d]

Excellent. The word bubbles and extra animations on the map were very nice. There should be a TV show on Netflix or HBO about the Byzantine empire.

[@KingsandGenerals]

That is a good idea :-)

[@cemalozarslan3014]

Cash that would be great

[@julianratering8500]

A lot of history should get an HBO/Netflix series! Literally so many interesting situations. Just afraid they end up romanticising it too much or fail to make it historically accurate.

[@12345678900987659101]

Yeah I can imagine one being about the final emperors and their struggles between preserving nominal independence from the Ottomans while also scheming with Western European powers to try and restore some of their foreign territories, maybe ending in the siege of 1453 and final fall of the city, or perhaps the mop ups of Trebizond and other Greek holdouts.

[@Badnercalabrese]

This would be amazing. While the internet has prompted a huge interest in Byzantine history - we are still a small group. This is a widely unknown (dare I say surpressed?) History in the western world. Imagine a series about Justinian era, Herakleus, Arab-Byzantine wars, Bulgar wars, etc.

[@patrickperez5022]

Last time i was this early, Romulus still had a brother

[@freddiecawston2892]

REEEME...ous

[@bootstrap52]

too soon man...

[@roberttucker1527]

@@bootstrap52 lol

[@Fruzhin5483]

History channels begin to make episodes about Bulgaria Bulgarians: :)

[@sudombd1230]

@@user-db9iz4xk6l Е тя завистта си е вродена на някои народи. Тия глупаци наистина най-лесно се убиват с мълчание

[@nikolagochev9]

Имат защо да ни завиждат😌

[@TzvetozarCherkezov]

@@thommassful Глупости на търкалета. Това може да го напише само човек, който няма понятие нито от история, нито от етнография, нито от лингвистика, последното - най-вече. Моля те, седни да четеш преди да излагаш образованието ни публично.

[@ninarachinska139]

HE HE BOI

[@albatros33]

They were Bulgars not Bulgarians😂😂

[@mirovalerious990]

Big Love to Kings and Generals from Bulgaria

[@emilpall2621]

I just get mad watching this seeing how incompetent Michael was

[@arthurfisher1857]

I feel for the guy. He's just what most arm chair generals would be if actually given an army and empire to command... "Sire! We should attack!" "Yes. Erm, well, maybe... err, how about next week? I don't know if we should right now... I'm not wearing my lucky underware.. let's sleep on it!"

[@andrewcath4615]

I just get mad watching this seeing how incompetent the byzantines always were

[@GeoBBB123]

@@andrewcath4615 It's leadership, unfortunately, often let the Empire down ... but when ably led it could certainly achieve

[@kanalevy596]

Me too. It's just too much incompetent for just people. How this guy turn up an imperator?

[@andrewcath4615]

@@GeoBBB123 The entire social structure let them down time and time again. The empire became too decentralized and secure for it's own good very early on. The state was constantly being back stabbed by unreliable nobles,incompetent soldiers,overly pious religious leaders and a stagnated martial spirit.

[@ieuanjones7615]

How can these commanders be so incompetent. REEEEEEEEEEEE

[@maxmagnus777]

You answered it yourself. ComanderS. "S" as plural. When 3 people lead one army or a company it fails miserably.

[@razorbird789]

@@maxmagnus777 Tell that to Napolean. He didn't tolerate poor sub generals.

[@eric11]

Wait until basil II

[@R3GARnator]

@@maxmagnus777 Tell that to Alexander the Great.

[@treekid7455]

lol watching this piss me off

[@johankrushammar7336]

Bulgarian history is amazing! Respect from Sweden 🇸🇪🤝🇧🇬

[@bulgariannationalist1637]

Scythians and Vikings 🇧🇬🤝🇸🇪

[@OrthodoxBulgaria]

@@bulgariannationalist1637 Thracians*

[@bulgariannationalist1637]

@@OrthodoxBulgaria не сме траки стига с тези балканский щуротии и Теории

[@bulgariannationalist1637]

@John Smith the Romans described Scythian Sarmatians and Moesians to us

[@stambill1846]

@@OrthodoxBulgaria you have mess your history some how 🤔 old and new nazi Bulgari. Your newest history reveals to many shits

[@OttomanHistoryHub]

By the 1300s these Byzantine-Bulgarian Wars would lead to the Ottomans entering Europe. Imagine how different history would be if these two empires were allies and not sworn enemies. GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS K&G

[@petargeorgiev7965]

Well Bulgarians were an ally to East Roman empire many times. Against the Arabs for instance. In history there is no "if" if you understand what I mean 😉

[@salahddinebensebane8429]

@@zarni000 nah dud the ottoman didn't take much from the bizantin before the ottoman there was the saljuks and they will have all there technology from the abbasid caliphate and the ottoman were the same as saljuks

[@user-cz7rt2kj1k]

They were allies in 1330 against serbia,but Serbs overrun bulgars at Velbazhd and made Bulgaria their vassal,and start conquering byzantine themes in macedonia,thessalia, and epirus in the following years.

[@petargeorgiev7965]

@@user-cz7rt2kj1k Видяла жабата че подковават вола и взела че и тя вдигнала крак 😉 Use Google translate, pal

[@user-cz7rt2kj1k]

@kiril marinov Ye,ye. Better read something,instead showing ur unknowledge here...

[@DonDiego724]

Thank you for showing video related to Bulgarian and Byzantine history.

[@enesakhan4032]

daniel are you the one that makes videos about World of warships?

[@user-fl7be4ew8y]

Greetings from Bulgaria 🇧🇬 Respekt 💪🏻🦁🇧🇬

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

The Byzantine army was Krum-bled...

[@hakan_ozdere]

Napoleon I Bonaparte 😒

[@fasoooli2751]

@@hakan_ozdere?

[@RileyRivalle2]

@FasoOoLi Shami That's just OP:s username, the actual reply was just the emoticon.

[@varsam]

i bet he made himself another skull cup.

[@darthveatay]

@@varsam considering what he did outside the walls of Constantinople it seems like something he would do

[@tasbykekerey1203]

Support Bulgarian brothers from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿♥️🇧🇬

[@Kaloian_Ivanov]

Thank you brother!

[@albatros33]

Kaloian Ivanov You look like medieval turk warriors :)))

[@z1ll4jr53]

What the fuck lmao lol

[@tatarcavalry2342]

Greetings to all my Turkic brothers from Turkey

[@Michael-kd1ho]

John Skylitzes : Allright chums let's do this. JOOOOOHHHN SKYLITZEEEEES! Michael and Leo : Omg, he just ran in.

[@saintsilvi]

You mean John Aplakes

[@Zakonite_Krum]

Yes, my name is Krum and i'm proud of my bulgarian blood, history and soil!

[@zaboybagoi8636]

His real name was Tuglug oglu Kurum

[@begemod1743]

@dimensional X 😆😆😆😆

[@begemod1743]

@@zaboybagoi8636 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@vikoivanov4650]

Turks be mad at this comment cuz they can't prove shit. Anyway, Bulgaria above all my friend.

[@tonyblougoutas4988]

Do you drink from your enemy's skull?

[@alexkordas4523]

As always , a very good video! Really enjoy it. Hope in this series, that you will also cover: Battle of Achelous (917), Battle of Kleidion (1014), Battle of Spercheios (997), Battle of the Gates of Trajan (986), Battle of the Rishki Pass (759), Battle of Anchialus (763).

[@jumo004]

I hope you will consider doing the battle of Zenta.

[@KingsandGenerals]

We will. It is a part of our Ottoman series. Not sure when though :-) Sometime in 2020 probably!

[@christermi]

A bit more insight ?

[@opperturk124]

@@KingsandGenerals i love the ottoman wars, pls do another vid on them soon

[@NimbleBard48]

​@@KingsandGenerals Eagerly waiting for the Battle of Lepanto. Still hoping you guys can use the Europa Universalis IV song of the same name *fingers crossed*

[@saliheygoren]

That wasn't a battle,That was a massacre

[@cdcdrr]

Michael to Staurakios: You are unfit to be emperor. Leo to Michael: You are unfit to be emperor. Krum: I need a new drinking cup.

[@aleksk4151]

Lol

[@heiskanbuscadordelaverdad8709]

I love how Krum didn't believe his victory because of how an easy win it was

[@aleksk4151]

hahah yeah that was so cool .

[@pavlinparashkevov9647]

An interesting fact following this battle. Leo V is the new emperror and when Krum appeared at the gates of Constantinople a meeting was set to discuss the peace terms. Leo asked Krum to come himself with only a few men unarmed and gaved him his Emperror's word that their safety was garanteed. Then the night before the meeting he secretly dispathed 3 assassins in the vicinity of where the meeting was to take place. On the next day Krum came to the meeting with his logothetes, his brother-in-law and his son. He started talking with Leo V but at some point he noticed that Hexabilius (one of Leo's men) covered his face with his hand in a suspicious manner and realized this was an ambush. Luckily, his horse was at hand so he quickly mounted helped by his men and rode off before the assassins' arrows could get to him. They managed to kill the logothetes and capture the other two. This treachery, which by the way was not uncommon practice for the Byzantine rulers, infuriated Krum even more. And, when on the following year Krum was busy dealing with the franks and the avars in the west, Leo V invaded Thrace and won a small battle at Mesembria. Krum then decided to deliver the final blow and sack Constantinople. He gathered an army including avars and slavs from the west and began preparation for siege( building siege equipment, etc.). At that point, in the heat of his preparation, on the fifth day after Easter, Krum suddenly died (blood came out of his ears, nose and mouth). This was the end of this great ruler but not the end of Bizantine- Bulgarian wars. The culmination happend 100 years later in 917 at the battle of Achelou river (or the battle of Anchialus) - one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of Middle Ages. Krum was also known for his legislation. His famous Krum's laws are a whole different toppic outside of the scope of this one. Let's just say that they reflect the old Getae's customs.

[@rustincohlebla2194]

I remember reading this in 2004 before my History exams:)

[@rakaalcuzaadnankadar6719]

The last time I was this early, Gilgamesh was still alive.

[@endo4137]

Damn thats early!

[@abcdef27669]

Man of culture, people!

[@theverysupercman97]

Wanna summon him?

[@IvanIvanov-sm7uv]

Great Video again. Finally good videos on Bulgarian history.

[@thewarriorfrog]

Bulgar history

[@beoronick9105]

Yes! Was checking every day for the next episode of this series. Great job!

[@Liquidsback]

My Emperor it seems John has attacked the Bulgar left, should we join him? Michael: All I know is my gut says maybe. Michael his Neutralness.

[@Adventurer32]

What makes a man turn neutral... Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?

[@markuhler2664]

I prefer the Indecisive or Spineless. & Leo the Backstabber.

[@imgvillasrc1608]

Michael I should've been Emperor of Switzerland.

[@aleksk4151]

i don't believe Leo was a traitor , because after this battle he tried to kill Krum by inviting him to "peace" conference in Constantinople . Krum escaped

[@WaterShowsProd]

"Tell my wife, hello."

[@user-rf6fd4vs5s]

Nobody: Bulgarians:Blitzkrieg but with horses

[@alecboley9238]

i clicked the link. y'all really have it put together with the animations and comprehensive play by play for each battle, with background info and after effects, gives me a sense of wider impacts than simply order of battle alone. it can be a lil repetitive, but for real i've been seeing more general uploads and they've been all cool. i'm super thankful to have access to this big ol stash of information for free. keep on it for us

[@skyshatter3633]

One cant just skip the fact Krum always try to suit for peace before going on war ps:need a video about Battle of Acheloos 917 ..one of the largest battles in medieval history

[@thedoruk6324]

*Poor poor* Byzantium, everyone wants to conquer it, even themselves !

[@martinslavchov7795]

Bulgarians is trace isn't turkic

[@thedoruk6324]

@@martinslavchov7795 I speculate he likely points out the Volga-Bulgars and/or Avar-Bulgars, the other Bulgaric Tribe, not 'the' Bulgars

[@albatros33]

Martin Slavchov Bulgarians are slavic but bulgars are turk en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgar

[@guillaumeroudiere5749]

@@albatros33 At this point, the bulgars were mostly slavic with a bit of greeks and turkics blood

[@martinslavchov7795]

Майка ви стара четете Писмените доказателства на волжко-българският летописец Джагфар Тарихи , че българската династия се губи още от преди великият потоп

[@BasileusRex]

I was watching the Pliska video yesterday, hoping you guys would upload a new one. And I wake up to this. Cheers!

[@aleksk4151]

how are you my friend

[@justpettet3506]

gonna hit 1 mil in no time. really amazing seeing you guys grow. thanks for making history fun

[@_empiree9338]

The best history channel. I am a student from Bulgaria and we are on the Byzantine - Bulgarian wars. Hurry up bcs we are about to get the lesson for Tsar Kaloyan XDDD. It's very helpful what you guys do

[@basiliibulgarslayer6123]

Krum was such a boss

[@NikeBG]

Too bad they didn't finish his reign (I doubt they'd make a video for it). After this battle, he went on, leaving his brother to besiege Adrianople, while he himself moved to Constantinople, which he symbolically besieged and performed some Pagan ceremonies before its walls. He then agreed to peace talks with Leo V, but when he arrived to the designated location where the negotiations were to take place, the Byzantine delegation gave a signal and assassins popped up. Krum was wounded, but managed to get on his horse and escape, while his "viceroy"/2nd-in-command was killed and Krum's Greek brother-in-law and his son (Krum's nephew) were captured. Enraged, Krum razed to the ground everything outside Constantinople's walls, then went back to Adrianople which he conquered and moved its population to Transdanubian Bulgaria (modern Romania). A later story claims that the young Basil I was a kid in Adrianople at that time and even received an apple from Krum himself. In any case, Krum and his team of Byzantine engineers, led by a Christian Arab named Evmathios, started preparing a large siege park for a siege of Constantinople, but then Krum mysteriously died (less than 3 months after Charlemagne, btw) before he could launch that campaign. Btw, about a century later, Tsar Simeon the Great was also in front of the walls of Constantinople, having a peace talks meeting with the Roman emperor. This time, though, the Bulgarian delegation was careful in searching the prepared stage for any would-be interruptions - they clearly remembered Krum's attempted assassination. P.S. Speaking about Krum and Charlemagne, it's interesting that five years before their deaths (in 814), there was also another legendary ruler reigning at that time - Harun al Rashid, of 1001 Nights fame. Too bad there wasn't really anyone noteworthy on the Byzantine throne in that decade, to join their company.

[@waqasahmed3472]

Actully micheal was a coward

[@darthveatay]

@@cosmopolitanbay9508 Krum's son and successor Omurtag was just as good a statesman. He rebuilt Pliska, before his reconstruction of Pliska the Bulgarian capital was made of wood, Omurtag turned Pliska into a city of stone. He also stopped several Slavic chiefs from secceeding. Omurtag even assisted the Byzantines against Thomas the Slav. Omurtag is also remembered for persecution of Christians

[@NikeBG]

@@darthveatay Though the most important aspects of both their reigns is that they undertook the centralization reform that turned Bulgaria from a tribal confederation into an empire. This also indirectly led to the Slavicization of the state, as the previously autonomous Slavic princes were now being incorporated into the ranks of the Bulgar(ian) nobility, raising their Slavic language's prestige, among other things. This eventually allowed Boris' conversion to Christianity and adoption of the Slavic liturgy to merge those previously distinct tribes into one united Bulgarian people, with Simeon's golden age forging for them a national identity that lasts to this day. I'd personally say Krum's administrative reform was probably what started this whole chain of events (though none of this would have happened without Asparuh, of course).

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Nike BG an underreported part of history more Bulgarians should celebrate: you mentioned the two (unsuccessful) serges of Constantinople, both of which ended with our rulers dying under mysterious circumstances. There was another one - the first Bulgarian siege of Constantinople was in 705 under Tervel (in alliance with the deposed Justinian). Bulgarian army entered the city and restored Justinian to power. So we were 1/3. On Krum’s mysterious death: some say he was poisoned by the romans. Others say he was killed by his own people in a ritual that would allow him to become a God.

[@GeryNH]

Wow! A second video about Bulgaria? You're a great teacher! Thank you for the awesome videos! I'm surprised you picked Krum and not Tzar Simeon - most of my friends who studied Byzantine history found him really interesting, aggressive (and crazy :D).

[@aproudeuropean559]

It’s so cool you’re using Greek words for the video like “stratigos=general” and “tagmata=battalions”. Makes it so realistic and shows how well researched the video truly is!

[@Joker-yw9hl]

Anything Byzantine or late Roman has my vote

[@Bulgarian021]

It is amazing -someone finally talks about Bulgarian history in English ! THANKS A LOT

[@rohitrai6187]

His reasons for doing so was he was another representative of the curse of ineffective leadership on the eastern empire

[@batukhan1]

Maybe Michael gotv the wind of his Anatolian commander being traitor and did not want to loose his life committing his troops.

[@Toranaga]

Love it, yet another awesome series! Well done!

[@dowhatyouwant6856]

Thank you for the video. Byzantine -Bulgarian wars are a great documentary series.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

This AND Eastern Roman History uploads, too?! What a Sunday!

[@Mrkabrat]

Now to add some bone cutlery to the skull cup

[@guerguistoyanov137]

Savage...😖🤫

[@Galloglaoch]

Well...realistically this is more of a myth than something that really happened. Still he's known as Krum The Terrible(Yep, just like Ivan the Terrible from Russian fame) for a reason.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Galloglaoch his nickname is more appropriately translated as “the fearsome”. And cutting off your opponents head and making it into a cup is a well documented tradition of many a tribe.

[@pyroshrimp4073]

@@Galloglaoch he was the fearsome not the terrible

[@Sol_Invictus510]

Getting to play total war and study history to make awesome videos for this channel seems like an awesome job!

[@BuckStrickland19]

I love that you are using the Crusader Kings 2 "Byzantine Empire" soundtrack song. Fits perfectly obviously.

[@endo4137]

John Aplakes: Decides to fight like a true roman! Michael I and leo the armenian: aM i dIsAbLeD?

[@endo4137]

@@johndoe5432 What a massive historical blunder...

[@endo4137]

@Rex Francorum well, then Screw Michael I, what a dick

[@Bazerald777]

Leo was actually a very decent commander. He singlehandedly safeguarded the eastern border against the then rising and aggressive Abbasids for years until peace treaty was signed. The Anatolian army is just as battle hardened as their Balkan counterpart. Only Mikey's army comprised of untrained peasants.

[@albatros33]

Bulgars were Onogur Turks according to Bulgars Bulgars (Turkic bulgha-'to mix, stir up, disturb', i.e. 'rebels') A Turkic tribal union of the Pontic steppes that gave rise to two important states: Danubian Balkan Bulgaria (First Bulgarian Empire, 681-1018) and Volga Bulgaria (early 10th century-1241). They derived from Oghuric-Turkic tribes, driven westward from Mongolia and south Siberia to the Pontic steppes in successive waves by turmoil associated with the Xiungnu and subsequently by warfare between the Rouran/Avar and northern Wei states. in Oliver Nicholson, The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, Oxford University Press, 2018, ISBN 0192562460, p. 271..

[@albatros33]

The Turkic languages are clearly interrelated, showing close similarities in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Historically, they split into two types early on, Common Turkic and Bolgar Turkic. The language of the Proto-Bolgars, reportedly similar to the Khazar language, belonged to the latter type. Its only modern representative is Chuvash, which originated in Volga Bolgarian and exhibits archaic features. The Proto-Bulgarians had a somewhat eventful history prior to their arrival on the Balkan Peninsula. The earliest written sources indicate that they inhabited the region to the north of the Caucasus in the 4th century A.D. and had close contact with the Georgians and Armenians. They belonged to the Turkic ethno-linguistic group and their language resembled that of the Huns, Khazars, Avars and other tribes. (How the bulgarian state was founded-Dimiter Angelov) The Oghur, or Onogur or Ogur[3] languages (also known as Bulgar, Pre-Proto-Bulgar,[4]or Lir-Turkic and r-Turkic), are a branch of the Turkic language family. The only extant member of the group is the Chuvash language. The first to branch off from the Turkic family, the Oghur languages show significant divergence from other Turkic languages, which all share a later common ancestor. Languages from this family were spoken in some nomadic tribal confederations, such as those of the Onogurs or Ogurs, Bulgars, and Khazars.[5]Some scholars consider Hunnic a similar language[6] and refer to this extended grouping as Hunno-Proto-Bulgarian.[7] The only surviving language from this linguistic group is believed to be Chuvash.Omeljan Pritsak in his study "The Hunnic Language of the Attila Clan" (1982)[10] concluded that the language of the Bulgars was from the family of the Hunnic languages, as he calls the Oghur languages.[11] According to Antoaneta Granberg : " the data is insufficient to clearly distinguish Huns, Avars and Bulgars one from another" - introduction, the second paragraph Bolgars are still Turk in Volga region.Mahmud al kashgari wrote bulgar language in his diwan lughat al turk before 1000 years. Even ilovelanguages made video about bulgar language(volga bulgar poet from Diwan Lughat al Turk) Population genetic analysis indicated that Conquerors had closest connection to the Onogur-Bulgar ancestors of Volga Tatars.

[@nova-dv3bv]

@@albatros33 Wrong again Hanim, 1. Give Primary sources that show that the name Bulgarian comes from Bulgamak 2. Give Primary sources that show Tengrinism in Bulgaria

[@markdonalquisalas3593]

Thx for the video as always.

[@nikolaygeorgiev1093]

Thanks Kings and Generals for this interesting video! In Bulgarian history khan Krum is remembered not only for his military victories but also for his law's :)

[@petargeorgiev7965]

Thank you, Kings and Generals, for showing the world the richness of Bulgarian history!

[@talridisblagoev242]

you did hear when they called our ancestors bulgar turkic right? i dont about you but to me that is rasist and insulting as hell.

[@Dorya9]

@@talridisblagoev242 stop it. It isn't racist, it's accurate. Remember that this is the 9th century. The ruling class was Bulgar, a Turkic nomadic tribe that took control of a region full of Slavic tribes. They eventually took the Slavic culture from their subjects, they're not calling you nor modern-day Bulgarians Turkic, but the first Bulgars to come were from the steppes. Again, this was the ruling class and they even used the title Khan for a while.

[@petargeorgiev7965]

@@talridisblagoev242 why this should be racist? Firstly it's just one of the many theories about Bulgarian origin, secondly - please don't mistake turkic with Turkish. The cumans for example were (although blond by nature) definitely turkic and are also part of the Bulgarian nation.

[@mithridates5399]

@@petargeorgiev7965 Both Bulgars and Kipchak/Cumans are mostly theorized today to have a clear Iranian nomad origin, like most nomadic groups. The theory of Turkic origin was a poorly made 19th-early 20th century machination spread mostly by Soviet/iron curtain historians that is less popular today. This youtube channel is Russian so of course they treat the soviet propaganda as a fact, but as a neutral person (I am not Bulgarian) I advice you to look up modern theories by less biased historians

[@petargeorgiev7965]

@@mithridates5399 Well actually it's not that important to me. Bulgarian is Bulgarian - as simple as that. My people called themselves since the beginning neither Iranians, nor turcs - they were Bulgarians. Let's just respect that.

[@sipahihan1]

Ohhh East Europe wars tnx man. I love your vids.

[@victortodorov2218]

Exelent! Keep making good videos and making people happy!!! ❤️

[@StreetFighter2142]

Greetings from Bulgaria. Great video, keep up the good work.

[@r6orion]

This video shines some light on one often forgotten phenomenon in the early conflicts between Bulgaria and Byzantium - a significant part of the indigenous Balkan population, including high-ranking chieftains and imperial administrators were more than happy to join Bulgaria. We know that entire villages and tribes in Macedonia and Thrace went over to the Bulgarian side during the reign of Krum and his descendants - Omurtag, Malamir, Presian. They would happily pay taxes to Pliska (later Preslav) and send their sons, brothers and husbands into the Bulgarian army, in order to get away from what they perceived as the tyranny of Constantinople. The Bulgars were not simple conquerors - they were country-builders and unifiers. Krum himself created one of the first codified systems of law in Medieval Europe.

[@aokiaoki4238]

Lol

[@vaeldrnero6251]

Cosmopolitan Bay the ottomans did not win over any populations. To this day the Turks are bitterly hated by everyone.

[@Zingam]

I think something is missing from the story and is not being told by modern historians. The official story goes like this: In 5th century a sea of Slavs settled in the depopulated Balkan Roman provinces then a small bunch of Turkic Bolgars horse-riding, curve-legged nomads without any culture came out of nowhere, united with seven Slavic tribes and carved out an empire on Roman soil just like than when much more powerful enemies have failed before. This is a very simplistic and very convenient story for propaganda and political use. But then if you look into modern Bulgarians the culture and the racial features are unlike the Slavs to the North. Bulgarians are way closer to Italians than to Slavs (Chech, Poland, Slovakia). The majority of the Bulgarians are directly descended from the paleo-Balkan population pre-Indo-European population. Also there is no information of what the languages of the old Bulgarians, or the Thracians were for example. We know that Latin and Greek was the language of the nobility for a few centuries. That there were Gothic and Celtic settlers, etc.

[@r6orion]

@@Zingam Absolutely. Also have you heard of any battle between the invading "Slavs" and the local Thracians? Even one? That is because the people that the Byzantines started calling "sklavenoi" around the 6th century AD are no other than the direct descendants of the Thracians, who never went anywhere, just lived at the edge of Roman rule. Then the Bulgars of Asparukh came in 680 and offered them a sweet deal - 12 000 armored horsemen for protection against Constantinople, local autonomy and low taxes. And that is how Bulgaria emerged as a country.

[@ra-ge]

Interesting fact, according to some historians, after the battle Krum took out his Nikephorus skull cup and get shit drunk.

[@historyrhymes1701]

That is the Krum we know and love

[@aleksk4151]

great Bulgarian warrior

[@SKa-tt9nm]

That’s why he was called Krum the Fearsome

[@LichsuhoathinhDrabattle]

Great video, looking forward to your next videos❣❣

[@akpolska]

just subscribed. Good job folks, glad to see history is getting more and more popular :-)

[@KingsandGenerals]

Welcome aboard!

[@affentaktik2810]

2:56 it has to be stated that the bulgars were not entirely turkic but like everything else from the steppes a mixture of multipul ethnicities largly being compulsed of turkic and iranian tribes

[@nikolagochev9]

True true

[@nikolagochev9]

@Taqifsha Nanen You don't know our history why are you arguing with us?

[@affentaktik2810]

Taqifsha Nanen no modern research suggests that bulgars were even more iranian than turkic Bulgarians once they arrived in the balkans they were mostly slav tho the ruming class was mostly compulsed of the former bulgars aka turkic and iranian also many greeks were part of bulgaria

[@nikolagochev9]

@Taqifsha Nanen Why are we murderers? From which country are you? The world is full of wars since the beggining of it, so we are not different to any nation even yours.

[@erdal0]

Bulgar is a Turkish word. Bulgars were culturally Turkic with some Slav gypsies who migrated to Turkic lands.

[@buzan2296]

People are blaming Michael, but the real fault lies in his religious advisors 7:36. If they hadn't further confused their clearly indecisive emperor, this defeat could have been avoided.

[@ElBandito]

Nah, Krum is not the one to be trusted. Who is to say that he wouldn't attack again after receiving tributes? The empire had the manpower to defeat the foe, if only a competent emperor was in lead.

[@lucidx2907]

It was probably because he was sheltered and a devout christian that he was so lame and indecisive, which lead his people to suffer greatly. A prime example of why merit is more important than blood relation.

[@BatG96]

Amazing videos. Keep them coming

[@bookwyrm4559]

Love the Bulgaria-Byzantine videos! Keep them up!

[@flutterflowexpert]

Thank you very much for your video for my country. Many people don't know about us and that we were created 681 and we still keep our name of the country which I think we are the only country in Europe to still keep the original name

[@A.R.S-25]

Glory to Bulgarian empire! 🇧🇬

[@thewarriorfrog]

Bulgar🇹🇷 empire

[@ivankrivoshiyski8219]

@@thewarriorfrog the whole world is Turkey? 🦃? 😂

[@cerebrummaximus3762]

​@@thewarriorfrogBulgars were Turkic, NOT Turkish. Turkey didn't even exist when the Bulgars did. Also Bulgaria is not Bulgar. Bulgaria is the union between Slavs and Bulgars. Very few Bulgarians today are genetically Bulgar, but the Bulgars were key to beginning our country. Our country is that of Turkic steppe Bulgars and Slavs. Long live Bulgaria!

[@AnibalDMasso]

I appreciated your efforts to talk about the byzanyine empire over and over again. It's underated.

[@d.kostov2461]

@Kings and Generals again very good video!!! I did not miss one episode from the whole channel. I know that you have a lot of tasks ahead of you ,but kindly asking if the Byzantine- Bulgarian Wars series will continue ,since the last episode in November? Thank you very much in advance for the answer and best regards!

[@ruslantokhchukov4925]

Yes, there were times of glory for the Bulgarian people.

[@thewarriorfrog]

Bulgar(Turks) people

[@kemita]

That ck2 old gods background song. Top notch.

[@RedJohnO22]

It truly is incredible, if you don't know the full story, how the Eastern Roman Empire stood, and lingered, nearly till the rennaissance. I think that would be a fascinating series in it's own right. "What Kept Byzantium upright". Stunning work as always all. Cheers!

[@mislavcovic2788]

Love that you used CK II Byzantine Empire theme :)

[@Gerhard_Fleischer_5682]

I f*cking love your videos man. As a byzantinophil I am glad that somebody pay attention for medieval greek roman empire. There is a lack of documentary here on youtube about Byzantines. I looking forward for next episode....

[@petargeorgiev7965]

Fun fact: there was neither Byzantine, nor Greek Roman empire. They called themselves simply- Roman empire.

[@titusmanlius9352]

Byzantines were pussies just so u know

[@Joker-yw9hl]

I love this channel. So many things I enjoy but the occasional age of empires sounds like the mangonel/onagers just seals it for me

[@user-gi4vc5re9n]

Добър вечер, страхотен канал! 😘

[@sleeper7271]

One of my all time-favorite channels You should really do a video on Tsar Simeon The Great, the greatest ruler in Bulgaria's history of 1700 years

[@nikolaispirski928]

Imagine the history but every time when the Bulgarians and the Byzantines raged war it gets faster The history for 700 years:Wow,wow,wow slow down!

[@albatros33]

The Turkic languages are clearly interrelated, showing close similarities in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Historically, they split into two types early on, Common Turkic and Bolgar Turkic. The language of the Proto-Bolgars, reportedly similar to the Khazar language, belonged to the latter type. Its only modern representative is Chuvash, which originated in Volga Bolgarian and exhibits archaic features. The Proto-Bulgarians had a somewhat eventful history prior to their arrival on the Balkan Peninsula. The earliest written sources indicate that they inhabited the region to the north of the Caucasus in the 4th century A.D. and had close contact with the Georgians and Armenians. They belonged to the Turkic ethno-linguistic group and their language resembled that of the Huns, Khazars, Avars and other tribes. (How the bulgarian state was founded-Dimiter Angelov) The Oghur, or Onogur or Ogur[3] languages (also known as Bulgar, Pre-Proto-Bulgar,[4]or Lir-Turkic and r-Turkic), are a branch of the Turkic language family. The only extant member of the group is the Chuvash language. The first to branch off from the Turkic family, the Oghur languages show significant divergence from other Turkic languages, which all share a later common ancestor. Languages from this family were spoken in some nomadic tribal confederations, such as those of the Onogurs or Ogurs, Bulgars, and Khazars.[5]Some scholars consider Hunnic a similar language[6] and refer to this extended grouping as Hunno-Proto-Bulgarian.[7] The only surviving language from this linguistic group is believed to be Chuvash.Omeljan Pritsak in his study "The Hunnic Language of the Attila Clan" (1982)[10] concluded that the language of the Bulgars was from the family of the Hunnic languages, as he calls the Oghur languages.[11] According to Antoaneta Granberg : " the data is insufficient to clearly distinguish Huns, Avars and Bulgars one from another" - introduction, the second paragraph Bolgars are still Turk in Volga region.Mahmud al kashgari wrote bulgar language in his diwan lughat al turk before 1000 years. Even ilovelanguages made video about bulgar language(volga bulgar poet from Diwan Lughat al Turk) Population genetic analysis indicated that Conquerors had closest connection to the Onogur-Bulgar ancestors of Volga Tatars.

[@user-pi8to6sm6t]

Do you can understand Chuvash languege?

[@nikolaydimitrov1706]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 f............

[@hopeindarktimes9535]

Such a great chanell deciedes to explore and educate people about histories of one small Balkan state. Not something that happens every day! Awesome! Hope, you guys do other Balkan countries including Serbia. Educate people about histories that are little known, but so rich and turbulent! Thx, Kings and generals!

[@konsyjes]

I was reading Dio and there are passages describing some of the talented Roman generals during the Principate and Early Empire; I noticed that almost always they would opt for negotiation rather than battle, even though the enemy was clearly intimidated and they had the upper hand. I am talking about for example Corbulo or Vindex. You can see they estimate, correctly, that a superior force and a cowed enemy are the perfect opportunity to gain an ally on favorable terms and spare their own troops.

[@lojzek91]

It's a wonder ERE managed to survive for that long considering how incompetent their emperors were.

[@Bazerald777]

Even most ERE emperors were incompetent commanders, they were actually pretty good administrators and ruler. They should just let their actual military generals to lead the battles tbh.

[@gideonjones8088]

"It was surely only a matter of time until the empire's glorious victory." Yeah, I don't see how Krum can turn this battle around... "The emperor just watched the fighting. He did nothing, and was more a spectator than a commander." Damn it, they're all gonna die.

[@lordkoko]

It's 3 am and I should go to sleep but that won't happen before I see your newest video!

[@Daruliable]

Great video as usual K&G's 👍🏽

[@KingsandGenerals]

Thanks! :-)

[@Omegaeon1]

Thanks 🙏 It’s amazing that the empire survived this long after so many big defeats.

[@JackBlack-py4en]

So Leo walked away from that battle in order to take the throne. Ruthless.

[@hassankhansoomro5116]

I'm a huge fan of this channel u have done such a hard work and u share interesting information brother and i request u to please tell us about sindh one of the oldest civilizations in the world lots of #luv thankx

[@meghan-d1108]

I like this, thank you K&G!

[@isellcrack3537]

Krum was one of the most bad-ass rulers Bulgaria ever had. The most significant deed he ever did (besides making a wine cup out of Nikifor`s skull) is that he wrote down official laws for the first time in Bulgaria. Despite the fact that byzantines were our greatest enemy at that time I can`t help it but have respect for John. He was repaid for his bravery by being abandoned.

[@deskouk1773]

Let's hope we get some Nicephorus Phocas and Ioannes Tzimiskes soon. Especially Tzimiskes against the Rus Nicephorus and Leo Phocas against Sayf al-Dawla would be a good video, along with the battle of Andrassos.

[@spy967]

Thank you for another very informative video. I liked the use of the Greek word stratigos, but in my opinion, stratigos Ioannis, instead of John, Aplakes would had been more accurate, but then again, it's just a point of view. Keep up the good work.

[@todrkdck9805]

Sincere gratitude for that my prayer has been met! Also the incompetence of Michael 1 is almost unbelievable...

[@heckinmemes6430]

"My Khan, we have driven the Romans from the field, it is a complete victory!" Krum: *Surprised pikachu face* "What in Tengri's name is a pickachu?"

[@rohansensei5708]

@@AlexanderVRadev Nah they were not, not until Boris I

[@waqarsaleem7163]

Seems like emperor was scared (for what Krum did to his predecessor) in the battle of Pliska.

[@aleksk4151]

yes

[@markuhler2664]

This video reminded me of something I wanted to ask. K&G, will you ever do a 'most incompetent leader' video?