How Krum Turned the Sack of His Capital Into Victory

The Challenge

In 811 the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I invaded Bulgaria with a large army, determined to destroy Krum's growing power. Krum's offers of peace were refused. The Byzantines took and burned the Bulgarian capital, Pliska, and plundered the treasury.

The Approach

• Withdrew rather than meet the full Byzantine army in open battle
• Blocked the mountain passes on the Byzantine line of retreat with wooden barriers and troops
• Attacked the trapped army, most probably in the Vărbitsa pass, on 26 July 811, while the emperor's camp believed the campaign was won

The Impact

The Byzantine army was destroyed and Nikephoros I was killed, the first Byzantine emperor to die in battle in more than four centuries. Krum had his skull made into a drinking cup.

Bulgaria went on the offensive, defeating another Byzantine army at Versinikia in 813 and reaching the walls of Constantinople.

The Lesson for Leaders

The moment an opponent believes the contest is won can be the moment to strike. Krum absorbed the loss of his capital, chose the ground where his opponent's size became a weakness, and turned a crisis into the defining victory of his reign.