Atlas of Battles

siege, medieval

Fall of Great Preslav

Fall of Great Preslav was a siege conducted in AD 971 in what is now Bulgaria. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at its recorded location. It was part of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars, which ran from AD 680 to 1355. The recorded result: Byzantine victory.

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FoughtAD 971
WhereBulgaria43.161N, 26.812E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeByzantine victory
BelligerentsByzantine EmpireagainstTsardom of Bulgaria; Kievan Rus
Casualties and lossesUnknownand8,500 killed in the Battle; Most of the Garrison
Part ofByzantine–Bulgarian WarsAD 680 to 1355

Where it sits in the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars

Battle of Ongal, AD 680Battle of Anchialus, AD 708Battle of Marcellae, AD 756Battle of the Rishki Pass, AD 759Battle of Anchialus, AD 763Battle of Berzitia, AD 774Battle of Marcellae, AD 792Siege of Serdica (809), AD 809Battle of Pliska, AD 811Siege of Adrianople (813), AD 813Battle of Versinikia, AD 813Battle of Mesembria, AD 814Battle of Adrianople, AD 914Fall of Great Preslav, AD 971Battle of Spercheios, AD 997Battle of Thessalonica, 1004Battle of Kreta, 1009Battle of Thessalonica, 1014Battle of Strumica, 1014Battle of Bitola, 1015Battle of Setina, 1017Battle of Dyrrhachium, 1018Battle of Thessalonica, 1040Battle of Thessalonica, 1040Siege of Lovech, 1187Battle of Arcadiopolis, 1194Battle of Serres, 1196Siege of Varna (1201), 1201Battle of Adrianople, 1205Battle of Klokotnitsa, 1230Siege of Constantinople, 1235Battle of Adrianople, 1254Battle of Rhoupelion, 1255Battle of Bizye, 1256Battle of Devina, 1279Battle of Skafida, 1304Battle of Adrianople, 1331Battle of Rusokastro, 1332Battle of Adrianople, 1341AD 6801341Fall of Great Preslav, AD 971
39 placed engagements of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateAD 971 (year precision)
to AD 971
PlaceBulgaria
43.161N, 26.812E
KindSiege, medieval
StrengthBattle of Great Preslav: 9,000; Siege of Great preslav: 30,000Battle of Great Preslav: More than the Byzantines; Siege of Great preslav: Large Garrison
Casualties and lossesUnknown8,500 killed in the Battle; Most of the Garrison
Commanders
  • John I Tzimiskes
  • Bardas Skleros
  • Proedros
  • Boris II of Bulgaria
  • Sveneld
Fall of Great PreslavFall of Great PreslavSiege of ChoumenBattle of KulevichaBattle of the Rishki PassBattle of PliskaBattle of DevinaSiege of ChoumenBattle of the Rishki PassBattle of PliskaConstanțaBurgasRuseStara ZagoraPlevenDobrichCălărașiTurnovo100 km43.161N, 26.812E
Placed at its recorded location; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in AD 971

Fall of Great Preslav is one of 167 engagements of the 10th century in the atlas and one of 118 in present-day Bulgaria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q141274458, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Fall of Great Preslav (971), revision 1385687286, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.