Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Klokotnitsa

Battle of Klokotnitsa was a battle fought on 9 March 1230 at Klokotnitsa, in what is now Bulgaria. It was part of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars, which ran from AD 680 to 1355. The recorded result: Bulgarian victory.

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Battle of Klokotnitsa (9 March 1230)
Battle of Klokotnitsa (9 March 1230). Kandi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 March 1230
WhereKlokotnitsa, Bulgaria41.983N, 25.500E
OutcomeBulgarian victory
BelligerentsBulgarian EmpireagainstEmpire of Thessalonica
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 6801341Battle of Klokotnitsa, 1230
39 placed engagements of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 March 1230
PlaceKlokotnitsa, Bulgaria
41.983N, 25.500E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength20,000 on the river bank and 1,000 Cumans in the forests; Total: 21,000 men20,000 Byzantine soldiers; 2,000–4,000 German knights
Casualties and lossesLightModerate; Many captured and killed, but most men were allowed to return to their homelands unharmed.
Commanders
  • Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria
  • Theodore Komnenos Doukas
Battle of KlokotnitsaBattle of KlokotnitsaBattle of MardiaBattle of KardzhaliBattle of BeroiaBattle of BoruyBattle of PhilippopolisBattle of MardiaBattle of KardzhaliBattle of BeroiaBattle of BoruyBattle of PhilippopolisSofiaBurgasTekirdağSeresTurnovoXanthiSlivenLüleburgaz100 km41.983N, 25.500E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Klokotnitsa
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Klokotnitsa today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-16. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 148 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 284 m, 284 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 43% tree cover, 41% cropland, 12% grassland.

tree cover: 43%cropland: 41%grassland: 12%built-up: 2%tree cover 43%cropland 41%grassland 12%built-up 2%
west to east, 10.0 km134 to 242 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 275 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1230

Battle of Klokotnitsa is one of 590 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 118 in present-day Bulgaria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1459494, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Klokotnitsa, revision 1370445622, 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.