Siege of Zadar (998)

Part of the third Croatian-Bulgarian war

This article is about the siege of Zadar (Croatia) in 998. For other uses, see Siege of Zadar (disambiguation).

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Siege of Zadar (998)

Part of the Croatian-Bulgarian wars

Image of Zadar in the Middle Ages
| Date| 998

|

Location|

Zadar, Theme of Dalmatia,
ceded from Byzantine Empire
to Kingdom of Croatia

Result|  Croatian victory, Bulgarian withdrawal
Belligerents
Bulgarian Empire|  Kingdom of Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Samuil|  King Svetoslav Suronja
Strength
Unknown|  Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown|  Unknown
Depiction of one of the battles involving Samuil's army

The siege of Zadar in 998 was part of the third Croatian–Bulgarian war and one of the last military conflicts between Croatian forces of King Svetoslav Suronja (r. 997–1000), supported by Venice and the Byzantine Empire, and the army of Emperor Samuil (r. 997–1014), who launched a large-scale Bulgarian military campaign against the Kingdom of Croatia.

Samuil's army besieged the fortified city of Zadar in order to aid the king's rebel brothers Krešimir and Gojslav, who asked Samuil to come and help them to remove Svetoslav Suronja from the Croatian throne. The siege was unsuccessful and Samuil's forces withdrew in the direction of the Croatian hinterland and Bosnia, finally tracing their way back home.

## Background

[edit]

In the last three decades of the 10th century, the Kingdom of Croatia was ruled by Stjepan Držislav, an ally of the Byzantine Empire, which in turn recognized him as the King of Croatia and Dalmatia. After his death in 997, his son and successor Svetoslav Suronja continued the pro-Byzantine policy of his father, but his younger brothers Krešimir and Gojslav started to organize a rebellion against him, since he rejected to share power over the Kingdom. The brothers asked Samuil, the new ruler of the Bulgarian Empire, also called the Western Bulgarian–Macedonian Empire, for help, knowing that he was at war with the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantines had conquered the north-eastern regions of the Bulgarian Empire in 971, including the capital Preslav, and in the beginning of his rule Samuil controlled only the western half of the country centred in the important province of Kutmichevitsa (approximately present-day Republic of Macedonia and southern Albania). At first he controlled only the Slavic Macedonians' lands at the southwestern part of the former large Bulgarian Empire, but later conquered a lot of Balkans.

By 997, however, he had liberated north-eastern Bulgaria and pushed the Empire's borders south to include Thessaly. At the height of his power, Samuil accepted the proposal of Croatian rebel princes. He attacked Croatia in 998, starting the Third Croatian–Bulgarian war. In his military campaign, he took almost all of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia up to the Zadar area, including cities like Trogir and Split. King Svetoslav Suronja was forced to withdraw westwards, in the direction of Zadar.

## Siege

[edit]

Having taken the most of Dalmatia, Tsar Samuil turned his army further to the west and besieged the city of Zadar. It is not known whether King Svetoslav Suronja resided in the city during the siege and led the defence forces himself, but the large and thick stone city walls, as well as its defenders, resisted the attack and the siege failed. Having had no success, Samuil's army withdrew from the siege and then marched towards the Croatian hinterlands, including the territory which is now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later, the Bulgarian army returned home using the Bosnian route. Thus, the third and last of three Croatian-Bulgarian wars came to its end.

## Aftermath

[edit]

The Croatian territory conquered by Samuil's forces during the campaign was taken over by Krešimir and Gojslav, who finally won the Croatian civil war and came to power in the Kingdom in 1000. Svetoslav Suronja, the Byzantine and Venetian ally, was forced into exile. When the Byzantines eventually conquered the Bulgarian Empire in 1018 after 50 years of bitter warfare, Krešimir and Gojslav became Byzantine vassals.

## See also

[edit]

* Croatian–Bulgarian battle of 927
* Medieval Bulgarian army
* Timeline of Croatian history
* Military history of Bulgaria
* Military history of Croatia
* List of Bulgarian monarchs
* List of Croatian rulers

## External links

[edit]

* Samuil's army marched into Dalmatia and reached Zadar
* According to the Priest of Dioclea Samuil marched up the Dalmatian coast as far north as Zadar
* 998 Samuil's campaign through Croatia up to Zadar was aid to rebellion of Croatian princes Gojslav and Krešimir (Croatian)
* Samuil attacked Croatian coast up to Zadar, but returned through Bosnia to Ohrid (Croatian)
* Thick city walls of Zadar resisted the attack of Samuil's Bulgarian-Macedonian army (Croatian)

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Wars and battles involving Croatia

Medieval wars
and battles|

| 8th/9th-century battles|

* Siege of Trsat
* Rebellion of Ljudevit
* Battle of Kupa
* Battle of Makarska (887)

|

Croatian–Hungarian wars|

* Battle of Drava River (925)
* Battle of Gvozd Mountain

Croatian–Bulgarian wars|

* Croatian–Bulgarian battle of 854
* Croatian–Bulgarian battle of 927
* Siege of Zadar (998)

Croatian-Venetian wars|

* Battle of Omiš (948)
* Battle of Lastovo (1000)
* Siege of Zadar (1345–1346)

High and Late Middle Ages
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* Siege of Zadar
* Fourth Crusade
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* Battle of Una
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Croatian–Ottoman wars|

| Hundred Years'
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(1493–1593)|

* Battle of Krbava Field
* Battle of Dubica
* Siege of Knin
* Battle of Mohács
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* Balkan campaign of 1529
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Long War
(1593–1606)|

* Battle of Brest (1596)
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Austro-Turkish War
(1663–1664)|

* First Battle of Novi Zrin
* Battle of Otočac (1663)
* Second Battle of Novi Zrin
* Siege of Novi Zrin (1664)
* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664)

Great Turkish War
(1683–1699)|

* Siege of Virovitica (1684)
* Osijek Incursion (1685)
* Battle of Mohács (1687)
* Siege of Udbina Castle (1689)
* Siege of Bihać (1697)
* Battle of Slankamen
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18th-century
Ottoman wars|

* Battle of Saint Gotthard (1705)
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* Battle of Petrovaradin
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* Relief of Drežnik (1788)
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Seven Years' War|

* Battle of Lobositz
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* Battle of Landeshut (1760)
* Battle of Liegnitz (1760)

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* Battle of Castiglione
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* Battle of Ostrach
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* Battle of Marengo
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* Battle of Austerlitz
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* Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit
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* Battle of Leipzig

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Hungarian Revolution
of 1848–49|

* Battle of Pákozd
* Vienna Uprising
* Battle of Schwechat
* Battle of Mór
* Battle of Kápolna
* Battles of Komárom
* First battle)
* Second battle
* Third battle
* Battle of Temesvár

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of Independence|

* Battle of Custoza
* Battle of Vis

Austro-Hungarian –
Bosnia-Herzegovinian War|

* Battle of Jajce (1878)
* Battle of Vitez (1878)
* Battle of Sarajevo (1878)
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| World War I|

* Adriatic Campaign
* Battle of Galicia
* Battle of Soča
* Battle of Caporetto
* Bombardment of Ancona
* Second Battle of the Piave River
* Battle of Vittorio Veneto

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World War II|

* Invasion of Yugoslavia
* Battle of Kozara
* Battle of Livno
* Battle of Stalingrad
* Battle of Neretva
* Operation Otto
* Battle of the Sutjeska
* Raid on Drvar
* Syrmian Front
* Battle of Knin
* Battle of Mostar
* Battle of Lijevče Field
* Battle of Sarajevo (1945)

Croatian War of Independence
(1991–1995)|

* Pakrac clash
* Plitvice Lakes incident
* Borovo Selo killings
* Operation Stinger
* 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia
* Dalj massacre
* Battle of Osijek
* Battle of Vukovar
* Vukovar massacre
* Battle of Gospić
* Battle of Šibenik
* Battle of Zadar
* Battle of Kusonje
* Battle of the Barracks
* Siege of Varaždin Barracks
* Siege of Bjelovar Barracks
* Battle of the Dalmatian Channels
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* Operation Tiger
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War in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(1992–1995)|

* Battle of Kupres (1992)
* Siege of Sarajevo
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* Operation Vrbas '92
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* Battle of Žepče
* Siege of Mostar
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conflicts|

| War in Afghanistan
(2001–2021)|

* International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) (2003–2014)
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|

Golan Heights ceasefire
after Yom Kippur War|

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