Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Arcadiopolis

Battle of Arcadiopolis was a battle fought in February AD 970 at Lüleburgaz, in what is now Turkey. It was part of Hungarian invasions of Europe, which ran from AD 820 to AD 970. The recorded result: Byzantine victory. Recorded strength: 10,000–12,000 against 10,000–30,000.

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Battle of Arcadiopolis
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtFebruary AD 970
WhereLüleburgaz, Turkey41.400N, 27.350E
OutcomeByzantine victory
BelligerentsByzantine EmpireagainstKievan Rus'; Bulgarians; Magyars; Pechenegs
Casualties and losses20–55 or heavyandHeavy
Part ofHungarian invasions of EuropeAD 820 to AD 970

Where it sits in Hungarian invasions of Europe

Siege of Kyiv, AD 898Siege of Venice, AD 899Battle of Brenta, AD 899Battle of Eisenach, AD 908Battle of Lechfeld, AD 910Battle of Rednitz, AD 910Assedio di Pavia, AD 924Battle of Riade, AD 933Battle of W.l.n.d.r, AD 934Battle of Fraxinet, AD 942Siege of Lérida, AD 942Hungarian raid in Spain, AD 942Battle of Wels, AD 943Battle of Lechfeld, AD 955Hungarian invasions of Thrace, AD 959Battle of Arcadiopolis, AD 970AD 898AD 970Battle of Arcadiopolis, AD 970
16 placed engagements of Hungarian invasions of Europe in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateFebruary AD 970 (month precision)
PlaceLüleburgaz, Turkey
41.400N, 27.350E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength10,000–12,00010,000–30,000
Casualties and losses20–55 or heavyHeavy
Commanders
  • Bardas Skleros
  • Peter (stratopedarches)
Battle of ArcadiopolisBattle of ArcadiopolisBattle of Lule BurgasBattle of ArcadiopolisBattle of BoulgarophygonBattle of Kirk KilisseBattle of TzirallumBattle of ArcadiopolisBattle of Kirk KilisseBattle of TzirallumBursaBurgasStara ZagoraEdirneTekirdağKhaskovoAlexandroupoliIstanbul100 km41.400N, 27.350E
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 Arcadiopolis
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Arcadiopolis today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-06-25. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 62 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 39 to 136 m, 97 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 52% cropland, 29% built-up, 13% grassland.

cropland: 52%built-up: 29%grassland: 13%tree cover: 5%cropland 52%built-up 29%grassland 13%tree cover 5%
west to east, 10.0 km52 to 110 mnorth to south, 10.0 km44 to 78 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 AD 970

Battle of Arcadiopolis is one of 186 engagements of the 10th century in the atlas and one of 687 in present-day Turkey.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q777332, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Arcadiopolis (970), revision 1370432363, 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.