Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Kleidion

Battle of Kleidion was a battle fought on 29 July 1014 at Belasica, in what is now Bulgaria. It was part of the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria. The recorded result: Byzantine victory. Recorded strength: Unknown against Unknown.

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Battle of Kleidion
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought29 July 1014
WhereBelasica, Bulgaria41.367N, 23.017E
OutcomeByzantine victory
BelligerentsByzantine EmpireagainstBulgarian Empire
Casualties and lossesUnknownandDevastating entire forces, 15,000 captured
Part ofByzantine conquest of Bulgaria

Where it sits in the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria

Battle of the Gates of Trajan, AD 986Battle of Thessalonica, 1000Battle of Skopje, 1004Battle of Kleidion, 1014AD 9861014Battle of Kleidion, 1014
4 placed engagements of the Byzantine conquest of Bulgaria in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date29 July 1014
PlaceBelasica, Bulgaria
41.367N, 23.017E
KindBattle, medieval
StrengthUnknownUnknown
Casualties and lossesUnknownDevastating entire forces, 15,000 captured
Commanders
  • Basil II
  • Nikephoros Xiphias
  • Constantine Diogenes
  • Theophylaktos Botaneiates
  • Samuel of Bulgaria
  • Gavril Radomir of Bulgaria
Battle of KleidionBattle of KleidionBattle of DoiranBattle of DoiranBattle of DojranBattle of StrumicaBattle of KosturinoBattle of DoiranBattle of DoiranBattle of DojranBattle of StrumicaBattle of KosturinoThessalonikiSkopjeBitolaSeresKateriniKyustendilXanthiPlovdiv100 km41.367N, 23.017E
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 Kleidion
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 100 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Kleidion today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 424 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 1,895 m, 1,895 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 78% tree cover, 15% grassland, 3% cropland.

tree cover: 78%grassland: 15%cropland: 3%tree cover 78%grassland 15%cropland 3%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 468 mnorth to south, 10.0 km179 to 1,800 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 1014

Battle of Kleidion is one of 334 engagements of the 11th century in the atlas and one of 126 in present-day Bulgaria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q584047, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Kleidion, revision 1371024815, 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.