page_title: Battle of Ongal
section_title: The battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Ongal / The battle
caption_attribution_description: Български: Битка при Онгъла-план English: Battle of Ongal-plan Основана на карта "Походът на император Константин Погонат срещу прабългарите през 680 г. и битката при Онгъла", стр. 7 във "Великите битки и борбите на българите през средновековието", издателство "Световна библиотека" ЕООД, София, 2006 г.
context_page_description: The Battle of Ongal took place in the summer of 680 in the Ongal area, an unspecified location in and around the Danube delta near the Peuce Island, present-day Tulcea County, Romania. It was fought between the Bulgars, who had recently invaded the Balkans, and the Eastern Roman Empire, which ultimately lost the battle. The battle was crucial for the creation of the First Bulgarian Empire.
context_section_description: According to the Chronicles of Nikephoros I of Constantinople:
  The infantry moved in battle lines towards the so called Onglos at the Danube and the fleet was ordered to anchor nearby. The Bulgars, seeing the dense and numerous lines, became desperate, fled in the aforementioned fortification and prepared themselves for defence. In the next 3-4 days nobody of them dared to show up and the Romans did not seek a battle because of the swamps. The filthy people, seeing the Roman weakness, recovered themselves and became bolder. The emperor suffered from a fit of gout and had to return to Messembria to take baths, leaving his generals to start the fighting and to engage them in a battle if they leave their fortifications. Otherwise, to put them under siege and to check their advances. The cavalry, however, spread the rumour that the emperor was deserting them, and fled on their own, without being chased by anybody. The Bulgars, seeing this, attacked and chased them and killed most of them by swords, and many were wounded. And after chasing them up to the Danube, they crossed it.
  The Bulgars had built wooden ramparts in the swampy area near the Peuce Island. The marshes forced the Byzantines to attack from a weakened position and in smaller groups, which reduced the strength of their attack. With continuing attacks from the ramparts, the Bulgar defense eventually forced the Byzantines into a rout, followed up by the Bulgar cavalry. Many of the Byzantine soldiers perished. According to popular belief, the emperor had leg pain and went to Nesebar to seek treatment. The troops thought that he fled the battlefield and in turn began fleeing. When the Bulgars realised what was happening, they attacked and defeated their discouraged enemy.
caption: Plan of the battle
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