Battle of Boulgarophygon The Battle of Boulgarophygon or Battle of Bulgarophygon ( " or " Битка при Българофигон ) was fought in the summer of 896 near the town of Bulgarophygon , modern Babaeski in Turkey , between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire . The result was an annihilation of the Byzantine army which determined the Bulgarian victory in the trade war of 894 – 896 . Despite the initial difficulties in the war against the Magyars , who acted as Byzantine allies , the battle of Boulgarophygon proved to be the first decisive victory of the young and ambitious Bulgarian ruler Simeon I against the Byzantine Empire . Simeon would go on to inflict a number of defeats on the Byzantines in pursuit of his ultimate goal , the throne in Constantinople . The peace treaty that was signed as a result of the battle confirmed the Bulgarian domination in the Balkans . Background . During the rule of Boris I ( r . 852 – 889 ) , Bulgaria underwent major changes – the Christianization of the country and the admission of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius , which marked the beginning of the creation and consolidation of the medieval Bulgarian literature and alphabet . Despite a number of military setbacks against most neighbouring countries , Boris I managed to preserve Bulgarian territorial integrity . During the Council of Preslav in 893 , assembled after the unsuccessful attempt of Boris I ' s eldest son Vladimir - Rasate to restore the traditional Bulgar religion of Tengriism , it was decided that Old Bulgarian was to replace Greek as a language of the church and the Byzantine clergy was to be banished and replaced with Bulgarians . The Council sealed Boris I ' s ambitions for cultural and religious independence and calmed down the concerns among the nobility , who feared any strong Byzantine influence in the internal affairs of Bulgaria . It was also decided that his third son Simeon , born after the Christianization and called " child of peace " , was to become the next Prince of Bulgaria . These events ruined the Byzantine hopes to exert influence over the newly Christianized country , and emperor Leo VI ( r . 886 – 912 ) soon had a chance to retaliate . Some members of the Byzantine court had an interest in moving the market of the Bulgarian goods from Constantinople to Thessaloniki , which meant that the Bulgarian merchants would have to pay higher taxes . That move affected not only private interests but also the international commercial importance of Bulgaria , regulated with the Treaty of 716 . The ousting of the merchants from Constantinople , which was a major destination of trade routes from all over Europe and Asia , was a heavy blow for Bulgarian economic interests . The merchants complained to Simeon I , who in turn raised the issue with Leo VI , but the appeal was left unanswered . Simeon , who was seeking a pretext to declare war and begin implementing his plans , launched an invasion of Byzantine Thrace , resulting in what has sometimes been called the first commercial war in Europe . Magyar intervention . The Byzantines hastily assembled a large army under the generals Prokopios Krenites and Kourtikios , which included the Imperial Guard that consisted of Khazar mercenaries . In the ensuing battle in the Theme of Macedonia ( modern Eastern Thrace ) , probably around Adrianople , the Byzantines were defeated and their commanders perished . Most of the Khazars were captured and Simeon had their noses cut and " sent them in the capital for shame of the Romans [ i . e the Byzantines ] " . Since the main Byzantine forces were engaged in the east against the Arabs , Leo VI turned to the well - tried methods of Byzantine diplomacy and sent envoys with rich gifts to the Magyars , who in that time inhabited the steppes to the north - east of Bulgaria . When Simeon I refused to conclude peace and imprisoned the Byzantine envoy Konstantinakios , at the end of 894 the Byzantine navy was used to ferry the Magyars across the Danube , despite the fact that the Bulgarians had barred the river with chains and ropes . Simeon I , who was at the Byzantine - Bulgarian border facing the general Nikephoros Phokas , had to march northwards to confront them . His army was defeated by the Magyars somewhere in Dobruja and Simeon himself had to flee to the strong fortress Drastar . The Magyars looted and pillaged unopposed , reaching the outskirts of the capital Preslav , and after they sold the captives to the Byzantines they retreated to the north of the Danube . Then Simeon pretended that he wanted to negotiate and put forward the issue of prisoner exchange . The Byzantines sent Leo Choirosphaktes in Preslav to negotiate the terms . As Simeon needed time to address the Magyar threat , he deliberately prolonged the negotiations and Choirosphaktes was repeatedly refused an audience . In the meantime Simeon allied with the Pechenegs , while the people even appealed to his father Boris I , who had become a monk , to assume the command of the army . In the decisive battle the Magyars suffered a devastating defeat , but the victorious Bulgarians were themselves said to have lost 20 , 000 riders . That was the only victory in the battlefield Boris I ever achieved . As a result of this defeat , the Magyars had to move westwards and settle in Pannonia , where they later established the Kingdom of Hungary . The battle . When Simeon I returned to Preslav " proud of the victory " he broke the negotiations with Choirosphaktes and once again invaded Byzantine Thrace , further encouraged by the death of the capable general Nikephoros Phokas . The Byzantines transferred " all themes and " tagmata " " , i . e . all forces that were fighting the Arabs , to Europe . The army was commanded by the Domestic of the Schools Leo Katakalon , who lacked the ability of Phokas . The two armies clashed at Boulgarophygon in the summer of 896 and the Byzantines were thoroughly routed . A Byzantine historian wrote : Among the casualties was the " protovestiarios " Theodosius , the second - in - command of the army , while Leo Katakalon managed to escape with a few other survivors . The Byzantine defeat was so grave that one their soldiers retired from society and became an ascetic under the name of Luke the Stylite . Gaining the upper hand , Simeon I led the Bulgarian troops to Constantinople , burning villages " en route " . According to the Muslim historian al - Tabari , Leo VI was desperate after the consecutive refusals of peace , and was forced to gather an army of Arab prisoners of war and send them against the Bulgarians with the promise of freedom . The Bulgarians were stopped just outside Constantinople and Simeon I agreed to negotiate . Aftermath . The war ended with a peace treaty which formally lasted until around Leo VI ' s death in 912 , and under which Byzantium was obliged to pay Bulgaria an annual tribute in exchange for the return of allegedly 120 , 000 captured Byzantine soldiers and civilians . Under the treaty , the Byzantines also ceded an area between the Black Sea and Strandzha to the Bulgarian Empire , while the Bulgarians also promised not to invade Byzantine territory . Simeon I was content with results and considered that he had superiority over the Byzantine Empire . Despite the success , he realized that there was still a lot to do before prevailing over the Empire for good . He needed his own political and ideological base , and he consequently launched an ambitious construction program in Preslav so that it could rival Constantinople . In the meanwhile , Simeon I had also imposed his authority over Serbia in return for recognizing Petar Gojniković as its ruler . That was an important move towards reducing Byzantine influence over the Western Balkans . Simeon also learned the lesson of how vulnerable Bulgaria was to the northern tribes neighbouring his realm , when they were influenced by Byzantine diplomacy . That experience paid off in 917 , when Simeon managed to counter the Byzantine efforts to ally with the Serbs or the Pechenegs , and forced them to fight alone in the battle of Achelous , where the Byzantines were soundly defeated in one of the biggest disasters in Byzantine history .