3 – Khan Krum (? – 814)
Also known as Khan Krum the Horrible, this one-time Bulgar Chieftain became the Khan of Bulgaria at some time between 796 and 803. He was an energetic leader and a truly outstanding commander on the battlefield. During his relatively brief reign as military leader, Bulgaria’s territory doubled in size. Little is known about Krum’s early life except that he was from Pannonia and was possibly descended from an old Bulgar royal house. There is also little information regarding his rise to power, but once he had command, Krum was determined to make the most of it.
Within a couple of years, Krum destroyed the Avars and ensured the Bulgars ruled in the region of Ongal. He was the leader of an army featuring different backgrounds including Slavs, Thracians and Hellenized Macedonians along with Bulgars. Krum was known for riding at the front and slaying enemies in single combat. He enjoyed a victory against the Byzantines at the Struma River in 807, and two years later, Krum forced the surrender of Serdica. He wrote his name in infamy by first promising the safety of the 6,000 men inside before slaughtering them and burning the city to the ground.
Krum’s actions at Serdica provoked Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I into action. He plundered Marcallae in early 811 and took over the Bulgar capital of Pliska on July 20. The emperor looted what he could and ignored diplomatic overtures from Krum. Nikephoros matched Krum’s cruelty by murdering children and generally pillaged and plundered Pliska. When the emperor began his return to Constantinople, his army was trapped by a sudden ambush at the Varbica Pass. Krum’s men wiped out the Byzantine army and Nikephoros were killed. Krum supposedly lined the emperor’s skull with silver and used it as a cup. Apparently, Krum forced all Byzantine diplomats to drink from the skull.
After Nikephoros’ son had died from wounds suffered in the ambush, Michael I Rangabe became the new leader. He was one of the few survivors of Varbica pass and sued for peace almost as soon as he became emperor. Krum agreed on the proviso that the Byzantines handed over Bulgar defectors. Michael refused, so Krum led his men on an invasion of Byzantine lands. He captured Mesembria in 812 and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Versinika in 813. Michael was so embarrassed by the nature of the defeat that he abdicated the throne.
Leo V the Armenian became the new Byzantine emperor, and he arranged a meeting with Krum, but the Bulgar leader was ambushed and wounded by arrows. The irate Krum ravaged the area around Constantinople and took Adrianople. Although winter was coming, he found time to capture Arkadioupolis and take 50,000 captives. During the cold weather, Krum planned an attack on Constantinople, but on April 13, 814, he died from a cerebral hemorrhage and was succeeded by Omurtag, his son.
The Bulgar Empire lasted another 200 years. While Khan Krum is known for his conquests, he also instituted his Empire’s first written law code. Thieves and drunks were punished, and slander was a serious offense. He brought Slavs and Bulgars into a centralized state and was considered a strict but fair ruler by his subjects.