List of wars involving Bulgaria

This article lists the wars, campaigns and battles fought by Bulgaria since its creation in 681. This article lists the wars, campaigns and battles fought by Bulgaria since its creation in 681.

First Bulgarian Empire (622–1185)

Conflict	Years	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Old Great Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian-Turkic War	(622-632)	Bulgarian Empire	West Turkic Khaganate	Victory Formation of Old Great Bulgaria by Khan Kubrat
First Bulgarian-Khazar War	(662-670)	Bulgarian Empire	Khazar Khaganate	Draw The Khazars are Halted, Destruction of Old Great Bulgaria. Formation of Danube Bulgaria, and Volga Bulgaria to the North
First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(680-792)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Formation and Expansion of the First Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian-Khazar War	(662-670)	Bulgarian Empire	Khazar Khaganate	Victory Death of the Great Khan Asparukh Destruction and Conquest of Southern Khazaria
Bulgarian-Arabian War	(717-718)	Bulgarian Empire	Umayyad Caliphate	Victory The Bulgarian Army Annihilates the Arabic Army Emperor Tervel is Crowned "Savior of Europe"
Bulgarian-Avar War	(799-800)	Bulgarian Empire	Avar Khaganate	Victory King Krum Destroys the Entire Avar Khaganate
Second Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(809-822)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Emperor Tervel takes Constantinople and Puts Justinian in Power King Krum Obliterates the Byzantine Armies and Conquers Byzantine Land
Third Bulgarian-Khazar War	(824-825)	Bulgarian Empire	Khazar Khaganate	Victory Emperor Omurtag Banishes the Khazars to the North. Bulgaria Reconquers Land to the North From the Khazars
Bulgarian-Frankish War	(827-829)	Bulgarian Empire	Frankish Empire	Victory Emperor Omurtag Defeats the Franks, and Pushes them West
First Bulgarian-Serbian War	(839-842)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Principality	Draw Serbia is Recognized by The Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian-Serbian War	(853-855)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Principality	Draw Bulgaria and Serbia Form a Slavic Alliance
First Bulgarian-Croatian War	(854-855)	Bulgarian Empire	Croatian Kingdom	Draw Croatia Quickly Sues for Peace Before King Simeon The Great Takes the South
First Bulgarian-Hungarian War	(862-896)	Bulgarian Empire	Hungarian Empire	Victory King Simeon The Great's Invincible Army Slaughter the Magyar Hungarians Bulgaria Force the Migrating Hungarians to Settle in the Pannonian Plain
Third Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(894-896)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Invincible Simeon the Great Conquers a Majority of the Byzantine Empire The Bulgarian Empire Nearly Drive Them Out of Europe
Fourth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(913-927)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire Serbian Principality	Victory Serbia is Conquered For the First Time by Invincible King Simeon The Bulgarian Empire Nearly Conquers Constantinople
Third Bulgarian-Serbian War	(917-924)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Principality Byzantine Empire	Victory Serbia is Conquered by King Simeon and Bulgaria for the Second Time
Second Bulgarian-Croatian War	(925-931)	Bulgarian Empire	Croatian Kingdom	Draw The Bulgarian Army Takes Croatian Land to the East
Second Bulgarian-Hungarian War	(932-980)	Bulgarian Empire	Hungarian Empire	Draw The Bulgarian Empire Drive Out the Hungarians to the North
First Bulgarian-Pecheneg War	(967-971)	Bulgarian Empire	Pecheneg Khanate	Victory Pechenegs Suffer a Heavy Defeat and Banished to the North
Bulgarian-Kievan Rus War	(967-997)	Bulgarian Empire	Kievan Rus Empire	Draw Kievan Rus Conquers Areas of Northern Bulgaria The Rus are Heavily Defeated By Bulgarian and Byzantine Forces
Fifth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(968-1018)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire Hungarian Kingdom	Defeat Dissolution of the First Bulgarian Empire Kingdom of Duklja Becomes Last Remaining Region Left Unconquered
Third Bulgarian-Croatian War	(997-1000)	Bulgarian Empire	Croatian Kingdom	Victory Croatian Civil War is Ended, Bulgarian Empire Conquers Southern Croatia
Sixth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(1040-1071)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Draw Final War Between the First Bulgarian Empire and The Byzantine Empire
First Bulgarian-Seljuk War	(1054-1071)	Bulgarian Empire	Seljuk Empire	Victory The Seljuk Turks are Pushed Back to Eastern Asia Minor
Second Bulgarian-Pecheneg War	(1090-1091)	Bulgarian Empire	Pecheneg Khanate	Victory Pechenegs are Banished from The Northern Balkans
Bulgarian-Cuman War	(1140-1145)	Bulgarian Empire	Cumanian Empire	Victory Bulgarians Defeat the Cumans, Make an Alliance Against Byzantium
Second Bulgarian-Seljuk War	(1112-1113)	Bulgarian Empire	Seljuk Empire	Victory The Seljuk Turks Are Halted The Seljuk Sultanate Continues its War With The Byzantines

Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1422)

Conflict	Years	Combatant 1	Combatant 2	Result
Second Bulgarian Empire
Seventh Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(1185-1201)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Reestablishment of the Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire Resurfaces as Strongest Power In Eastern Europe
Third Bulgarian-Hungarian War	(1202-1203)	Bulgarian Empire	Hungarian Empire	Victory King Kaloyan demolishes the Hungarian Army Bulgarian Empire Conquers Southern Portion of Hungarian Empire
Fourth Bulgarian-Serbian War	(1202-1203)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Principality	Victory The Bulgarian Empire Under King Kaloyan Pushes Serbia to The West
First Bulgarian–Latin War	(1204-1208)	Bulgarian Empire	Latin Empire	Victory Weakening of the Latin Empire and Enlargement of the Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian-Seljuk War	(1210-1211)	Bulgarian Empire	Seljuk Empire	Victory The Seljuk Turks are Halted For a Second Time By The Mighty Bulgarian Empire The Mongol Empire Eventually Conquer the Entire Seljuk Sultanate
First Bulgarian-Mongol War	(1222-1223)	Bulgarian Empire	Mongol Empire	Victory King Ivan Asen II's Powerful Bulgarian Army Crush the Mongols Genghis Khan Suffers His First and Only Defeat Ever
Bulgarian-Thessalonican War	(1230-1232)	Bulgarian Empire	Thessalonican Empire	Victory Empire of Thessalonico is Conquered by Bulgaria
First Bulgarian-Nicean War	(1234-1235)	Bulgarian Empire	Nicean Empire	Victory Nicean Empire is Defeated Northern Region Becomes Vassal to Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian–Latin War	(1234-1235)	Bulgarian Empire	Latin Empire	Victory King Kaloyan the Crusader Slayer Annihilates the 4th Crusade Locks King Baldwin I in a Tower in Tsarevets Castle
Second Bulgarian-Mongol War	(1222-1223)	Bulgarian Empire	Golden Horde Empire	Victory The Bulgarian Army Pushes Back Nogai Khan and His Powerful Army
First Bulgarian-Crimean War	(1241-1244)	Bulgarian Empire	Crimean Khanate	Victory Crimean Tatars are Swept by the Powerful Bulgarian Army The Crimean Army Retreats Back to Crimea
Second Bulgarian-Nicean War	(1254-1257)	Bulgarian Empire	Nicean Empire	Victory The North of the Nicean Empire is Demolished and Conquered by the Bulgarian Empire
Bulgarian-Venetian War	(1257-1260)	Bulgarian Empire	Venice Kingdom	Victory The Bulgarian Navy Holds Off the Powerful Venice Naval Attack
First Bulgarian-Trebizond War	(1270-1271)	Bulgarian Empire	Trebizond Empire	Victory The Bulgarian Navy Crushes The Trebizond Ports
Third Bulgarian-Mongol War	(1271-1279)	Bulgarian Empire	Golden Horde Empire	Victory Northern Bulgaria Becomes a Vassal to Golden Horde Peasant Ivalyo Snatches The Throne and Crushes The Mongols North
Bulgarian Civil War	(1277–1280)	Bulgarian Empire Tsar Constantine Allies: Byzantine Empire Golden Horde	Bulgarian Empire Tsar Ivaylo Allies: Bulgarian Rebels Serbian Rebels	Victory Peasant Ivaylo Snatches the Thrown and Kills The Bulgarian Tsar Ivaylo was murdered, George Terter I became Emperor of Bulgaria
Eighth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(1279-1280)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Ivaylo The Peasant King, Takes Down The Byzantine Army in the Balkan Mountains
Second Bulgarian-Trebizond War	(1270-1271)	Bulgarian Empire	Trebizond Empire	Victory The Bulgarian Navy Defeats the Powerful Trebizond Navy
Fifth Bulgarian-Serbian War	(1290-1291)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Kingdom	Victory The Bulgarian Empire Defeats The Serbs and Kill their Emperor
Fourth Bulgarian-Mongol War	(1299-1300)	Bulgarian Empire	Golden Horde Empire	Draw Northern Bulgaria Once Again Becomes a Vassal to Golden Horde King Theodore Svetoslav Banishes the Mongols to the East
Ninth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(1304-1305)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Bulgarian Empire Conquers Most of Thrace
Sixth Bulgarian-Serbian War	(1330-1331)	Bulgarian Empire	Serbian Kingdom	Draw Both Kingdom's Form a Slavic Alliance
Tenth Bulgarian-Byzantine War	(1332-1333)	Bulgarian Empire	Byzantine Empire	Victory Final War Between the Two Empires
Fifth Bulgarian-Mongol War	(1332-1341)	Bulgarian Empire	Golden Horde Empire	Victory The Mongols are Banished Northeast Forever The Bulgarian Empire Begins Conquer Mongol Lands to North
Byzantine Civil War	(1341–1347)	Byzantine Empire King Palaiologos Allies: Bulgarian Empire Serbian Empire	Byzantine Empire King Kantakouzenos Allies: Bulgarian Empire Ottoman Empire	Victory King Kantakouzenos Defeats Regents, Becomes Emperor Bulgarian Empire Conquers Northern Thrace From Ottoman Empire
First Bulgarian–Ottoman War	(1344-1362)	Bulgarian Empire	Ottoman Empire	Victory Bulgaria holds off the Ottoman army until the Bulgarian Betrayal of Brothers
Fourth Bulgarian-Hungarian War	(1365-1369)	Bulgarian Empire	Hungarian Empire	Victory The Bulgarian Army Takes Back the Castle of Vidin Final War Between the Two Empires, Hungarians is Pushed North
Bulgarian-Savoyan War	(1365-1370)	Bulgarian Empire	Savoyan Duchy	Victory Bulgarian Navy Halts the Large Fleet of Count Amadeus VI Navy Of Savoy Is Pushed South Into the Lower Aegean Sea
Bulgarian-Wallachian War	(1384-1386)	Bulgarian Empire	Wallachian Principality	Victory The Bulgarian Army Ravages and Conquers Land to the North Wallachian King Dan I is Killed in Battle
Bulgarian-Genoan War	(1379-1387)	Bulgarian Empire	Genoan Kingdom	Victory Bulgarian Navy Crushes the Large Genoan Fleet Peace Treaty is Signed
Ottoman Civil War	(1402–1413)	Ottoman Empire Sultan Mehmed I Allies: Bulgarian Empire Byzantine Empire	Ottoman Empire Sultan Musa Celebi Allies: Serbian Empire Byzantine Empire	Victory Memed I Defeats Regents, Becomes Sultan Bulgaria Regains Northeastern Thrace From Ottoman Empire
First Bulgarian-Crimean War	(1414-1415)	Bulgarian Empire	Crimean Khanate	Victory Crimean Tatars are Banished Back to the North First War Where Bulgaria Uses Gun Powder Powered Cannons
Second Bulgarian–Ottoman War	(1371-1422)	Bulgarian Empire	Ottoman Empire	Defeat Fall of the Bulgarian Empire

7th century

Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars (741-775).

Campaigns of Khan Krum (803-814).

680: Battle of Ongal, decisive victory of Khan Asparukh against the Byzantines. Official recognition of Bulgaria.
689: Successful campaign against the Byzantine Empire.

8th century

700: Khan Asparuhk perishes in battle against the Khazars.
705: Khan Tervel sends 15,000 men to help Justinian II regain his crown.
708: War with Byzantium, victory at Anchialus.
717–718: Second Arab Siege of Constantinople. The Bulgarians slaughter between 22,000 and 30,000 Arabs in the decisive battle.
756–775: Campaigns of Constantine V against Bulgaria. Despite several Byzantine victories they fail to subjugate Bulgaria.
791-792: Byzantine invasions fail after the battle of Provat and Marcelae.

9th century

804-806: Bulgaria under Khan Krum destroys the Avar Khaganate.
807: Raid on the Struma valley against the Byzantines.
809: The Bulgarians capture Sofia.
811: Campaign of Nicephorus I against Bulgaria ends in disaster in the battle of Pliska, the emperor is killed.
811-813: Campaigns of Krum of Bulgaria in Eastern Thrace; major Bulgarian victory at Versinikia; the Bulgarians besiege Constantinople and temporarily seize Adrianople.
814: The Byzantines repulse a Bulgarian invasion.
824 Successful campaign against the Khazars.
826-828: War against the Franks, Bulgarian success.
836: War against Byzantium, the Bulgarians gain Philippopolis (Plovdiv).
837: The Bulgarians conquer Philippi.
839-842: War against the Serbs.
853: Defeat against East Francia.
894–896: War against the Byzantines and the Magyars. Decisive victories over the Byzantines in the battle of Bulgarophygon and over the Magyars st Southern Buh.

10th century

913-927: War against Byzantium. Major success in the Battle of Achelous. Recognition of the Imperial title of the Bulgarian rulers and the Bulgarian Patriarchate.
917-924: Wars against the Serbs, the Serbian state is destroyed.
927: The Croats defeat a Bulgarian army.
931: Serbian rebellion, the Serb state is restored.
934-965: Magyar raids in Bulgaria.
968-971: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria, war against Kievan Rus' and the Byzantines.
976-1018: War against the Byzantine Empire.
986: Battle of the Gates of Trajan major victory of Samuel of Bulgaria over Basil II.
998: The Bulgarians destroy the Serbian state.

11th century

1003: War against Hungary
1014: Battle of Kleidion decisive Byzantine victory over the Bulgarians under Samuel.
1018: The Byzantines conquer Bulgaria, end of the First Empire.

12th century

1185: Uprising of Asen and Peter. Reestablishment of the Bulgarian Empire.
1185-1202: War against the Byzantines, most of the Bulgarian lands are liberated.

13th century

Campaigns of Emperor Ivan Asen II (1218-1241).

Campaigns of Emperor Theodore Svetoslav (1300-1321).

1202: War against the Hungarians and the Serbs, the Bulgarians liberated Nish, Belgrade and Branichevo.
1205-1211: War against the Latin Empire. Decisive victory in the battle of Adrianople (1205).
1230: Decisive victory over the Epyrotes in the battle of Klokotnitsa.
1235: Campaign against the Latins.
1237: Campaign against the Nicaean Empire.
1241: The Bulgarians defeat a Mongol raid.
1242-1243: Mongol raids against Bulgaria.
1253: Campaign against Serbia.
1254-1256: Unsuccessful war against the Nicaean Empire.
1259-1261: War against Hungary.
1274: Major Mongol raid.
1277-1280: Uprising of Ivaylo, wars against the Byzantines and the Mongols.
1280-1298: Mongol raids.

14th century

1304-1307: Successful war against the Byzantine Empire.
1322-1324: War against the Byzantine Empire.
1330: War against the Serbs, defeat in the battle of Velbazhd
1330-1332: Successful war against the Byzantines, victory at Rusokastro.
1341-1344: Successful war against the Byzantines.
1352-1354: First Ottoman raids.
1354-1364: The Ottomans conquer Thrace.
1365-1369: Hungarian occupation of Vidin, the Hungarians are eventually repulsed.
1366: Campaign of Count Amadeo of Savoy against the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
1371-1373: War against the Ottomans.
1384-1396: War against Wallachia.
1385: The Ottomans conquer Sofia.
1388: Ottoman campaign in north-eastern Bulgaria.
1393: Fall of Tarnovo.
1396: Fall of Varna

15th century

1422: Fall of Second Bulgarian Empire

19th century

1877: Russo-Turkish War
1885: Serbo-Bulgarian War

20th century

The Bulgarian campaign in the First Balkan War.

1912-1913: First Balkan War
1913: Second Balkan War
1915-1918: First World War
1925: Incident at Petrich
1941-1945: Second World War
1968: Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia

21st century

2001–2014: War in Afghanistan
2003–2011: War in Iraq

Lists of wars involving European countries

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States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria

Dependencies and other territories	Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard