An imperial army sent against Ivanko in 1199 (or 1198) began with the fortress of Krytzimos and campaigned in the Philippopolis country from its base at Batrachokastron; its commander, the protostrator Manuel Kamytzes, was ambushed while seizing livestock on the plain and taken prisoner, and the Byzantines drew back (Varzos, after Choniates pp.
281-283). Ivanko then pushed south to Smolena, Mosynopolis and Pangaion. On 1 January 1200 the Maritsa valley between Ivanko's Philippopolis and the imperial fortress of Constantia, with the eastern Rhodope foothills, is a war zone with no truce, and the emperor is preparing the campaign of spring 1200.
How things stand that morning
At war; the last fighting went Ivanko's way.
Who raids here
Ivanko's Vlach fighters; imperial troops from Constantia and Adrianople.
Raided
Both sides: the imperial lands east and south of Philippopolis, and Ivanko's plain.
Anchoring castles
Ivanko: Philippopolis, Stenimachos, Krytzimos. Emperor: Constantia (Simeonovgrad), Adrianople, Batrachokastron (site not pinned).
Last campaign
The imperial campaign ending in Kamytzes's capture, later 1199 (Varzos) or 1198 (German Wikipedia).
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Spring 1200 (Treadgold)Alexios III takes Ivanko by a trick and recovers his forts; the belt closes.Depends on: Ivanko accepting a parley. Stopped by: His refusal or Bulgarian help.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: The campaign and the ambush are in Choniates; the geography of the fighting is only roughly known.
Sources and studies
- Manuel Kamytzes (English Wikipedia), citing Varzos, Genealogia ton Komnenon II (1984) pp. 697-712 and Choniates (trans. Magoulias) pp. 258, 281-283, 293-294
- Ivanko (boyar) (English Wikipedia), citing Choniates (trans. Magoulias 1984) pp. 257-258, 281, 285; Treadgold 1997 pp. 661-662; Kazhdan, Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium p. 1025; Madgearu 2016 p. 117; Cheynet 1986 p. 171
- Iwanko (German Wikipedia), citing Choniates, Historia 509-513 and 518-519 (ed. van Dieten); Brand 1968; Cheynet 1996 no. 188; Hoffmann 1974
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.