Gate of Trajan

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The Gate of Trajan (Траянови врата, Trayanovi vrata), also known as Trajan's Gate, is a hill pass near Sofia, Bulgaria. It was the site of a battle in AD 986 at which the forces of the then Byzantine Emperor, Basil II, were defeated by Samuil (son of a former regional Bulgarian governor). Samuil had declared himself Tsar of Bulgaria and invaded northern Greece.

Emperor Basil returned however with an army supplemented by Viking mercenaries in the pay of the Prince of Kiev. He defeated Samuil and his subsequent revenge on the people earned him the name "Bulgar-slayer".

References

J. Julius Norwich. A Short History of Byzantium, 1998.

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