Battle of Bar

Battle of Tudjemili
Date October 1042 Location Tudjemili, Doclea Result Decisive Doclean victory; Stefan Vojislav asserts his state's independence from Byzantium
Belligerents
Doclea	Byzantine Empire
Commanders and leaders
Stefan Vojislav	Michaelus Anastasii
Strength
low, vastly lower than the Byzantine force	40,000 men
Casualties and losses
low	2/3 of the Byzantine army killed, 7 strategos's killed, 50 captured

In 1042, the new emperor Constantine IX decided to attack Duklja with an army based in Dyrrhachium and the neighbouring themes. The Byzantine army under Michaelus Anastasii clashed with the Montenegrin army under Stefan Vojislav, in what is called the Battle of Bar. The Byzantines were defeated and Vojislav ensured a future for Duklja without imperial authority.^[1]

Background

Prior to the war, Duklja was subordinated to the suzerainty of the Byzantine Empire. However, around the start of the 11th century, Stefan Vojislav waged a series of successful attacks aimed at independence.

The Byzantine army, in order to suppress the revolts, moved towards Duklja and set up camp in the area near Bar.

Battle

The battle took place on the mountainous area between Bar and Crmnica after midnight, on October 7 in 1042. Prior to the battle a man from Bar entered the Byzantine camp and spread false information about huge army causing panic among the Byzantines. Stefan Vojislav, along with three of his sons, led the Montenegrins into battle. Their army slowly moved down the hills along with shouting and blowing horns and trumpets to exaggerate their size. The Byzantines, trapped into the mountainous area, were caught unprepared and after heavy fighting were routed. Some historical records claim that two thirds of the Byzantine army had been killed. Byzantine historian John Skylitzes (1040–1101) claimed that 60,000 Byzantines participated in the battle, but these records are considered inaccurate. Most historians agree that there were about 40,000 Byzantines. Numbers of the Montenegrin army are unknown, but are considered to be largely inferior to the Byzantines. Vojislav dispatched 50 Greeks to tell the rest about it.

References

1. ↑ Cedrenus II, col. 275.