A quiz question · medium
According to Byzantine tradition, what did Basil II do with his thousands of Bulgarian prisoners after the Battle of Kleidion in 1014?
Tsar Samuel reportedly collapsed and died at the sight of the returning columns. Historians accept the brutality in outline while doubting the round figure of 14,000-15,000.
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The Battle of Kleidion in 1014 and the Blinding That Gave Basil II His Name On 29 July 1014 the Byzantine emperor Basil II crushed the Bulgarian army in the Kleidion pass. Tradition holds he blinded his thousands of prisoners, leaving every hundredth man one eye to lead the rest home — and that Tsar Samuel collapsed and died at the sight. The story made Basil "the Bulgar-Slayer"; historians debate how much of it is true.
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