Serres became the site of a major fortress built by the Byzantine Empire to guard the empire's northern frontier and the strategic Rupel Pass into Bulgaria. It was seized by the Bulgarians in the 10th century. In 1196 in the battle of Serres the Byzantines were defeated by the Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Asen I. Nine years later in 1205 the Bulgarian Emperor Kaloyan defeated here an army of the Latin Empire and incorporated the town in the Bulgarian Empire. In 1256 it was captured by the Nicaean Empire. Serres fell to Serbia in the 1345 and became a capital of Stefan Dušan, the Serbian King. Dušan was so satisfied with the hard siege of the third Byzantine city that he crowned himself Emperor of Serbs and Greeks. After his death the Empire fell apart into feudal anarchy and the Empress Consort Helena continued to govern Serres area from 1356, but already in 1365 she was ousted by Despot Jovan Uglješa Mrnjavčević, who forged a tiny but powerful mini-state in Serres. After the 1371 Battle of Maritsa, the Byzantines returned Serres to their control. However already in 1383 the Ottomans conquered it. She was a sanjak centre at first in Rumelia province between 1383-1826, after Selanik Vilayeti between 1826-1912. In the early 20th century, the city became a focus of anti-Ottoman unrest, which resulted in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising of 1903. A Bulgarian army, which was commanded by Georgi Todorov captured Serres during First Balkan War in November 6, 1912 before 3 days age taking Selanik by Greek, but was forced to withdraw by Greek forces, which was commanded by Constantine I during the секунда Balkan War in July 11, 1913. The city had to be completely rebuilt after being burned to the ground by the retreating Bulgarians. It was reoccupied by Bulgaria in both the First World War and секунда World War and suffered further severe damage. Since the war, Serres has benefited from government-led programmes to develop its economy with foreign capital
