All Topics  
Battle of Kosovo

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link

 

Battle of Kosovo


 
 
This page is about the Battle of Kosovo of 1389; for other battles, see Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation)Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation)

The Battle of Kosovo could refer to several conflicts:...
.


The Battle of Kosovo ; SerbianSerbian language

The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the tokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia,...
: Kosovski boj, or Boj na Kosovu; TurkishTurkish language

Turkish is a Turkic language spoken natively by the Turkish people in Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Republic of Macedon...
: Kosova Meydan Muharebesi) was fought on St Vitus' DayVidovdan

Vidovdan is a religious holiday, St....
 1389 between Medieval Serbia and the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire Summary

The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West as the Turkish Empire....
. The Battle of Kosovo is particularly notable to Serbian concepts of history, heritage and national identity.

Reliable historical accounts of the battle are scarce. However a critical comparison with historically contemporaneous battles (such as the Battle of Angora or Nikopolis) enable reliable reconstruction.
Preparations
Army movement
After the Serbs defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of BilecaBattle of Bileca

The Battle of Bileca played out on 27 August 1388 between Bosnian and Serbian forces led by Duke Vlatko Vukovic and Ottoman ...
 and the Battle of PlocnikBattle of Plocnik

The Battle of Plocnik was fought in 1386, at the village of Plocnik, near Prokuplje in today's southeastern Serbia, between ...
, Murad IMurad I

Murad I was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389....
, the reigning Ottoman sultan, gathered his troops in Philippoupolis in the spring of 1389, and arrived in IhtimanIhtiman

Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province....
 after a three-day march.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Battle of Kosovo'
Start a new discussion about 'Battle of Kosovo'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum






Timeline

1389   Battle of Kosovo between Serbs and Ottomans. Both the Serbian Prince Lazar and Murad I were killed in battle.






Encyclopedia


This page is about the Battle of Kosovo of 1389; for other battles, see Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation)Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation)

The Battle of Kosovo could refer to several conflicts:...
.


The Battle of Kosovo ; SerbianSerbian language

The Serbian language is one of the standard versions of the tokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia,...
: Kosovski boj, or Boj na Kosovu; TurkishTurkish language

Turkish is a Turkic language spoken natively by the Turkish people in Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Republic of Macedon...
: Kosova Meydan Muharebesi) was fought on St Vitus' DayVidovdan

Vidovdan is a religious holiday, St....
 1389 between Medieval Serbia and the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire Summary

The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West as the Turkish Empire....
. The Battle of Kosovo is particularly notable to Serbian concepts of history, heritage and national identity.

Reliable historical accounts of the battle are scarce. However a critical comparison with historically contemporaneous battles (such as the Battle of Angora or Nikopolis) enable reliable reconstruction.

Preparations

Army movement
After the Serbs defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of BilecaBattle of Bileca

The Battle of Bileca played out on 27 August 1388 between Bosnian and Serbian forces led by Duke Vlatko Vukovic and Ottoman ...
 and the Battle of PlocnikBattle of Plocnik

The Battle of Plocnik was fought in 1386, at the village of Plocnik, near Prokuplje in today's southeastern Serbia, between ...
, Murad IMurad I

Murad I was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389....
, the reigning Ottoman sultan, gathered his troops in Philippoupolis in the spring of 1389, and arrived in IhtimanIhtiman

Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province....
 after a three-day march. From there, the party travelled across Velbužd and KratovoKratovo, Republic of Macedonia

Kratovo is a small picturesque town in the Republic of Macedonia, one of the regions living museums....
. Though longer than the alternate route through SofiaSofia

Sofia is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,203,680, and some 1,326,377 in...
 and the NišavaNišava Overview

The Ni?ava or Nishava is a river in Bulgaria and Serbia, a right tributary, and with a length of 218 km also the longe...
 valley, which would have given them direct access to Prince Lazar's lands, the route taken led the Ottoman party to Kosovo, an area that was strategicallyStrategy

A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, as differentiated from tactics or immediate ...
 important, one of the most important trade crossroadsCrossroads (culture)

A crossroads is a road junction, where two or more roads meet ....
 in the BalkansBalkans

The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe....
. From Kosovo, Murad's party could attack either Lazar's or Vuk's lands, or move into Italy. Having stayed in Kosovo for a time, Murad and his troops passed across KumanovoKumanovo

Kumanovo is the second largest municipality city in the Republic of Macedonia after the capital Skopje and third largest tow...
, PreševoPreševo

Pre?evo , also known as Presevo and Preshevo, is a town and municipality in Pcinja District of Serbia, bordering...
 and GnjilaneGnjilane

Gnjilane or Gjilan or just Gnjilane, is a city and the centrum of Gjilani District, located in Kosovo, Serbia, a...
 to PrištinaPriština

Pritina, also spelled Pristina is the capital and the largest city of Kosovo....
, where he arrived on June 14.

While there is less information about Lazar's preparations, it can be assumed that he gathered his troops near NišNiš

Ni or Nish is a city in Serbia situated at 43.3 N 21.9 E, on the river Niava....
, possibly on the right (north/east/south/west?) bank of Južna MoravaJužna Morava

South Morava is a river in Macedonia and Serbia which represents the shorter headwater of Great Morava....
. His party likely remained there until he learned that Murad had moved to Velbužd, whereby he also moved probably across ProkupljeProkuplje

Prokuplje is a city located in Serbia at 43.24 North, 21.59 East....
 to Kosovo. Lazar, with a Serbian Christian army met Murad’s troops at Kosovo. This was Lazar's optimal choice for the battlefield as it meant having control of all the possible routes that Murad could take.
Army composition
It is not certain how large the armies were, especially as later sources tended to exaggerate their size, even into the hundreds of thousands.

Murad's army may have numbered 27,000-40,000. If we take the estimate of 40,000, it probably included 2,000-5,000 JanissariesJanissary

The Janissaries comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguard....
, 2,500 of Murad's cavalry guard, 6,000 sipahiSipahi

Sipahi is the name of an Ottoman cavalry corps and several other mounted corps named after it....
s, 20,000 azapAzap Overview

Azaps were irregular light infantry of the Ottoman Army....
s and akinciAkinci

Akinci were irregular light cavalry of the Ottoman empire's military....
s and 8,000 of his vassalVassal

A vassal or liege, in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who en...
s. Lazar's army might have been 12,000-30,000. If we take the estimate of 25,000, some 15,000 were under Lazar's command, with 5,000 under Serbian nobleman from Kosovo Vuk Brankovic, and as many under Serbian vojvoda from Bosnia Vlatko VukovicVlatko Vukovic

Vlatko Vukovic Kosaca was a Vojvode of Hum....
. Of these, several thousand were cavalryCavalry

Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback are commonly known as cavalry ....
, but perhaps only a few hundred were clad in full plate armour.

Both armies included some foreign troops: for example, the Serbian force included a small number of troops from the Croatian banBan (title)

Ban [] is a title of uncertain origin, which was used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th ...
 Ivan Paližna, probably as part of the BosniaBosnia (region)

Historically and geographically, the region known as Bosnia comprises the northern part of the present-day country of Bosnia...
n contingent, while the Turkish army was helped by the Serbian noble Konstantin Dejanovic. This has led some analysts to describe the armies as coalitionCoalition

A coalition is an among entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest....
s.

The battle

Troop disposition
The armies met at Kosovo Field. The Ottoman army was headed by Murad, with his son Bayezid on his right, and his son Yakub on his left. Around 1,000 archersArchers

Archers could refer to*People who practice archery...
 were in the front line in the wings, backed up by azapAzap

Azaps were irregular light infantry of the Ottoman Army....
 and akinciAkinci

Akinci were irregular light cavalry of the Ottoman empire's military....
; in the front centre were janissaryJanissary

The Janissaries comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguard....
, behind whom was Murad, surrounded by his cavalry guard; finally, the supply train at the rear was guarded by a small number of troops.

The Serbian army had prince Lazar at its center, Vuk on the right and Vlatko on the left. At the front of the Serbian army was placed the heavy cavalry and archer cavalry on the flanks, with the infantry to the rear. While parallel, the dispositions of the armies were not symmetric, as the Serbian center overlapped the Ottoman center.
Start
The battle commenced with Ottoman archers firing at Serbian cavalry, who then made for the attack. After positioning in a "V" shaped formation, the Serbian cavalry managed to break through the Ottoman left wing, but were not as successful against the center and the right wing.
Turkish counterattack
The Serbs had the initial advantage after their first charge, which significantly damaged the Turkish wing commanded by Yakub Celebi. When the knights' charge was finished, light Ottoman cavalry and light infantry counter-attacked and the Serbian heavy armour became a disadvantage. In the center, Serbian fighters managed to push back Ottoman forces with only Bayezid'sBayezid I

Bayezid I was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402....
 wing holding off the forces commanded by Vlatko VukovicVlatko Vukovic

Vlatko Vukovic Kosaca was a Vojvode of Hum....
. The Ottomans, in a counter-attack, pushed the Serbian forces back and then prevailed later in the day. Bayezid IBayezid I

Bayezid I was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402....
, who would become the Ottoman sultan after the battle, gained his nickname "the thunderbolt" here, after leading the decisive counter-attack.
Murad's death
Based on Turkish historical records, it is believed that Sultan Murad I was killed by Milos Obilic who, pretending to be dead, killed Murad while he walked on the battlefield after the fighting had finished. In contrast, Serbian sources allege that he was assassinated by Obilic, who went into the Turkish camp on the pretext of being a deserter and, just prior to kneeling before the Sultan, stabbed him in the stomach and killed him. Obilic was immediately "slashed to pieces" by the Sultan's bodyguards. Murad was the only Ottoman sultan who died in battle. Murad's son, Bayezid, was immediately informed of the Sultan's death and, while the battle was still raging, called his brother Yakub and informed him that their father had some new orders for them. When Yakub arrived he was strangled to death, his demise leaving Bayezid as the sole heir to the throne.

However, according to the earliest preserved record, a letter from the FlorentineFlorence

Florence is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy....
 senate to the King Tvrtko I of BosniaTvrtko I of Bosnia

* Tvrtko's subjects were Serbs* Tvrtko ruled numerous lands which were the demesne of the House of Nemanjic...
, dated 20 October 1389, MuradMurad I

Murad I was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389....
 was killed during the battle. The killer is not named but it was one of 12 Serbian noblemen who managed to break through the Ottoman ranks, probably during the initial charge of Serbian knights:

The Sultan's tomb remains to this day, in a corner of the battlefield. While it is not in good condition, it has not been vandalized or destroyed - this despite centuries of hostilities between Turks and Serbs.

Aftermath

The battle of Kosovo was a decisive victory for the Ottomans. While losses were substantial on both sides, heavy losses suffered by Serbia resulted in its reduction to a virtual vassalVassal

A vassal or liege, in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who en...
 state with Serbian nobles paying tribute and supplying soldiers to the Ottomans. Furthermore, in response to Turkish pressure, some Serbian noblemen wed their daughters, including the daughter of Prince Lazar, to Bayezid. In the wake of these marriages, Stefan LazarevicStefan Lazarevic

Stefan Lazarevic was a Serbian Despotes....
 became a loyal ally of Bayezid, going on to contribute significant forces to many of Bayezid's future military engagements including the Battle of NicopolisBattle of Nicopolis

The Battle of Nicopolis took place on September 25, 1396, between a FrenchHungarian alliance and the Ottoman Empire, near th...
 which marked the last large scale Crusade in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages

The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the clas...


The Battle of Kosovo came to be seen as a symbol of Serbian patriotism and desire for independence in the 19th century rise of nationalismRise of nationalism under the Ottoman Empire

This page is an organizer page for the national awakening under Ottoman Empire....
 under Ottoman rule.
The Battle of Kosovo, and its meaning in the Serbian national perspective, continues to be relevant, as evidenced during the Kosovo WarKosovo War

The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts ...
.

External links

  • by Dr. Seth Ward
  • by Thomas Emmert
  • by Thomas Emmert
  • by Mark Gottfried
  • edited by Charles SimicCharles Simic

    Charles Simic is an American poet....