Battle of Maritsa
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars
The Ottman advance after the battle of Chernomen.
Date September 26, 1371 Location Maritsa River (near Chernomen, today Ormenio in Greece) Result Decisive Ottoman victory1
Belligerents
Serbian Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders
Vukašin Mrnjavčević † Despot Uglješa †	Lala Şâhin Paşa
Strength
~ 70,000citation needed	10,000citation needed
Casualties and losses
heavy losses2	Unknown

v • d • e Bulgarian-Ottoman Wars Ihtiman – Chernomen – Tarnovo

v • d • e Medieval Serbian-Turkish Wars Gallipoli – Stephaniana – Maritsa – Dubravnica – Savra – Pločnik – Bileća – Kosovo Field – Tripolje – Despotovac – Vitosha Pass – Novo Brdo - Niš - Kruševac – Leskovac - Smederevo – Belgrade

The Battle of Maritsa, or Battle of Chernomen (also known as the Second Battle of Maritsa) (Serbian: Marička bitka/ Маричка битка, Bulgarian: битка при Черномен, Turkish: Sırpsındığı Savaşı), took place at the Maritsa River near the village of Chernomen (today Ormenio in Greece) on September 26, 1371 between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Murad I's lieutenant Lala Şâhin Paşa and the Serbian forces numbering some 70,000 men under the command of the king of the Serbs and the Greeks Vukašin Mrnjavčević and his brother despot Uglješa.³

Despot Uglješa wanted to make a surprise attack on the Ottomans in their capital city, Edirne, while Murad I was in Asia Minor. The Ottoman army was much smaller, but due to superior tactics (night raid on the allied camp), Şâhin Paşa was able to defeat the Christian army and kill King Vukašin and despot Uglješa.^{citation needed} Macedonia and parts of Greece fell under Ottoman power after this battle.

The battle was a part of the Ottoman campaign to conquer the Balkans and was preceded by the Ottoman capturing of Sozopol and succeeded by the capture of the cities of Drama, Kavála and Serrai in modern Greece. The battle preceded the later 1389 Battle of Kosovo, during which the Serbian forces were again annihilated, after which they would be unable to recover and would fall under Ottoman control. This battle marks beginning of long history of the Serbian-Turkish wars.

Notes

References

• Rossos, Andrew, Macedonia and the Macedonians, Hoover Institution Press Publications, 2008.
• Sedlar, Jean W., East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500, University of Washington Press, 1994.
• Stavrianos, L. S. The Balkans Since 1453, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2000.
• Turnbull, Stephen R. The Ottoman Empire 1326-1699, Osprey Publishing, 2003.

External links

• Battle of the Maritsa River Encyclopædia Britannica

Military history of the Ottoman Empire portal

v • d • e Battles involving the Ottoman Empire, c. 1300–1918 Land battles Bapheus  · Pelekanon (Maltepe)  · Maritsa (Çirmen)  · Ihtiman · Savra  · Bileca  · 1st Kosovo  · Nicopolis  · Ankara  · Varna · 2nd Kosovo  · Ujëbardha (Albulena)  · Vaslui  · Valea Alba  · Ekmek Otlak (Câmpul Pâini)  · Otlukbeli  · Krbava  · Çaldıran  · Mercidabık  · Han Yunus · Ridanieh  · Mohacs · 1st Vienna · Sokhoista  · Çıldır  · Torches  · Sisak  · Keresztes  · Ţuţora · 1st Khotyn  · Candia  · Saint Gotthard · 2nd Khotyn · 2nd Vienna · 2nd Mohacs  · Slankamen  · Zenta · Pruth  · Petrovaradin  · Grocka · Stavunchany  · Larga · Kagul · Focşani · Rymnik · Pyramids · Abukir · Arpachai  · Al-Safra  · Jeddah  · Čegar  · Alamana  · Gravia · Valtetsi · Doliana · Dragashani  · Skuleni · Vassilika  · Peta  · Dervenakia  · Karpenisi  · Arachova · Kamatero · Phaleron · Petra · Kulevicha · Algiers  · Konya · Nizip · Kurekdere  · Oltenitza  · Eupatoria · Kızıltepe · Şıpka  · Pleven · Taşkesen · Domokos Sea battles Zonchio · Modon · Formentera  · Preveza · Algiers · Djerba · Lepanto · Çeşme (Chesma) · Athos · Samos  · Gerontas · Navarino · Sinop · Elli · Lemnos

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