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*[[Slovenian language|Slovenian]]: ''Bitka na Kosovskem polju''
*[[Slovenian language|Slovenian]]: ''Bitka na Kosovskem polju''
*[[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Batalla de Kosovo''
*[[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Batalla de Kosovo''
*[[Swedish language|Swedish]]: ''Slaget vid Trastfältet'' or ''Slaget vid Kosovo Polje''
*[[Swedish language|Swedish]]: ''Slaget vid Trastfälten'' or ''Slaget vid Kosovo Polje''
*[[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Kosova Savaşı'' or ''Kosova Meydan Muharebesi''
*[[Turkish language|Turkish]]: ''Kosova Savaşı'' or ''Kosova Meydan Muharebesi''


Revision as of 08:56, 24 January 2008

This page is about the Battle of Kosovo of 1389; for other battles, see Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation).
Battle of Kosovo
Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe

Battle on Kosovo, by Adam Stefanović, oil, 1870
DateJune 15, 1389 (Julian calendar)
Location
Kosovo Field, Serbia
Result Decisive Ottoman victory[1][2][3] [4][5][6][7][8]
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire Serbia
Bosnia
Commanders and leaders
Murad I †,
Bayezid I,
Yakub †		 Lazar Hrebeljanović †,
Vuk Branković,
Vlatko Vuković
Strength
~ 27,000-40,000[9][10][11] ~ 12,000-30,000[9][10][11][12]
Casualties and losses
Extremely high[citation needed]; Sultan Murad I killed as a result of a ruse Extremely high; most of Serbian nobility including Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović killed

The Battle of Kosovo (or Battle of Amselfeld; Serbian: Косовски бој or Бој на Косову, Kosovski boj, or Boj na Kosovu; Turkish: Kosova Meydan Muharebesi; see also names in other languages) was fought on St Vitus' Day (June 15, now celebrated on 28) 1389 between the coalition of Serb lords and the Ottoman Empire. Even though the Serbian army had lost it decisively, The Battle of Kosovo is seen by many Serbs as the first defining moment of the rise of their nation.

Reliable historical accounts of this battle are scarce, however a critical examination of them and comparison with similar contemporary battles (such as the Battle of Angora or Nikopolis) enables a reliable reconstruction.[13]


Preparations

Army movement

Prince Lazar of Serbia

After the Ottoman defeat by the Serbs in the Battle of Plocnik, Murad I, ruler of the Ottoman empire, started to gather his troops in Philippoupolis (Plovdiv) in the spring of 1389, and arrived in Ihtiman after a three-day long march. From there, he chose the route across Velbužd (Kyustendil) and Kratovo. Though longer than the alternative route across Sofia and Nišava valley, which would give him direct access to Lazar's lands, it led him to Kosovo, which was strategically important as one of the most important trade crossroads on the Balkans: from Kosovo Murad could attack either Lazar's or Vuk's lands or into Italy. After staying in Kratovo for a while, Murad passed across Kumanovo, Preševo and Gnjilane to Priština, where he arrived on June 14.[13]

There is less information about Lazar's preparations, but it could be assumed that he gathered his troops near Niš, possibly on the right bank of the Južna Morava. He likely stayed there until he learned that Murad moved to Velbužd, when he too moved, probably across Prokuplje to Kosovo. Lazar arrived at the Kosovo Field (Amselfeld) right after Murad's arrival at Priština. This was the optimal choice for the battlefield as it controlled all possible directions Murad could take.[13]

Army composition

It is not certain how large the armies were, especially as later sources tend to exaggerate on their size, launching it into the hundreds of thousands.[14]

Murad's army might have numbered 27-40,000.[9][10][11][13] Taking the 40,000 estimate, it probably included 2,000 to 5,000 Janissaries,[15] 2,500 of Murad's cavalry guard, 6,000 sipahis, 20,000 azaps and akincis and 8,000 of his vassals.[13] Lazar's might have been 12-30,000.[9][10][11][12] Taking the estimate of 25,000, some 15,000 were under Lazar's command, 5,000 Vuk's, and as many of Vlatko's.[12] Of those, several thousands were cavalry, but perhaps only several hundreds were clad in full plate armour.[14]

Both armies included some foreign troops: for example, the Serbian force included the Croatian ban Ivan Paližna with a small number of troops, probably as a part of Bosnian contingent while the Turkish army was helped by the Serbian noble Konstantin Dejanović. This led some authors to describe the armies as coalitions.[14]

...if all of us would now turn to salt, we couldn't even salt the Turk's lunch...[16]

The battle

Kosovo Field with probable disposition of troops before the battle

Troop disposition

The armies met at Kosovo Field. The center of the Turkish army was led by Murad, while his son Bayezid was on the right wing and Yakub on the left. Around 1,000 archers were in the first line of the wings, followed with azap and then akinci; in the front of the center were janissary, behind whom was Murad, surrounded by his cavalry guard; finally, the supply train was at the rear, guarded by a small number of troops.[14]

The Serbian army had Lazar at the center, Vuk on the right wing and Vlatko on the left. In the front of the Serbian army were placed the heavy cavalry and arsher cavalry on the flanks, with the infantry to the rear. While parallel, the dispositions were not symmetric, as Serbian center overlapped the Turkish.[14]

When torrent of arrows landed on Serbian armsmen
who until then stood motionless like mountains of iron,
they rode forward, rolling and thundering like the sea[17]

Start

Miloš Obilić

The battle started with Turkish archers shooting at the Serbian cavalry, which then moved into the attack. After the development of formation in the shape of letter "v" Serbian heavy cavalry managed to break through the Turkish left wing, but was not as successful against the center and the right wing. [14]

Turkish counterattack

The Serbs initially gained the advantage after their first charge, which heavily damaged the Turkish wing commanded by Jakub Celebi.Heavy knight cavalry smashed Turkish wing.When the knight charge was finished,light turkish cavalry and light infantry took advantage in counter-attack.Serbian heavy armour became disadvantage. In the center, the Serbian fighters managed to push the Ottoman forces back with only Bayezid's wing holding off the forces commanded by Vlatko Vuković. The Ottomans, in a counter-attack, pushed the Balkan forces back and prevailed later in the day. Bayezid I, who would after the battle become the Ottoman sultan, gained his nickname "the thunderbolt" in this battle, after leading the decisive counter-attack. In the main, superb Turkish military techniques eventually won them the day.

File:Hatemibeyazit.jpg
Bayezid I, oil on canvas by Haydar Hatemi (1999)

Murad's death

Based on the Turkish historical records, it is believed that the Sultan was killed by Miloš Obilić, who was pretending to be dead, while the Sultan was walking in the battlefield after the battle. On the other hand, according to Serbian records he was assassinated by Miloš Obilić, who made his way into the Turkish camp on the pretext of being a deserter and knelt before the Sultan. He stabbed him in the stomach while about to kneel before him. Miloš Obilić was immediately killed by the Sultan's bodyguards. Murad is the only Ottoman sultan who died in battle. Bayezid was immediately informed of sultan's death, and while the battle was still raging he called his brother Yakub, informing him that their father has some new orders for them. When Yakub arrived he was strangled to death leaving Bayezid as the sole pretender to the throne.

The Sultan's tomb remains to this day, on a corner of the battlefield. It is not in good condition, but nor has it been vandalised or destroyed, despite the centuries of hostility between the Turk and Serb peoples,

Aftermath

The Kosovo Maiden by Uroš Predić

The battle of Kosovo was a decisive victory for the Ottomans.[18][19][20][21][22] Neverthless, the Ottoman army retreated and the Serbs remained in partial control of Kosovo. However, due to heavy losses and a subsequent Hungarian invasion from the north, Serbia was greatly weakened and was soon reduced to the status of a temporarily vassal state. Some (although by no means all) of the Serbian nobles started paying tribute and supplying soldiers to the Ottomans after the battle. Losses were huge on both sides, especially the Ottomans.

In the wake of the engagement and the death of the Serbian King Lazar, who had also fallen during the battle, Bayezid I formed a crucial alliance with Lazar's son Stefan. Bayezid took Stefan's sister as his wife, and with the marriage Stefan became a loyal ally of Bayezid and contributed significant forces to many of Bayezid's future military engagements, including Ankara.

The Battle of Kosovo is regarded to this day as a milestone in the Serbian national identity. It remained a symbol of Serbian patriotism and desire for independence for centuries under Ottoman rule. The Battle of Kosovo has had recent impact in the Kosovo War; cultural relations remain tense as the majority Muslim Albanians claim that their majority should grant them the right to independence while the minority Serbs claim that, partly due to the famous battle, Kosovo is still an important and integral part of Serbia.

Name in different languages

  • Albanian: Beteja e Kosovës
  • Bosnian: Bitka na Kosovu
  • Bulgarian: Битка на Косово поле (Bitka na Kosovo pole) or Косовска битка (Kosovska bitka)
  • Croatian: Bitka na Kosovu polju or Kosovska bitka
  • Czech: Bitva na Kosově poli
  • Dutch: Slag op het Merelveld
  • Estonian:Lahing Kosovo väljal, Kosovo lahing
  • French: Bataille de Kosovo ou du champ des Merles
  • Italian: Battaglia del Kosovo
  • German: Schlacht auf dem Amselfeld
  • Greek: Μάχη του Κοσσυφοπεδίου (Máchē tou Kossyphopedíou)
  • Hungarian: Rigómezei csata
  • Lithuanian: Kosovo mūšis
  • Polish: Bitwa na Kosowym Polu
  • Portuguese: Batalha de Kosovo
  • Romanian: Bătălia de la Câmpia Mierlei
  • Russian: Битва на Косовом поле (Bitva na Kosovom pole)
  • Slovak: Bitka na Kosovom poli
  • Slovenian: Bitka na Kosovskem polju
  • Spanish: Batalla de Kosovo
  • Swedish: Slaget vid Trastfälten or Slaget vid Kosovo Polje
  • Turkish: Kosova Savaşı or Kosova Meydan Muharebesi

References

  1. ^ Battle of Kosovo, Encyclopedia Britannica
  2. ^ Kosovo Field, Columbia Encyclopedia
  3. ^ Kosovo, Battle of, Encarta Encyclopedia
  4. ^ Historical Dictionary Of Kosova By Robert Elsie, pg.95
  5. ^ The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged By Peter N. Stearns, William Leonard Langer, pg. 125
  6. ^ Global Terrorism By James M Lutz, Brenda J Lutz, pg. 103
  7. ^ Parliaments and Politics During the Cromwellian Protectorate By David L. Smith, Patrick Little, pg. 124
  8. ^ Genocide: a critical bibliographic review By Israel W. Charny, Alan L. Berger, pg. 56
  9. ^ a b c d Sedlar, Jean W. East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500. University of Washington Press. p. 244. Nearly the entire Christian fighting force (between 12,000 and 20,000 men) had been present at Kosovo, while the Ottomans (with 27,000 to 30,000 on the battlefield) retained numerous reserves in Anatolia.
  10. ^ a b c d Cox, John K. The History of Serbia. Greenwood Press. p. 30. The Ottoman army probably numbered between 30,000 and 40,000. They faced something like 15,000 to 25,000 Eastern Orthodox soldiers.
  11. ^ a b c d Cowley, Robert. The Reader's Companion to Military History. Houghton Mifflin Books. p. 249. On June 28, 1389, an Ottoman army of between thirty thousand and forty thousand under the command of Sultan Murad I defeated an army of Balkan allies numbering twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand under the command of Prince Lazar of Serbia at Kosovo Polije (Blackbird's Field) in the central Balkans. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b c "Kosovska bitka". Vojna Enciklopedija (in Serbo-Croatian). Belgrade: Vojnoizdavački zavod. 1972. pp. 659–660.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Kosovska bitka". Vojna Enciklopedija (in Serbo-Croatian). Belgrade: Vojnoizdavački zavod. 1972. p. 659.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Kosovska bitka". Vojna Enciklopedija (in Serbo-Croatian). Belgrade: Vojnoizdavački zavod. 1972. p. 660.
  15. ^ Hans-Henning Kortüm, Transcultural Wars from the Middle Ages to the 21st Century, Akademie Verlag, 231. "But having been established under Murad I (1362-1389), essentially as a bodyguard, the Janissaries cannot have been present in large numbers at Nicopolis (there were no more than 2,000 at Kosovo in 1389)."
  16. ^ Kosančić Ivan, Serbian epic poetry
  17. ^ Mehmet Neşri
  18. ^ Historical Dictionary Of Kosova By Robert Elsie, pg.95
  19. ^ The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged By Peter N. Stearns, William Leonard Langer, pg. 125
  20. ^ Global Terrorism By James M Lutz, Brenda J Lutz, pg. 103
  21. ^ Parliaments and Politics During the Cromwellian Protectorate By David L. Smith, Patrick Little, pg. 124
  22. ^ Genocide: a critical bibliographic review By Israel W. Charny, Alan L. Berger, pg. 56
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