Battle of Rovine

The Battle of Rovine was one of the most important battles in the early medieval history of Romania. The battle took place at 17 may, 1395 between the valachian army lead by voievode Mircea cel Bǎtrân agains an ottoman invasion army lead by sultan Bayezid I. The Ottoman army, numbering aproximately 40,000 men, faced the much smaller Romanian army, which was about 10,000 men. Legend says that on the eve of the battle, dressed as a peace emmisary, Mircea cel Bǎtrân talked to Bayezid I asking him to leave Wallachia, and promising to grant him safe passage. Howewer, the sultan insisted on fighting.

The exact site of the battle is unknown, but the Romanian army was victorious, mainy because of its archers, who decimated ottoman ranks at the beginning of the battle. Then the Romanian cavalry charged and routed the Ottomans, who fled in disorder across the river Danube.

An epic description of the battle is found in the poem "Scrisoarea a III-a" ("The Third Letter") written by the Romanian national poet, Mihai Eminescu.