View source for Battle of Maritsa

{{short description|14th-century battle of the Serbian–Ottoman Wars}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Maritsa
| partof            = the [[Ottoman wars in Europe]] and the [[Serbian–Ottoman Wars]]
| image             = BattleofMaritsa1371.png
| image_size        = 200px
| caption           = Balkans in September of 1371
| date              = 26 September 1371
| place             = [[Maritsa|Maritsa River]] (near Chernomen; present-day [[Ormenio]], [[Greece]])
| result            = Ottoman victory<ref>Sedlar, Jean W., ''East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000–1500'', (University of Washington Press, 1994), 385.</ref>
| combatant1        = [[Serbian Empire]]
| combatant2        = [[Ottoman Empire]]
| commander1        = [[Vukašin Mrnjavčević]]{{KIA}}<br/>[[Uglješa Mrnjavčević]]{{KIA}}<br/>[[Alexander Komnenos Asen]]{{KIA}}
| commander2        = [[Lala Shahin Pasha]]<br/>[[Evrenuz|Evrenos Bey]]
| strength1         = 50,000–70,000<ref name="boskovic"/><ref name = "newbritannica">{{cite book| title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropaedia| url = https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency| url-access = registration| year = 1993| publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica| isbn = 978-0-85229-571-7| page = [https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency/page/855 855] }}</ref><ref name = "grumeza">{{cite book| last = Grumeza| first = Ion| title = The Roots of Balkanization: Eastern Europe C.E. 500–1500| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QKhuxLdnYhMC&pg=PA93 | year = 2010| publisher = University Press of America| isbn = 978-0-7618-5134-9| page = 93 }}</ref><ref name="devos">DeVos, Julius Emil. ''Fifteen hundred years of Europe''. O'Donnell Press, 1924, p. 110.</ref><ref name="otto">Kaemmel, Otto. ''Spamer's Illustrierte Weltgeschichte: mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kulturgeschichte'', O. Spamer, 1902, p. 740 {{in lang|de}}</ref>
| strength2         = 800–4,000
| casualties1       = Heavy combat losses<ref>Rossos, Andrew, ''Macedonia and the Macedonians''. Hoover Institution Press Publications, 2008. p. 40.</ref><br />thousands drowned<ref name="gustav">Hertzberg, Gustav Friedrich. ''Geschichte Griechenlands: Th. Vom lateinischen Kreuzzuge bis zur Vollendung der osmanischen Eroberung (1204–1740)''. F.A. Perthes, 1877, p. 323 {{in lang|de}}</ref>
| casualties2       = Unknown
}}
{{Serbian-Ottoman Wars (Medieval)}}

The '''Battle of Maritsa''' or '''Battle of Chernomen''' ({{langx|sr|Marička bitka / Маричка битка}}; {{langx|tr|Çirmen Muharebesi, İkinci Meriç Muharebesi}} in tr. ''Second Battle of Maritsa'') took place at the [[Maritsa|Maritsa River]] near the village of Chernomen (present-day [[Ormenio]], [[Greece]]) on 26 September 1371 between [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] forces commanded by [[Lala Shahin Pasha]] and [[Evrenos]], and [[Serbia]]n forces commanded by King [[Vukašin Mrnjavčević]] and his brother Despot [[Jovan Uglješa]].<ref>Jirecek, Konstantin. ''History of the Bulgarians'', [http://www.promacedonia.org/ki/ki_22.htm p. 382]</ref><ref name="p. 379">Fine, J. V. A. ''The Late Mediaeval Balkan's'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=QDFVUDmAIqIC  p. 379]</ref><ref>Stavrianos, L. S., ''The Balkans since 1453'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=xcp7OXQE0FMC p. 44]</ref><ref>Jirecek, Konstantin. ''Geschichte der Serben'', [https://archive.org/stream/geschichtederser00jire#page/437/mode/1up/search/marica pp. 437–438]</ref>

==Background==

In 1354, the Ottomans acquired [[Gallipoli]]. From there, they expanded into [[Thrace]], [[Ottoman conquest of Adrianople|taking]] the important city of [[Adrianople]] in 1369. They reached the borders of Uglješa's lands. Uglješa  tried to create a coalition against them, but failed to secure support from the Byzantines and the Bulgarians. Most of the Serbian lords were occupied fighting each other and the only Serbian lord who supported Uglješa's ideas was his brother Vukašin.

In the summer of 1371, Vukašin marched to Zeta, to support his relative [[Đurađ I Balšić|Đurađ Balšić]] in his war against [[Nikola Altomanović]]. His army was in [[Skadar]], waiting for naval support from the [[Republic of Ragusa]]. Uglješa received information that the majority of Ottoman forces left Europe and marched to Anatolia. He decided it was a good time to execute his offensive plans and asked Vukašin for help. Vukašin left Skadar with his army and joined Uglješa. They marched against Adrianople.<ref name="p. 379"/>

==Battle==
The Serbian army numbered between 50,000<ref name = "boskovic">{{cite book| last = Boskovic| first = Vladislav| title = King Vukasin and the disastrous Battle of Marica| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oTdPlvMRYeUC&pg=PA11 | year = 2009| publisher = GRIN Verlag| isbn = 978-3-640-49264-0| page = 11 }}</ref> and 70,000<ref name="boskovic"/><ref name = "newbritannica">{{cite book| title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropaedia| url = https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency| url-access = registration| year = 1993| publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica| isbn = 978-0-85229-571-7| page = [https://archive.org/details/newencyclopaedia07ency/page/855 855] }}</ref><ref name = "grumeza">{{cite book| last = Grumeza| first = Ion| title = The Roots of Balkanization: Eastern Europe C.E. 500–1500| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QKhuxLdnYhMC&pg=PA93 | year = 2010| publisher = University Press of America| isbn = 978-0-7618-5134-9| page = 93 }}</ref><ref name="devos">DeVos, Julius Emil. ''Fifteen hundred years of Europe''. O'Donnell Press, 1924, p. 110.</ref><ref name="otto">Kaemmel, Otto. ''Spamer's Illustrierte Weltgeschichte: mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kulturgeschichte'', O. Spamer, 1902, p. 740 {{in lang|de}}</ref> men. [[Jovan Uglješa|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,<ref>{{cite book| title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica: Micropaedia| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5i6knQEACAAJ&pg=PA855| year = 1993| publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica| isbn = 978-0-85229-571-7| page = 855 }}</ref> [[Byzantine Greek]] scholar [[Laonikos Chalkokondyles]]<ref name="boskovic"/> and different sources<ref name = "veiter">{{cite book|last= (missing name)|first= (missing first name)|chapter= (missing essay title)|editor-last = Veiter| editor-first = Theodor| title = Volkstum zwischen Moldau, Etsch und Donau: Festschrift für Franz Hieronymus Riedl: Dargeboten zum 65. Lebensjahr| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MlMeAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA294 | year = 1971| publisher = W. Braumüller| isbn = 978-3-7003-0007-6| page = 294 }}</ref> give the number of 800 up to 4,000 men,<ref>Donald MacGillivray Nicol, The Last Centuries of Byzantium, 1261–1453; Hart-Davis, 1972, p. 286.</ref> but due to most of the Serbian soldiers becoming intoxicated, [[Lala Shahin Pasha|Şahin Paşa]] conducted a night raid on the Serbian camp, slaughtering a large part of the Serbian Army, killing King Vukašin and despot Uglješa. Thousands of Serbs were killed, and thousands drowned in the Maritsa river when they tried to flee. After the battle, it was said, the Maritsa ran scarlet with blood.<ref name="gustav"/><ref name="temperley">Temperley, Harold William Vazeille. ''History of Serbia'', H. Fertig, 1917, p. 97.</ref>

==Aftermath==
South Serbia 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]] (today in Bulgaria) in 1353 and succeeded by the capture of the cities of [[Drama, Greece|Drama]], [[Kavala]], and [[Serres, Greece|Serrai]] (today in [[Greece]]) in the 1380s. The battle also preceded the later 1389 [[Battle of Kosovo]], and was one of many in [[List of Serbian–Ottoman conflicts|the Serbian–Turkish wars]].

==See also==

* [[List of military disasters]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* 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.
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{EI3|last=Reinert|first=Stepen W.|title=Maritsa, Battle of|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/maritsa-battle-of-COM_36233|year=2021}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Battle of Maritsa}}
* [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9050991/Battle-of-the-Maritsa-River Battle of the Maritsa River ''Encyclopædia Britannica'']

{{coord|41|43|N|26|13|E|display=title}}
{{Ottoman battles}}
{{Wars and battles involving Serbs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maritsa, Battle Of}}
[[Category:1371 in Europe]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1371]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Battles of the Ottoman–Serbian Wars]]
[[Category:Mrnjavčević family]]
[[Category:Serbian Empire]]
[[Category:14th century in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:14th century in Serbia]]
[[Category:Ottoman Serbia]]
[[Category:History of Edirne Province]]
[[Category:1370s in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Maritsa]]