Battle of Kosovo (1448)

The second battle of Kosovo (Hungarian: második rigómezei CSATA, Turkish: Kosova İkinci muharebesi ) took place between the 17th and October 20th, 1448 on Kosovo Polje ( Kosovo Polje ) between the Kingdom of Hungary, which is a Roman Catholic coalition under John Hunyadi led against the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Murad II instead. The battle ended like the first battle of Kosovo Polje (1389 ) with a victory of the Ottoman Turks.

Prehistory

To 1448 saw John Hunyadi came for the right moment to pull against the Ottomans. After the defeat at the Battle of Varna ( 1444 ), he raised another army against the Turks. His strategy foresaw that a revolt of the Balkan peoples favored a surprise attack and he was able to defeat the Ottomans in a single battle. The relations Đurađ Brankovics to Hungary were already reached a low point, as Hunyadi began his crusade against the Ottomans. But he was still a vassal of Hungary, and therefore demanded Hunyadi that it connect to the campaign. However Brankovic refused because he had to wear at the same time the sovereignty of Hungary and the Ottoman and foresaw a defeat Hunyadi. His attempts to dissuade Hunyadi from the Crusades failed. He also is said to have acted on Skanderbeg, Hunyadi himself not to join. There was even a suspicion that he had warned the Ottomans against a renewed attack. Hunyadi then tried by force to move Brankovic to join the crusade. He deliberately put his army to Serbia and rampaged through the country. On the news of the approach of the Ottomans, he moved to the south, where it came to Kosovo in the second battle.

Course

The battle went on for three days. The Ottomans had already taken up position, as Hunyadi showed up on the Field of Blackbirds. His Knights conquered by the Turks already occupied hill behind his army and fortified these positions with chariots.

The next day the battle began with an attack Hunyadi. The Turkish flanks formed by troops from Rumelia and Anatolia were initially pushed back until the Turkish light cavalry, this enhanced. The following defeat of the Hungarian flanks and their withdrawal induced Hunyadi to send his main army against the Turkish center. After the breakthrough until the Turkish stock - the Sultan Hill - had come to a standstill, managed the Turkish infantry, to regroup and push back the Hungarian knights. During the retreat of the Hungarian forces, most of them were killed by the Janissaries. Hunyadi was forced to flee, but was captured and imprisoned by Brankovic. Hunyadi was released when he undertook the fief Brankovics in Hungary not to attack and the damage that had made his army in Serbia to pay. Back in Hungary Hunyadi his commitment was the antipope Felix V. released and confiscated all fiefs Brankovics. Thus ended the de facto Hungarian suzerainty over Serbia. Brankovic was henceforth entirely at the mercy of the Ottomans. He was later captured by the Serbs and only released on payment of a ransom.

The battle in the Serbian folk poetry

Hunyadi appears in the Serbian epic poetry as Sibinian Janko. The third battle of Kosovo Polje is alive in two Serbian proverbs:

• "Late Janko comes to Kosovo Polje " (Serbian: Касно Јанко на Косово стиже ), which alludes to the first Battle of Kosovo Polje (1389 )
• " Accident as Janko on the Field of Blackbirds " ( Страдао као Јанко на Косову ), which refers to the heavy losses of the Hungarian knights.