Battle of Maritsa

In the battle of Tschernomen ( Bulgarian Битката Черномен при ) and Battle of the Maritsa (Serbian Maricka bitka / Маричка битка ) called, defeated in 1371, a Bulgarian- Serbian army an Ottoman. The battle took place near the modern village Tschernomen place in the Marizaebene and is considered one of the last attempts by the Christian states of Southeast Europe, to oppose the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Prehistory

The in Southeastern Europe spreading the Ottoman Turks, who had in 1369 Edirne raised their capital, the Serbian brothers Jovan Uglješa and Vukašin Mrnjavčević presented contrary. Uglješa and Vukašin were collected around 1365 in the present-day Macedonian territories Serres and Skopje and Prilep to despots and had made ​​a coalition against the Turks expanding on its feet. Be involved in the coalition and the Bulgarian Empire, during the weakened Byzantine Empire watched idly.

Battle of Tschernomen

Some historians date this battle also to the year 1363 or 1367th But all agree that they (now Edirne ) took place near the town Tschernomen ( Črnomen ) and near Adrian Opel. The result of the battle was still clear and decisive. Despite numerical superiority defeated the Christian army, after their two leaders were killed in action. Winner of the battle was the Turkish commander Lala Şahin Paşa and Sultan Murat I. be

According to the records of Sa'd -ud- dīn the Christian army was surprised drunk on the night of the Ottoman army and defeated without much resistance. The name of the battle is referred to in Ottoman sources as Sirf Sindughi or in the Turkish sources as SIRP Sındığı ( Engl. about Serbs defeat ).

There are other historians who describe a previous battle in these said years 1363 or 1367 and denote by Sırpsındığı. There is a village near Edirne, which is called Sarayakpınar today; However, the historical name was Sırpsındığı. Accordingly, this first battle was just fought near this place, while later battlefield 1371 took place at the Maritsa.

Follow

For the Turks, the victory over the Christian allies had a far greater importance than that later in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 or that of the Crusaders at the Battle of Nicopolis 1396th

Vukašins legendary son Marko Mrnjavčević was also a Turkish vassal as the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Schischman and the despot of Welbaschd Konstantin Dragash. Both had to pull on the Turkish side against the Vlachs in the battle, the Turks was the conquest of Southeastern Europe open. Byzantium submitted to 1379 as a vassal, Thessaloniki was captured in 1387 ( 1402-1430 temporarily again Christian).

Although the Christian rulers were vassals, overran the Turks Südmakedonien and the Bulgarian fortresses along the Via Militaris in Thrace and to Ichtiman ( 1378 ) and Kostenez in the West. 1386 fell Sofia. In the east, they already took a 1373 Diambol ( Yambol ) and Markeli and encountered the Byzantine coastal cities ( Debelt, Sosopolis and Agathopol ) ago.

In the European and Serbian historiography and in the collective consciousness of the Southeast European nations the battle of the Maritsa is however up to now in the shadow of defeat on the field of Kosovo.