43°12′07″N21°21′20″E / 43.20194°N 21.35556°E /43.20194; 21.35556
| Battle of Pločnik | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSerbian–Ottoman wars | |||||||
 Central Balkans in 1373–1395. The battle was fought nearProkuplje. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Moravian Serbiasupported by:  Kingdom of Bosnia |  Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lazar Hrebeljanović | Şahin Bey | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| c. 15,000 | c. 20,000 in total | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
TheBattle of Pločnik was fought sometime between 1385 and 1387[A] near the village ofPločnik (nearProkuplje in today's southeasternSerbia), between the forces of Serbian PrinceLazar Hrebeljanović, and the invadingOttoman Army of SultanMurad I.[2]
The Ottoman army penetratedPomoravlje and neighbouring areas, killing and looting, then clashed with the subjects of Lazarat Dubravnica (1381), where they were successfully fought off.[3] With a larger force, the Ottoman SultanMurad I attacked Serbia in 1386, when according to some sourcesNiš was conquered.[4]
Murad I had campaigned against theKaramanids and defeated their army nearKonya.[when?][5] Serbian soldiers from some vassal Serbian lords had accompanied the Ottoman army.[5] Some of the soldiers (including some Serbian soldiers) were executed for looting civilian property against the Sultan's order.[5] Many of the vassal Serbian lords now began to support Lazar against the Ottomans.[5] At that time, one lord[who?] inShkodër wrote to the Sultan promising to recognise Ottoman sovereignty and aid the Ottoman army if Ottoman troops were sent to protect him.[5]Murad I consequently ordered anakinji commander, Kula Şahin Bey, to prepare his troops (according to Namık Kemal, this was notLala Şahin Paşa, as is commonly believed).[5]
The Serbian army emerged victorious, although details of the actual battle are scarce. Şahin Bey entered Serbia with 20,000akinjis, and learned that Serbian lords had prepared an army to attack his troops. He advanced toPločnik nearProkuplje but could not detect that army, and believed that it did not exist. At that time, many akinjis (about 18,000) lost their temper and began looting civilian properties in the surrounding villages, disobeying orders, leaving Şahin Bey alone with 2,000 soldiers.[5] The battlefield was observed by Serbian expeditionary forces.
Suddenly an allied army of 15,000 soldiers appeared, many of whom were cavalry. The Serbian army used heavy knight cavalry charges, with horse archers on the flanks. The Serbs first attacked the Ottoman center (2,000 soldiers). Although unprepared and suffering a shock from heavy Serbian knights, the outnumbered Ottoman center resisted for some time but later began to withdraw with Şahin Bey,[5] who barely escaped with his life.[citation needed]
Then the Serbian army turned to the other 18,000 akinjis that were busy plundering. They were unprepared, ill-disciplined, and caught by surprise; only 5,000 of them returned home alive.[5] More than 60% of the Ottoman army was destroyed. According to tradition Serbian knight and folk heroMiloš Obilić participated with distinction in this battle;[6] he was wounded by an Ottoman arrow.
According to Croat historianVjekoslav Klaić, Lazar's army was aided by Bosnian troops.[7] According to another version of the battle, it was won thanks to the Bosnian troops and the trickery of aKastrioti.[8]
The victory at Pločnik brought considerable prestige to Lazar among Serbian (and bordering) nobles, and provided (at least) nominal unity of the Serbian Principalities. It was the first major defeat of the Ottomans in South Slavic lands, though Lazar could not recapture Niš, which Ottomans had taken prior to Pločnik.[5] The Ottoman army next campaigned against Bosnia, suffering another serious defeat toVlatko Vuković andRadič Sankovićat Bileća (1388), and culminating in Kosovo, fighting Serbian and allied troopsat the Kosovo field (1389), concluding with the deaths of bothMurad I andLazar.