Battle of Pločnik

The Battle of Pločnik was fought in 1386 (or, according to the Bulgarian historiography, in 1387), at the village of Pločnik, near Prokuplje in today's southeastern Serbia, between the Serbian forces of prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic and the invading Ottoman Turks of sultan Murad I. It was the second clash between the Ottomans and forces commanded by Lazar, the first being the 1381 Battle of Dubravnica, and this battle would precede the ultimate Battle of Kosovo in 1389. King Tvardko of Bosnia sent too auxiliary troops and the the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman joined the coalition, but he was unable to send troops. [История на България в 14 тома, 1982, т. 3., С., изд-ние на БАН, стр. 358-362] The Serbian army used heavy knight cavalry charge with horse archers on the flanks. Milos Obilic, later a hero at the Battle of Kosovo, was wounded by arrow in the battle. The Serbian army emerged victorious, although details of the actual battle are sketchy at best. The Serbian victory temporarily slowed the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans, and set the stage for the ill-fated Battle of Kosovo between the two armies in 1389.

See also

* History of the Serbian-Turkish wars

References