Battle of Maritsa
| Battle of Maritsa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Serbian–Ottoman wars | |||||||
Map showing Serbian and Ottoman movements and allied territories prior to the Battle of Maritsa. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Serbian Empire | Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Vukašin Mrnjavčević † Uglješa Mrnjavčević † |
Shahin Pasha Hacı İlbey | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,000 (modern estimates) or 50,000–70,000 (medieval estimates) | 800–4,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Extremely heavy | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Maritsa, also known as the Battle of Chernomen (Serbian: Marička bitka / Маричка битка; Turkish: Çirmen Muharebesi, İkinci Meriç Muharebesi; "Second Battle of Maritsa"), was fought on 26 September 1371 near the Maritsa River, close to the village of Chernomen (present-day Ormenio, Greece). The conflict pitted the Ottoman forces under Lala Şahin Pasha and Hacı İlbey against a coalition of Serbian lords, led by King Vukašin Mrnjavčević and his brother Despot Jovan Uglješa who sought to halt the Ottomans' westward advance. The battle ended in a decisive Ottoman victory in which both Serbian commanders were killed, marking the decline of Serbian power in Macedonia and paving the way for Ottoman expansion into the central Balkans.