The Battle of Pločnik was fought in 1386 (or, according to other sources, in 1387), at the village of Pločnik

Plocnik

Pločnik is a village in the municipality of Prokuplje, Toplica District, Republic of Serbia. According to the 2002 population census, it's populated by 182, all of whom declared Serbs....

, near Prokuplje

Prokuplje

Prokuplje is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 43.24° North, 21.59° East. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 27,163 inhabitants, while population of municipality is 43,631. It is the administrative center of the Toplica District of Serbia. It is one of the...

 in today's southeastern Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

, between the Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

n forces of prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and the invading Ottoman Turks

Ottoman Turks

The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...

 of sultan Murad I

Murad I

Murad I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1361 to 1389...

.

It was the second clash between the Ottomans and forces commanded by Lazar, the first being the 1381 Battle of Dubravnica

Battle of Dubravnica

The Battle of Dubravnica was fought in the summer of 1380 or December 1381, on the Dubravnica River near Paraćin in today's central Serbia, between the Serbian forces of Prince Lazar of Serbia led by commanders Vitomir and Crep and the invading Ottoman Turks of Sultan Murad I...

, and this battle would precede the ultimate Battle of Kosovo

Battle of Kosovo

The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...

 in 1389. King Tvrtko I of Bosnia

Tvrtko I of Bosnia

Stjepan Tvrtko I was a ruler of medieval Bosnia. He ruled in 1353–1366 and again in 1367–1377 as Ban and in 1377–1391 as the first Bosnian King....

 sent auxiliary troops and the Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

n tsar Ivan Shishman joined the coalition, but he was unable to send troops. The Serbian army used heavy knight cavalry charge with horse archers on the flanks. Miloš Obilić

Miloš Obilic

Miloš Obilić was a medieval Serbian knight in the service of Prince Lazar, during the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. He is not mentioned in contemporary sources, but he features prominently in later accounts of the Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo as the legendary assassin of the Ottoman...

, who later became a hero in Serbian folklore about the Battle of Kosovo, was wounded by arrow in the battle.

The Serbian army emerged victorious, although details of the actual battle are sketchy. The Serbian victory temporarily slowed the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 invasion of the Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...

, and set the stage for the Battle of Kosovo between the two armies in 1389.