Battle of Rovine
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395 between the Wallachia
n army led by Voivod Mircea cel Bătrân
(Mircea the Elder) against the Ottoman
invasion led by sultan Bayezid I
. The Ottoman army, numbering approximately 40,000 men, faced the much smaller Wallachian army, which was about 10,000 men. Legend says that on the eve of the battle, dressed as a peace emissary, Mircea cel Bătrân talked to Bayezid I asking him to leave Wallachia, and promising to grant him safe passage. However, the sultan
insisted on fighting.
The battle took place near the Argeș River
. However the exact location of the battle is disputed, but the Wallachian victory is confirmed by numerous historians. During the battle the main role was played by the Wallachian archers
, who annihilated the Ottoman ranks at the beginning of their attack. Then the Wallachian cavalry charged and routed the Ottomans, who fled in disorder across the river Danube
. In the battle were also involved, on the side of Bayazid, his vassals Despot Stefan Lazarević
(then he was just Grand Prince) and King Marko
, the mightiest of all Serbian feudal lords. King Marko died during the battle, whilst Despot Stefan showed great courage.
Another opinion is that the terrible confrontation lasted not a single day, but an entire week, being first a war of positions. The fierce battle ended with heavy casualties for both sides, at the end each army withdrew from the battlefield. Although Wallachians pushed back the enemy, the Ottomans, however were able to better defend their new backward position relying on the personal guard of the Sultan composed of janissaries
. This was the inexpugnable point of the Ottoman defense, applied justly from the next year, in the famous Battle of Nicopolis
. This tactical innovation became the fundamental element of the Ottoman art of war until the 18th century. The army of Mircea, sustaining heavy casualties, and in the impossibility to break the defense of Sultan's camp, was finally obliged to withdraw. However, if this result for Bayezid was a victory, it was a Pyrrhic
one.
Another historical view on this battle is given by a Serbian
chronicle dated a century later, indicating that there were two battles. The first one, called the Battle of Karanovasa
, took place on 10 October 1394 in which the Wallachian forces won, and the second took place between 17 and 18 May 1395, in which Mircea was defeated but the Ottomans had heavy casualties and they were not able to fully exploit the victory and subdue the country. The same chronicle also records that after this second battle, Mircea was forced to accept the Ottoman suzerainty and pay tribute. However, the accuracy of this source is disputed.
An epic description of the battle is found in the poem "Scrisoarea a III-a" ("The Third Letter") written by the Romanian national poet, Mihai Eminescu
. However, by reading the poem attentively, one can discover that the poet had made a mistake, placing the battle of Rovine after the Battle of Nicopolis
(1396).
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
n army led by Voivod Mircea cel Bătrân
Mircea I of Wallachia
Mircea the Elder was ruler of Wallachia from 1386 until his death. The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II...
(Mircea the Elder) against 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 led by sultan Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
. The Ottoman army, numbering approximately 40,000 men, faced the much smaller Wallachian army, which was about 10,000 men. Legend says that on the eve of the battle, dressed as a peace emissary, Mircea cel Bătrân talked to Bayezid I asking him to leave Wallachia, and promising to grant him safe passage. However, the sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
insisted on fighting.
The battle took place near the Argeș River
Arges River
Argeș is a river of Southern Romania. It starts at the junction of headwaters Buda and Capra in the Făgăraș Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Danube at Oltenița.The main city on the Argeş is Piteşti...
. However the exact location of the battle is disputed, but the Wallachian victory is confirmed by numerous historians. During the battle the main role was played by the Wallachian archers
History of archery
The bow and arrow are known to have been invented by the end of the Upper Paleolithic.Projectile points on are known from earlier prehistory, dating to the Middle Paleolithic...
, who annihilated the Ottoman ranks at the beginning of their attack. Then the Wallachian cavalry charged and routed the Ottomans, who fled in disorder across the river Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. In the battle were also involved, on the side of Bayazid, his vassals Despot Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarevic
Stefan Lazarević known also as Stevan the Tall was a Serbian Despot, ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1389 and 1427. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar, who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić dynasty...
(then he was just Grand Prince) and King Marko
Prince Marko
Marko Mrnjavčević was de jure the Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while de facto he ruled only over a territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep...
, the mightiest of all Serbian feudal lords. King Marko died during the battle, whilst Despot Stefan showed great courage.
Another opinion is that the terrible confrontation lasted not a single day, but an entire week, being first a war of positions. The fierce battle ended with heavy casualties for both sides, at the end each army withdrew from the battlefield. Although Wallachians pushed back the enemy, the Ottomans, however were able to better defend their new backward position relying on the personal guard of the Sultan composed of janissaries
Janissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
. This was the inexpugnable point of the Ottoman defense, applied justly from the next year, in the famous Battle of Nicopolis
Battle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied army of Hungarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German and assorted troops at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising of the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and leading to the end of the...
. This tactical innovation became the fundamental element of the Ottoman art of war until the 18th century. The army of Mircea, sustaining heavy casualties, and in the impossibility to break the defense of Sultan's camp, was finally obliged to withdraw. However, if this result for Bayezid was a victory, it was a Pyrrhic
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
one.
Another historical view on this battle is given by a Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
chronicle dated a century later, indicating that there were two battles. The first one, called the Battle of Karanovasa
Battle of Karanovasa
The Battle of Karanovasa took place on 10 October 1394 between the Wallachian army led by Voivode Mircea cel Bătrân against an Ottoman invasion led by sultan Bayezid I. This battle is sometimes confused with the later Battle of Rovine The Battle of Karanovasa (lit. "Battle of the Trenches") took...
, took place on 10 October 1394 in which the Wallachian forces won, and the second took place between 17 and 18 May 1395, in which Mircea was defeated but the Ottomans had heavy casualties and they were not able to fully exploit the victory and subdue the country. The same chronicle also records that after this second battle, Mircea was forced to accept the Ottoman suzerainty and pay tribute. However, the accuracy of this source is disputed.
An epic description of the battle is found in the poem "Scrisoarea a III-a" ("The Third Letter") written by the Romanian national poet, Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu was a Romantic poet, novelist and journalist, often regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and he worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul , the official newspaper of the Conservative Party...
. However, by reading the poem attentively, one can discover that the poet had made a mistake, placing the battle of Rovine after the Battle of Nicopolis
Battle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied army of Hungarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German and assorted troops at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising of the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and leading to the end of the...
(1396).