Battle of Plocnick

Turkish history

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

The Battle of Plocnik was a significant engagement in Turkish history, occurring in 1387 or 1388. A combined force of Serbs, Bosnians, and Bulgarians inflicted a substantial defeat on the Ottoman army. This victory, however, was a prelude to a larger conflict. A turning point came when the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Shishman accepted Ottoman suzerainty, allowing Sultan Murad I to focus his forces against Serbian resistance.12

The Ottoman conquest of the Balkans was a gradual process, with the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 marking a crucial event. In this battle, Serbian prince Lazar Hrebeljanović led a combined army of Serbs, Albanians, and Hungarians against Murad I's forces. Although both leaders perished, the battle resulted in a Turkish victory and the eventual incorporation of Serbia into the Ottoman Empire. This marked a significant step in the Ottoman expansion into Europe.34

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Murad I
…Bosnians stopped the Ottomans at Pločnik, but in 1389 Murad and his son Bayezid (later Bayezid I) defeated them at the first Battle of Kosovo, although Murad was killed by a Serbian noble who pretended to defect to the Ottoman camp.
Read More
…Bosnians stopped the Ottomans at Pločnik, but in 1389 Murad and his son Bayezid (later Bayezid I) defeated them at the first Battle of Kosovo, although Murad was killed by a Serbian noble who pretended to defect to the Ottoman camp.
Read More