Battle of Karanovasa
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Karanovasa (lit. "Battle of the Trenches") took place on 10 October 1394 between the Wallachia
n 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
(lit. "Battle of the Marshes") between the same combatants, and which took place also along the valley of the Argeş River
.
emerged as a small principality in the early fourteenth century in the northwestern part of the Anatolian Peninsula
. In the following decades, the Ottoman sultans combined their growing military strength with astute dynastic politics to expand their territory eastwards into the whole of Anatolia and westwards into the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, in 1387 Murad I
(1362–89) conquered much of Greece and fought a large Christian
army at the Battle of Kosovo
in 1389. In the early 1390s his successor Bayezid I
(1389–1402) established his suzerainty over Stefan Lazarević
of Serbia, the Turnovo Bulgaria of Ivan Shishman and the Vidin Despotate of Ivan Sratsimir
. The Ottoman Empire had become one of the most important powers in the Balkans, threatening the remaining independent states of central Europe: Wallachia
, Moldavia
, the Kingdom of Hungary
, as well as the Venetian
colonies in the Aegean Sea
. Mircea of Wallachia previously secured an alliance with several Karamanid princes of Anatolia, which antagonized Bayezid I. Yet Bayezid despite defeating the Karamanids, had to plan and act every action carefully, since he had more enemies than friends among the Muslim Turkish aristocracy, and could not simply turn around and declare a new "holy war
" against those whose troops helped the Karamanid princes in Anatolia. His opportunity came when the Wallachians and the Hungarians invaded the weak states from the south of the Danube, which were vassals of Bayezid. The Wallachians occupied the Principality of Karvuna
and the city of Silistra
apparently with the consent of Ivan Shishman, while the Hungarians tried to conquer the Vidin Despotate. These infringements on his vassals' lands gave Bayezid authority to move.
Returning from Asia Minor to the Balkans in 1393, the sultan expelled the Wallachians from Silistra and the Dobruja, and declared that Turnovo Tsardom, unable to fend for herself, was now an Ottoman pashalik. The final attack on Wallachia was to take place.
, Bayezid launched the attack on Wallachia. He commanded the Ottoman Rumelia
n army, and the armies of his Balkan vassal
s, most of which were Bulgarians and Serbs under Stefan Lazarević
, the son of the late Serbian prince Lazar. The armies crossed the Danube at Nicopolis, at advanced along the Argeş River with the intention of capturing Curtea de Argeş
, the capital city of Wallachia. After a weeklong march in which the constant attacks Wallachian took their toll, the Wallachian army met the Ottoman one on October 10. The Wallachians launched a sudden ambush from the forests, slowly pushing the Ottomans closely to the bank of the Argeş River. The bloodiest fighting took place around the Ottoman camp, strengthened with earth walls, palisades
and ditches (hendek in Turkish). Hence, the name with which this battle appears in Serbian chronicles, as the Battle of the Trenches (of Karanovasa). Surrounded, the Ottomans managed to resist until the dawn, when Bayiezid hardly managed to escape the battle, fleeing over the Danube Nevertheless, most of his and his vassals’ armies perished, including the Serbian kings son, Marko Kraljević.
, and leaving the lands south of the Danube in the hands of Mircea, who by now managed to provoke an anti-Ottoman rebellion as far south as Rumelia.
A much better prepared attack, in which the entire Ottoman army, as well as the whole of the Ottoman vassals took part, was started by the Sultan in spring, in May 1395. The alliance documents signed at Brașov
on March 7, between Mircea and Sigismund of Luxembourg
, reveal that by 1395, a huge concentration of Ottoman forces took place in the southern Dobruja. The Ottoman army launched a two-directional attack via Nicopolis, and via Vidin-Craiova. Another Ottoman army group, led by Vlad I of Wallachia
, Mircea's nephew, who was attempting to take the throne with Turkish support, was invading along the Ialomiţa River
. Faced with a much larger force, Mircea applied guerrilla tactics, and delayed direct confrontation with the Ottoman army until he received help from his ally Sigismund. The final confrontation would take place at the Battle of Rovine
(lit. "Battle of the marshes").
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 Voivode Mircea cel Bătrân against an 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...
. This battle is sometimes confused with the later Battle of Rovine
Battle of Rovine
The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395 between the Wallachian army led by Voivod Mircea cel Bătrân 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...
(lit. "Battle of the Marshes") between the same combatants, and which took place also along the valley of the Argeş 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...
.
Background
The Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
emerged as a small principality in the early fourteenth century in the northwestern part of the Anatolian Peninsula
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. In the following decades, the Ottoman sultans combined their growing military strength with astute dynastic politics to expand their territory eastwards into the whole of Anatolia and westwards into the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, in 1387 Murad I
Murad I
Murad I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1361 to 1389...
(1362–89) conquered much of Greece and fought a large Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
army at the 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. In the early 1390s his successor 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...
(1389–1402) established his suzerainty over 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...
of Serbia, the Turnovo Bulgaria of Ivan Shishman and the Vidin Despotate of Ivan Sratsimir
Ivan Sratsimir of Bulgaria
Ivan Sratsimir or Ivan Stratsimir was emperor of Bulgaria in Vidin from 1356 to 1396. He was born in 1324 or 1325, and he died in or after 1397. Despite being the eldest surviving son of Ivan Alexander, Ivan Sratsimir was disinherited in favour of his half-brother Ivan Shishman and proclaimed...
. The Ottoman Empire had become one of the most important powers in the Balkans, threatening the remaining independent states of central Europe: Wallachia
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...
, Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, the Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, as well as the Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
colonies in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. Mircea of Wallachia previously secured an alliance with several Karamanid princes of Anatolia, which antagonized Bayezid I. Yet Bayezid despite defeating the Karamanids, had to plan and act every action carefully, since he had more enemies than friends among the Muslim Turkish aristocracy, and could not simply turn around and declare a new "holy war
Religious war
A religious war; Latin: bellum sacrum; is a war caused by, or justified by, religious differences. It can involve one state with an established religion against another state with a different religion or a different sect within the same religion, or a religiously motivated group attempting to...
" against those whose troops helped the Karamanid princes in Anatolia. His opportunity came when the Wallachians and the Hungarians invaded the weak states from the south of the Danube, which were vassals of Bayezid. The Wallachians occupied the Principality of Karvuna
Principality of Karvuna
The Principality of Karvuna or Despotate of Dobruja was a 14th-century quasi-independent state in the region of modern Dobruja. It emerged as a polity under the influence of the Byzantine Empire, and probably had a population composed of Bulgarians, Gagauz, Greeks, Tatars, and Vlachs.The...
and the city of Silistra
Silistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
apparently with the consent of Ivan Shishman, while the Hungarians tried to conquer the Vidin Despotate. These infringements on his vassals' lands gave Bayezid authority to move.
Returning from Asia Minor to the Balkans in 1393, the sultan expelled the Wallachians from Silistra and the Dobruja, and declared that Turnovo Tsardom, unable to fend for herself, was now an Ottoman pashalik. The final attack on Wallachia was to take place.
The battle
In the autumn of 1394, after a raiding campaign along the right bank of the DanubeDanube
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....
, Bayezid launched the attack on Wallachia. He commanded the Ottoman Rumelia
Rumelia
Rumelia was an historical region comprising the territories of the Ottoman Empire in Europe...
n army, and the armies of his Balkan vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s, most of which were Bulgarians and Serbs under 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...
, the son of the late Serbian prince Lazar. The armies crossed the Danube at Nicopolis, at advanced along the Argeş River with the intention of capturing Curtea de Argeş
Curtea de Arges
Curtea de Argeș is a city in Romania on the right bank of the Argeş River, where it flows through a valley of the lower Carpathians , on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roşu Pass. It is part of Argeș County. The city administers one village, Noapteș...
, the capital city of Wallachia. After a weeklong march in which the constant attacks Wallachian took their toll, the Wallachian army met the Ottoman one on October 10. The Wallachians launched a sudden ambush from the forests, slowly pushing the Ottomans closely to the bank of the Argeş River. The bloodiest fighting took place around the Ottoman camp, strengthened with earth walls, palisades
Palisades
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.Palisade or Palisades also may refer to:-Geology:United States...
and ditches (hendek in Turkish). Hence, the name with which this battle appears in Serbian chronicles, as the Battle of the Trenches (of Karanovasa). Surrounded, the Ottomans managed to resist until the dawn, when Bayiezid hardly managed to escape the battle, fleeing over the Danube Nevertheless, most of his and his vassals’ armies perished, including the Serbian kings son, Marko Kraljević.
Aftermath
It would turn out that his vassals suffered more from the Sultans "help" than they did from the Wallachians and Hungarians. The Turnovo Tsardom not only ceased its existence, but Ivan Shishman was accused of collaboration with the enemy and was executed at the orders of the Sultan. Bayezid spent the winter and the spring warring in Anatolia with Seljuk princes, besieging ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and leaving the lands south of the Danube in the hands of Mircea, who by now managed to provoke an anti-Ottoman rebellion as far south as Rumelia.
A much better prepared attack, in which the entire Ottoman army, as well as the whole of the Ottoman vassals took part, was started by the Sultan in spring, in May 1395. The alliance documents signed at Brașov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
on March 7, between Mircea and Sigismund of Luxembourg
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
, reveal that by 1395, a huge concentration of Ottoman forces took place in the southern Dobruja. The Ottoman army launched a two-directional attack via Nicopolis, and via Vidin-Craiova. Another Ottoman army group, led by Vlad I of Wallachia
Vlad I of Wallachia
Vlad I, known as Uzurpatorul , was a ruler of the principality of Wallachia, , during the reign of Mircea I of Wallachia, usurping the throne but only lasting 3 years....
, Mircea's nephew, who was attempting to take the throne with Turkish support, was invading along the Ialomiţa River
Ialomita River
The Ialomiţa is a river of Southern Romania that rises from the Bucegi Mountains in the Carpathians and flows into the Danube.The upper reach of the river is sometimes known as Valea Obârşiei or Obârşia Ialomiţei.-Localities:...
. Faced with a much larger force, Mircea applied guerrilla tactics, and delayed direct confrontation with the Ottoman army until he received help from his ally Sigismund. The final confrontation would take place at the Battle of Rovine
Battle of Rovine
The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395 between the Wallachian army led by Voivod Mircea cel Bătrân 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...
(lit. "Battle of the marshes").