TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1388
Kavala Şahin, frontier lord of northern Albania, led a raid into the Kingdom of Bosnia. According to the TDV article on Murad I, Ottoman sources say he undertook it at the instigation of the lord of Shkodër, while Balšić warned the Bosnian king and the Serbs. Most of the roughly 20,000 raiders who entered Bosnia had scattered to plunder when a Bosnian army under Vlatko Vuković surprised them at Bileća, north of Trebinje, and routed Şahin's force (26 or 27 August 1388). According to the TDV article on the battles of Kosovo, this is the 1388 defeat that the sources give as the reason for the Kosovo campaign.
| Date | 26 or 27 August 1388 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bileća (north of Trebinje), Herzegovina |
| Result | Rout of the Ottoman raiding force |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Beylik | Kingdom of Bosnia |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Kavala Şahin | Vlatko Vuković |
Took place during the reign of Murad I (1362–1389). Murad I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 284,000 km² in 1388; at the start of Murad I's reign they measured 101,000 km², at its end 346,000 km².
During Murad I (1362–1389) the atlas records 10 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Edirne–Kırklareli (1369), Western Thrace (Komotini–Kavala) (1371), Macedonia (Skopje–Bitola) (1371), Danubian Bulgaria (1371), Germiyan (Kütahya–Afyon–Uşak) (1381), Thessaloniki–Chalkidiki–Mount Athos (1387), Northern Dobruja (Constanța–Tulcea) (1388), Southern Dobruja (Dobrich–Silistra) (1388), and 2 more.
He turned the principality into a state firmly rooted in the Balkans and founded most of the classic Ottoman military and administrative institutions. He was the first sultan to expand by purchase and marriage as well as by conquest.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “MURAD I” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Battle of Bileća (1388): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/battle-of-bileca/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections
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