TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1395
The Battle of Rovine took place on 17 May 1395. The Wallachian army led by Voivod Mircea the Elder opposed the Ottoman invasion personally led by Sultan Bayezid I the Thunderbolt. The Turkish force heavily outnumbered the Wallachian troops. The legend says that on the eve of the battle, dressed as a peace emissary, Mircea cel Bătrân talked to Bayezid asking him to leave Wallachia and promised him safe passage back. The Sultan proudly insisted on fighting and later suffered a humiliating loss.
| Date | 17 May 1395 |
|---|---|
| Location | Rovine, Wallachia |
| Result | Disputed |
| Belligerents | Principality of Wallachia | Ottoman state Moravian Serbia Lordship of Prilep Principality of Velbazhd |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Mircea I | Bayezid I Stefan Lazarević Marko Mrnjavčević † Andrijaš Mrnjavčević † Konstantin Dejanović † Konstantin Balšić |
| Strength | Unknown | Unknown |
| Casualties | Heavy | Heavy |
Some historians record the battle as a Wallachian victory, whereas Tony Jaques, Halil İnalcık, Şerif Baştav and Jean Sedlar state the battle was an Ottoman victory. Other sources state the battle may have been inconclusive. In the aftermath of the battle, news of victory for the Wallachians reached the Kingdom of Hungary, in Buda, and king Sigismund of Luxembourg was informed about it. The king went on to send his own version of the battle throughout Europe, making him appear as the victor of Mircea's battle, even though he didn't participate and didn't send any troops to help Mircea.
Took place during the reign of Bayezid I (1389–1402). Bayezid I
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.