TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1876
After the Herzegovina revolt of 1875 and the Bulgarian uprising of 1876, Russia kept stirring up the Balkan Slavs with its Pan-Slav policy. According to the TDV article on the Treaty of San Stefano, seeing the Bulgarian uprising suppressed, Russia drove Serbia on 1 July 1876 and Montenegro on 2 July into war against the Ottoman state; but the fighting ended in the decisive victory of the Ottoman armies. According to the TDV article on Abdülhamid II, these Serbian and Montenegrin wars had begun under Murad V, and when Abdülhamid II came to the throne (31 August 1876) the state was going through its most critical days. The Porte rejected the decisions of the Constantinople Conference that followed; Russia declared war on 24 April 1877, and Serbia and Montenegro went to war again at Russia's side. According to the TDV article on Serbia, the Serbs won their independence through the treaties of San Stefano and Berlin.
| Date | From 1–2 July 1876 |
|---|---|
| Location | Serbian and Montenegrin borders |
| Result | Decisive victory of the Ottoman armies |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Principality of Serbia Montenegro |
|---|
Took place during the reign of Murad V (1876–1876). Murad V
Open the reign of Murad V on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 4,123,000 km² in 1876; at the start of Murad V's reign they measured 4,123,000 km², at its end 4,123,000 km².
During Murad V (1876–1876) the atlas records 0 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
He was put on the throne in the hope of a constitutional reign and deposed three months later on grounds of health. He spent the remaining twenty-eight years of his life under house arrest in the palace, while his brother and successor reigned for thirty-three years.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “AYASTEFANOS ANTLAŞMASI” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–1878): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/serbian-ottoman-war-1876-1878/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections
Terms on this page: Sublime Porte