Battle of Sofia valley
| Battle of Sofia valley | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Sofia valley, today Bulgaria | |
| Result |
Indecisive |
Bulgarian Empire.svg){kind=small}
Ottoman EmpireThe battle of Sofia valley took place in 1371 or 1372, near what is today Sofia, after the battle of Maritsa and the fall of Bitola to the Ottomans. The result of the battle is Indecisive, however, the Bulgarians managed to repulse the Ottoman advance towards Northern Bulgaria.
Soon after the battle of Maritsa, the armies of
Ivan Shishman to retreat north of the Balkan Mountains. After prolonged and fierce sieges many fortresses fell: the town of Diampol, managed to resist for a prolongued time against the forces led by Timurtash, however, the defenders of the fortress werè eventually forced to surrender because of food shortage.[4] The Ottomans conquered most of the Rhodopes, Kostenets, Ihtiman, and Samokov
.
After the conquest of Bitola, Lala Şahin planned to seize Sofia but before he could reach the city, the Ottomans encroached with the Bulgarians on the Sofia Valley.[4] In the bloody clash both sides suffered heavy casualties, but the Ottomans were repulsed and forced to retreat.[2][3] In 1373 Ivan Shishman was forced to negotiate a humiliating peace treaty: he became an Ottoman vassal strengthening the union with a marriage between Murad and Shishman's sister Kera Tamara. As a compensation, the Ottomans returned some of the conquered lands, including Ihtiman and Samokov.[5]
Ivan Shishman
, lithography by an unknown authorIn his popular work Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya, Paisius of Hilendar gives an information about the battle:
“When Ivan Alexander died, three of his sons remained – Sratsimir, Shishman and Asen. Ivan Shishman became tsar. Then Murad broke the peace and went on a campaign against Bulgaria. In the great battle, the Bulgarians won, but Asen died.”[6][1]
According to professor
Ivan Asen V of Bulgaria
.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-954-28-4614-7.
- ^ a b Iordanov, Nikolai (19 July 2017). "Tsar Ivan Shishman through the Ottoman's eyes". Bulgarian History.
- ^ ISBN 978-954-2953-99-9.
- ^ a b Seadeddin, Chronica dell' origine e progresse della casa ottomana. Vienna, 1649, p. 101
- ^ Синодник царя Борила, с. 89
- ^ Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya