Bosnian Phoenix

THE BATTLE OF PLOČNIK By 1386, after the Karamanian war between the Ottomans and opposing Muslims in Asia Minor, Sultan Murad I had decided to launch his massive armies westward into Europe. Froissart’s Chronicles, although sometimes prone to hyperbole, give fascinating insights into what followed. According to Froissart’s account, Murad decided to conquer Hungary and in order to accomplish this wanted to pass through Prince Lazar’s lands. Murad sent ambassadors to Lazar requesting safe passage for Ottoman troops through Serbia and demanding that Lazar place himself under “his [Murad’s] obedience.” This meant supplying soldiers and tribute to Murad. The Turkish ambassadors had an object lesson for the Serbs, should the prince refuse: They brought a mule laden with millet before Lazar. He was told that if he were to “prove rebellious,” the Sultan “will pour more heads into your country to destroy it than there are grains of millet in this bag.” The Ottoman envoys opened the millet bag to show its contents to Lazar. It was full. The many thousands of grains inside were supposed to represent the soldiers of the Sultan ready to destroy the Serbs. The Ottomans stressed intimidation as a major part of their arsenal and this was meant as such. While the details of the story may be apocryphal, its spirit is undoubtedly true. It is a certainty that threats were used to try to frighten Lazar into accepting Ottoman domination. Three days later, the Turks received their answer. Lazar had gathered 10,000 poultry and kept them without food. In front of the Turkish ambassadors, the millet bag was opened and its contents scattered. The famished avians were then turned loose and rapidly gobbled up the millet grains. Lazar then urged the envoys to tell the Sultan “that, with whatever force he came, he shall be destroyed, in the same manner as the fowls have devoured your millet.” Ottoman intimidation did not work in this instance. Lazar had now stood up to the Ottomans and was deemed in rebellion against the Sultan as the Turks had already considered him as a kind of vassal. The die was cast for war and both sides prepared for it, amassing large military forces. The result was the battle of Pločnik, which took place in the Toplica River valley of Western Serbia, a conflict of major significance for its day and the future. By Froissart’s account, Prince Lazar had the foresight to know that he could not resist the Turks with his resources alone and sought the help of his allies. He received it. Turkish and other Balkan historians identify the Christian armies operating against the Ottomans at Pločnik as predominantly joint Bosnian and Serbian forces. Several ascribe the overall strategic leadership to Bosnian King Tvrtko. In response to Lazar’s “rebellion”, Murad I decided to devastate Prince Lazar’s lands. Murad would then move against Bosnia – but his plans did not stop there. His aim was not only to conquer Hungary, but also the German dominated Holy Roman Empire and other territories up to Rome. He could not accomplish these larger goals without defeating Bosnia as well as Serbian lands.