The Battle of Savra (Albanian: Beteja e Savrës; Serbian: Bitka na Saurskom polju; Turkish: Savra Muharebesi; "Battle on the Saurian field") or the Battle of the Vjosë[4] was fought on 18 September 1385 between Ottoman and much smaller Zetan forces,[5] at the Savra field near Lushnjë (in modern-day southern Albania). The Ottomans were invited by Karl Thopia to support him in his feud against Balsha II.[6]
| Battle of Savra Beteja e Savrës | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Principality of Albania .svg){kind=small} Ottoman Empire |
 Principality of Zeta | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Karl Thopia Hayreddin Pasha |
Balsha II † Ivaniš Mrnjavčević † | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 40,000[2][3] | Unknown | ||||||
Background
editIn 1372, Balsha II married Comita Muzaka, the daughter of Andrea II Muzaka.[7][8][9][10][11] As a dowry, Balsha II gained Vlorë, Berat, Kaninë and Himarë which constitued the Principality of Vlorë.[12] This arrangement, made after the death of Alexander Komnenos Asen in 1371, also ensured Balsha's support against mutual enemies like Marko. It's unclear whether Muzaka had already conquered the cities or if Balsha was planning to take them, but the agreement solidified Balsha's claim to the territories through marriage.[13][14] By 1383 or 1385, Balsha II had conquered Durrës, presumably from Karl Thopia and in a charter issued to Ragusa during this period, he referred to himself as "Duke of Durrës".[15][16] The expansion of Balsha's realm into Epirus brought him to the frontline against the Ottomans. Aware of Ottoman aspirations to his territory, on 8 August 1385 Balsha II asked Venetians to support him with four galleys.[17][18]
Battle
editKarl Thopia invited the Ottomans to support him in his conflict with Balsha II. Thopia's invitation was accepted and Hayreddin Pasha[19] brought his forces from the region of Ohrid (modern-day Macedonia)[20] to Saurian field, near Lushnjë.[21] News about the incursion of the Ottoman forces into the region of Berat reached Balsha II while he was in Durrës.[22] According to Mavro Orbini, Balsha II rounded up 1,000 men in Durrës and, ignoring the advice of his nobles, headed out to take on the Ottoman raiders.[23] Unsurprisingly, Balsha's small forces had little success and Balsha II was killed.[24] Orbini's work is the only source that mentions Ivaniš Mrnjavčević as participating in this battle. Some scholars believe he did not even exist, while others believe that he was not an independent medieval lord, but a loyal member of the Balsha family.[25] Another person mentioned only by Orbini is Balsha's voivode Đurađ Krvavčić, described as a brave warrior who also died in this battle. Mavrini explains that the body of Balsha II was decapitated and his head taken to Hayreddin Pasha.[26]
Aftermath
editSince the Ottomans were victorious, most of the local Serbian and Albanian lords became their vassals.[27] Immediately after this battle Thopia recaptured Durrës,[28] probably under the Ottoman suzerainty.[23] The Ottomans captured Krujë, Berat, and Ulcinj but soon retreated from them, keeping only Kastoria under their permanent control.[29][20]
The work of Mavro Orbini (The Realm of the Slavs) is one of the main primary sources about this battle. It contains many incorrect and imprecise data.[30] Another primary source about the Battle of Savra is Marin Barleti who says that Balsha II was brave and idealistic.[31]
This battle set the foundation for centuries-long Ottoman presence in this part of the Balkans. Serbian historian Stojan Novaković emphasized that the battle's importance for these Serbian and Albanian lords was comparable to that of the Battle of Marica and Battle of Kosovo put together.[32] The important result of this battle was the influx of Albanians into Ottoman forces who remained a significant source of its strength during the next 527 years.[20]
References
edit- ^ Sedlar, Jean W., East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500, (University of Washington Press, 1994), 385.
- ^ TBR. TBR Company. 2000. p. 41.
- ^ E. Jacques, Edwin (2009). The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present - Volume 1. McFarland & Company. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7864-4238-6.
...Topia called on the Turks for assistance. Amurat I (or Murad I) gladly sent an army of 40,000 men from Macedonia...
- ^ Kiel 1990, p. 17.
- ^ Група аутора. Историја српксог народа II. Српска књижевна задруга. p. 40.
- ^ Somel, Selcuk Aksin (2010). The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-8108-7579-1.
...the Ottomans supported Lord Karl Thopia against Balsha II, defeating the latter...
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2003). Early Albania A Reader of Historical Texts, 11th-17th Centuries. Harrassowitz. p. 42. ISBN 978-3-4470-4783-8.
...His first daughter, the above mentioned Lady Comita, was married to the said King Balsha who held sway in Shkodra, Bar, Kotor, Šibenik, Trogir and much other land...
- ^ E. Jacques, Edwin (2009). The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present - Volume 1. McFarland & Company. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-7864-4238-6.
...With one daughter, Komita married to Balsha II of Shkodra...
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2003). Early Albania A Reader of Historical Texts, 11th-17th Centuries. Harrassowitz. p. 42. ISBN 978-3-4470-4783-8.
...In this undertaking, he had called upon the assistance of his son in law, King Balsha, who was married to Lady Comita Musachi, his first-born daughter...
- ^ Stylian Noli, Fan (1921). Historia e Skënderbeut Gjerg Kastriotit, Mbretit te Shqiperise, 1412-1468. Shtypeshkrinja e "Diellit. p. 82.
...Vlora dhe Kanina ishin ne duar te princerve bullgare nga dera mbreterore e Asenit qe me 1350 gjer me 1372. Me 72 ua rrembyen Balshet dhe i mbjatin gjer me 1385. Si u-vra Balsha II ne betejen e Savres, e shoqja e tij Princesha Komita Muzaka, nje Amazone e fjeshte, mbreteroj mi Vloren, Sazanin, Kaninen, Himaren dhe Pargen; pastaj u-zgjat gjer ne Krahinen e Devollit, qe ia rrembeu te kusheririt Nikoll Muzake, te cilin e mundi dhe e zuri rop...
- ^ Miller, William (1921). Essays on the Latin Orient. Cambridge, University Pressn. p. 435. ISBN 978-1-1074-5553-5.
...Under Balsha II Valona formed part of a considerable principality, for on the death of his last surviving brother, in 1372, the "Lord of Valona and Budua" had become sole ruler of the Zeta- the modern Montenegro- and then, by the capture of Durazzo from Carlo Topia, "Prince of Albania", assumed the title of "Duke" from that former Venetian duchy. By his marriage with Comita Musachi, he became connected with a powerful Albanian clan...
- ^ Fine 1994, p. 372
- ^ Qeriqi, Ahmet (December 13, 2023). The Stone of the Oath. novum pro Verlag. ISBN 978-1-6426-8417-9.
...At that time, Andrea Muzaka II Vlora and Kanine from Sebastian Alexander, who ruled there after the death of the despot Gjon Komen. However, the despot Muzaka soon gave these two cities to the younger brother of the Balshas, Balsh II, after his marriage to his daughter Komita...
- ^ Duka, Ferit (2004). Studime Historike-MUZAKAJT - LIDHËZ E FUQISHME MIDIS KOHËVE PARAOSMANE DHE OSMANE. Qendra e Studimeve Albanologjike. p. 10.
- ^ E. Jacques, Edwin (2009). The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present - Volume 1. McFarland & Company. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7864-4238-6.
...In 1383 Balsha II captured Durrës from Karl Topia and assumed the title "Duke of Durrës"...
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania. McFarland & Company. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-8108-6188-6.
...The lost Durrës to his brother-in-law Balsha II in 1385...
- ^ Ivić et al. 1987, p. 102.
- ^ Ecrits historiques. 1987. p. 31.
- ^ Houtsma, M. Th. (1993). E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. BRILL. p. 556. ISBN 90-04-09791-0.
- ^ a b c Gibbons, Herbert Adam (21 August 2013). The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire: A History of the Osmanlis Up To the Death of Bayezid I 1300-1403. Routledge. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-135-02982-1.
- ^ E. Jacques, Edwin (2009). The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present - Volume 1. McFarland & Company. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7864-4238-6.
...Topia called on the Turks for assistance. Amurat I (or Murad I) gladly sent an army of 40,000 men from Macedonia. In the plain of Savre between Elbasan and Lushnja...
- ^ Recueil des travaux de la Faculté de philosophie: Les sciences historiques. Univerzitet. 1994. p. 164.
- ^ a b Fine 1994, p. 390.
- ^ Elsie, Robert (2010). Historical Dictionary of Albania. McFarland & Company. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-8108-6188-6.
...he appealed to the Turks for assistance and defeated him at the Battle of Savra on 18 September 1385...
- ^ Veselinović, Andrija & Ljušić, Radoš (2001). СРПСКЕ ДИНАСТИЈЕ, СРЕДЊОВЕКОВНЕ ДИНАСТИЈЕ
- ^ E. Jacques, Edwin (2009). The Albanians: An Ethnic History from Prehistoric Times to the Present - Volume 1. McFarland & Company. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7864-4238-6.
...In the plain of Savre between Elbasan and Lushnja Balsha fought the Turks and was defeated and killed, his head being taken to the Turkish capital as a trophy...
- ^ Sedlar, Jean W. East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000-1500, University of Washington Press, p. 385
- ^ Jovetić, Jovan (1985). Odjeci Srpske prošlosti: eseji, govori, polemike. Jovan Jovetić. p. 29.
- ^ Pitcher, Donald Edgar (1968). An Historical Geography of the Ottoman Empire: From Earliest Times to the End of the Sixteenth Century. Brill Archive. p. 45. GGKEY:4CFA3RCNXRP.
- ^ Орбин 1968, p. 321.
- ^ Barleti, Marin (2012). The Siege of Shkodra: Albania's Courageous Stand Against Ottoman Conquest, 1478. David Hosaflook. p. 60. ISBN 978-99956-87-77-9.
- ^ Istorija: spisanie na Sojuzot na društvata na istoričarite na SR Makedonija. Sojuz na društvata na istoričarite na SR Makedonija. 1980. p. 183.
Тука беше и Марица и Косово за господата српско-албанска.
Sources
edit- Fine, John V. A. (1994). The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-08260-4.
- Ivić, Aleksa; Mrđenović, Dušan; Spasić, Dušan; Palavestra, Aleksandar (1987). Rodoslovne tablice i grbovi srpskih dinastija i vlastele. Nova knj.
- Kiel, Machiel (1990). Ottoman architecture in Albania, 1385-1912. Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. ISBN 978-92-9063-330-3.
- Orbini, Mauro (1601). Il Regno de gli Slavi hoggi corrottamente detti Schiavoni. Pesaro: Apresso Girolamo Concordia.
- Орбин, Мавро (1968). Краљевство Словена. Београд: Српска књижевна задруга.