Battle of Kosovo

The Ruling Knez (Prince) of Serbia, Lazar[?], was given a powerful ultimatum. He was given the choice to surrender and step down or fight and die by the invading Ottomans under Sultan Murad I. Lazar[?] chose to fight and raised an army amounting to about one half of the total Turkish force. Lazar[?] had gathered not just a Serb army but attempted a Balkan "coalition". His efforts were in vain as most of his neighbours ignored his pleas and he was left to conted with a limited contingent of mercenaries made up mostly of Saxons (Germans) and Hungarians.

The army marched out to meet the Turks at the "field of blackbirds" or Kosovo Polje. The battle started with Serbian noble and Lazar's son-in-laws General Vuk Brankovic on one wing, Lazar in the center, and Captain Milosh Obilich and Lord Ivan Kosanchich[?] commanding the third wing of the Christian army.

Opposite the Christians, Sultan Murad I led his Turkish army of over twice the Balkan army's size. The two armies clashed and the Turks immediately gained the upper hand because of their numbers. But, as the day progressed, it seemed the Christians were gaining a tactical advantage. The two wings pushed forward and each side made their way into the turkish camp. But, the center army under Tsar Lazar was being stopped. This army was being beaten so badly that Lazar was caught in the melee and slain. Upon knowledge of this, Vuk Brankovic retired from the field with his 12,000 knights. This was disastrous. The other two armies were forced to retire. But, with them the proportionally beaten Turks left the field also. This left no clear winner.

The night after the battle Captain Milosh Obilich walked into the tent of Sultan Murad I, posing as a traitor offering his knights and his loyalty. As he pledged allegiance, he stood up and stabbed Murad I with a poisoned dagger. Murad I died and Obilich was killed trying to escape the camp. The Turkish army retreated back to Edirne and the Serbs were left to salvage their injured.