Timeline Monday 15 June 1389

Events on Monday 15 June 1389 2

• 1389 Battle of Kosovo -- 15 June 1389 The First Battle of Kosovo (15 June 1389) is fought on the Field of Blackbirds between an Ottoman army under Murad I and a Serbian-led Christian coalition under Prince Lazar of Serbia. Both commanders die: Murad I is assassinated in his tent by the Serbian knight Miloš Obilić after the battle; Lazar is captured and beheaded. The outcome is Ottoman victory -- the Serbian state is effectively ended as an independent power and becomes an Ottoman vassal. Kosovo enters Serbian national mythology as the defining moment of national martyrdom. The 600th anniversary of the battle is where Slobodan Milošević delivers his inflammatory 1989 speech.
• 1389 Battle of Kosovo -- the Balkans opened At the Battle of Kosovo (15 June 1389), Sultan Murad I defeats a Serbian-led Christian coalition under Prince Lazar. Both commanders die -- Murad is assassinated in his tent after the battle; Lazar is captured and executed. Kosovo becomes the defining myth of Serbian national identity. The battle opens the Balkans to Ottoman domination: Bulgaria is fully absorbed (1393), and the Ottomans become the dominant power in southeastern Europe. The anniversary (Vidovdan, St Vitus's Day) is still commemorated in Serbia.