Battle of Rovine

The Battle of Rovine was fought on 17 May 1395. The campaign that preceded it began after the fall of Tarnovo in July 1393. Bayezid I's main objective was to capture the Wallachian princely capital, Curtea de Argeș. The first attack took place at Karanovasa on 10 October 1394, where the Wallachian voivode Mircea the Elder inflicted a complete defeat on the Ottomans. This encounter is known as the 'battle of the trenches'.

The next offensive began in early spring 1395. The main forces crossed the Danube at Vidin and Nikopol, while a third detachment advanced towards Curtea de Argeș along the River Ialomița. Failing to receive the help he expected from the Hungarian king, Mircea the Elder opened negotiations with Bayezid I. These ended in the Battle of Rovine on 17 May 1395, a bloody encounter that resulted in an Ottoman victory. Important figures including King Marko and Konstantin Dragash were killed, while Konstantin Balšić barely escaped.

After the battle, Wallachia remained under Ottoman rule, and Mircea the Elder was forced to acknowledge Bayezid I's suzerainty and pay an annual tribute to the Ottoman state.