Battle of Krbava Field

Battle of Krbava field
Part of the Ottoman-Croatian Wars
Date September 9, 1493 Location Krbava field, southern Croatia Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Kingdom of Croatia
Commanders and leaders
Bosnian Sandjak-beg Hadum Jakub Pasa	Ban Mirko Derenčin †
Strength
8,000 light cavalry	2,000 heavy cavalry 8,000 infantry
Casualties and losses
Some 1,000 killed	Some 7,000 killed

The Battle of Krbava field, was fought between the Kingdom of Croatia and Ottoman forces on September 9, 1493 in southern Croatia. It resulted in the total defeat of the Croatian army led by Ban Mirko Derenčin.

Background

After the fall of the Bosnian Kingdom into the Ottoman hands in 1463, the southern and central parts of the Kingdom of Croatia remained unprotected, the defence of which was left to Croatian gentry who kept smaller troops in the fortified border areas at their own expense. The Ottomans meanwhile reached the river Neretva and having conquered Herzegovina (Rama) in 1482, they found their way toward Croatia, skilfully avoiding the fortified border towns. Through the concquest of the Kingdom of Croatia, the Ottoman light cavalry pushed its way towards the towns of Carinthia and Carniola, threatening thus to a border area of Venice as well.

Preparations

In order to stop such invasions, in the summer of 1493 the Croats rallied their troops under the command of Viceroy Emerik Derencin at Krbava field (near today's Udbina) in central Croatia, and lay in wait there to trap the Ottomans. In the meanwhile, the Ottoman Sandjak-beg Hadum Jakub Pasa with some 8,000 light (but heavily armed) cavalry was returning from a pillage expedition to Styria and Croatian Zagorje.

Croatian feudal army under the command of Viceroy Derencin at Krbava field had some 2,000 heavy feudal cavalry and some 8,000 infantry from all parts of the Croatia. The Croats overestimated their powers.

The sunrise of September 9, 1493 marked the beginning of one of the bleakest day of Croatian history.

The Battle

The Croatian army rushed at the Ottomans. After first luring Croats into plains, where light cavalry were in advantage over heavy feudal cavalry, surrounding it from the front, one flank and rear. Croatian army suffered a total defeat in which the cream of the old Croatian nobility perished to a man, including Mirko Derenčin.

Aftermath

The defeat was resounding. In one single day, around 7,000 Croatian soldiers lost their lives, including many of Croatian feudal nobleman of the time.

The defeat at Krbava field shook all the social strata in Croatia; however it did not dissuade the Croats from making even more decisive and persistent attempts at defending themselves against the attacks of the much more powerful enemy.

References

• Fred Singleton, A Short History of the Yugoslav Peoples. Cambridge University Press, 1989.