Battle of Slivnitsa

Alexander of Battenberg on the battlefield of Dragoman

Date	17 November 1885 – 19 November 1885
Location	Slivnitsa, Bulgaria
Result	Decisive Bulgarian victory

Belligerents

Principality of Bulgaria

Kingdom of Serbia

Commanders and leaders

Alexander of Battenberg

Milan I

Strength

12,000 in the beginning; 32,000 by 17 November

25,000 in the beginning; 40,000 by 17 November

Casualties and losses

1,800

2,100

Called the "Battle of the captains vs the generals" by historians,referring to the young Bulgarian army, whose highest rank went up to a captain, the Battle of Slivnitsa (Bulgarian: Битка при Сливница,Serbian: Битка на Сливници) was a decisive factor in the victory of the Bulgarian army over the Serbians on November 17–19, 1885 in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. It solidified the unification between the kingdom of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia.

The conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the Congress of Berlin 1878 left Bulgaria divided into two sections. The area north of the Balkan Mountains and Sofia became an autonomous principality. Eastern Rumelia between the Balkan and Rhodope mountains gained semi-autonomous status with an Ottoman appointed Christian governor.

The Bulgarian Assembly chose Prince Alexander Battenberg as their ruler and continued to press for the reunification of their country. Political changes in 1883 caused a cooling in relations between Bulgaria and their protector Russia, who now opposed reunification.

In September 1885 a rebellion broke out in Eastern Rumelia. Alexander was placed in a difficult position. Russian opposition if he supported the revolt, or the loss of his throne unless he retained leadership of the Bulgarian national movement. He decided to keep his throne. In response the Russians recalled all their officers which left the Bulgarian army virtually leaderless above the rank of Captain.

The Bulgarian army concentrated their limited forces in Eastern Rumelia, expecting an Ottoman attack that never materialised. The actual threat came from the west in the shape of King Milan's Serbia. Bulgarian unification upset the balance of power in the Balkans and Milan demanded compensation.

The Bulgarian field army in 1885 consisted of just under 30,000 men organised into 8, three battalion infantry regiments (700 men each), 9 squadrons of cavalry and 12, eight gun batteries. In addition the first line of the Eastern Rumelia militia had been mobilised consisting of 12 infantry battalions, 2 squadrons of cavalry and 4 guns. During the war the second ban of the Eastern Rumelia militia was mobilised (12 battalions) along with the Bulgarian second ban (8 battalions) and as many as 20 volunteer battalions, 3 Macedonian battalions and some 6000 Muslim volunteers.

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