Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–1878)

Serbian–Turkish Wars (1876–1878)
Part of Great Eastern Crisis
The Morava Battles – August 1876
Date 30 June 1876 — 3 March 1878 (1 year, 8 months and 3 days) Location Principality of Serbia Result Ottoman victory in the first war, Serbian victory in the second war
Belligerents
Serbia  Russia	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Mikhail Chernyayev František Zach Đura Horvatović Mihailo Ilić Ranko Alimpić Milojko Lešjanin	Abdülkerim Nadir Osman Nuri Süleyman Hüsnü Mehmed Ali
Strength
89,000–100,000	90,000–139,000

The Serbian–Turkish Wars or Serbian–Ottoman Wars (Serbian: српско-турски ратови / srpsko-turski ratovi), also known as the Serbian Wars for Independence (српски ратови за независност, srpski ratovi za nezavisnost), were two consequent wars (1876-1877 and 1877-1878), fought between the Principality of Serbia and the Ottoman Empire. In conjunction with the Principality of Montenegro, Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 30 June 1876. By the intervention of major European powers, ceasefire was concluded in autumn, and the Constantinople Conference was organized. Peace was signed on 28 February 1877 on the bases of status quo ante bellum. After brief period of formal peace, Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 11 December 1877. Renewed hostilities lasted until February 1878. Final outcome of wars was decided by the Congress of Berlin (1878). Serbia gained international recognition as an independent state, and its territory was expanded.

At the beginning of the conflict, Serbian army was poorly trained and ill-equipped, unlike the troops of the Ottoman Empire. The offensive objectives the Serbian army sought to accomplish were overly ambitious for such a force, and they suffered a number of defeats that resulted from poor planning and chronically being spread too thin. This allowed Ottoman forces to repel the initial attacks of the Serbian army and drive them back. During the autumn of 1876, the Ottoman Empire continued their successful offensive which culminated in a victory on the heights above Đunis. During the second conflict, between 13 December 1877 and 5 February 1878, Serbian troops regrouped with help from Imperial Russia, who fought their own Russo-Turkish War. The Serbians formed five corps and attacked Ottoman troops to the south, taking cities of Niš, Pirot, Leskovac and Vranje one after another. The war coincided with the Bulgarian uprising, the Montenegrin–Ottoman War and the Russo-Turkish War, which together are known as the Great Eastern Crisis of the Ottoman Empire.

...
Wikipedia