Montenegrin–Ottoman War (1876–78)
| Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1876–1878 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Great Eastern Crisis (1875–78) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Montenegro |
 Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Prince Nicholas I Marko Miljanov Popović Luka Filipov Bajo Bošković Peko Pavlović Ilija Plamenac |
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha Osman Pasha Selim Pasha | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 65,000 | 85,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Around 770 killed in battle, |
Over 20,000 killed 25,000 wounded Unknown number of sick-dead | ||||||||
The Montenegrin–Ottoman War (Montenegrin and Serbian Cyrillic: Црногорско-турски рат, Montenegrin-Turkish War) was a war between the Principality of Montenegro and the Ottoman Empire that took place between 1876 and 1878. The war ended with Montenegro victorious. 6 major and 27 smaller battles were fought, among them was the crucial Battle of Vučji Do.
A rebellion in nearby Herzegovina sparked a series of rebellions and uprisings against the Ottoman forces in Europe. Montenegro and Serbia agreed to declare a war on Turkey on 18 June 1876, thus starting the war. Montenegrins, allied with Herzegovians, emerged victorious. One battle that was crucial to Montenegro's victory in the war was the Battle of Vučji Do. In 1877, Montenegrins fought heavy battles along the borders of Herzegovina and Albania. Prince Nicholas took the initiative and counterattacked the Turkish forces that were coming from the north, south and west. He conquered Nikšić (24 September 1877), Bar (10 January 1878), Ulcinj (20 January 1878), Grmožur (26 January 1878) and Vranjina and Lesendro (30 January 1878)
The war ended when the Turks signed a truce with the Montenegrins at Edirne on 13 January 1878. The advancement of Russian forces toward Turkey forced Turkey to sign a peace treaty on 3 March 1878, recognising the independence of Montenegro, as well as Romania and Serbia, and also increased Montenegro's territory from 4,405 km² to 9,475 km². Montenegro also gained the towns of Nikšić, Kolašin, Spuž, Podgorica, Žabljak, Bar, as well as access to the sea.
Battles
- Battle of Vučji Do (18 July 1876)
- Battle of Fundina (2 August 1877)
- Battle of Medun
- Battle of Trijebca
- Battle of Spuž
- Battle of Doljani
Aftermath
Plav and Gusinje
- Battle of Velika (1879)
- Battle of Novšiće (4 December 1879)
- Battle of Murino (1880)
- Battle of Velika (1880)