Serbian national hero Obilic Milos became famous for his feat during the battle on the Kosovo field. Due to the lack of documents relating to his era, many facts of his biography are unknown.
Personality of Obilich
Serb Obilic Milos devoted his life to the military cause. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He lived in the second half of the XIV century, when his native country was under the blow of the Ottoman Empire. This state was becoming an increasing threat to the inhabitants of the Balkans. The Byzantine Empire used to be a shield between East and West. When Obilic Milos became a knight (youth), this state was already hopelessly weakened. Byzantium had to fall - it was only a matter of time.
The Ottomans, without waiting for the capture of Constantinople, began to conquer the states located on the Balkan Peninsula. The first in 1366, Bulgarian king Shishman III recognized his dependence on the Sultan. Then came the turn of Serbia. At that time, Obilic Milos served as a knight with Prince Lazarus.
In 1387, the first serious battle took place between the Serbs and Turks. The battle took place on the banks of the river Toplice. The Slavs managed to defeat the enemy army. However, the threat of a re-invasion has not disappeared.
Turkish invasion
The medieval history of Serbia is full of feuds and feudal wars among themselves. They (bans) stubbornly quarreled among themselves, disputing the primacy in the country. Internal wars prevented the state from uniting its forces for a decisive war against the real threat - the Ottoman Empire. For the Slavs, recognition of dependence on the Sultan could be a fatal disaster. The Turks differed not only in ethnicity, they were also Muslims, which did not bode well for the Serbian Orthodox Church and the entire mentality of the people.
The Turkish Sultan Murad I quickly regained his strength after a defeat on the Toplice River. He owned the human and natural resources of all of Asia Minor. Fragmented Serbia was noticeably weaker compared to its power. In the summer of 1389, the Turkish army again invaded the Slavic principality. The decisive battle took place on July 15 in the Kosovo field. Among the defenders of his Fatherland was Milos Obilic. The biography of this knight until that time remained little known. But it was on the Kosovo field that he immortalized his name.
Battle of Kosovo
The army of Prince Lazarus was built on the banks of the Lab River. This water artery crossed the Kosovo field, at the opposite end of which there was an Ottoman squad. In the army of the Serbs there were also Bosnians and representatives of some other small Balkan peoples. Later they will betray Lazarus, which will complete his rout.
Until this day, the history of Serbia did not yet know such fateful battles. Even when its people were dependent on Byzantium, it was only for the benefit of the nation, since it was the Greeks who granted them literacy and many cultural realities. Turks could simply destroy the Serbs.
The army of Sultan Murad directed his main blow to the right flank, where the best Slavic warriors were. Among them was Milos Obilic, whose years of life passed in constant battles and battlefields.
The murder of the Sultan
At first, the Serbs successfully repelled the attacks of the Ottomans. However, the Sultan continued to bring into battle ever new reserves, which the Slavs did not have because of a lack of people. Gradually, the Turks began to crush their enemies.
Obilich, realizing that defeat would be a disaster for the motherland, decided on a desperate act. He surrendered to the Turks. Yunak was brought to the tent of the sultan to swear allegiance to him. Obilich said he converted to Islam and wanted to serve Murad. As a sign of his humility, the Serb was to kiss the foot of the Sultan. However, at a crucial moment, the unarmed Milo Obilich suddenly snatched a poisoned dagger from his sleeve. A deadly blow followed, which took the life of Murad.
The defeat of the Slavs
Serb hoped that the death of the sovereign would cause confusion in the ranks of the Ottomans. However, this did not happen. At a decisive moment, the Turks learned that their army was headed by the son of the Sultan Bayazid. The battle continued at the same pace. The Serbs were defeated. They were also defeated because of the betrayal of some escaped feudal lords and Bosnians.
The defeat in the Kosovo field remains the main national disaster for all this South Slavic people. After the battle, the Serbs were helpless before the Turkish expansion. Murad’s successors gradually took freedom from the principality and in the 15th century they finally annexed it to the Ottoman Empire.
In historiography, Milos Obilic is known as the greatest hero of his people, who decided to sacrifice himself for the sake of the ghostly hope of defeat of the invaders. It is not known exactly how he died, one can only guess. Either the bodyguards chopped him down on the spot, or the knight was executed later after numerous sadistic tortures.
