The following is a list of wars involving Serbia in the Middle Ages as well as late modern period and contemporary history.
The list gives the name, the date, combatants, and the result of these conflicts following this legend:
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
---|---|---|---|
Avar-Serbian War (629–632) | Serb Settlers |
Avar Khaganate | Victory
|
Roman-Frankish War (802–812) | Byzantine Empire Principality of Serbia |
Carolingian Empire | Victory
|
Bulgarian-Serbian War (839–42) | Principality of Serbia |
Bulgarian Empire | Victory
|
Bulgarian-Serbian War (853) | Principality of Serbia | Bulgarian Empire | Victory
|
Bulgarian–Serbian wars of 917–924 Part of the Byzantine–Bulgarian war of 913–927 | Principality of Serbia |
Bulgarian Empire | Defeat
|
Conquest of Bari | Byzantine Empire Carolingian Empire Republic of Ragusa |
Emirate of Bari Emirate of Taranto Aghlabid dynasty |
Victory
|
Serb Uprising (927)[1][2][3][4] | Principality of Serbia Supported by: |
Bulgarian Empire | Victory
Časlav takes possession of the country after the uprising and submits suzereinity to the Byzantines |
War of unification[1][2] | Principality of Serbia | Serb tribes in: | Principality Victory
|
Magyar-Serb conflict (c. 960) Part of the Hungarian invasions of Europe |
Principality of Serbia | Magyar tribes | Inconclusive
|
Bulgarian-Serbian War (998) | Duklja | Bulgarian Empire | Defeat
|
Serb Uprising (1034–1042) | Duklja | Byzantine Empire | Victory
|
Byzantine-Norman wars (1040–1189) | Normans
Duklja |
Byzantine Empire Venice |
Indecisive
|
Byzantine–Serbian War (1090–1095) | Principality of Serbia | Byzantine Empire | Inconclusive
|
Byzantine–Hungarian War (1127–29) | Kingdom of Hungary | Byzantine Empire | Inconclusive
|
Byzantine-Venetian War (1171–1172) | Venice
Principality of Serbia Diplomatic support: Kingdom of Hungary Holy Roman Empire |
Byzantine Empire
Western Knights (under Henry the Lion) |
Byzantine Victory
|
Byzantine campaign in the Middle East (1176)[6] Part of the Byzantine-Seljuq Wars |
Byzantine Empire | Sultanate of Rum | Defeat
|
Emeric's Balkan campaign (1200–1203) Part of the Fourth Crusade |
Grand Principality of Serbia
Bulgarian Empire (1203) |
Kingdom of Hungary Valkan's Clique (as Hungarian vassal) Papal States[10] |
Emeric's Victories |
Hungarian Invasion of Serbia (1237) Part of the Crusade against Bogumils | Grand Principality of Serbia
Banate of Bosnia
Temporary support: |
Kingdom of Hungary
|
Victory |
Mongol invasion of the Balkans (1241–1242) |
Kingdom of Serbia
Bulgarian Empire |
Golden Horde (Mongols) | Defeat of the military alliance led by the Kingdom of Hungary
|
Serbian conflict with the Nogai Horde | Kingdom of Serbia | Nogai Horde
Bulgarian Empire |
Victory |
Epirote–Nicaean conflict (1258–1261) |
Despotate of Epirus Principality of Achaea Kingdom of Sicily Allies: Kingdom of Serbia |
Empire of Nicaea Supported by: Republic of Genoa |
Inconclusive
|
Byzantine-Catalan Wars (1305–1311)[11] | Byzantine Empire
Kingdom of Serbia (1305) |
Catalan Company Allies: Anatolian Turkish Beyliks Sultanate of Rum |
Victory |
Serbian-Crusader Conflict | Serbian cavalry Allies: Genoese fleet |
Turcopoles | Victory
|
Serbian-Anjou War (1318–1320)[13][14] | Kingdom of Serbia | Kingdom of Hungary
Muzaka Family (1318)
|
Partial Victory
|
War of Hum (1326–1329) | Kingdom of Serbia | Banate of Bosnia Republic of Ragusa |
Defeat |
Bulgarian-Serbian War (1330) Part of the Byzantine civil war of 1321–1328 |
Kingdom of Serbia Supported by: Andronikos II Palaiologos[19] |
Bulgarian Empire Supported by: Wallachia Moldavia Andronikos III Palaiologos |
Victory[20]
|
Serbian Invasion of Macedonia (1342–1343) Part of the Byzantine civil war of 1341-1347 |
Kingdom of Serbia Supported by: John VI Kantakouzenos |
John V Palaiologos Beylik of Aydin Zealots of Thessalonica |
Victory
|
Serbian Invasion of Albania (1342–1345)[21][22] Part of the Byzantine civil war of 1341-1347 |
Kingdom of Serbia Bulgarian Empire Principality of Karvuna Supported by: John V Palaiologos |
John VI Kantakouzenos
Beylik of Aydin |
Victory
|
Serbian-Ottoman War (1352) Part of the Byzantine civil war of 1352–1357 |
Serbian Empire Bulgarian Empire Supported by: John V Palaiologos |
Ottoman Beylik Supported by: John VI Kantakouzenos |
Defeat
|
Serbian Civil War (1356–1359) Part of the Fall of the Serbian Empire | Serbian Empire[24] | Empire of Thessaly (until 1359) Losha Clan Shpata Family
Byzantine Empire (until 1357) |
Loyalist Victory
|
The Feudal Wars (1356–1373) | Serbian Empire Moravian Serbia District of Branković Realm of Altomanović (until 1369) Anti-Altomanović Coalition: |
Lordship of Prilep (1369)
Realm of Altomanović (after 1369) |
Inconclusive
|
Battle of Kosovo (1389) | Moravian Serbia Supported by: District of Branković[25] Kingdom of Bosnia[26] Principality of Muzaka Jonima family Knights of Rhodes[27] |
Ottoman Empire Military support: Isfendiyar Beylik |
Inconclusive
|
Crusade of Nicopolis (1396) | Ottoman Empire | Crusade: Holy Roman Empire Kingdom of France[29] Principality of Wallachia[30] |
Victory |
Ottoman-Timurid War 1399–1402 | Ottoman Empire
Black Tatars |
Timurid Empire | Defeat
|
Ottoman Interregnum (1402–1413) | Mehmed Çelebi
Supported by: Süleyman Çelebi
Supported by |
Musa Çelebi Wallachia Supported by: |
Victory
|
Second Scutari War (1419–23) | Zeta Serbian Despotate (after 1421) Albanian nobility |
Republic of Venice | Inconclusive
|
Despotate-Ottoman Wars (1425–1459)[38] Part of the Ottoman Invasions of Serbia and Hungarian–Ottoman Wars | Serbian Despotate Kingdom of Hungary Taborite mercenaries |
Ottoman Empire
Crimean Khanate |
Eventual Defeat
|
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
---|---|---|---|
Uprising against the Dahije (1804) |
Serbia |
Dahije | Victory
|
First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) Part of the Serbian Revolution |
Supported by: |
Dahijas (1804) Ottoman Empire (from 1805) |
Inconclusive
|
Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) Part of the Serbian Revolution and Russo-Turkish Wars |
Russian Empire Moldavia |
Victory[46] | |
Hadži-Prodan's rebellion (1814) |
Serb rebels | Ottoman Empire | Defeat
|
Second Serbian Uprising (1815–1817) Part of the Serbian Revolution |
Serbian rebels | Ottoman Empire | Victory
|
Niš Rebellion (1821) |
Serb rebels | Ottoman Empire | Defeat
|
Serbian Involvement in the Greek Revolution Part of the Greek War of Independence |
Greek Revolutionaries
Serbian Revolutionaries
Military Support: |
Ottoman Empire | Greek Victory
|
Serb uprising (1848–1849) Part of the Revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire |
Serbian Vojvodina
Supported by: |
Kingdom of Hungary (until 14 April 1849) Hungarian State (after 14 April 1849)
|
Victory
|
Herzegovina uprising (1875–1877) Part of the Great Eastern Crisis |
Serb rebels Supported by: Serbia Montenegro |
Ottoman Empire | Inconclusive |
First Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–1877) Part of the Great Eastern Crisis |
Ottoman Empire | Victory
| |
Second Serbian–Ottoman War (1877–1878) Part of the Great Eastern Crisis and the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) |
Ottoman Empire | Victory
| |
Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) |
Russian Empire
Principality of Romania |
Ottoman Empire
Polish volunteers |
Coalition Victory
|
Timok Rebellion (1883) |
Kingdom of Serbia | People's Radical Party | Victory
|
Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885) |
Supported by: |
Bulgaria | Defeat
|
Macedonian struggle (1901) |
Serbian Chetniks Supported by: Serbia |
VMRO Ottoman Empire |
Inconclusive
|
First Balkan War (1912–1913) Part of the Balkan Wars |
Balkan League: Supported by: | Victory[64] | |
Serbian invasion of Albania (1912–1913) Part of the Balkan Wars |
Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Montenegro |
Independent Albania | Victory
|
Tikveš Uprising (1913) |
Serbia Chetniks |
IMRO Supported by: Bulgaria |
Victory
|
Second Balkan War (1913) Part of the Balkan Wars |
Victory | ||
Ohrid-Debar Uprising (1913) |
Serbia Chetniks Greece |
IMRO Kachaks |
Victory
|
Third Peasant Revolt in Albania (September–October 1914) |
Republic of Central Albania Support: Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Italy |
Principality of Albania | Serbo-Italian backed Republic of Central Albania Victory
|
Serbian campaign and Balkans theatre (1914–1918) Part of the European theatre of World War I |
Allied Powers
|
Central Powers:
|
Victory |
Revolutions and interventions in Hungary (1918–1920) Part of the aftermath of World War I and the Revolutions of 1917–23 |
Victory
| ||
Impresa di Pola (1918) Part of the Adriatic Campaign in 1918 and the Adriatic question |
Defeat
| ||
1918–1920 unrest in Split (1918–1920) Part of the Adriatic question |
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes United States Italy |
Italian nationalists renegades | Inconclusive
|
Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia (1918–1919) Part of the aftermath of World War I |
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes | German-Austria | Military victory |
Christmas Uprising (1919) Part of the aftermath of World War I and the creation of Yugoslavia |
Montenegrin Whites Victory
| ||
Drenica-Dukagjin Uprisings (1919–1924) |
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
Kosovar Albanians Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo Diplomatic support: Albania |
Victory
|
Koplik War (1920–1921) |
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
Principality of Albania | Inconclusive
|
Albanian-Yugoslav Border War (1921) |
Kingdom of Yugoslavia Kingdom of Greece Republic of Mirdita |
Principality of Albania | Inconclusive
|
Zogu Invasion of Albania (1924) |
Ahmet Zogu supporters (Mati Tribesmen) Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
Fan Noli supporters (Albanian peasants) Principality of Albania Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo |
Zogu-Yugoslav Victory
|
Invasion of Yugoslavia (1941) Part of the Balkans campaign and Mediterranean theatre of World War II |
Yugoslavia | Axis | Defeat
|
World War II in Yugoslavia (1941–1945) Part of the European theatre of World War II |
Allies
Bulgaria (1944–45)
Other factions:
Yugoslav government-in-exile (1941–44)
Western Allies:
|
Axis
German puppet states and governments:
|
Yugoslav Partisan Victory
|
Yugoslav Involment in the Years of Lead (1970s-1980s) | Red Brigades Front Line October 22 Group PAC Continuous Struggle Workers' Power Workers' Autonomy Foreign supporters: |
Supported by: |
Defeat
|
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Results |
---|---|---|---|
Croatian War of Independence[c] (1991–1995) Part of the Yugoslav Wars |
|
|
Defeat
|
War in Bosnia[d] (1992–1995) Part of the Yugoslav Wars |
|
NATO (1995) |
Inconclusive
|
Kosovo War (1998–1999) Part of the Yugoslav Wars |
FR Yugoslavia | UÇK NATO (1999)
Supported by: |
Military Stalemate[74]
|
Insurgency in the Preševo Valley (1999–2001) [citation needed]Part of the Yugoslav Wars |
FR Yugoslavia | UÇPMB | Victory[75] |
Not all Serb magnates fought and died as Ottoman vassals. Vuk Branković, who survived the Kosovo battle, and who continued to rule over his realm that included Kosovo, joined a large Christian coalition led by Hungary, which now represented the 'bulwark of Christianity' and included Wallachian, Venetian, Bulgarian, Croatian, French and English troops. The Christian coalition was defeated by Ottomans at Nicopolis, Bulgaria in 1396. Branković died as an Ottoman prisoner the following year, but is ironically portrayed in the Serbian folklore as a Judas-like figure.
Вук Бранковић, син Бранков, оженио се Маром, кћерком кнеза Лазара. Његови поседи протезали су се од Скопља до Копаоника и Сјенице, до горњих токова Таре и Мораче. После битке на Косову, примио је вазални однос према Турској. У бици код Никопоља учествовао је на страни Угарске, када га је заробио султан Бајазит и одвео га у заробљеништво, где је умро, 1397. године.
The Albanian forces fought on the side of Turkey not because they desired a continuance of Turkish rule but because they believed that together with the Turks, they would be able to defend their territory and prevent the partition of "Greater Albania
Ottoman regulars supported by Albanian irregulars continued in central and southern Albania even after the signing of the armistice in December 1912