The Battle of Vranje, or the Liberation of Vranje ( / Oslobođenje Vranja), represented one of the final stages of the second phase of the Serbian–Ottoman War (1876–78). At the beginning of the war, the Serbian army began the offensive in what is today South Serbia. After the Battle of Grdelica, the Serbian army managed to break into the Masurica Valley leaving the road to Vranje open and unguarded. At the same time, many rebellions broke out in the Serbian-Ottoman border areas, including in the Vranje region, against Ottoman authority. To help the rebels, the Serbian command decided to send Lieutenant Stepa Stepanović to form a special rebel battalion.
General Jovan Belimarković was the commander of the Serbian Army; his forces were deployed east of the South Morava River. The leader of the Ottoman forces was Division General Asaf Pasha whose forces were deployed west of the South Morava River. Officially, the battle began on 26 January 1878, when Serbian forces began to move to the west side of the river; it culminated in a great battle on 31 January. About 22,000 Serbian soldiers participated in the successful liberation of the town.
During the battle, Lieutenant Stojičević, who was killed in Devotin just north of the town, was cited for his bravery. Major Radomir Putnik was tasked with pursuing the retreating Ottoman forces as they moved towards Bujanovac and Preševo.
After the Treaty of San Stefano, citizens of Vranje feared that the area would be conceded to the Principality of Bulgaria. A letter was sent to Serbian Prince Milan Obrenović with the plea not to withdraw the army from Vranje. It officially became part of Serbia after the Congress of Berlin in 1878.
Background
The Serbian–Ottoman War of 1876–1878 commenced on 30 June 1876. The Serbian war plan called for the Royal Serbian Army to launch offensives in the direction of the Nišava, Toplica and South Morava rivers, in the Niš–Leskovac region. By early 1878, the Royal Serbian Army had captured most of the South Morava basin, reaching as far as Preševo and Vitina. By 23 January 1878, the army, together with irregulars and local rebels, had captured Surdulica and Vladičin Han, as well as a string of villages in the Vlasina region. The following day, a group of officers from Priboj were dispatched to villages that were still under Ottoman control to encourage people to revolt. Lieutenant Stepa Stepanović of the 1st Šumadija Division left Priboj on 25 January and visited Serb villages in the Poljanica region to stoke unrest and attack the Ottomans from the rear. He was appointed commander of the Kragujevac Brigade's newly formed Volunteer Company. When he arrived in Poljanica he contacted rebel leaders Vasilije Popović, Stojiljko Popović and Simeon Stojiljković. With their help he formed a rebel battalion manned by the male inhabitants of Golemo Selo, Gradnja, Studena, Kruševa Glava, Tumba, Drenovac, Sikirje, Vlase, and other Poljanica villages.
The next day, the Volunteer Company marched from Priboj to Vranjska Banja as an avant-garde of the Šumadija Corps. One company spotted the Ottoman defensive positions that were guarded by 200 Ottoman regular company and around 200 Albanian citizens near Banja. As soon as the fight began, the Serbian company was aided by the newly arrived battalion so the Ottoman unit was routed and forced to flee to Vranje. Serbian units then captured Vranjska Banja, killing 28 Ottoman soldiers and six Albanians in the process. Afterwards, the Serbians seized a strategically important bridge across the South Morava river.
Prelude
The same day, the fight for liberation began, a detachment of rebels from Vranje region, alongside a company of the Volunteer Corp, transferred from the east bank to the west bank of the South Morava River to scout the Ottoman forces just outside Vranje, and gather information about them. To increase their chances of success, the Serbian soldiers dressed in the uniforms of fallen Ottomans. They managed to get near the Ottoman forces, and from one hillock they gathered information about the positions of Ottoman forces and their fortifications. However, they were soon discovered and fired upon, so they retreated with few casualties.