The Battle of Murino took place on January 8, 1880, between the

Principality of Montenegro The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...

and the

League of Prizren The League of Prizren ( sq, Besëlidhja e Prizrenit), officially the League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation ( sq, Lidhja për mbrojtjen e të drejtave te kombit Shqiptar), was an Albanian political organization which was offi ...

. It was part of the battles about the sovereignty over Plav and

Gusinje Gusinje ( cyrl, Гусиње, ; sq, Gucia) is a small town in north-eastern Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, the town has a population of 1,673 and is the administrative center of Gusinje Municipality. Name Two alternative etymologies ...

. According to the treaty of Berlin, the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

was to hand over the region to Montenegro, but this move was militarily opposed by local Albanians. At the time of the battle, Montenegrin sources claim that around 10,000 Albanians from the

fought against Montenegrin forces numbering 3,000, led by commanders

Marko Miljanov Marko Miljanov Popović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Миљанов Поповић, ; 25 April 1833 – 2 February 1901) was a Brda chieftain and Montenegrin general and writer. He entered the service of Danilo I, the first secular Prince of Monteneg ...

and Todor Miljanov and priest Đoko, in Murino. Albanian sources claim that around 4,000 Albanian soldiers of the League of Prizren and 3,000 local volunteers fought against 9,000 Montenegrins. The battle at Murino occurred about a month later after the battle of Novšiće (December 4, 1879) as the Ottoman high command was preparing to send troops from Monastir under

Ahmed Muhtar Pasha Ahmed Muhtar Pasha ( ota, احمد مختار پاشا;‎ 1 November 1839 – 21 January 1919) was a prominent Ottoman field marshal and Grand Vizier, who served in the Crimean and Russo-Turkish wars. Ahmed Muhtar Pasha was appointed as ...

to pacify local resistance to the annexation. The Montenegrin forces moved from Pepići against the positions in Metej, near Plava when they were intercepted by the League of Prizren. After the skirmish, the Montenegrin forces withdrew to Sutjeska, near

Andrijevica Andrijevica ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Андријевица, ) is a town and the seat of Andrijevica Municipality in eastern Montenegro. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 1,048. History The town of Andrijevica is a relatively n ...

and Albanian irregulars burned down the Vasojevići settlements, Velika, Ržanica and Pepići. Both sides after the battle claimed victory. In Montenegro,

Prince Nicholas Nicholas Teo () is a Malaysian Chinese singer under Good Tengz Entertainment Sdn Bhd. (Malaysia) Career Pre debut Before returning to Malaysia, Nicholas was studying in Taiwan, where he won the Best Singer in a competition among all the Tai ...

claimed that the defeat of the Albanians was so devastating, that Montenegrin forces finished the battle before the night had fallen, which is something they usually don't do. Right after the battle of Murino, Marko Miljanov received a report that Albanians were boasting for keeping Plav and Gusinje, not for the battles they fought with the Montenegrins. Some reports say that Montenegrin soldiers brought 221 noses they cut from the dead bodies of Ottoman Albanian irregulars.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murino, Battle of Principality of Montenegro Conflicts in 1880 Battles involving Montenegro 19th-century military history of Montenegro 1880 in the Ottoman Empire Scutari vilayet Plav, Montenegro Ottoman period in the history of Montenegro 19th century in Albania Battles involving Albania January 1880 events