Osman Pasha was the Ottoman commander who directed Pleven’s defence in 1877. He arrived from Vidin on 19 July and placed his troops on the heights around the town. The defenders built fortifications and repelled successive Russian and Russian-Romanian assaults. After the failed September attack, the opposing forces turned to a blockade that cut supplies. Hunger and disease weakened his army. On 10 December Osman attempted a breakout near the Vit River, but was repulsed, wounded and surrendered. The museum sword in this story is associated with Edhem Pasha, not established as his. Pasha was a senior Ottoman title, not a surname.
History of Bulgaria
