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Second Turkish War. History of Russian-Turkish wars

No one knows anything in advance. And the biggest trouble can befall a person in the best place, and the greatest happiness will find him - in the worst ..
Alexander Solzhenitsyn

In the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, there were four wars with the Ottoman Empire. Russia won three of them, lost one. last war in the 19th century between the two countries became Russian- Turkish war 1877-1878, in which Russia won. The victory was one of the results of the military reform of Alexander 2. As a result of the war Russian empire regained a number of territories, and also helped to gain the independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania. In addition, for non-intervention in the war, Austria-Hungary received Bosnia, and England received Cyprus. The article is devoted to the description of the causes of the war between Russia and Turkey, its stages and main battles, the results and historical consequences of the war, as well as the analysis of the reaction of countries Western Europe to the strengthening of Russian influence in the Balkans.

What were the causes of the Russian-Turkish war?

Historians identify the following reasons for the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878:

Exacerbation of the "Balkan" issue.
Russia's desire to regain its status as an influential player in the foreign arena.
Russian support for the national movement of the Slavic peoples in the Balkans, seeking to expand its influence in the region. This caused intense resistance from the countries of Europe and the Ottoman Empire.
The conflict between Russia and Turkey over the status of the straits, as well as the desire for revenge for the defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
Turkey's unwillingness to compromise, ignoring not only the demands of Russia, but also the European community.

Now let's look at the causes of the war between Russia and Turkey in more detail, since it is important to know and correctly interpret them. Despite the lost Crimean War, Russia, thanks to some reforms (primarily military) of Alexander II, again became an influential and strong state in Europe. This forced many politicians in Russia to think about revenge for the lost war. But this was not even the most important thing - much more important was the desire to return the right to have the Black Sea Fleet. In many ways, to achieve this goal, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 was unleashed, which we will discuss briefly later.

In 1875, an uprising against Turkish rule began on the territory of Bosnia. The army of the Ottoman Empire brutally suppressed it, but already in April 1876 an uprising began in Bulgaria. Türkiye dealt with this national movement as well. In protest against the policy towards the South Slavs, and also wishing to realize their territorial tasks, Serbia in June 1876 declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The Serbian army was much weaker than the Turkish one. Russia with early XIX centuries positioned itself as a defender of the Slavic peoples in the Balkans, so Chernyaev went to Serbia, as well as several thousand Russian volunteers.

After the defeat of the Serbian army in October 1876 near Dyunish, Russia called on Turkey to stop fighting and guarantee Slavic people cultural rights. The Ottomans, feeling the support of Britain, ignored the ideas of Russia. Despite the obviousness of the conflict, the Russian Empire tried to resolve the issue peacefully. This is evidenced by several conferences convened by Alexander II, in particular in January 1877 in Istanbul. Ambassadors and representatives of key European countries gathered there, but did not come to a common decision.

In March, an agreement was signed in London, which obliged Turkey to carry out reforms, but the latter completely ignored it. Thus, Russia was left with only one option for resolving the conflict - a military one. Before last Alexander 2 did not dare to start a war with Turkey, as he was worried that the war would again turn into resistance of European countries to Russian foreign policy. On April 12, 1877, Alexander II signed a manifesto declaring war on the Ottoman Empire. In addition, the emperor concluded an agreement with Austria-Hungary on the non-accession of the latter on the side of Turkey. In exchange for neutrality, Austria-Hungary was to receive Bosnia.

Map of the Russo-Turkish War 1877-1878

Major battles of the war

In the period April-August 1877, several important battles took place:

Already on the first day of the war, Russian troops captured key Turkish fortresses on the Danube, and also crossed the Caucasian border.
On April 18, Russian troops captured Boyazet, an important Turkish stronghold in Armenia. However, already in the period of June 7-28, the Turks tried to carry out a counteroffensive, the Russian troops withstood in a heroic struggle.
At the beginning of the summer, General Gurko's troops captured the ancient Bulgarian capital of Tarnovo, and on July 5 they established control over the Shipka Pass, through which the road to Istanbul went.
During May-August, Romanians and Bulgarians massively began to create partisan detachments to help the Russians in the war with the Ottomans.

Battle of Plevna in 1877

The main problem of Russia was that the inexperienced brother of the emperor Nikolai Nikolayevich commanded the troops. Therefore, individual Russian troops actually acted without a center, which means they acted as uncoordinated units. As a result, on July 7-18, two unsuccessful attempts to storm Plevna were made, as a result of which about 10 thousand Russians died. In August, the third assault began, which turned into a protracted blockade. At the same time, from August 9 until December 28, the heroic defense of the Shipka Pass lasted. In this sense, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, even briefly, seems to be very contradictory in terms of events and personalities.

Autumn 1877 key battle took place near the Plevna fortress. By order of Minister of War D. Milyutin, the army abandoned the assault on the fortress, and moved on to a systematic siege. The army of Russia, as well as its ally Romania, numbered about 83 thousand people, and the garrison of the fortress consisted of 34 thousand soldiers. Last Stand near Plevna took place on November 28, the Russian army came out victorious and was finally able to capture the impregnable fortress. This was one of the biggest defeats of the Turkish army: 10 generals and several thousand officers were taken prisoner. In addition, Russia was establishing control over an important fortress, opening its way to Sofia. This was the beginning of a turning point in the Russian-Turkish war.

Eastern front

On the eastern front, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 also developed rapidly. In early November, another important strategic fortress, Kars, was captured. Due to simultaneous failures on two fronts, Turkey completely lost control over the movement of its own troops. On December 23, the Russian army entered Sofia.

In 1878, Russia entered with a complete advantage over the enemy. On January 3, the assault on Phillipopolis began, and already on the 5th the city was taken, the road to Istanbul was opened before the Russian Empire. On January 10, Russia enters Adrianople, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire is a fact, the Sultan is ready to sign peace on Russia's terms. Already on January 19, the parties agreed on a preliminary agreement, which significantly strengthened the role of Russia in the Black and Marmara Seas, as well as in the Balkans. This caused the strongest fear of the countries of Europe.

The reaction of major European powers to the successes of Russian troops

Most of all, England expressed dissatisfaction, which already at the end of January brought a fleet into the Sea of Marmara, threatening an attack in the event of a Russian invasion of Istanbul. England demanded to move Russian troops away from the Turkish capital, and also to start developing a new treaty. Russia was in difficult situation, which threatened to repeat the scenario of 1853-1856, when the entry of European troops violated the advantage of Russia, which led to defeat. Given this, Alexander 2 agreed to revise the treaty.

On February 19, 1878, in San Stefano, a suburb of Istanbul, a new treaty was signed with the participation of England.

The main outcomes of the war were recorded in the San Stefano Peace Treaty:

Russia annexed Bessarabia, as well as part of Turkish Armenia.
Türkiye paid the Russian Empire an indemnity of 310 million rubles.
Russia received the right to have the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
Serbia, Montenegro and Romania gained independence, and Bulgaria received this status 2 years later, after the final withdrawal of Russian troops from there (which were there in case Turkey tried to return the territory).
Bosnia and Herzegovina received the status of autonomy, but were actually occupied by Austria-Hungary.
IN Peaceful time Türkiye was supposed to open ports for all ships that were heading to Russia.
Türkiye was obliged to organize reforms in cultural sphere(particularly for the Slavs and Armenians).

However, these conditions did not suit the European states. As a result, in June-July 1878, a congress was held in Berlin, at which some decisions were revised:

Bulgaria was divided into several parts, and only the northern part received independence, while the southern part returned to Turkey.
The contribution amount has been reduced.
England received Cyprus, and Austria-Hungary the official right to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina.

war heroes

The Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 traditionally became a "minute of glory" for many soldiers and military leaders. In particular, several Russian generals became famous:

Joseph Gurko. Hero of the capture of the Shipka Pass, as well as the capture of Adrianople.
Mikhail Skobilev. He led the heroic defense of the Shipka Pass, as well as the capture of Sofia. He received the nickname "White General", and among the Bulgarians is considered a national hero.
Mikhail Loris-Melikov. Hero of the battles for Boyazet in the Caucasus.

In Bulgaria there are over 400 monuments erected in honor of the Russians who fought in the war against the Ottomans in 1877-1878. There are many memorial plaques, mass graves, etc. One of the most famous monuments is the Freedom Monument on the Shipka Pass. There is also a monument to Emperor Alexander 2. There are also many settlements named after the Russians. Thus, the Bulgarian people thank the Russians for the liberation of Bulgaria from Turkey, and the cessation of Muslim rule, which lasted more than five centuries. During the war years, the Bulgarians themselves called the Russians "brothers", and this word remained in the Bulgarian language as a synonym for "Russians".
Historical reference

The historical significance of the war

The Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 ended with the complete and unconditional victory of the Russian Empire, but despite the military success, European states put up a swift resistance to the strengthening of Russia's role in Europe. In an effort to weaken Russia, England and Turkey insisted that not all the aspirations of the southern Slavs were realized, in particular, not the entire territory of Bulgaria gained independence, and Bosnia passed from the Ottoman occupation to the Austrian one. As a result national problems The Balkans became even more complicated, as a result turning this region into the “powder magazine of Europe”. It was here that the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne took place, becoming the pretext for the start of the First World War. This is generally a funny and paradoxical situation - Russia wins victories on the battlefield, but over and over again suffers defeats in the diplomatic fields.

Russia regained its lost territories, the Black Sea Fleet, but never achieved the desire to dominate the Balkan Peninsula. This factor was also used by Russia when joining the First world war. For the Ottoman Empire, which was completely defeated, the idea of revenge was preserved, which forced it to enter into a world war against Russia. These were the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, which we briefly reviewed today.

The Russian-Turkish wars are a fairly long series of confrontations between the Muscovy (then the Russian Empire) and the Ottoman Empire, and one can talk about this topic for a very long time. In this article, we will look at the history Russian-Turkish wars short and to the point.
Russian-Turkish wars - as we have already said, a series of conflicts between Moscow and the Ottoman Empire that took place during the 16th-20th centuries.
During all these conflicts, the Russian Empire won the most times, which led to the fall of the Ottoman Empire. main reason wars was the dominance of the Black Sea, beyond the straits that led to the great ocean.
In total, the conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire lasted a whole 351 years, and of all this time, the parties were at war for only 69 years. Wars between states sometimes took place at very long intervals of 25 or more years.

Background to the Russo-Turkish Wars

Russia and Ottoman Empire entered into active relations after the Crimea was conquered in 1475 and the rights of Russian merchants in these territories began to be oppressed.
Relations between countries were complicated by raids Crimean Tatars on Russian lands, and Cossack raids on the lands of Tatars and Turks.
In the mid-fifties, several large armed conflicts occurred between Moscow and the Khanate, supported by the Turks, which escalated into a full-scale war, referred to as the first Russian-Turkish war.

First Russo-Turkish War (1568-1570)

The port planned to go to Astrakhan and Sultan Selim II, with the support of the Crimean Khan, set off on a campaign in 1569. Astrakhan was besieged, but the unexpected sortie of the Russian garrison brought more success, the Turks did not expect such an outcome of events, and were forced to lift the siege, retreating from the walls of the city. The entire Turkish-Crimean army was completely defeated, and the Ottoman fleet fell from a strong storm.
Thus, the victory in the first Russian-Turkish war belonged to the Moscow kingdom.

Second Russo-Turkish War (1672-1681)

This time, the Ottomans made an alliance with Hetman Petro Doroshenko and together went to war with Poland, where they were successful. The successes of the Turks were significant, and Moscow became worried about them, fearing an invasion of the Left-Bank Ukraine.
In 1673, the Russian army went to fight against the Turks. In 1676 hetman Doroshenko was defeated. 1677 turned out to be unsuccessful for the Turks, but the next one, on the contrary, the Turks even managed to take Chigirin, and the Russian troops were forced to retreat.
In 1681, a truce was signed, but there was no winner in the war.

Third Russo-Turkish War (1686-1700)

At the end of the sixties, the Russian army made several campaigns in the Crimea, but both times they were unsuccessful. When the young Peter I ascended the throne, he made an attempt to take Azov, but it was again unsuccessful.
In 1696, another campaign against Azov was undertaken, but it was already more prepared, the ground army was covered by a large fleet. Without waiting for the Russian army to storm the besieged Azov, the garrison surrendered without a fight.
The success of the third Russian-Turkish war remained with the Russian troops.

Fourth Russo-Turkish War (1710-1713)

During this war, the Port gathered a huge army of more than 100 thousand soldiers, who were supported by 70 thousand Crimean soldiers. The Russian army barely managed to repel the blow, the losses were heavy on both sides, but the Russian army lost food and ammunition, and because of which it was forced to sign a peace treaty.
This time, success was reserved for the Ottoman Empire.

Fifth Russo-Turkish War (1735-1739)

In 1736, Azov was besieged by Russian troops, Bakhchisarai was taken, and the fortifications of Perekop were destroyed. However, the Russian victories were overshadowed by the epidemic and lack of food. IN next year Ochakov was taken and a new campaign to the Crimea was prepared, but it was overshadowed by a lack of food.
In the same year, Turkey declared war on Austria, but it suffered a series of crushing defeats, which weakened the position of Russia and strengthened the Ottoman Empire.
This time there were no winners. Russia sought to gain access to the Black Sea, but failed here.

Sixth Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774)

In 1770, the Russian army won a series of brilliant victories on land and sea, which seriously undermined the combat capability of the Ottoman fleet and army. And in 1771, the Russian Empire completely took the Crimea. The Khanate declared itself an independent state, which was now under the protection of Russian empress.
This war can be called completely successful for the Russian Empire, as it gained not only Crimea, but also access to the Black Sea, as well as a number of other territories.

Seventh Russo-Turkish War (1787-1791)

This war was crushing for the Ottoman Empire, they did not win a single victory. The commanders of Porta showed their unprofessionalism, and the Turkish army was equipped with much older weapons. Even the huge Ottoman fleet was defeated. The previously not attackable Ochakov fell, and the opportunity to return the Crimea thereby was completely lost.
The prestige of the Porte was significantly undermined, and Russia again emerged victorious.

Eighth Russo-Turkish War (1806-1812)

During this period, there was only one big campaign undertaken by Kutuzov, which secured Bessarabia for Russia. Türkiye failed to take advantage of Napoleon's invasion and again failed.

Ninth Russo-Turkish War (1828-1829)

The Russian army again acted more successfully, and this made it possible for the Ottoman Empire to sign peace on favorable terms for Russia. The Ottomans lost Serbia, significantly lost control of the Black Sea, and the Russian army occupied Moldavia and Wallachia.

Crimean War (1853-1856)

Until the Allied forces took the side of the Ottomans, she was in distress, but the situation changed, and the brilliant landing operation of the Allies forced the Russian army to surrender Sevastopol.
The Black Sea after this war became a neutral territory.

Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)

During this war, the Ottoman Empire lost its best armies and was forced to recognize the independence of Bulgaria, lost possessions, which went to Montenegro, Serbia, Romania.

World War I: Caucasian Front (1914-1918)

The Russian Empire during the First World War won a number of brilliant victories on the Caucasian front, but the revolution nullified all these victories. The Ottomans took advantage of the situation and occupied many territories.
Thus, without winning a single battle, the Ottomans were victorious.
Based on all of the above, we can conclude that the Russian Empire emerged as a complete winner in almost all Russian-Turkish wars.

Campaign of 1789. 13
Chapter I Political relations Russia to the European Zherzhavs before the campaign of 1879 - Poland's hostile mood. - Prussian hostility. - General assumptions of hostilities in the upcoming campaign. - The location and strength of the allied Austrian troops, before the opening of hostilities. - The general location and number of Russian troops. - Winter 1789 - The capture of the Cossack junction near Bendery by the Turks. - Measures to cover the course of the river. Seret. - Offensive actions of Yakub Aga on the lower reaches of the Prut river. - Devastation of the monastery of Adam by the enemy and the defeat of the Arnauts of Trebinsky. - The offensive of the Ukrainian army down both banks of the Prut river. - The movement of the detachment of Major General Prince Shakhovsky against Yakub-Yaga; The 4th division of General Derfelden to Galati, the 1st division to Falcha, and the Kamensky division down the Kuyalnik River. - The reverse movement of the Kamensky division to the upper reaches of this river. - The attack of Yakub-Aga on the detachment of Prince Shakhovsky at Radeshti and the retreat of the latter to the village of Ray. - Location of Derfelden's division near Falchi. - The offensive of the Turks from the side of Galts, Putsen and Focsani against the Russian and Austrian troops. - Derfelden's division is advancing towards Vyrlad. - Movement of parts of the Ukrainian army in the form of a general offensive. - The case of March 31 at Byrlad. - The second case at Byrlad, April 7th, and the offensive of Derfelden on Putseny, Maximeni and Ganatsu. - The defeat of the Turks at Maksimeni on April 16th. - Battle of Galicia, April 20th. - Change gr. Rumyantsev and the transfer of his army to Prince. Repin. - Accession to the throne of Sultan Selim 13
Chapter II. The connection of the Ukrainian and Yekaterinoslav armies, under the general command of Prince. Potemkin. - New division of the army into two parts, and the disposition of troops before the start of the campaign. - The concentration of the former Yekaterinoslav army near Olviopol and its advance towards the Dniester. - The retreat of the army of Prince. Bender. - Demonstration of the Turkish fleet near the coast of Crimea, in order to divert the attention of the book in this direction. Potemkin. - The offensive of the vizier to Focsani. - Connection under Ajusha of the Austrian troops of the Prince of Coburg with a detachment of Gen.-Ansh. Suvorov, and their movement to meet the enemy at Fokshany. - Skirmishes on the way from Martinesti to the river Putna, July 20th. - Battle of Focsani 37
Chapter III. Book movement. Potemkin to the Dniester and Chisinau. - The Supreme Vizier is again advancing on the corps of Suvorov and the Prince of Coburg. - Corresponding movements of the army of Prince. Potemkin. - Deysvtiya corpus book. Repnin against the army of Gassan Pasha on the left bank of the Prut river, in the month of August. - The approach of Prince Repnin to Ishmael, and the retreat to Falchi. - The offensive of the Supreme Vizier to Focsani against the corps of Suvorov and the Prince of Coburg, in the month of September. - Advanced business on the Rymna river, September 8th. - The connection of the Suvorov detachment with Prince Coburg, September 10th. - General battle at Rymnik, September 11th. - Critical analysis of this battle. - Consequences of Rymniks victory; Prince Potemkin's further action plan aimed at conquering Bendery, Gadzhibey, Kiliya and Akkerman. - Occupation of Causeni, September 13th. - Attack and capture of the Gadzhibey castle, September 14th. - Performance at sea by the Sevastopol flotilla against enemy ships near Gadzhibey and Akkerman. - Return of the flotilla for the winter. - Occupation of Palanka. - Surrender of Ackermann, 28th February. - Surrender of the Bender fortress, November 3rd. - Military operations in 1789 on Taman 53
Chapter IV. Temporary truce concluded between Austria and Turkey in Semlin. - The inaction of the Austrian commander-in-chief Hohenlohe, and his replacement by Laudon. - Surrender of Belgrade on September 27th (O.S.). - Occupation of Semeniria and Pozharents. - Actions against Orsova. - Prince Kobursky spares Bucharest. - The resumption of peace talks between Russia and Turkey, and their termination. - The location of the army of Prince. Potemkin for winter apartments 102
Campaign of 1790 111
Chapter I. Russia's political relations with the European powers at the beginning of 1790 - The death of Emperor Joseph II. - Congress in Reichevbach. - The formation of a separate corps, in case of war with Poland. - Appointment and location of the army operating in Turkey. - The plan of Prince Potemkin regarding the forthcoming campaign of 1790 - An assumption in the event of a war with Prussia. - Measures taken by Austria in the form of the possibility of war with Prussia, and the continuation of the campaign against Turkey. - The plan of military operations of the Turkish armies in 1790. - A bold plan proposed by Suvorov regarding actions beyond the Danube. - Resumption of negotiations with the vizier on the conclusion of peace. - The death of the vizier Hassan Pasha. - New vizier Shnrif-Pasha. - The beginning of hostilities in 1790, which opened regardless of the course of peace negotiations. — Prince Coburg captures the fortress of Orsova, 7 April. - The siege of Zhurzhi by the Austrians and their retreat from this fortress. - The case at Calafat on June 24th. - The disastrous winter campaign of Lieutenant General Bibikov to Anapa 111
Chapter II. The actions of the flotilla of Rear Admiral Ushakov off the coast of Anatolia near Anapa in May and June. - The battle on June 8 at the entrance to the Yenikalsky Strait, and the defeat of the Captain Pasha's flotilla. - Greek cruisers in the Archipelago. - The exploits of Lambro-Cachoni 135
Chapter III. The movement of Suvorov's corps to Bucharest. - Austria makes peace with Turkey at the Reichenbach Congress. - Suvorov's corps is absent across the Seret River. - Overview of military operations against Sweden, in 1789-1790. - Actions of the Baltic Fleet of Admiral Chichagov and the Tribunal Flotilla of Prince Nassau-Siegen. - Naval battle at Öland July 15, 1789 - The retreat of the Swedish fleet in Karlskrona. - The defeat of the Swedes on August 13 and 14, 1789 near the islands of Legma and Leller, and the actions of the ground forces in Finland. - The actions of the detachment of Lieutenant General Michelson. - The defeat of the Swedes at the village of Keri and Seant Michele. - Count Pushkin attacks the main forces of the Swedish king at Friedrichsham. - Flight of the Swedish army. - Naval operations against the Swedes in 1790 - A glorious battle near Reval on May 2nd. - Battle of Friedrichsham on May 4th and the retreat of the Royal Swedish Navy. — Vice Admiral Kruse's squadron attacks the flotilla of the Duke of Südermanland at Seskar, 22 May. - The retreat of the Swedes to Vyborg and the blockade of this fortress. - Decisive defeat of the Swedish fleet on June 22. - His retreat to Helsingfors. - The loss of our rowing flotilla at Schweizund. - The actions of the ground forces against the Swedes in 1790. - Making peace with Sweden, 3rd August 1790. - The victory of Rear Admiral Ushakov over the fleet of Captain Pasha, near about. Tendrova August 28 and 29 142
Chapter IV. Speech by the main forces of Prince Potemkin to Tatar-Bunar and Tobak. - Assumptions of the book. Potemkin regarding general plan military operations on land and at sea. - Views of Izmail, Chilia, Galati and Brailov. - Actions near Kiliya and the surrender of this fortress on September 18th. - The flotilla of Major General Ribas forces the entrance to the mouth of the Danube. - Occupation of Tulci and Isaccia. - Overview of military operations in the Caucasus. - Fight on September 30 at the river. Tokhtamysh, and the destruction of the army of Batal Pasha. - Destruction by a detachment of Lieutenant-General Rezen of urban dwellings on the left bank of the Kuban. - Expression of obedience to Russia to the princes of Temirgoysky and Odimeysky. - Nogai Tatars move from the river. Labs on the Russian bank of the Kuban river 161
Chapter V. The Necessity of Mastering Ishmael. - Termination of negotiations with the vizier. - Actions of Russian fleets near Izmail. - Fight on November 10th. - The inaction of the ground forces, which robbed the fortress. - Decision military council, retreat from Ishmael. - The arrival of Prince Suvorov to Ishmael, and his orders for the siege and assault. - Assault on Ishmael and the fall of the fortress on December 11th 181
Campaign of 1791. 207
Chapter I. Resumption of peace negotiations with Turkey. - The attitude of Russia to England and Prussia. - Prince Potemkin's suggestion for the campaign of 1791. - Schedule of troops of the Danube army. - Troops in the Caucasus and Kuban. - Change of the Supreme Vizier and military assumptions of the Turks. - Prince. Repnin decides to cross the Danube. - Actions beyond the Danube of the detachment of Lieutenant General Prince Golitsyn, from March 24, 1791. - Capture of Isaccea. - The movement of the detachment of Lieutenant General Kutuzov to Babadag. - The movement of both of these units to Machin. - Advanced business near Machin. - Actions near Brailov. - The capture of the fortress of Anapa on June 22. - Search for Lieutenant General Kutuzov to Babadag. - The reverse movement of the army of Prince. Repnin to the left bank of the Danube, to Galati. - Resumption of peace negotiations in Iasi. Victories of Rear Admiral Ushakov in the Black Sea. - Glorious victory, July 31st, at Calacria and the final defeat of the naval forces of Porta. - Review of peace negotiations. - The Turkish Plenipotentiaries sign, on the 31st of July, the preconditions for peace. - Arrival of the book. Potekin into the army, and his indignation at the prisoner, without him, the world. - Prince Potemkin destroys the signed book. Repnin contract. - Opening of new negotiations in Iasi. - Death of the book. Potemkin. - A few words about him as a commander. - Jassy peace on December 29, 1791, which put an end to the second Turkish war, in the reign of Catherine 207

Moved with the Russian army to the Crimea. With a frontal attack, he captured the fortifications of Perekop, went deep into the peninsula, took Khazleiv (Evpatoria), destroyed the Khan's capital Bakhchisaray and Akmechet (Simferopol). However, the Crimean Khan, constantly avoiding decisive battles with the Russians, managed to save his army from extermination. At the end of the summer, Munnich returned from Crimea to Ukraine. In the same year, General Leontyev, who was acting against the Turks from the other side, took Kinburn (a fortress near the mouth of the Dnieper), and Lassi - Azov.

Russian-Turkish war 1735-1739. Map

In the spring of 1737, Minikh moved to Ochakov, a fortress that covered the exits to the Black Sea from the Southern Bug and the Dnieper. Due to his inept actions, the capture of Ochakov cost the Russian troops rather heavy losses (although they were still many times less than the Turkish ones). Even more soldiers and Cossacks (up to 16 thousand) died due to unsanitary conditions: the German Minich cared little about the health and nutrition of Russian soldiers. Due to the huge loss of soldiers, Minich stopped the campaign of 1737 immediately after the capture of Ochakov. General Lassi, acting in 1737 to the east of Minikh, broke into the Crimea and dispersed detachments across the peninsula, ruining up to 1000 Tatar villages.

Through the fault of Minich, the military campaign of 1738 ended in vain: the Russian army, aiming at Moldavia, did not dare to cross the Dniester, since a large Turkish army was stationed on the other side of the river.

In March 1739 Minich crossed the Dniester at the head of the Russian army. Due to his mediocrity, he immediately fell into an almost hopeless environment near the village of Stavuchany. But thanks to the heroism of the soldiers who unexpectedly attacked the enemy in a semi-impassable place, Stavucani battle(the first clash between the Russians and the Turks in the open field) ended in a brilliant victory. The huge troops of the Sultan and the Crimean Khan fled in panic, and Minich, taking advantage of this, took the nearby strong fortress of Khotyn.

In September 1739 the Russian army entered the Principality of Moldavia. Minich forced his boyars to sign an agreement on the transfer of Moldova to Russian citizenship. But at the very crest of success came the news that the Russian allies, the Austrians, were ending the war against the Turks. Upon learning of this, Empress Anna Ioannovna also decided to graduate from it. The Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1739 ended with the Peace of Belgrade (1739).

Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 - briefly

This Russian-Turkish war began in the winter of 1768-69. The Russian army of Golitsyn crossed the Dniester, took the Khotyn fortress and entered Iasi. Almost all of Moldova swore allegiance to Catherine II.

The young empress and her favorites, the Orlov brothers, made bold plans, intending to expel the Muslims from the Balkan Peninsula already during this Russian-Turkish war. The Orlovs proposed sending out agents to raise the Balkan Christians to a general uprising against the Turks and send Russian squadrons to the Aegean to support it.

In the summer of 1769, the flotillas of Spiridov and Elphinstone set sail from Kronstadt in the Mediterranean. Arriving on the shores of Greece, they initiated a revolt against the Turks in the Morea (Peloponnese), but it did not reach the strength that Catherine II was counting on, and was soon suppressed. However, the Russian admirals soon won a dizzying naval victory. Having attacked the Turkish fleet, they drove it into the Chesme Bay (Asia Minor) and completely destroyed it, sending incendiary fire-ships at the crowded enemy ships (Chesme battle, June 1770). By the end of 1770, the Russian squadron had captured up to 20 islands of the Aegean archipelago.

Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774. Map

In the land theater of the war, the Russian army of Rumyantsev, operating in Moldavia, in the summer of 1770 utterly defeated the forces of the Turks in the battles of Larga and Cahul. These victories gave into the hands of the Russians all of Wallachia with powerful Ottoman strongholds on the left bank of the Danube (Ismail, Chilia, Akkerman, Brailov, Bucharest). There were no Turkish troops north of the Danube.

In 1771, the army of V. Dolgoruky, having defeated the horde of Khan Selim-Girey at Perekop, occupied the entire Crimea, set up garrisons in its main fortresses and placed Sahib-Girey, who swore allegiance to the Russian Empress, on the Khan's throne. The squadron of Orlov and Spiridov in 1771 made distant raids from the Aegean Sea to the shores of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, then subject to the Turks. The successes of the Russian armies were so brilliant that Catherine II hoped, as a result of this war, to finally annex the Crimea and ensure independence from the Turks of Moldavia and Wallachia, who were supposed to come under the influence of Russia.

But the Western European Franco-Austrian bloc, hostile to the Russians, began to counteract this, and the formal ally of Russia, the Prussian king Frederick II the Great, behaved treacherously. Taking advantage of the brilliant victories in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, Catherine II was also prevented by the simultaneous involvement of Russia in the Polish unrest. Frightening Austria with Russia, and Russia with Austria, Frederick II put forward a project according to which Catherine II was asked to give up extensive conquests in the south in exchange for compensation from the Polish lands. In the face of strong Western pressure, the Russian Empress had to accept this plan. It was realized in the form of the First Partition of Poland (1772).

Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky

The Ottoman sultan, however, wanted to get out of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768 without any losses at all and did not agree to recognize not only the annexation of Crimea to Russia, but even its independence. Peace negotiations between Turkey and Russia in Focsani (July-August 1772) and Bucharest (late 1772 - early 1773) ended in vain, and Catherine II ordered Rumyantsev to invade the Danube with an army. In 1773, Rumyantsev made two campaigns across this river, and in the spring of 1774, the third. Due to the small size of his army (part of the Russian forces had to be withdrawn from the Turkish front at that time to fight against Pugachev), Rumyantsev did not achieve anything outstanding in 1773. But in 1774, A. V. Suvorov, with a corps of 8,000, utterly defeated 40,000 Turks at Kozludzha. By this, he brought such horror to the enemy that when the Russians headed for the strong fortress of Shumla, the Turks in a panic rushed to flee from there.

The Sultan then hurried to resume peace negotiations and signed the Kuchuk-Kaynardzhy peace that ended the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774.

Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791 - briefly

Russian-Turkish war 1806-1812 - briefly

Details about it - see the article

The brutal suppression by the Turks of the Greek uprising of the 1820s provoked a response from a number of European powers. Russia, which was of the same faith to the Orthodox Greeks, acted most energetically; England and France joined it, not without hesitation. In October 1827, the combined Anglo-Russian-French fleet utterly defeated the Egyptian squadron of Ibrahim, which helped Turkish sultan suppress the rebellious Greece.

Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774

	1. Russian-Turkish contradictions in the Black Sea region; 2. Turkey's dissatisfaction with the growing influence of Russia in Poland; 3. Turkey's incitement to war by Austria and France, not interested in the strengthening of Russia in Europe

Dates and hostilities		fighting	Warlords
		Russian troops occupied Azov, Taganrog, Khotin, Iasi	P. Rumyantsev, V. Dolgorukov, G. Spiridov (naval commander)
		victories Russian army on the Prut River, Larga, the defeat of the Turkish fleet in the Chesme Bay.
		The defeat of Turkish troops at Kozludzha

The results of the war	1. 1774 Kyuchuk - Kaina Djir world; 2. Russia received the right to build a fleet on the Black Sea; 3. free passage of Russian ships through the Black Sea straits - the Bosporus and the Dardanelles; 4. Crimea gained independence from Turkey; 5. the lands between the mouths of the Dnieper and the Southern Bug were ceded to Russia; 6. Kerch, Yenikale (Crimea) went to Russia; 7. The territories of Kuban and Kabarda came under the control of Russia

Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791

Causes of the war	1. Russia's desire to consolidate its influence in the Black Sea; 2. Turkey's disagreement with the annexation of Crimea to Russia; 3. Turkey's disagreement with the establishment of a Russian protectorate over Eastern Georgia

Dates and hostilities	date	The course of hostilities	Warlords
	1787	The defeat of the Turkish landing at the Kinburn fortress	A. Suvorov, G. Potemkin
	1788	Capture of the Ochakov fortress
	1789	Defeat of the Turks on the Rymnik River
	1790	The fall of the Turkish fortress of Izmail
	1791	Naval battle of the Russian and Turkish fleets at Cape Kaliarkia	F. Ushakov

	1. 1791 - Jassy peace treaty; 2. confirmation of the annexation of Crimea to Russia and a protectorate over Eastern Georgia; 3. Russia ceded the lands between the Dniester and the Southern Bug; 4. withdrawal of Russian troops from Moldova, Wallachia and Bessarabia