Turkish war 18th century. Russian-Turkish wars - briefly

Russian-Turkish wars- an entire chapter Russian history. In total, there are 12 military conflicts in the more than 400-year history of relations between our countries. Let's consider them.

First Russo-Turkish Wars

The first wars include military conflicts that occurred between countries before the golden age of Catherine.

The first war broke out in 1568-1570. After the fall of the Astrakhan Khanate, Russia strengthened in the foothills of the Caucasus. This did not suit the Brilliant Port and in the summer of 1569, 15 thousand Janissaries, with the support of irregular units, went to Astrakhan to restore the khanate. However, the army of the Cherkasy headman M. A. Vishnevetsky defeated the Turkish forces.

In 1672-1681, a second war broke out aimed at establishing control over the Right-Bank Ukraine.

This war became famous thanks to the Chigirinsky campaigns, during which the plans of the Turks to seize the Left-Bank Ukraine, which was under the control of Russia, were thwarted.

In 1678, after a series of military failures, the Turks still managed to capture Chigirin, they were defeated near Buzhin and retreated. The result was the Peace of Bakhchisaray, which retained the status quo.

Russian-Turkish wars under Catherine II

Let's shed some light on this question general information in the table "Russian-Turkish wars under Catherine the Great."

The era of Russian-Turkish wars under Catherine the Great became a golden page in the biography of the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov, who never lost a single battle in his life. For the victory at Rymnik, he was awarded the title of count, and by the end of his military career he received the title of generalissimo.

Rice. 2. Portrait of A. V. Suvorov.

Russian-Turkish wars of the 19th century

The Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 also allowed Serbia, Montenegro and Romania to gain independence.

Rice. 3. Portrait of General Skobelev.

Conflict within the framework of the First World War and the overall result.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia, being a participant in the First World War, fought with the Turks on the Caucasian front. The Turkish troops were completely defeated and only the revolution of 1917 stopped the offensive of the Russian troops in Anatolia. According to the Kars Treaty of 1921 between the RSFSR and Turkey, Kars, Ardagan and Mount Ararat were returned to the latter.

What have we learned?

Military conflicts between Russia and Turkey happened 12 times in 350 years. 7 times the victory was celebrated by the Russians and 5 times the top was for the Turkish troops.

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1787-1791, the table of which is presented in this review, became a natural continuation of the confrontation between these two powers in the second half of the 18th century. During the hostilities, our country achieved significant foreign policy successes and consolidated its status as one of the leading European states.

Causes

The inevitability of a new clash became apparent immediately after the conclusion of the peace treaty in 1774. Under its terms, Russia received access to the Black Sea, the Crimea was declared independent from the Turkish authorities. 1787-1791, the table "Causes of confrontation" on the events of which is presented in this section, arose due to the fact that Turkey wanted to take revenge and regain its former positions lost on eastern front.

This was also preceded by a series of events that further strengthened the position of our country in this region. In three years Crimean ruler became a khan, who was under the influence of the Russian leadership. Five years later, he renounced the throne and the peninsula went to Russia. In the same year, the Georgian king signed an agreement with our country, under the terms of which Georgia and Russia became allies.

On the eve of hostilities

Against the backdrop of these successes, public opinion was greatly impressed by the journey of Catherine II through Novorossia, which was being settled by Potemkin. She was accompanied by the Austrian emperor, who became her ally. The Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table of which clearly demonstrates these serious geopolitical changes, was largely due to these events. Turkey presented an ultimatum to the Russian leadership, demanding the return of Crimea, the inspection of Russian ships that passed through the Dardanelles, and the return of its power over Georgia. The demand was rejected, which led to the outbreak of hostilities.

First battles

The Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table "Main events" of which clearly demonstrates the success of Russian weapons, began with the defeat of the Turkish landing at Kinburn. The Russian troops were led by Suvorov, who successfully resisted the enemy's attempts to capture this fortress. In fact, it was the first major victory, which ended the first year of the campaign. Another significant event of this year was the diplomatic success of our country, which enlisted the support of the ruler of Austria.

At the same time, General Tekeli organized several successful raids on the Kuban region. The second attempt of the enemy to capture the fortress, which was made in winter, was also unsuccessful. Then the Turkish command concentrated all its forces on the Danube, preparing for a new attack.

Battles of 1788

The Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table of which includes the main chronology of events, was marked by the brilliant victories of the army of Suvorov and Potemkin, who, after the siege and assault of the fortress of Ochakov, took it, which was a serious blow to the Turkish military leadership, which was then forced to postpone plans for attack on Bender. At the same time, the Austrian troops under the command of Lassi joined the military campaign, but his tactics of dispersing the military forces subsequently led to serious setbacks. Rumyantsev, on the other hand, commanded detachments in Podolia, but here things never came to clashes.

Major wins

The Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table of which is devoted to the main hostilities, was marked by the largest victories domestic weapons who glorified commanders and heads of operations. The next year began with the fact that Potemkin moved the main forces to Bendery. in turn, they tried to impede this advance, but Suvorov defeated the enemy at Focsani. Then the vizier again went on the offensive, deciding to take advantage of the weakening of Russia's positions in Moldova. Having crossed the Danube, he encountered the troops of Suvorov and the Prince of Coburg, who again defeated the Turkish troops. The Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791, the "Allies" table in particular, shows that the Austrian troops provided support against the Turks.

These major successes ended the second year of the war. The victories of the Russian army seriously alarmed the Prussian and British governments, who pushed Porto in every possible way to continue the war. In addition, in the same year, Austrian troops occupied Bucharest and Belgrade, which greatly weakened the Turkish position.

1790

The Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table "Generals" of which shows the main composition of the command, entered its culmination in the above year. This year started badly for the Austrians, who were defeated by the Turks, which led to the emperor agreeing to peace negotiations and effectively withdrawing from the war. Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791, the table "Allies of Russia" shows the balance of power between the warring parties. But Catherine II did not take part in the peace negotiations, and the Russian troops continued fighting.

The Turks tried to invade the Crimea, but were twice repulsed by the Russian fleet under the command of F.F. Ushakov. At the same time, Potemkin went on the offensive and captured a number of enemy targets, but the fortress of Izmail held out. Suvorov took over the leadership of the assault. He prepared for it very carefully, conducting exercises at night: the soldiers under his leadership stormed improvised fortifications that resembled enemy structures. He sent his famous ultimatum to the Turks and, after the refusal, led the troops on a decisive offensive. One of the columns was commanded by Kutuzov. The fortress was taken, which, in fact, meant a turning point in the war. The fighting at sea was also successful, the most significant victories were the battles at Fidonisi and Kaliakria.

Completion

The war ended at next year by the signing of which Russia kept all the acquisitions, but such territories as Wallachia, Moldavia and Bessarabia had to be ceded to Turkey. This war strengthened the international prestige of the Russian Empire, and also consolidated its position on the Black Sea, which was especially important for the development of the country's fleet and its international prestige.

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 foreign policy Russian empire XIX century there were four wars with the Ottoman Empire. Russia won three of them, lost one. last war in the 19th century, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 began between the two countries, in which Russia won. Victory was one of the results military reform Alexandra 2. As a result of the war, the Russian Empire regained a number of territories, and also helped to acquire 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 ones) 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. Turkey dealt with it national movement. 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 hostilities and guarantee the cultural rights of the Slavic people. 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 common decision did not come.

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 against 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.

In the autumn of 1877, a key battle took place near the fortress of Plevna. 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. The last battle near Plevna took place on November 28, 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, before Russian Empire the road to Istanbul was opened. 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 found itself in a difficult situation that threatened to repeat the scenario of 1853-1856, when the entry of European troops violated Russia's advantage, 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.
Turkey 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 peacetime, Turkey was supposed to open ports for all ships that were heading to Russia.
Turkey was obliged to organize reforms in the cultural sphere (in particular 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 received independence Northern part, and the southern one 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. 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, the Bulgarians themselves called the Russians "brothers", and this word remained in Bulgarian as a synonym for "Russians".
History 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, the 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, the national problems of the Balkans became even more complicated, as a result turning this region into a "powder keg 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 Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 was a war between the Russian Empire and Ottoman Turkey. It was caused by the rise of the national liberation movement in the Balkans and the aggravation of international contradictions in connection with this.

The uprisings against the Turkish yoke in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1875-1878) and Bulgaria (1876) caused social movement in Russia in support of the fraternal Slavic peoples. Responding to these sentiments, the Russian government came out in support of the rebels, hoping, if they were successful, to increase their influence in the Balkans. Britain sought to pit Russia against Turkey and take advantage of the weakening of both countries.

In June 1876, the Serbo-Turkish War began, in which Serbia was defeated. To save her from death, Russia in October 1876 turned to the Turkish Sultan with a proposal to conclude a truce with Serbia.

In December 1876, the Constantinople Conference of the Great Powers was convened, which tried to resolve the conflict through diplomacy, but the Porte rejected their proposals. During secret negotiations, Russia managed to obtain guarantees of non-interference from Austria-Hungary in exchange for the occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austrians. In April 1877, an agreement was concluded with Romania on the passage of Russian troops through its territory.

After the Sultan rejected new project reforms for the Balkan Slavs, developed at the initiative of Russia, on April 24 (April 12, old style), 1877, Russia officially declared war on Turkey.

In the European theater of operations, Russia had 185 thousand soldiers, together with the Balkan allies, the number of the group reached 300 thousand people. In the Caucasus, Russia had about 100,000 soldiers. In turn, the Turks in the European theater had a 186,000-strong group, and in the Caucasus they had about 90,000 soldiers. The Turkish fleet almost completely dominated the Black Sea, in addition, the Port had the Danube Flotilla.

In the context of the restructuring of the entire internal life of the country, the Russian government was unable to prepare for a long war, the financial situation remained difficult. The forces allocated to the Balkan theater of operations were insufficient, but the morale of the Russian army was very high.

According to the plan, the Russian command intended to cross the Danube, cross the Balkans with a swift offensive and move on the Turkish capital - Constantinople. Relying on their fortresses, the Turks hoped to prevent the Russian troops from crossing the Danube. However, these calculations of the Turkish command were frustrated.

In the summer of 1877, the Russian army successfully crossed the Danube. The advance detachment under the command of General Iosif Gurko quickly occupied the ancient capital of Bulgaria, the city of Tarnovo, and then captured an important passage through the Balkans - the Shipka Pass. Further advance was suspended due to lack of forces.

In the Caucasus, Russian troops captured the fortresses of Bayazet and Ardagan, during the Avliyar-Aladzhin battle of 1877 they defeated the Anatolian Turkish army, and then in November 1877 captured the fortress of Kars.

The actions of the Russian troops near Plevna (now Pleven) on the western flank of the army unfolded unsuccessfully. Because of blunders the tsarist command, the Turks managed to detain large forces of Russian (and somewhat later Romanian) troops here. Three times Russian troops stormed Plevna, while suffering huge losses, and each time unsuccessfully.

In December, the 40,000-strong garrison of Plevna capitulated.

The fall of Plevna caused the rise of the liberation movement of the Slavs. Serbia entered the war again. Bulgarian volunteers fought heroically in the ranks of the Russian army.

By 1878 the balance of power in the Balkans had shifted in favor of Russia. The Danube army, with the assistance of the Bulgarian population and the Serbian army, defeated the Turks when crossing the Balkans in the winter of 1877-1878, in the battle of Sheinovo, Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) and Adrianople, and in February 1878 reached the Bosphorus and Constantinople.

In the Caucasus, the Russian army captured Batum and blockaded Erzurum.

Front ruling circles Russia faced the specter of a big war with the European powers, for which Russia was not ready. The army suffered heavy losses, experienced difficulties in supply. The command stopped the troops in the town of San Stefano (near Constantinople), and on March 3 (February 19, old style), 1878, a peace treaty was signed here.

According to him, Kars, Ardagan, Batum and Bayazet, as well as South Bessarabia, departed from Russia. Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina received wide autonomy, and Serbia, Montenegro and Romania - independence. In addition, Turkey pledged to pay an indemnity of 310 million rubles.

The terms of the agreement provoked a negative reaction from the Western European states, who feared the extremely increased influence of Russia in the Balkans. Fearing the threat of a new war, for which Russia was not ready, the Russian government was forced to revise the treaty at the international congress in Berlin (June-July 1878), where the Treaty of San Stefano was replaced by the Treaty of Berlin, which was unfavorable for Russia and the Balkan countries.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Speaking briefly about the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, about the reasons that provoked its beginning, then, first of all, it is worth mentioning the brutal oppression of the Christian population of the Balkan territories occupied by the Ottoman Empire and included in its composition. This happened with the connivance and implementation by France and England of the "Turkophile" policy, which "turned a blind eye" to the killings of the civilian population and, in particular, to the wild atrocities of the Bashi-Bazouks.

background

The relationship of the two empires, the Russian and the Ottoman, has undergone a number of significant disagreements since their foundation, which led to frequent violent wars. In addition to territorial disputes, in particular, over the territory of the Crimean peninsula, the prerequisites for the emergence of conflicts were religious differences based on the fact that Russia was the successor of Byzantium, captured and plundered by Muslim Turks, who turned Christian shrines into Muslim ones. Raids on Russian settlements, the capture of inhabitants into slavery often led to military clashes. In short, the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. was provoked precisely by the cruelty and intolerance of the Turks towards the Orthodox population.

Contributed to the development of Russian-Turkish disagreements and the position of European states, in particular Britain, who did not want the strengthening of Russia, which led to the Ottoman Empire's policy of toughening and oppressing enslaved Christians, mostly Orthodox: Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs and other Balkan Slavs.

Conflict, its preconditions

The events that predetermined the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 can be briefly described as the struggle for the independence of the Balkan peoples, mainly Slavic and Orthodox. After the end of the Crimean War, the Treaty of Paris was signed, its Article 9 directly obliged the government of the Ottoman Empire to provide Christians living on its territory with equal rights with Muslims. But things did not go beyond the Sultan's decree.

The Ottoman Empire, in its essence, could not provide equality to all residents, as evidenced by the events of 1860 in Lebanon and the events of 1866-1869. on the island of Crete. The Balkan Slavs continued to be subjected to cruel oppression.

By that time in Russia there had been a change in domestic political sentiment towards the Turkish question in society, the strengthening of the power of the Russian army. The prerequisites for conducting preparations for the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 can be summarized in two paragraphs. The first is the successful reform in the Russian army carried out by Alexander II. The second is the policy of rapprochement and alliance with Prussia, which was emphasized by the new chancellor, the outstanding Russian politician Prince A. M. Gorchakov.

The main reasons for the start of the war

Briefly, the causes of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 can be characterized by two points. As the struggle of the Balkan peoples against the Turkish enslavers and the strengthening of Russia, which wants to help the Slav brothers in their just struggle and seeks to take revenge for the lost war of 1853-1856.

The beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 (briefly) was the summer rebellion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the prerequisites for which were an unjustified and exorbitant increase in taxes imposed by the Turkish government, which at that time was financially insolvent.

In the spring of 1876, for the same reason, there was an uprising in Bulgaria. More than 30,000 Bulgarians were killed during its suppression. Irregular units of bashi-bazouks distinguished themselves with special atrocities. All this became the property of the European public, which created an atmosphere of sympathy for the Balkan peoples and criticism of their government, which, thanks to tacit consent, contributed to this.

A similar wave of protests swept across Russia. The public of the country, concerned about the increase in violence against Slavic peoples Balkan, expressed their dissatisfaction. Thousands of volunteers expressed their desire to help Serbia and Montenegro, which declared war on Turkey in 1876. Having been defeated by the troops of the Porte, Serbia requested help from European states, including Russia. The Turks declared a month-long truce. Let's say briefly: the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. was predetermined.

Russia's entry into the war

In October, the truce ended, the situation for Serbia became threatening, only the lightning entry of Russia into the war and the opportunity to end it in one company could deter England and France from invading. These countries, under the pressure of anti-Turkish public sentiment, decide to send their expeditionary forces to the Balkans. Russia, in turn, having held meetings with a number of European powers, such as Austria-Hungary, and having secured their neutrality, decides to send troops to the territory of Turkey.

Russia declares war on Turkey 04/12/1877 Russian troops enter the territory of Romania. The army of this country decides to act on its side, but implements the decision only in August.

The course of the war

Let's try to describe the course of the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878) briefly. In June, Russian troops, with 185 thousand soldiers, concentrated on the left bank of the Danube, in the Zimnitsa region. The command of the Russian army led Grand Duke Nikolay.

In the Turkish army opposing Russia, there were more than 200 thousand people, most of whom were garrisons of fortresses. It was commanded by Marshal Abdulkerim Nadir Pasha.

To advance the Russian army, it was necessary to cross the Danube, on which the Turks had a military flotilla. By railway light boats were delivered, which, with the help of minefields, prevented its action. The troops successfully crossed and went on the offensive, moving inland. The Russian army advanced in two directions: in the Caucasus and the Balkans. The Balkans were paramount, since, having captured Constantinople, one could talk about Turkey's withdrawal from the war.

The main battle took place during the passage of the Shipka Pass. In this battle, the Russians won and continued to move towards Constantinople, where in the area of \u200b\u200bthe fortress of Plevna they met with serious resistance from the Turks who settled in it. And only in November the situation changed in favor of the Russians. Winning the battles, Russia in January 1878 took the city of Andrianopol.

Conclusion of a peace treaty

As a result of the war, on March 16, 1878, an agreement was signed in San Stefano. He did not suit a number of leading European countries led by England. In addition, Britain held secret negotiations with Turkey, as a result of which it occupied the island of Cyprus in exchange for protecting the Turks from the Russians.

As a result of behind-the-scenes intrigues, for which England was a master, the Berlin Treaty of 07/01/1878 was signed. As a result of its signing, most of the points of the San Stefano Treaty were annulled.

The results of the war

Let us briefly summarize the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. As a result of the war, Russia returned the previously lost southern part of Bessarabia and the Kars region, populated mainly by Armenians. The territory of the island of Cyprus was occupied by England.

In 1885, a single principality of Bulgaria was formed, after the Balkan wars the Kingdom of Bulgaria became sovereign. Serbia, Romania and Montenegro gained independence.