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Kaptan Pashas

The Russo-Turkish wars were a series of wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire during the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest conflicts in European history.

Stagnation (1699–1827)

See also: Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire
Stagnation of the Ottoman Empire
Time Span 133 years
# Sultans 11
Soc-Econ
See also

After having captured the region of Podolia in the course of the Polish-Ottoman War (1672–1676), the Ottoman government strived to spread its rule over all of the Right-bank Ukraine with the support of its vassal, Petro Doroshenko (1665–1672). The latter's pro-Ottoman policy caused discontent among many Ukrainian Cossacks, which would elect Ivan Samoilovich as a sole Hetman of all Ukraine in 1674.

In 1679–1680, the Russians repelled the attacks of the Crimean Tatars and signed the Bakhchisaray Peace Treaty on January 3, 1681, which would establish the Russo-Turkish border by the Dnieper river. Russia had joined the European Holy League (Austria, Poland, Venice) in 1686. During the war, the Russian army organized the Crimean campaigns of 1687–1689 and the Azov campaigns of 1695–1696. The Russian involvement marked the beginning of the Russo-Turkish Wars. In light of Russia's preparations for the war with Sweden and other countries' signing the Treaty of Karlowitz with Turkey in 1699, the Russian government signed the Treaty of Constantinople with the Ottoman Empire in 1700.

17 Century
Name Land/Sea Guest(1) General Home (2) General Date Side Treaty
Rus Russia Ottoman 1677–1681 0 Bakhchisaray
Çehrin Russia Ottoman 1678 2
Crimean campaigns Russia Ottoman 1686–1699 1
Azov campaigns Russia Ottoman 1696 1

Russia had managed to secure a favorable international situation by signing a few treaties with Persia in 1732–1735 (which was at war with Ottoman Empire in 1730–1736) and supporting the accession to the Polish throne of Augustus III in 1735 instead of the French protégé Stanislaw I Leszczynski, nominated by pro-Turkish France. Austria was Russia's ally since 1726.

The casus belli was the raids of the Crimean Tatars on Ukraine in the end of 1735 and the Crimean khan's military campaign in the Caucasus. In 1736, the Russian commanders envisioned the seizure of Azov and the Crimea.

On June 19, the Russian Don army (28,000 men) under the command of General Peter Lacy with the support from the Don Flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Peter Bredahl seized the fortress of Azov. In July of 1737, the Munnich army took by storm the Turkish fortress of Ochakov. The Lacy army (already 40,000 men strong) marched into the Crimea the same month, inflicting a number of defeats on the army of the Crimean khan and capturing Karasubazar. However, Lacy and his soldiers had to leave the Crimea due to lack of supplies.

In July of 1737, Austria entered the war against Turkey, but was defeated a number of times. In August, Russia, Austria and Turkey began negotiations in Nemirov, which would turn out to be fruitless. There were no significant military operations in 1738. The Russian army had to leave Ochakov and Kinburn due to the plague outbreak.

In 1739, the Munich army crossed the Dnieper, defeated the Ottoman Empire at Stavuchany and occupied the fortress of Khotin (August 19) and Iaşi. However, Austria was defeated by the Ottoman Empire once again and signed a separate peace treaty on August 21. This, coupled with the imminent threat of the Swedish invasion, forced Russia to sign the Belgrade Peace Treaty with Turkey on September 18, which ended the war.

After the Russians had defeated the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava. With the help from Austrian and French diplomats, Charles XII of Sweden managed to persuade the Turkish Sultan to declare war on Russia on November 20, 1710. The war followed the internal tensions within Poland where there was the strife between the nobility and the king Stanilaus Augustus Poniatowski, former favorite of the Russian Empress Catherine II. The king was dependent on the support from the Russian troops.

Following this border incident at Balta, Sultan Mustafa III declared war on Russia on September 25 1768. The Turks formed the alliance with the Polish oppositionary forces of Bar Confederation, while Russia was supported by the United Kingdom, who offered naval advisers to the Russian navy.

The Polish opposition was defeated by Aleksandr Vasilievich Suvorov who was then transferred to the Turkish theatre of operations where in 1773 and 1774 he won several minor and major battles following the previous grand successes of the Russian Field-Marshal Peter Rumiantsev at Larga and Kagula.

The naval operations of the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Mediterranean yielded victories under the command of Aleksey Grigoryevich Orlov. In 1771, Egypt and Syria rebelled against the Ottoman rule while the Russian fleet totally destroyed the Turkish Navy.

On July 21, 1774, the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji according to which the Crimean Khanate formally gained its independence, but in reality became dependent on Russia. Russia received the contribution of 4.5 million rubles and two key seaports allowing the direct access to the Black Sea.

In 1786 Catherine II of Russia made a triumphal progress through the Crimea in company with her ally, Emperor Joseph II. These events and the friction caused by mutual complaints of infringements of the Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainarji, which had closed the previous war, stirred up public opinion in Istanbul, and the British ambassador lent his support to the war party.

In 1788 war was declared, but Turkey's preparations were inadequate and the moment was ill-chosen, now that Russia and Austria were in alliance, a fact of which Turkey became aware only when the horse tails were planted for the campaign. The Turks drove back the Austrians from Mehadia and overran the Banat (1789); but in Moldavia Field-Marshal Rumyantsev was successful and captured Iaşi and Khotin.

Turkish generals were incompetent and the army mutinous; expeditions for the relief of Bender and Akerman failed, Belgrade was taken by the Austrians, the impenetrable fortress of Izmail was captured by the brilliant Suvorov, and the fall of Anapa completed the series of Turkey's disasters.

Sultan Selim III was anxious to restore his country's prestige by a victory before making peace, but the condition of his troops rendered this hope unavailing; while Prussia, though on 31 January 1790 she had signed an offensive treaty with Turkey, gave her no help during the war. Accordingly a treaty was signed with Russia at Iaşi (9 January 1792) by which the Crimea and Ochakov were left to Russia, the Dniester was made the frontier in Europe, and the Asiatic frontier remained unchanged.

18 Century
Name Land/Sea Guest(1) General Home (2) General Date Side
Prut Campaign Russia Ottoman 1711 2
Battle of Bakhchisaray Russia Ottoman 1739 1
Confederation of Bar Russia Ottoman 1768–1774 1
Hotin Russia Ottoman 1769 2
Turla Russia Ottoman 1769 1
Larga (Kartal) Russia Ottoman 1770 1
Mora Ayaklanması Rum–Russia Ottoman 1770 2
Koyunadaları Sea Russia Ottoman 1770 0
Çeşme Sea Russia Ottoman 6-7/7/1770 1
Limni Sea Russia Ottoman 1770 2
Kırım Russia Ottoman 1771 1
Slistre Russia Ottoman 1773 1
Kozluca Russia Ottoman 1774 1
Rus Russia Ottoman 1787–1792 1
Buzaov Russia Ottoman 1789 1
İsmail Siege of Ochakov Russia Ottoman 1789 2
Maçin Russia Ottoman 1791 1

Decline (1828–1908)

See also: Decline of the Ottoman Empire
Decline of the Ottoman Empire
Time Span 82 years
# Sultans 5
Soc-Econ Reformation
See also

Fringe territories were lost to Russia in the north. but more importantly the Empire began to fall behind technologically compared to the west. The outside world was still mostly unaware of the extent of the Empire's decline until the 1820s, when it became clear that the Ottoman armies had no way to put down the Russian-backed revolt in southern Greece. The great powers of Europe decided to intervene to give Greece its independence. Thus Greece became the first independent country created out of a section of the Ottoman Empire. Russian aspirations for a section of the empire and bases on Russia's southern flank provoked British fears over naval domination of the Mediterranean and control of the land route to India.

When in 1853 Russia destroyed the entire Ottoman fleet at Sinop, Britain and France concluded that armed intervention on the side of the Ottomans was the only way to halt a massive Russian expansion, on the grounds that the Ottoman armies could do nothing to stop a Russian march on Constantinople. The Crimean War illustrated how modern technology and superior weaponry were the most important part of a modern army, and a part that the Ottoman Empire was sorely lacking. While fighting alongside the British, French, and even the Piedmontese, the Ottomans could see how far they had fallen behind. It is not surprising then that at the mid point of the 19th century the Ottoman Empire was at the mercy of the Russians until outside forces intervened. Things began to change after the Crimean war.

Another change was that Serbia was permanently granted its independent status. This pleased both Austria, who feared a Serbian revolt on its borders, and Russia who long supported the Slavic nation's independence. Other changes began to occur as Europeans for the first time saw the trading opportunity of Turkey. The amount of money entering the nation through trade was soon dramatically increased. As well the government received a great deal of extra money from a uniform tax system with little corruption. The Sultan also managed to get a tighter grip on the provincial beys and increased the tribute they had to pay. Regrettably Abd-ul-Aziz, the Sultan at the time, used much of this money on furnishing and creating great palaces to rival the great ones in England and France, which he had visited. The Empire was undergoing a revolution, throughout Anatolia a new Ottoman nationalism was appearing, and for the first time the Empire had a middle class. It seemed as though it might be possible for the Empire to turn its decline around.