Crimean War according to the algorithm. What was the reason for the start of the Crimean War
Crimean War, called in the West the Eastern War (1853-1856) - a military clash between Russia and the coalition European countries who spoke out in defense of Turkey. It had little impact on the external position of the Russian Empire, but significantly on its internal policy. The defeat forced the autocracy to begin reforms of everything government controlled which ultimately led to the abolition of serfdom and the transformation of Russia into a powerful capitalist powerCauses of the Crimean War
Objective
***
Rivalry between European states and Russia in the matter of control over the numerous possessions of the weak, collapsing Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
On January 9, 14, February 20, 21, 1853, at meetings with the British Ambassador G. Seymour, Emperor Nicholas I proposed that England share the Turkish Empire together with Russia (History of Diplomacy, Volume One pp. 433 - 437. Edited by V. P. Potemkin)
*** Russia's desire for primacy in managing the system of straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles) from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean
“If England is thinking of settling in Constantinople in the near future, then I will not allow it... For my part, I am equally disposed to accept the obligation not to settle there, of course, as an owner; as a temporary guardian is a different matter" (from the statement of Nicholas the First to the British Ambassador Seymour on January 9, 1853)
*** Russia's desire to include in the sphere of its national interests affairs in the Balkans and among the South Slavs
“Let Moldova, Wallachia, Serbia, Bulgaria come under Russian protectorate. As for Egypt, I fully understand the importance of this territory for England. Here I can only say that if, during the distribution of the Ottoman inheritance after the fall of the empire, you take possession of Egypt, then I will have no objection to this. I will say the same about Candia (the island of Crete). This island may suit you, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t become an English possession” (conversation between Nicholas the First and British Ambassador Seymour on January 9, 1853 at an evening with Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna)
Subjective
*** Turkey's weakness
“Türkiye is a “sick man”. Nicholas did not change his terminology all his life when he spoke about the Turkish Empire" ((History of Diplomacy, Volume One pp. 433 - 437)
*** Nicholas I's confidence in his impunity
“I want to speak to you as a gentleman, if we manage to come to an agreement - me and England - the rest doesn’t matter to me, I don’t care what others do or will do” (from a conversation between Nicholas the First and British Ambassador Hamilton Seymour on January 9, 1853 at the evening at Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna)
***
Nicholas's suggestion that Europe is unable to present a united front
“the tsar was confident that Austria and France would not join England (in a possible confrontation with Russia), and England would not dare to fight him without allies” (History of Diplomacy, Volume One pp. 433 - 437. OGIZ, Moscow, 1941)
*** Autocracy, the result of which was the wrong relationship between the emperor and his advisers
“... Russian ambassadors in Paris, London, Vienna, Berlin, ... Chancellor Nesselrode ... in their reports distorted the state of affairs before the Tsar. They almost always wrote not about what they saw, but about what the king would like to know from them. When one day Andrei Rosen convinced Prince Lieven to finally open the Tsar’s eyes, Lieven answered literally: “So that I would say this to the Emperor?!” But I'm not a fool! If I wanted to tell him the truth, he would throw me out the door, and nothing else would come of it" (History of Diplomacy, Volume One)
*** The problem of "Palestinian shrines":
It became apparent back in 1850, continued and intensified in 1851, weakened in the beginning and middle of 1852, and again unusually worsened just at the very end of 1852 - beginning of 1853. Louis Napoleon, while still president, told the Turkish government that he wanted to preserve and restore all the rights and benefits of the Catholic Church confirmed by Turkey back in 1740 in the so-called holy places, that is, in the churches of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Sultan agreed; but from Russian diplomacy in Constantinople there was a sharp protest pointing out the advantages Orthodox Church before the Catholic one on the basis of the conditions of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace. After all, Nicholas I considered himself the patron saint of the Orthodox
*** France's desire to split the continental union of Austria, England, Prussia and Russia, which arose during the Napoleonic wars n
“Subsequently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Napoleon III, Drouey de Luis, very frankly stated: “The question of holy places and everything that relates to it has no real significance for France. This whole eastern question, which is causing so much noise, served the imperial government only as a means of disrupting the continental union, which had paralyzed France for almost half a century. Finally, the opportunity presented itself to sow discord in a powerful coalition, and Emperor Napoleon grabbed it with both hands" (History of Diplomacy)
Events preceding the Crimean War of 1853-1856
During his short stay in London, the Emperor charmed everyone with his knightly courtesy and royal grandeur, and charmed Queen Victoria, her husband and the most prominent statesmen the then Great Britain, with whom he tried to get closer and enter into an exchange of thoughts.
Nicholas’s aggressive policy in 1853 was due, among other things, to Victoria’s friendly attitude towards him and the fact that the head of the cabinet in England at that moment was the same Lord Aberdeen, who listened to him so kindly at Windsor in 1844
Menshikov was greeted with extraordinary honor. The Turkish police did not even dare to disperse the crowd of Greeks, who gave the prince an enthusiastic meeting. Menshikov behaved with defiant arrogance. In Europe, they paid a lot of attention even to Menshikov’s purely external provocative antics: they wrote about how he paid a visit to the Grand Vizier without taking off his coat, how he spoke sharply to Sultan Abdul-Mecid. From Menshikov’s very first steps, it became clear that he would never give in on two central points: first, he wants to achieve recognition of Russia’s right to patronage not only of the Orthodox Church, but also of the Sultan’s Orthodox subjects; secondly, he demands that Turkey’s consent be approved by the Sultan’s Sened, and not by a firman, i.e., that it be in the nature of a foreign policy agreement with the king, and not be a simple decree
However, Nicholas issued a manifesto that he, like his ancestors, must defend the Orthodox Church in Turkey, and that in order to ensure that the Turks fulfill previous treaties with Russia, which were violated by the Sultan, the Tsar was forced to occupy the Danube principalities (Moldova and Wallachia)
The 4th and 5th infantry corps, numbering 81,541 people, were prepared to occupy Moldova and Wallachia. On May 24, the 4th Corps moved from Podolsk and Volyn provinces to Leovo. The 15th Division of the 5th Infantry Corps arrived there at the beginning of June and merged with the 4th Corps. The command was entrusted to Prince Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov
But Stratford-Radcliffe forced Sultan Abdul-Mecid to reject the Vienna Note, and even before that he hastened to draw up, ostensibly on behalf of Turkey, another note, with some reservations against the Vienna Note. The king, in turn, rejected her. At this time, Nicholas received news from the ambassador in France about the impossibility of a joint military action by England and France.
The course of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Briefly
headed by admirals Kornilov, Nakhimov, Istomin, who died during the siege
Peace terms
The return of Kars to Turkey in exchange for Sevastopol, the transformation of the Black Sea into neutral: Russia and Turkey are deprived of the opportunity to have a navy and coastal fortifications here, the concession of Bessarabia (the abolition of the exclusive Russian protectorate over Wallachia, Moldova and Serbia)
Reasons for Russia's defeat in the Crimean War
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Russia's military-technical lag behind leading European powers
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Underdevelopment of communications
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Embezzlement, corruption in the rear of the army
“Due to the nature of his activity, Golitsyn had to learn the war as if from scratch. Then he will see heroism, holy self-sacrifice, selfless courage and patience of the defenders of Sevastopol, but, hanging around in the rear on militia affairs, at every step he was faced with God knows what: collapse, indifference, cold-blooded mediocrity and monstrous theft. They stole everything that other - higher - thieves did not have time to steal on the way to Crimea: bread, hay, oats, horses, ammunition. The mechanics of the robbery were simple: suppliers provided rotten goods, which were accepted (as a bribe, of course) by the main commissariat in St. Petersburg. Then - also for a bribe - the army commissariat, then the regimental commissariat, and so on until the last spoke in the chariot. And the soldiers ate rotten stuff, wore rotten stuff, slept on rotten stuff, shot rotten stuff. Military units themselves had to purchase fodder from the local population with money issued by a special financial department. Golitsyn once went there and witnessed such a scene. An officer arrived from the front line in a faded, shabby uniform. The feed has run out, hungry horses are eating sawdust and shavings. An elderly quartermaster with major's shoulder straps adjusted his glasses on his nose and said in a casual voice:
- We'll give you money, eight percent is fine.
- Why on earth? — the officer was indignant. - We are shedding blood!..
“They sent a newbie again,” the quartermaster sighed. - Just small children! I remember that Captain Onishchenko came from your brigade. Why wasn't he sent?
- Onishchenko died...
- May the kingdom of heaven be upon him! - The quartermaster crossed himself. - It's a pity. The man was understanding. We respected him, and he respected us. We won't ask for too much.
The quartermaster was not embarrassed even by the presence of an outsider. Prince Golitsyn approached him, grabbed him by the soul, pulled him out from behind the table and lifted him into the air.
- I’ll kill you, you bastard!..
“Kill,” the quartermaster wheezed, “I still won’t give it without interest.”
“Do you think I’m joking?” The prince squeezed him with his paw.
“I can’t... the chain will break...” the quartermaster croaked with his last strength. - Then I won’t live anyway... The Petersburgers will strangle me...
“People are dying there, you son of a bitch!” - the prince cried out in tears and disgustedly threw away the half-strangled military official.
He touched his wrinkled throat, like a condor’s, and croaked with unexpected dignity:
“If we were there... we would have died no worse... And please, please,” he turned to the officer, “comply with the rules: for artillerymen - six percent, for all other branches of the military - eight.”
The officer twitched his cold nose pathetically, as if he was sobbing:
“They’re eating sawdust... shavings... to hell with you!.. I can’t come back without hay.”
- Poor troop control
“Golitsyn was amazed by the commander-in-chief himself, to whom he introduced himself. Gorchakov was not that old, a little over sixty, but he gave the impression of some kind of rottenness, it seemed that if you poked a finger at him, he would crumble like a completely rotten mushroom. The wandering gaze could not concentrate on anything, and when the old man released Golitsyn with a weak wave of his hand, he heard him humming in French:
I'm poor, poor poilu,
And I'm not in a hurry...
- What else is that! - the colonel of the quartermaster service said to Golitsyn when they left the commander-in-chief. “At least he goes to positions, but Prince Menshikov didn’t remember at all that the war is on. He just made it all witty, and I must admit, it was caustic. He spoke about the Minister of War as follows: “Prince Dolgorukov has a threefold relationship with gunpowder - he did not invent it, did not smell it and does not send it to Sevastopol.” About commander Dmitry Erofeevich Osten-Sacken: “Erofeich has not become strong. I'm exhausted." Sarcasm at least! - the colonel added thoughtfully. “But he allowed a psalmist to be appointed over the great Nakhimov.” For some reason, Prince Golitsyn did not find it funny. In general, he was unpleasantly surprised by the tone of cynical mockery that reigned at headquarters. It seemed that these people had lost all self-respect, and with it any respect for anything. They didn’t talk about the tragic situation of Sevastopol, but they relished ridiculing the commander of the Sevastopol garrison, Count Osten-Sacken, who only knows what to do with priests, read akathists and argue about divine scripture. "He has one good property, added the colonel. “He doesn’t interfere in anything” (Yu. Nagibin “Stronger than all other commands”)
Results of the Crimean War
The Crimean War showed
The spirit in the troops is beyond description. During times ancient Greece there was not so much heroism. I was not able to be in action even once, but I thank God that I saw these people and live in this glorious time.
Lev Tolstoy
Wars between the Russian and Ottoman empires were commonplace international politics XVIII-XIX centuries. In 1853, the Russian Empire of Nicholas 1 entered into another war, which went down in history as the Crimean War of 1853-1856, and ended in the defeat of Russia. In addition, this war showed the strong resistance of the leading countries of Western Europe (France and Great Britain) to the strengthening of Russia’s role in Eastern Europe, in particular in the Balkans. The lost war also showed Russia itself problems in domestic policy, which led to many problems. Despite victories in the initial stage of 1853-1854, as well as the capture of the key Turkish fortress of Kars in 1855, Russia lost the most important battles in the territory Crimean peninsula. This article describes the reasons, course, main results and historical meaning V short story about the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
Reasons for the aggravation of the Eastern Question
By the Eastern Question, historians understand a number of controversial issues Russian-Turkish relations, which could lead to conflict at any moment. The main problems of the Eastern question, which became the basis for the future war, are the following:
- The loss of Crimea and the northern Black Sea region to the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th century constantly stimulated Turkey to start a war in the hope of regaining the territories. Thus began the wars of 1806-1812 and 1828-1829. However, as a result, Turkey lost Bessarabia and part of the territory in the Caucasus, which further increased the desire for revenge.
- Belonging to the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. Russia demanded that these straits be opened for the Black Sea Fleet, while Ottoman Empire(under pressure from Western European countries) ignored these demands from Russia.
- The presence in the Balkans, as part of the Ottoman Empire, of Slavic Christian peoples who fought for their independence. Russia provided them with support, thereby causing a wave of indignation among the Turks about Russian interference in the internal affairs of another state.
An additional factor that intensified the conflict was the desire of Western European countries (Britain, France, and Austria) not to allow Russia into the Balkans, as well as to block its access to the straits. For this reason, countries were ready to provide support to Turkey in a potential war with Russia.
The reason for the war and its beginning
These problematic issues were brewing throughout the late 1840s and early 1850s. In 1853, the Turkish Sultan transferred the Temple of Bethlehem in Jerusalem (then the territory of the Ottoman Empire) to the management of the Catholic Church. This caused a wave of indignation among the highest Orthodox hierarchy. Nicholas 1 decided to take advantage of this, using the religious conflict as a reason to attack Turkey. Russia demanded that the temple be transferred to the Orthodox Church, and at the same time also open the straits to the Black Sea Fleet. Türkiye refused. In June 1853 Russian troops crossed the border of the Ottoman Empire and entered the territory of the Danube principalities dependent on it.
Nicholas 1 hoped that France was too weak after the revolution of 1848, and Britain could be appeased by transferring Cyprus and Egypt to it in the future. However, the plan didn't work European countries called on the Ottoman Empire to act, promising it financial and military assistance. In October 1853, Türkiye declared war on Russia. This is how, to put it briefly, the Crimean War of 1853-1856 began. In the history of Western Europe, this war is called the Eastern War.
Progress of the war and main stages
The Crimean War can be divided into 2 stages according to the number of participants in the events of those years. These are the stages:
- October 1853 – April 1854. During these six months, the war was between the Ottoman Empire and Russia (without direct intervention from other states). There were three fronts: Crimean (Black Sea), Danube and Caucasian.
- April 1854 - February 1856. British and French troops enter the war, which expands the theater of operations and also marks a turning point in the course of the war. Allied forces outnumbered Russians technical side, which was the reason for the changes during the war.
As for specific battles, the following key battles can be identified: for Sinop, for Odessa, for the Danube, for the Caucasus, for Sevastopol. There were other battles, but the ones listed above are the most basic. Let's look at them in more detail.
Battle of Sinop (November 1853)
The battle took place in the harbor of the city of Sinop in Crimea. Russian fleet under the command of Nakhimov, he completely defeated the Turkish fleet of Osman Pasha. This battle was perhaps the last major world battle on sailing ships. This victory significantly raised the morale of the Russian army and inspired hope for an early victory in the war.
Map of the Sinopo naval battle November 18, 1853
Bombing of Odessa (April 1854)
At the beginning of April 1854, the Ottoman Empire sent a squadron of the Franco-British fleet through its straits, which quickly headed for the Russian port and shipbuilding cities: Odessa, Ochakov and Nikolaev.
On April 10, 1854, the bombardment of Odessa, the main southern port of the Russian Empire, began. After a rapid and intense bombardment, it was planned to land troops in the northern Black Sea region, which would force the withdrawal of troops from the Danube principalities, as well as weaken the defense of Crimea. However, the city survived several days of shelling. Moreover, the defenders of Odessa were able to deliver precise strikes on the Allied fleet. The plan of the Anglo-French troops failed. The Allies were forced to retreat towards Crimea and begin battles for the peninsula.
Fighting on the Danube (1853-1856)
It was with the entry of Russian troops into this region that the Crimean War of 1853-1856 began. After success in the Battle of Sinop, another success awaited Russia: the troops completely crossed over to the right bank of the Danube, an attack was opened on Silistria and further on Bucharest. However, the entry of England and France into the war complicated the Russian offensive. On June 9, 1854, the siege of Silistria was lifted, and Russian troops returned to the left bank of the Danube. By the way, Austria also entered the war against Russia on this front, which was worried about the rapid advance of the Romanov Empire into Wallachia and Moldavia.
In July 1854, a huge landing of the British and French armies(according to various sources, from 30 to 50 thousand). The troops were supposed to enter the territory of Bessarabia, displacing Russia from this region. However, a cholera epidemic broke out in the French army, and the British public demanded that the army leadership give priority to the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea.
Fighting in the Caucasus (1853-1856)
An important battle took place in July 1854 near the village of Kyuryuk-Dara (Western Armenia). The combined Turkish-British forces were defeated. At this stage, the Crimean War was still successful for Russia.
Another important battle in this region took place in June–November 1855. Russian troops decided to attack the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire, the Karsu fortress, so that the Allies would send some troops to this region, thereby slightly easing the siege of Sevastopol. Russia won the Battle of Kars, but this happened after the news of the fall of Sevastopol, so this battle had little impact on the outcome of the war. Moreover, according to the results of the “peace” signed later, the Kars fortress was returned to the Ottoman Empire. However, as the peace negotiations showed, the capture of Kars still played a role. But more on that later.
Defense of Sevastopol (1854-1855)
The most heroic and tragic event of the Crimean War is, of course, the battle for Sevastopol. In September 1855, French-English troops captured the last point of defense of the city - Malakhov Kurgan. The city survived an 11-month siege, but as a result it was surrendered to the Allied forces (among which the Sardinian kingdom appeared). This defeat was key and provided the impetus for ending the war. From the end of 1855, intensive negotiations began, in which Russia had practically no strong arguments. It was clear that the war was lost.
Other battles in Crimea (1854-1856)
In addition to the siege of Sevastopol, several more battles took place on the territory of Crimea in 1854-1855, which were aimed at “unblocking” Sevastopol:
- Battle of Alma (September 1854).
- Battle of Balaklava (October 1854).
- Battle of Inkerman (November 1854).
- Attempt to liberate Yevpatoria (February 1855).
- Battle of the Chernaya River (August 1855).
All these battles are over unsuccessful attempts lift the siege of Sevastopol.
"Distant" battles
The main fighting of the war took place near the Crimean Peninsula, which gave the name to the war. There were also battles in the Caucasus, on the territory of modern Moldova, as well as in the Balkans. However, not many people know that battles between rivals also took place in remote regions of the Russian Empire. Here are some examples:
- Petropavlovsk defense. The battle, which took place on the territory of the Kamchatka Peninsula between the combined Franco-British troops on one side and the Russian ones on the other. The battle took place in August 1854. This battle was a consequence of Britain's victory over China during the Opium Wars. As a result, Britain wanted to increase its influence in eastern Asia by displacing Russia. In total, the Allied troops launched two assaults, both of which ended in failure. Russia withstood the Petropavlovsk defense.
- Arctic company. The operation of the British fleet to attempt to blockade or capture Arkhangelsk, carried out in 1854-1855. The main battles took place in the waters Barents Sea. The British also launched a bombardment of the Solovetsky Fortress, as well as the robbery of Russian merchant ships in the White and Barents Seas.
Results and historical significance of the war
Nicholas 1 died in February 1855. The task of the new emperor, Alexander 2, was to end the war, and with minimal damage to Russia. In February 1856, the Paris Congress began its work. Russia was represented there by Alexey Orlov and Philip Brunnov. Since neither side saw the point in continuing the war, already on March 6, 1856, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed, as a result of which the Crimean War was completed.
The main terms of the Treaty of Paris 6 were as follows:
- Russia returned the Karsu fortress to Turkey in exchange for Sevastopol and other captured cities of the Crimean peninsula.
- Russia was prohibited from having Black Sea Fleet. The Black Sea was declared neutral.
- The Bosporus and Dardanelles straits were declared closed to the Russian Empire.
- Part of Russian Bessarabia was transferred to the Principality of Moldova, the Danube ceased to be border river, therefore navigation was declared free.
- On the Allad Islands (an archipelago in the Baltic Sea), Russia was prohibited from building military and (or) defensive fortifications.
As for losses, the number of Russian citizens who died in the war is 47.5 thousand people. Britain lost 2.8 thousand, France - 10.2, Ottoman Empire - more than 10 thousand. The Sardinian kingdom lost 12 thousand military personnel. The number of deaths on the Austrian side is unknown, perhaps because it was not officially at war with Russia.
In general, the war showed the backwardness of Russia compared to European countries, especially in terms of the economy (completion of the industrial revolution, construction railways, use of steamships). After this defeat, the reforms of Alexander 2 began. In addition, in Russia for a long time the desire for revenge was brewing, which resulted in another war with Turkey in 1877-1878. But this is a completely different story, and the Crimean War of 1853-1856 was completed and Russia was defeated in it.
In the middle of the 19th century, some disagreements arose between Russia on the one hand and the Ottoman Empire, as well as a number of European states on the other, regarding the division of spheres of influence in the Black Sea and the East. This conflict eventually led to an armed confrontation called the Crimean War, the reasons, course of military operations and results of which will be discussed briefly in this article.
Increasing anti-Russian sentiments in Western European countries
IN early XIX century the Ottoman Empire experienced Hard times. It lost some of its territories and was on the verge of complete collapse. Taking advantage of this situation, Russia tried to increase its influence on some countries of the Balkan Peninsula that were under Ottoman control. Fearing that this could lead to a series of independent states, loyal to Russia, as well as the appearance of its ships in the Mediterranean Sea, England and France launched anti-Russian propaganda in their countries. Articles constantly appeared in newspapers citing examples of aggressive military policy Tsarist Russia and its possibility of conquering Constantinople.
Causes of the Crimean War, briefly about the events of the early 50s of the 19th century
The reason for the start of the military confrontation was disagreements regarding the ownership of Christian churches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Orthodox Church, supported by the Russian Empire, on the one hand, and the Catholics, under the patronage of France, on the other, have been fighting for a long time for ownership of the so-called keys to the temple. As a result, the Ottoman Empire supported France, giving it the right to own holy places. Nicholas I could not come to terms with this and in the spring of 1853 he sent A.S. Menshikov to Istanbul, who was supposed to negotiate the provision of churches under the management of the Orthodox Church. But as a result, he received a refusal from the Sultan, Russia moved to more decisive actions, as a result of which the Crimean War broke out. We will briefly consider its main stages below.
Start of hostilities
This conflict was one of the largest and most significant confrontations between the strongest states of that time. The main events of the Crimean War took place in the Transcaucasus, the Balkans, in the Black Sea basin and partly in the White and Barents Seas. It all started in June 1853, when several Russian troops entered the territory of Moldavia and Wallachia. The Sultan did not like this, and after several months of negotiations, he declared war on Russia.
From this moment, a three-year military confrontation began, called the Crimean War, the course of which we will briefly try to understand. The entire period of this conflict can be divided into two stages:
- October 1853 - April 1854 - Russian-Turkish confrontation.
- April 1854 - February 1856 - entry into the war by England, France and the Sardinian Kingdom on the side of the Ottoman Empire.
Initially, everything turned out favorably for the Russian troops, who won victories both at sea and on land. The most significant event there was a battle in Sinop Bay, as a result of which the Turks lost a significant part of their fleet.
Second stage of the war
In the early spring of 1854, England and France joined the Ottoman Empire and also declared war on Russia. Russian troops were inferior to their new opponents both in the training of soldiers and in the quality of weapons, as a result of which they were forced to retreat when coalition ships entered the waters of the Black Sea. The main task for the Anglo-French formations was the capture of Sevastopol, where the main forces of the Black Sea Fleet were concentrated.
For this purpose, in September 1854, they landed in the western part of Crimea. ground formations allies, a battle ensues near the Alma River, which ends in defeat for the Russian army. Anglo-French troops captured Sevastopol, and after 11 months of resistance the city was surrendered.
Despite defeats in naval battles and in the Crimea, the Russian army performed well in Transcaucasia, where it was opposed by Ottoman troops. Having successfully repulsed the attacks of the Turks, she launched a rapid offensive and managed to push the enemy back to the Kars fortress.
Treaty of Paris
After three years of fierce fighting, both sides of the conflict did not want to continue the military confrontation and agreed to sit down at the negotiating table. As a result, the results of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. were enshrined in the Paris Peace Treaty, which the parties signed on March 18, 1856. According to it, the Russian Empire was deprived of part of Bessarabia. But a much more serious damage was that the waters of the Black Sea were now considered neutral for the duration of the treaty. This meant that Russia and the Ottoman Empire were prohibited from having their own Black Sea fleets, as well as from building fortresses on its shores. This greatly undermined the country's defensive capabilities, as well as its economy.
Consequences of the Crimean War
As a result of the three-year confrontation between European states and the Ottoman Empire against Russia, the latter was among the losers, which undermined its influence on the world stage and led to economic isolation. This forced the country's government to launch a number of reforms aimed at modernizing the army, as well as improving the lives of the entire population of the country. Thanks to the military reform, conscription was abolished, and military service was introduced instead. New models of military equipment were adopted into service with the army. After the uprisings broke out, serfdom was abolished. Changes also affected the education system, finance and courts.
Despite all the efforts made by the Russian Empire, the Crimean War ended in defeat for it; after briefly analyzing the course of its actions, one can judge that the cause of all the failures was poor training of troops and outdated weapons. After its completion, many reforms were introduced aimed at improving the fundamentals of life for the country's citizens. Results of the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Although they were unsatisfactory for Russia, they still gave the tsar the opportunity to realize past mistakes and prevent similar things in the future.
The article briefly describes the Crimean War of 1853-1856, which influenced further development Russia and became the immediate reason for the reforms of Alexander II. The war revealed Russia's significant lag behind Europe both in military field, and in all spheres of government.
- Causes of the Crimean War
- Progress of the Crimean War
- Results of the Crimean War
Causes of the Crimean War
- The cause of the Crimean War was an aggravation in the middle of the 19th century. eastern question. Western powers showed increased interest in the territories of the weakening Ottoman Empire in Europe, and plans were made for the possible division of these territories. Russia was interested in seizing control of the Black Sea straits, which was necessary in economically. A stronger Russia would allow it to expand its influence in the region, which worried Western countries. They adhered to the policy of maintaining a weak Turkey as a source of constant danger to the Russian Empire. Turkey was promised Crimea and the Caucasus as a reward for a successful war with Russia.
- The central reason for the war was the struggle between the Russian and French clergy for the possession of holy places in Palestine. Nicholas I, in the form of an ultimatum, declared to the Turkish government the recognition of the right Russian Emperor to provide assistance to all Orthodox subjects of the Ottoman Empire (mainly the Balkan region). Hoping for support and promises from the Western powers, Türkiye rejected the ultimatum. It became clear that war could no longer be avoided.
Progress of the Crimean War
- In June 1853, Russia sent troops into the territory of Moldavia and Wallachia. The pretext is the protection of the Slavic population. In response to this in the fall, Türkiye declares war on Russia.
- Until the end of the year, Russia's military actions are successful. It expands its sphere of influence on the Danube, wins victories in the Caucasus, and the Russian squadron blocks Turkish ports on the Black Sea.
- Russian victories are causing concern in the West. The situation changes in 1854, when the fleet of England and France enters the Black Sea. Russia declares war on them. After this, European squadrons are sent to blockade Russian ports in the Baltic and Far East. The blockades were of a demonstrative nature; landing attempts ended in failure.
- Russia's successes in Moldavia and Wallachia ended under pressure from Austria, which forced the withdrawal of the Russian army and itself occupied the Danube principalities. Appeared real threat creating a pan-European coalition against Russia. Nicholas I is forced to concentrate his main forces on the western border.
- Meanwhile, Crimea becomes the main arena of the war. The Allies are blocking the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. Then a landing occurs and the Russian army is defeated on the river. Alma. In the fall of 1854, the heroic defense of Sevastopol began.
- The Russian army is still winning victories in Transcaucasia, but it is already becoming clear that the war is lost.
- By the end of 1855, the besiegers managed to capture Sevastopol southern part city, which does not lead, however, to the surrender of the fortress. The huge number of casualties forces the allies to abandon further assault attempts. Fighting actually stop.
- In 1856, a peace treaty was signed in Paris, which is a black page in the history of Russian diplomacy. Russia was losing the Black Sea Fleet and all bases on the Black Sea coast. Only Sevastopol remained in Russian hands in exchange for the Turkish fortress of Kars captured in the Caucasus.
Results of the Crimean War
- In addition to territorial concessions and losses, Russia suffered a serious moral blow. Having shown its backwardness during the war, Russia was excluded from the list of great powers for a long time and was no longer perceived in Europe as a serious adversary.
- Nevertheless, the war became a necessary lesson for Russia, revealing all its shortcomings. There was an understanding in society of the need for significant changes. The reforms of Alexander II were a natural consequence of the defeat.
In 1854, diplomatic negotiations between the warring parties were held in Vienna through the mediation of Austria. England and France, as peace conditions, demanded a ban on Russia keeping a naval fleet on the Black Sea, Russia’s renunciation of the protectorate over Moldavia and Wallachia and claims to patronage of the Sultan’s Orthodox subjects, as well as “freedom of navigation” on the Danube (that is, depriving Russia of access to its mouths).
On December 2 (14), Austria announced an alliance with England and France. On December 28, 1854 (January 9, 1855), a conference of the ambassadors of England, France, Austria and Russia opened, but the negotiations did not produce results and were interrupted in April 1855.
On January 14 (26), 1855, the Sardinian Kingdom joined the allies and concluded an agreement with France, after which 15 thousand Piedmontese soldiers went to Sevastopol. According to Palmerston's plan, Sardinia was to receive Venice and Lombardy, taken from Austria, for participation in the coalition. After the war, France concluded an agreement with Sardinia, in which it officially assumed the corresponding obligations (which, however, were never fulfilled).
On February 18 (March 2), 1855, Russian Emperor Nicholas I died suddenly. The Russian throne was inherited by his son, Alexander II. After the fall of Sevastopol, differences arose in the coalition. Palmerston wanted to continue the war, Napoleon III did not. The French emperor began secret (separate) negotiations with Russia. Meanwhile, Austria announced its readiness to join the allies. In mid-December, she presented Russia with an ultimatum:
Replacement of the Russian protectorate over Wallachia and Serbia with the protectorate of all the great powers;
establishing freedom of navigation at the mouths of the Danube;
preventing the passage of anyone's squadrons through the Dardanelles and the Bosporus into the Black Sea, prohibiting Russia and Turkey from keeping a navy in the Black Sea and having arsenals and military fortifications on the shores of this sea;
Russia's refusal to patronize the Sultan's Orthodox subjects;
cession by Russia in favor of Moldova of the section of Bessarabia adjacent to the Danube. 
A few days later, Alexander II received a letter from Frederick William IV, who urged the Russian emperor to accept Austrian terms, hinting that otherwise Prussia might join the anti-Russian coalition. Thus, Russia found itself in complete diplomatic isolation, which, given the depletion of resources and the defeats inflicted by the allies, put it in an extremely difficult position.
On the evening of December 20, 1855 (January 1, 1856), a meeting convened by him took place in the tsar’s office. It was decided to invite Austria to omit the 5th paragraph. Austria rejected this proposal. Then Alexander II convened a secondary meeting on January 15 (27), 1855. The assembly unanimously decided to accept the ultimatum as preconditions for peace.
On February 13 (25), 1856, the Paris Congress began, and on March 18 (30) a peace treaty was signed.
Russia returned the city of Kars with a fortress to the Ottomans, receiving in exchange Sevastopol, Balaklava and other Crimean cities captured from it.
The Black Sea was declared neutral (that is, open to commercial traffic and closed to military vessels in peacetime), with Russia and the Ottoman Empire prohibited from having military fleets and arsenals there.
Navigation along the Danube was declared free, for which the Russian borders were moved away from the river and part of Russian Bessarabia with the mouth of the Danube was annexed to Moldova.
Russia was deprived of the protectorate over Moldavia and Wallachia granted to it by the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace of 1774 and the exclusive protection of Russia over the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire.
Russia pledged not to build fortifications on the Åland Islands.
During the war, the participants in the anti-Russian coalition failed to achieve all their goals, but they managed to prevent Russia from strengthening in the Balkans and deprive it of the Black Sea Fleet for 15 years. 
Consequences of the war
The war led to a breakdown of the financial system of the Russian Empire (Russia spent 800 million rubles on the war, Britain - 76 million pounds): to finance military expenses, the government had to resort to printing unsecured banknotes, which led to a decrease in their silver coverage from 45% in 1853 to 19% in 1858, that is, in fact, to more than a twofold depreciation of the ruble.
Russia was able to achieve a deficit-free state budget again only in 1870, that is, 14 years after the end of the war. It was possible to establish a stable exchange rate of the ruble to gold and restore its international conversion in 1897, during the Witte monetary reform.
The war became the impetus for economic reforms and, subsequently, for the abolition of serfdom.
The experience of the Crimean War partially formed the basis for the military reforms of the 1860s and 1870s in Russia (replacing the outdated 25-year conscription and so on.).
In 1871, Russia achieved the lifting of the ban on keeping the navy in the Black Sea under the London Convention. In 1878, Russia was able to return the lost territories under the Treaty of Berlin, signed within the framework of the Berlin Congress, which was held as a result of Russian-Turkish War 1877—1878.
The government of the Russian Empire is beginning to reconsider its policy in the field of railway construction, which previously manifested itself in the repeated blocking of private projects for the construction of railways, including in Kremenchug, Kharkov and Odessa and defending the unprofitability and unnecessaryness of the construction of railways in south direction from Moscow. In September 1854, an order was issued to begin research on the line Moscow - Kharkov - Kremenchug - Elizavetgrad - Olviopol - Odessa. In October 1854, an order was received to begin research on the Kharkov-Feodosia line, in February 1855 - on a branch from the Kharkov-Feodosia line to Donbass, in June 1855 - on the Genichesk-Simferopol-Bakhchisarai-Sevastopol line. On January 26, 1857, the Highest Decree was issued on the creation of the first railway network.
...railroads, the need for which many had doubted even ten years ago, are now recognized by all classes as a necessity for the Empire and have become a popular need, a common, urgent desire. In this deep conviction, we, following the first cessation of hostilities, ordered means to better satisfy this urgent need... turn to private industry, both domestic and foreign... in order to take advantage of the significant experience acquired in the construction of many thousands of miles of railways in Western Europe .
Britannia
Military failures caused the resignation of the British government of Aberdeen, who was replaced in his post by Palmerston. Depravity revealed official system the sale of officer ranks for money, which has been preserved in the British army since medieval times.
Ottoman Empire
During the Eastern Campaign, the Ottoman Empire made 7 million pounds sterling in England. In 1858, the Sultan's treasury was declared bankrupt.
In February 1856, Sultan Abdulmecid I was forced to issue a Khatt-i-Sherif (decree), which proclaimed freedom of religion and equality of subjects of the empire regardless of nationality.
The Crimean War gave impetus to development armed forces, military and naval art of states. In many countries, a transition began from smooth-bore weapons to rifled weapons, from a sailing wooden fleet to a steam-powered armored one, and positional forms of warfare arose.
The role of the ground forces has increased small arms and, accordingly, fire preparation for the attack, a new battle formation appeared - a rifle chain, which was also the result of a sharply increased capabilities of small arms. Over time, it completely replaced the columns and loose construction.
Sea barrage mines were invented and used for the first time.
The beginning of the use of the telegraph for military purposes was laid.
Florence Nightingale laid the foundations for modern sanitation and care for the wounded in hospitals - in less than six months after her arrival in Turkey, mortality in hospitals decreased from 42 to 2.2%.
For the first time in the history of wars, sisters of mercy were involved in caring for the wounded.
Nikolai Pirogov was the first in Russian field medicine to use a plaster cast, which accelerated the healing process of fractures and saved the wounded from ugly curvature of the limbs.
One of the early manifestations of the information war is documented when, immediately after the Battle of Sinop, English newspapers wrote in reports on the battle that the Russians were finishing off the wounded Turks floating in the sea.
On March 1, 1854, a new asteroid was discovered by the German astronomer Robert Luther at the Dusseldorf Observatory, Germany. This asteroid was named (28) Bellona in honor of Bellona, the ancient Roman goddess of war, part of the retinue of Mars. The name was proposed by the German astronomer Johann Encke and symbolized the beginning of the Crimean War.
On March 31, 1856, the German astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt discovered an asteroid named (40) Harmony. The name was chosen to commemorate the end of the Crimean War.
For the first time, photography was widely used to cover the progress of the war. In particular, a collection of photographs taken by Roger Fenton and numbering 363 images was purchased by the Library of Congress.
The practice of constant weather forecasting emerged, first in Europe and then throughout the world. The storm of November 14, 1854, which caused heavy losses the Allied fleet, as well as the fact that these losses could have been prevented, forced the Emperor of France, Napoleon III, to personally instruct his country's leading astronomer, W. Le Verrier, to create an effective weather forecast service. Already on February 19, 1855, just three months after the storm in Balaclava, the first forecast map was created, the prototype of those we see in weather news, and in 1856 there were already 13 weather stations operating in France.
Cigarettes were invented: the habit of wrapping tobacco crumbs in old newspapers was copied by the British and French troops in the Crimea from their Turkish comrades.
The young author Leo Tolstoy gained all-Russian fame with his “Sevastopol Stories” published in the press from the scene of events. Here he created a song criticizing the actions of the command in the battle on the Black River.
According to estimates of military losses, total number those killed in battle, as well as those who died from wounds and diseases in the Allied army amounted to 160-170 thousand people, in the Russian army - 100-110 thousand people. According to other estimates, the total number of deaths in the war, including non-combat losses, was approximately 250 thousand on the Russian side and on the Allied side.
In Great Britain, the Crimean Medal was established to reward distinguished soldiers, and the Royal Medal was established to reward those who distinguished themselves in the Baltic. navy And Marine Corps— Baltic medal. In 1856, the Victoria Cross medal was established to reward those who distinguished themselves during the Crimean War, which is still Britain's highest military award.
In the Russian Empire, on November 26, 1856, Emperor Alexander II established the medal “In Memory of the War of 1853-1856,” as well as the medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol,” and ordered the Mint to produce 100,000 copies of the medal.
On August 26, 1856, Alexander II granted the population of Taurida a “Certificate of Gratitude.”