Crimean War

Eastern War of 1853–1856

“The Eastern Question”

• Ottoman Empire – “Sick man of Europe”

• Russian Expansionism

• Holy Alliance- “police of Europe”

• Assisted Austria with Hungarian Revolution of 1848

• Wanted to settle problems with Ottomans

• Expanding southwards toward Black Sea and conquered

Ukraine

• No buffer between Russian expansion and the O.E.

• Religious Importance

• Protector of Orthodox Christianity – many lived in O.E.

Motives – Mutual Fear?

• GB/ French/O.E./Kingdom of Sardinia vs. Russia

• 1850s- British/French allied with O.E.-want to preserve

• British did not want Russia to move toward India, Scandinavia, or Western Europe

• Royal Navy discourage powerful Russian Navy

• Maintain balance of power

• Independent Turkey would decrease Russian security

• Napoleon III want success for his domestic position

• Cavour under Victor Emannuel II sent troops – gain favor with (Italian unification)- earn spot at peace table

Causes

• Remote – decline of O.E/Russian expansion at its expense

• Immediate

• Napoleon wanted to restore France/ gain Catholic support by

attacking Eastern Orthodoxy

• Rights of religious minorities in Holy Land (Palestine) under O.E.

• Marquis Charles de La Valette appointed as French ambassador to

O.E.

• Wanted to be authority over Christians in O.E.

• Russia opposed – O.E renounce French treaty (Russia protector of

Orthodox Christianity)

• Napoleon III respond with show of force

• Sent ship of the line Charlemagne

Continued…

• Napoleon III respond with show of force

• Sent ship of the line Charlemagne to the Black Sea (violation of London Straits Convention)

• Ottomans knew that combined Russian/ O.E. navies would be defeated – French diplomacy/money

• Made Sultan Abdülmecid I accept new treaty (France/Roman Catholics as Christian authority /control over holy places/keys to Church of Nativity)

• Tsar Nicholas I deployed army along Danube River

• Count Karl Nesselrode (foreign minister) talks with Ottomans

• Tried to prevent French/British interference

• Russia talk with British ambassador George Hamilton Seymour –”no longer wanted expansion; obligation to Orthodox Christians”

• Russian diplomat Prince Menshikov –demand Russian protectorate

• British supported Sultan gives Russian access to Holy land –rejects other demands

War Begins - 1853

• Russia moves to seize Danubian principalities

• Much of the “militarily weak, technologically backward, and administratively incompetent” Russian army dies from bad to none medical service

• British/ French send fleets

• Sultan Abdulmecid I officially declares war on Russia

• Two fronts: Danube and Caucasus

• Battle of Sinop- after more failed diplomacy- Russian forces destroy Ottoman ships in port

• Public opinion pushes for war

• Russia ignored ultimatum to withdraw out of Danubian principalities

• Britain and France officially declare war

Four Points to address

the Eastern Question • Nicholas thought that support/neutrality t would come from

Austria (previous aid with Hungarian Rev)

• Austria supported demand to withdraw troops – refused guarantee of neutrality- but did not declare war

• After entrance of Britain/France (and fighting in Danube campaign) , Russia withdrew – Britain/France continue hostilities

• Allies’ Four Points

• Russia was to give up its protectorate over the Danubian Principalities;

• The Danube was to be opened up to foreign commerce

• The Straits of Convention which allowed only Ottoman and Russian warships in the Black Sea, was to be revised;

• Russia was to abandon any claim granting it the right to interfere in Ottoman affairs on behalf of Orthodox Christians.

War Overview

Effects

• Treaty of Paris punished Russia –But Austria lost the most even while not participating

• Diplomatically isolated Depended on Brit/France but they failed Austria defeat in Austro-Prussian War Italian/German unification

• Alliance shifts (France w/Russia –Russia vs. Austro-Hungarian Empire at expense of O.E.) WWI

• Russo-Turkish War

• France power increase

• O.E continue to decline

• Beginning of decline of Tsarist Russia

• Decline of Concert of Europe

More Effects

• Modern technology Naval mines/shells, ironclad ships, railways, telegraphs

• Modern military tactics, such as trenches and blind artillery fire

• Extensively documented/reported/ photographed (First Euro War) • William Howard Russel • Roger Fenton

• Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade” • Scrutiny • Snowball Riot • Led to abolition of sale of commissions

• The Thin Red Line (Battle of Balaklava)

• Symbolic of logistical, medical and tactical failures and mismanagement. • Demand for professionalism • Florence Nightingale – modern nursing

• Greece – Epirus Revolt of 1854

• Kiev Cossack Revolt – Ukrainian national awakening

And Even more

• “Nationalist movements incited by the war, the present-day states of Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and regions such as Crimea and the Caucasus all changed in small or large ways due to this conflict”

• Moldavia and Wallachia more independent (Danube P.)

• Russia realizes its technological/industrial inferiority

• Contribute to serf emancipation and later reforms • Tsar Alexander II saw that the Russian army of serfs defeat by free

British/French troops as evidence

• Russian military medicine advance – N.I. Pirogov – “father of Russian field surgery”

• Est. Victoria Cross -British Army's first universal award for valour.

• Sets up more geopolitical conflicts between West & East-Cold War