THE CRIMEAN WAR

THE CRIMEAN WAR1853-1856

Reasons for War

Take land from Ottoman EmpireGet Constantinople Current conflict between Catholics and orthodox churches

Turks advantageHave French as an ally because French has been a long time ally of Turks and enemies of RussiaHave British as an ally because they hate changes in powerThe start of conflictIn July 1853, Russia moved forward and occupied the Danubian PrincipalitiesIn October the Turks declared war on RussiaIn late November, the Russian Black Sea fleet attacked and destroyed a Turkish squadron at Sinope. Britain, anxious to secure a trade with the Turks, took this attack as an insult making a result inevitableThe Battle of AlmaThe battle happened on the 20th of September 1854.This was the first time in which new rifled muskets were used. The allies advantage, plus better skill, initiative and numbers, enabled the allies to drive the Russians out of a good position north of Sevastopol.Led to a year long siege of Sevastopol with the Russians reinforced inside (Allies could have avoided this by attacking Russians right after battle but waited over a week giving Russians time to defend themselves.)

Battle of Balaklava 25th of October 1854First attempt to stop siege at SevastopolWhen Charge of Light Brigade happened (charge of light cavalry at Battery of Russians guns in a valley surrounded by even more Russian guns, made Russians never want to fight in the open field again.)Main result of the battle was to leave Russian army dominating the only proper road between Balaklava and Sevastopol.

The winterAfter another attempted of the Russians to end siege, the armies stopped fighting for the winter.The supply ships sent to the allies sankChorea raged through the camp due to lack of suppliesOnly 12,000 ally troops were in fighting condition at the end of the winter

The Final Struggle8th of September 1855The French launched one of the few well planned attacks of the warAimed at the Malakoff, one of the two key strongpoint's of the defense. A heavy bombardment was followed an assault by an entire French corp.Surprise was achieved by the first use of synchronized watches to time an assault Malakoff was captured. That night Prince Gorchakov evacuated the city.

Treaty of Paris28th of February to 30th of March 1856Ended WarRussian lost dominance in the BalkansAgreed to respect the integrity of the Ottoman EmpireAustria was probably the biggest loser because they lost Russia as an ally because they didnt help and no one else was interested in being allied with them.

Technological Advancementstechnology allowed news to reach home very quickly, for the first time the condition of the fighting men were known at homeFlorence Nightingale's famous nursing innovations improved the military hospitalsRiffled Muskets were usedAllies won not because of better strategy but because of better industrializationBibliographyWorld Civilizations: The Global Experiencehttp://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_crimean.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/crimea_01.shtml