Many contemporaries are convinced that in the past, historians paid little attention to such an event as the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878. Briefly, but as accessible as possible, discuss this episode in the history of Russia. After all, he, like any war, in any case, will leave a trace of the history of the state.
Let us try to make out such an event as the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878, briefly but as clear as possible. First of all, for ordinary readers.
Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878 (briefly)
The main opponents of this armed conflict were the Russian and Ottoman empires.
During it many important events took place. The Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878 (briefly described in this article) left a mark in the history of almost all the participating countries.
On the side of the Port (the name acceptable to the history of the Ottoman Empire) were the Abkhaz, Dagestan and Chechen rebels, as well as the Polish Legion.
Russia, in turn, was supported by the Balkans.
The reasons for the Russian-Turkish war
First of all, we will analyze the main causes of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878 (briefly).
The main reason for the outbreak of war was a significant increase in national identity in some Balkan countries.
This kind of public sentiment was associated with the April Uprising in Bulgaria. The cruelty and ruthlessness with which the Bulgarian rebellion was suppressed forced some European countries (especially the Russian Empire) to show sympathy for Christians in Turkey.
Another reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the defeat of Serbia in the Serbo-Montenegrin-Turkish war, as well as the failed Conference of Constantinople.
Course of war
Further, I propose to consider the course of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 (briefly).
On April 24, 1877, the Russian Empire officially declared war on Porte. After the Chisinau ceremonial parade, Archbishop Paul read a prayer manifesto of the emperor Alexander II, which spoke about the beginning of hostilities against the Ottoman Empire.
In order to avoid the interference of European states, the war had to be carried out “quickly” - in one company.
In May of the same year, troops of the Russian Empire were introduced into the territory of the Romanian state.
Romanian troops, in turn, began to take an active part in the conflict on the side of Russia and its allies only three months after this event.
The organization and preparedness of the Russian army was noticeably affected by the military reform carried out at that time by Emperor Alexander II.
The composition of the Russian troops included about 700 thousand people. For the Ottoman Empire, there were about 281 thousand people. Despite the significant numerical superiority of the Russians, the possession and equipping of the army with modern weapons was a significant advantage of the Turks.
It is worth noting that the Russian Empire intended to conduct the entire war on land. The fact is that the Black Sea was completely under the control of the Turks, and Russia was allowed to build its ships in this sea only in 1871. Naturally, in such a short time it was impossible to erect a strong flotilla.
This armed conflict was fought in two directions: in Asian and European.
European theater of operations
As we mentioned above, with the outbreak of war, Russian troops were introduced into Romania. This was done to eliminate the Danube fleet of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the crossing of the Danube.
The river flotilla of Turks was unable to withstand the actions of enemy sailors, and soon the Dnieper was forced by Russian troops. This was the first significant step towards Constantinople.
The next stage in the advance of the Russian troops was the siege of Plevna, which began on July 20, 1877.
Despite the fact that the Turks were able to briefly detain the Russian troops and get the time to strengthen Istanbul and Edirne, they could not change the course of the war. Due to the inept actions of the military command of the Ottoman Empire, Pleven surrendered on December 10.
After this event, the active Russian army, numbering at that time about 314 thousand soldiers, was preparing to go on the offensive again.
At the same time, Serbia resumes hostilities against the Ports.
On December 23, 1877, a raid through the Balkans was carried out by a Russian detachment, at that moment under the command of General Romeiko-Gurko, thanks to which Sofia was occupied.
On December 27-28, a battle took place at Sheinovo, in which the troops of the Southern detachment participated. The result of this battle was the encirclement and defeat of the 30 thousandth Turkish army.
On January 8, the troops of the Russian Empire without any resistance took one of the key points of the Turkish army - the city of Edirne.
Asian theater of operations
The main tasks of the Asian direction of the war were to ensure the security of their own borders, as well as the desire of the leadership of the Russian Empire to break the focus of the Turks exclusively on the European theater of operations.
The reference point of the Caucasian company is considered to be the Abkhaz rebellion that occurred in May 1877.
Around the same time, Russian troops left the city of Sukhum. It turned out to bring it back only in August.
During operations in Transcaucasia, Russian troops captured many strongholds, garrisons and fortresses: Bayazit, Ardagan, etc.
In the second half of the summer of 1877, hostilities were temporarily “frozen” because both sides were waiting for reinforcements to approach.
Starting in September, the Russians began to adhere to siege tactics. For example, the city of Kars was taken, which opened the victorious path to Erzurum. However, his capture did not take place due to the conclusion of the San Stefano Peace Treaty.
In addition to Austria and England, Serbia and Romania were dissatisfied with the terms of this truce. It was believed that their merits in the war were not appreciated. This was the beginning of the birth of a new - Berlin - Congress.
The results of the Russian-Turkish war
The final stage will summarize the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 (briefly).
The borders of the Russian Empire expanded: more specifically, Bessarabia, which was lost during the Crimean War, reintroduced into its structure .
In exchange for helping the Ottoman Empire defend itself against the Russians in the Caucasus, England stationed its troops on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 (briefly reviewed by us in this article) played a large role in international relations.
It gave rise to a gradual departure from the confrontation between the Russian Empire and Great Britain for the reason that countries began to focus more on their own interests (for example, Russia was interested in the Black Sea, and England in Egypt).
Historians and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Briefly, in general terms, we characterize the event
Despite the fact that this war is not considered as a particularly significant event in the history of the Russian state, a considerable number of historians were engaged in its study. The most famous researchers, whose contribution was noted as the most significant, are L.I. Rovnyakova, O.V. Orlik, F.T. Konstantinova, E.P. Lviv, etc.
They studied the biographies of the participating commanders and military leaders, significant events, summed up the results of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878, which is briefly described in the presented publication. Naturally, all this was not in vain.
Economist A.P. Pogrebinsky believed that the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, which briefly and quickly ended with the victory of the Russian Empire and its allies, had a huge impact primarily on the economy. An important role in this was played by the accession of Bessarabia.
According to the Soviet politician Nikolai Belyaev, this military conflict was unfair, aggressive. This statement, according to its author, is relevant both in relation to the Russian Empire, and in relation to the Port.
It can also be said that the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, briefly described in this article, first of all showed the success of the military reform of Alexander II, both organizationally and technically.