Relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire throughout the course of many centuries of history were quite complex, and often political contradictions were resolved on the battlefields. Typically, the point in military conflicts was put through the conclusion of contracts. These documents often determined the future fate of entire peoples living on the borders of both empires. Among them is the Adrianople Peace Treaty.
Background (18th century)
The first Adrianople peace between Russia and Ottoman Turkey was signed on June 13, 1713. According to this document, the Ottoman Empire ceded Azov and the territory adjacent to the fortress along the Orel River. Moreover, the conclusion of the treaty of 1713 was recognized as the diplomatic success of the Russian state, as it facilitated the struggle for supremacy on the shores of the southeastern Baltic. Seven years later, the “Eternal Peace” was concluded between the countries in Constantinople, and a century later, events occurred that forced diplomats to gather again in the city of Adrianople.
It all started with the fact that in October 1827 the government of the Ottoman Empire (Port) closed the Bosphorus Strait for the Russian fleet. This went against the Akkerman international convention. The Turkish authorities motivated their actions by the fact that Nicholas I supported the Greeks fighting for independence. Sultan Mahmud the Second understood that thereby provoking a military conflict, therefore, he ordered the fortresses on the Danube to be strengthened and moved the capital to Adrianople (Edirne). This city entered the history of mankind many centuries before the events described. After all, it was at the approaches to it in the 4th century AD that the Battle of Adrianople took place, which ended in the defeat of the Roman Empire and laid the foundation for mass migration of the Goths to the west.
Russian-Turkish war (1828-1829)
Nicholas I could not help but react to the hostile actions of the Ports. On April 14, 1828, the Russian Empire officially declared war on Turkey. Ten days later, the 6th Infantry Corps of Fyodor Geismar entered Moldova, and on May 27 a ferry across the Danube began, at which the emperor himself was present.
Later, Varna was besieged by Russian troops. In parallel with this, battles were fought at Anapa and in the Asian territories of Turkey. In particular, Kars was taken on June 23, 1828, and after a short delay due to the outbreak of the plague, Akhalkalaki, Akhaltsikhe, Atskhur, Ardagan, Poti and Bayazet fell or surrendered without resistance.
Almost everywhere, Russian troops were greeted with a warm welcome, since the majority of the population of the regions where the battles were fought consisted of Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbs, Armenians, Georgians, Romanians and representatives of other peoples professing Christianity. For centuries, they were considered second-class citizens and hoped for liberation from the Ottoman yoke.
Counting on the support of the local Greek and Bulgarian population, on August 7, 1829, the Russian army, consisting of only 25,000 people, approached Adrianople. The head of the garrison did not expect such a maneuver and surrendered the city, and after a while Erzrum also fell. Immediately after this, a representative of the Sultan arrived at the headquarters of Count Dibich with a proposal to conclude an agreement known as the Adrianople Peace Treaty.
End of war
Despite the fact that the proposal to conclude an Adrananopol peace came from Turkey, Porta tried her best to drag out negotiations, hoping to persuade England and Austria to support her. This policy was a definite success, since Pasha Mustafa, who avoided participating in the war, decided to place his forty-thousandth Albanian army at the disposal of the Turkish command. He occupied Sofia and decided to move on. However, Dibich was not at a loss and informed the Turkish envoys that if the Adrianople peace was not concluded before September 1, he would launch a large-scale attack on Constantinople. The Sultan was frightened by a possible siege of the capital and sent the German ambassador to the headquarters of the Russian troops with a request to begin preparations for signing an agreement on the cessation of hostilities.
The Conclusion of the Adrianople Peace
On September 2, 1829, Mehmed Sadyk-effendi and the chief military judge of the Ottoman Empire, Abdul Kadyr-Bey, arrived at the rate at Dibich. They were authorized by the Porta to sign the Adrianople Treaty. On behalf of Nicholas the First, the document was certified by the signatures of Count A.F. Orlov and interim manager of the Danube principalities F.P. Palen.
Adrianople Treaty (1829): table of contents
The document consisted of 16 articles. According to them:
1. Turkey returned all of its European territories occupied during the war of 1828-1829, with the exception of the mouth of the Danube along with the islands. Kars, Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki also conceded.
2. The Russian Empire received the entire eastern coast of the Black Sea, starting from the mouth of the Kuban River to the pier of St. Nicholas. The fortresses of Anapa, Poti, Sudzhuk-Kale, as well as the cities of Akhalkalaki and Akhaltsikhe departed to it.
3. The Ottoman Empire officially recognized the transition to Russia of Imereti, the Kartli-Kakheti kingdom, Guria and Mingrelia, as well as the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates transferred by Iran.
4. Turkey promised not to impede the passage of the Russian and foreign merchant ships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.
5. Citizens of the Russian state received the right to trade throughout the Ottoman Empire, while being outside the jurisdiction of local authorities.
6. Turkey was supposed to pay indemnity within a year and a half (1.5 million Dutch chervonets).
7. In addition, the agreement contained requirements for the recognition and granting of autonomy to Serbia, as well as to the Moldavian and Wallachian principalities.
8. Turkey also refused any attempt to convoke an international conference on the issue of granting Greek self-government rights.
Value
The Adrianople world was of great importance for the development of the Black Sea trade. In addition, he completed the accession to the Russian Empire of part of the territories of Transcaucasia. Its role in restoring the independence of Greece is also invaluable, although this requirement was not formally stipulated in the conditions of the Adrianople Treaty of 1829.