Portraits of the Crimean War. Portraits of the Crimean War Interesting facts about the Crimean War

The Crimean War is a controversial event in history. In fact, it does not bring victories and defeats to any of the parties involved, but rich in battles, this war still excites the minds of historians. Today we will not delve into historical and political disputes, but simply recall the most unusual incidents of those years.

Sinop battle: the first propaganda.

Joseph Goebbels, perhaps the most famous military propagandist, could boldly adopt the techniques and methods of the Crimean War. And perhaps he did take it ... One thing is clear - it was during these years that the first large-scale use of propaganda, newspaper ducks and the now popular method of distorting facts was recorded.
It all started with the Sinop naval battle on November 30, 1853. The Russian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Nakhimov quickly defeated the numerically superior Turkish squadron and ensured the dominance of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. The Turkish fleet was defeated within a few hours. The day after the Battle of Sinop, English newspapers vying with each other wrote about the atrocities of Russian sailors: they say the ruthless military finished shooting the wounded Turks floating in the sea. In fact, such a "sensation" had no real basis.

First shots: war in photography.

"From Moscow to Brest
There is no such place
Wherever we wander in the dust.
With a watering can and with a notepad,
And even with a machine gun
Through the fire and the cold we passed ... "
These lines about the profession of correspondents and photographers were composed during the Great Patriotic War. But for the first time, photographs began to be widely used to cover military operations precisely in the Crimean War. The photographs of Roger Fenton, who is considered the first war photographer, are especially famous. From the battles of the Crimean War, there are 363 of his photographs, which were subsequently purchased by the US Library of Congress and are now available on the Internet.

Defense of the Solovetsky Monastery: not even seagulls were hurt.

In the spring of 1854, news arrived from Arkhangelsk on the Solovetsky Islands: enemy forces would soon attack the famous monastery. Church valuables are urgently sent to Arkhangelsk, and the monastery is preparing for defense. Everything would be fine, but the monks were not used to fighting and did not stock up on weapons: after inspecting the arsenal by the brethren, only old, unusable cannons, crossbows, and pistols were found. With such weapons, and against the English fleet ...
Insignificant but more reliable weapons arrived from Arkhangelsk: 8 cannons with shells.
On July 6, two English sixty-gun frigates "Brisk" and "Miranda" approached the Solovetsky Monastery. Trying to enter into negotiations, the foreign team hung signal flags on the masts. However, the monks, unfamiliar with the nautical letter, were silent, and two signal shots from the ship were perceived as the beginning of hostilities. And the monks hit back: one of the cores of the return salvo hit the English frigate, damaged it and forced it to go over the cape.
The unexpected resistance and refusal to surrender angered the British: the next day, cannonballs rained down from their ships on the monastery. The shelling of the monastery lasted almost nine hours. About 1800 cores and bombs were fired by English ships. They, according to historians, would be enough to destroy several cities. But everything turned out to be in vain. By evening, the resistance of the monks forced the English ships to cease hostilities.
Summing up the battle, the defenders were surprised by the complete absence of human casualties. Not even the seagulls, which inhabited the monastery walls in great numbers, were spared. Only a few buildings received minor damage. Moreover, an unexploded core was found behind one of the icons of the Mother of God, which completely confirmed the defenders in the Providence of God.

French trophies: captive bell.

"Foggy" bell in Chersonese - business card Sevastopol. It was cast in 1776 from captured cannons captured from the enemy during the Russo-Turkish war of 1768-1774 and installed in the Chersonese monastery. The bell settled in Sevastopol by order of Emperor Alexander I in 1983. It was intended to warn sailors of danger.
After Russia lost in the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the bell was taken to France along with other trophies. The “captive” bell hung for almost 60 years in Notre Dame Cathedral and returned to Russia only after repeated insistent demands of the Russian government.
In 1913, during diplomatic negotiations, President Poincaré, as a sign of friendship with Russia, returned the alarm bell, on November 23 the "captive" arrived in Sevastopol, where he was temporarily installed on the belfry of the church of St. Vladimir. The Chersonese bell not only called the monks to service, it served as a sound beacon: in the fog, its voice warned the ships at sea about the proximity of the rocky shore.
By the way, its further fate is also interesting: in 1925, many monasteries were abolished, and the bells began to be removed for remelting. The alarm bell was the only one that was lucky because of its great "importance for the safety of sailors." At the suggestion of the Office for the Safety of Navigation in the Black and Azov Seas, it was installed on the shore as a sound beacon.

Russian sailors: the third does not light up.

When the British and the Allies laid siege to Sevastopol in the Crimean War, they already had rifles in service (the first analogues rifled weapons). They shot accurately, and because of this, a sign was born in the fleet - "the third one does not light up." Our sailor will light his pipe, and the Englishman has already noticed the light. The sailor gives a light to another, the Englishman is already at the ready. Well, the third sailor received a bullet from a rifle. Since then, there has even been a belief among our sailors: if you smoke a third, you will receive a mortal wound.

Theater of operations: almost world.

In terms of its grandiose scale, the width of the theater of operations and the number of mobilized troops, the Crimean War was quite comparable to the world war. Russia defended itself on several fronts - in the Crimea, Georgia, the Caucasus, Sveaborg, Kronstadt, Solovki and Kamchatka. In fact, our fatherland fought alone, on our side were insignificant Bulgarian forces (3000 soldiers) and the Greek legion (800 people). From the opposite shore, an international coalition consisting of Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia was coming towards us, total strength more than 750 thousand.

Peace treaty: Orthodox without Russia.

The peace treaty was signed on March 30, 1856 in Paris at an international congress with the participation of all the belligerent powers, as well as Austria and Prussia.
Under the terms of the agreement, Russia returned Kars to Turkey in exchange for Sevastopol, Balaklava and other cities in the Crimea, captured by the allies; conceded to the Moldavian Principality the mouth of the Danube and part of Southern Bessarabia. The Black Sea was declared neutral, Russia and Turkey could not keep a navy there. Russia and Turkey could only maintain 6 steam ships of 800 tons each and 4 ships of 200 tons each for guard duty. The autonomy of Serbia and the Danubian Principalities was confirmed, but the Turkish Sultan's supreme power over them was preserved. The previously adopted provisions of the London Convention of 1841 on the closure of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for military vessels of all countries except Turkey were confirmed. Russia pledged not to build military fortifications on the Aland Islands and in the Baltic Sea.
The patronage of the Turkish Christians was transferred into the hands of the "concert" of all the great powers, that is, England, France, Austria, Prussia and Russia. The treaty deprived our country of the right to protect the interests of the Orthodox population on the territory of the Ottoman Empire.

Military conflicts are not uncommon for imperialist states, especially when their interests are affected. The Crimean War of 1853, or Eastern, became the decisive event of the middle of the 19th century. Let us briefly consider its causes, participants, the course and consequences of the bloody confrontation.

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Background and participants in the war

Among the many factors that led to the aggravation of the conflict, competent historians single out the main list.

Ottoman Empire – the power and greatness of the Ottomans shook in the New Age. 1820-1830 became decisive for a multinational country. Defeats from the Russian Empire, France and the suppression of internal manifestations of patriotism led to an unstable situation. Greece, like the Egyptian kingdom, having raised an uprising, achieved independence. From actual decay Ottoman Port rescued by foreign aid. Instead, a huge state lost the ability to independently conduct foreign policy.

Great Britain b was a trading empire, its interests extended to every corner of the world, Turkey was no exception. The events of the Crimean War were ahead of the signed analogue of the "free trade zone", which made it possible to import and sell British goods without duties or customs duties.

This situation destroyed the Turkish industry, the government became a puppet. The situation was so favorable that the Parliament of England did not want the collapse of the empire, in every possible way prevented Russian reinforcement in the Black Sea and in the Balkans. Anti-Russian information propaganda was carried out.

The French society of that time burned with revenge for the defeats of Napoleonic times. In addition to economic decline, under the rule of King Napoleon III, the state lost some of its colonial influence. To distract people from problems, the press actively voiced calls for a military conflict in alliance with England.

The Kingdom of Sardinia had no political and territorial claims against Russia. However, the difficult situation in the foreign policy arena required the search for allies. Victor Emmanuel II responded to France's proposal to join the Crimean War, at the end of which the French side pledged to help unite the Italian lands.

Austria: dictated some obligations for the Russian Empire. but the Austrian government was not satisfied with the growth of the Orthodox movement on the Balkan Peninsula. The national liberation movement would lead to the collapse Austrian Empire. The reasons for the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Crimean War will be discussed below.

Why did the Crimean War start?

Historians identify several objective and subjective reasons:

1. The rivalry of European countries and Russia for control over Turkey.
2. The desire of the Russian side to receive access to the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.
3. The policy of unification of the Balkan Slavs.
4. The decline of the Omani Empire in domestic and foreign policy.
5. Self-confidence in dealing with complex issues.
6. The Crimean War of 1853 as a refutation that Europe is not capable of presenting a united front.
7. The autocratic form of government, which led to a series of wrong decisions.
8. Confrontation between Catholic and Orthodox dioceses on the question of "Palestinian shrines".
9. The desire of France to destroy the established alliance of the times of the Napoleonic conquests.

Reason for the Crimean War

Nicholas I did not recognize the legitimacy of the French monarch, official correspondence took unacceptable liberties. She became offensive to Napoleon III. He took steps to return Christian shrines to the bosom catholic church that Russia did not like.

In response to ignoring protest notes the Russian army sent troops to the territory of Moldova and Wallachia. The subsequent Vienna Note was intended to calm the raging monarchs, but the causes of the Crimean War were too serious.

With the support of the British side, the Turkish Sultan demands the withdrawal of troops, which is refused. In response, the Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia, which takes similar steps.

Attention! Many consider the religious reason for the start of the Crimean War only formal pretext for escalation conflict situation In the centre of Europe.

Campaigns of the Crimean War

October 1853 - April 1854

The outdated weapons of the Russian Empire were compensated by the number of personnel. Tactical maneuvers were based on confrontation with numerically equal Turkish troops.

The course of hostilities took place with varying degrees of success, but fortune smiled on the Russian squadron of Admiral Nakhimov. In Sinop Bay, he discovered a significant concentration of enemy ships and decided to attack. Firepower Advantage allowed to disperse the forces of the enemy, to capture the enemy commander.

April 1854 - February 1856

The conflict has ceased to be local, it has engulfed the Caucasus, the Balkans, the Baltic and even Kamchatka. Russia was deprived of access to the sea, which resulted in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. The defense of Sevastopol was the culmination of the confrontation.

In the autumn of 1854, coalition forces landed in the Evpatoria region. The battle on the Alma River was won, a Russian army retreated to Bakhchisarai. At this stage, not a single soldier voiced the reasons for the Crimean War, everyone hoped for an easy victory.

The garrison of the Sevastopol fortress under the command of General Nakhimov, Kornilov and Istomin turned into a formidable force. The city was defended by 8 bastions on land and a bay blocked by sunken ships. For almost a whole year (1856), the proud defenders of the Black Sea port held the line, Malakhov Kurgan was left under the onslaught of the enemy. However, the northern part remained Russian.

Many local confrontations are combined into one name - the Crimean War. The collision map will be presented below.

Danube campaign

The first move in the Crimean War was made by the Russian corps under the command of Prince Gorchakov. He crossed the Danube for the speedy occupation of Bucharest. The population welcomed the liberators, the received note on the withdrawal of troops was ignored.

Turkish troops started shelling of Russian positions, having broken through the enemy defenses, in March 1854 the siege of Silistria began. However, because of the danger of Austria entering the war, the withdrawal of troops from the liberated principalities began.

Participants of the Crimean War undertook a landing in the region of Varna with the aim of capturing Dobruja. However, the cholera that raged on the campaign prevented the implementation of the plan.

Caucasian theater

A series of defeats of the Turkish troops forced them to moderate their warlike fervor, but the Crimean defensive war of 1853-1856. quickly flowed into the sea plane.

On November 5, 1854, an important battle of steam ships took place, the Vladimir captured the Pervaz-Bakhri. This event anticipated the bloodless capture of the Ottoman steamer Medjari-Tejat.

In 1855, the success was the capture of the fortress of Kars, General Muravyov continued the siege until the surrender of the enemy, the reasons for the defeat were obvious. As a result, the Russian army gained control over a vast area, including Ardagan, Kazyman, Olty.

Important! The defense of Sevastopol consisted of continuous defensive battles of Russian troops. As a result of six allied bombardments, the infrastructure of the city was destroyed. Daily losses from enemy fire amounted to 900-1000 people per day.

The French lost 53 transport ships, several ships of the line.

Signing of a peace treaty

The results of the Crimean War were documented in the framework of the Paris Agreement, which prescribed:

1. Remove navy, fortifications and arsenals from the Black Sea. This applied to Turkey and Russia.
2. The Russian side gave up part of the possessions in Bessarabia and the mouth of the Danube, i.e., lost tacit control over the Balkans.
3. The protectorate over Moldavia and Wallachia was annulled.

The consequences of Russia's defeat in the Crimean War are the suspension of its expansive policy and the development of the Black Sea Fleet.

The reasons for the defeat of the Russian Empire in the Crimean War are as follows:

• moral and technical Russia lagging behind Western powers;
• underdeveloped infrastructure, which led to the disruption of logistics and replenishment of troops;
• rear corruption, embezzlement as a general phenomenon in the state apparatus of power;
• the defense of Sevastopol became tragic due to the shortcomings of the commander in chief;

Results of the Crimean War

Top 7 interesting facts about the Crimean War

Among the incredible kaleidoscope of events, the following stand out:

1. The first use of propaganda as a tool to influence public opinion. The occasion turned up after Sinop battle when English newspapers described the atrocities of the Russians in colors.
2. Appeared war photographer profession, Roger Fenton took 363 pictures of the Allied soldiers.
3. The defense of the Solovetsky Monastery did not lead to human casualties, "domestic" seagulls also did not suffer from the term "Crimean War". An interesting fact is that out of 1800 nuclei and bombs of the Anglo-French squadron, only a few damaged the buildings.
4. The "foggy" bell of Chersonesus was taken to France as a war trophy. For more than 60 years he was in captivity, until in 1913 the causes of the Crimean War were forgotten.
5. Russian sailors came up with a new sign, according to which the third smoker will be seriously injured. This is due to the peculiarities of firing the first rifled guns in the Allied army.
6. Interesting Facts testify to the global scale of hostilities. The abundance of theaters of clashes is striking in geography and mass character.
7. The Orthodox population of the Ottoman Empire was deprived of protection from the Russian Empire.

Causes and results of the Crimean War of 1853-1856

Crimean War (1853 - 1856)

Conclusion

The results of the Crimean War showed the strength of the spirit of the Russian people, their desire to defend the interests of the country. On the other hand, every citizen was convinced of the failure of the government, the weakness and expressiveness of the autocrat.

Historical reflections. Part 2.

Crimean War 1853-1856

Russia-Muscovy lost the first Crimean War in the middle of the 19th century. It's sad and shameful. And none of the Nakhimovs, Kornilovs, Istomins and others could save us. They kicked the Two-Headed Crow in the ass. They say that after all this, Emperor Nikolai Palych had a heart attack or something, it’s not interesting. In short, he leaned back and died. Well, fuck him, with the scum, let him not be cold in Hell.
Now on the threshold of a new Crimean war. Let's see what the political disposition was then, and what it is now.
Then.
By the beginning of the Crimean War, Muscovy found itself in political isolation. Most of the world's states hated Russia.
Now.
By the beginning of the Crimean War, Muscovy found itself in political isolation. Most of the world's states hate the Russian Federation.
Then.
The forces of the three Empires: British, French and Ottoman united to repulse the arrogant Double-Headed Crown (Crow) in its brazen claims to "protect the rights of the Orthodox population in the Port" and attack Turkey with the clear goal of capturing Constantinople - the old dream of all the Horde and post-Horde Moscow and Petersburg tsars. Three states, three empires, competing with each other on the international arena, united to inflict economic and military damage on the presumptuous Muscovite tsar.
Now.
The forces of the United States, United Europe, Australia, the same Turkey and the entire adequate World have united to repel the arrogant Double-Headed Crown (Crow) in its brazen claims to "protect the rights of the so-called Russian population in the Crimea and Donbass" and attacks on Ukraine with the express purpose of capturing and tearing away its eight regions. The states competing with each other in the international arena united to inflict economic and military damage on the presumptuous Muscovite tsar.
Then.
The Crimean War of 1853-1856 was not only Crimean. It was waged against Muscovy all over the world.
Now.
The new Crimean War will not only be Crimean. Its full theater I can't predict yet, but its terms will obviously be shorter.
Then.
How the Crimean War ended is known. No "heroic defense of Sevastpol helped", no matter how much they convinced of this by "heroic panoramas" from papier-mâché. Franz Roubaud, it's beautiful, yes, let it stand, okay, this is history.
Now.
It can be assumed that the result will be similar.
Then.
The West made a key strategic mistake. Did not finish Russia.
Now.
The West will not make a key strategic mistake. Will finish. How many times can you step on the same rake?!

From Wikipedia.
"The Crimean War of 1853-1856, as well as this and Eastern War- a war between the Russian Empire, on the one hand, and a coalition of the British, French, Ottoman empires and the Kingdom of Sardinia, on the other. The fighting took place in the Caucasus, in the Danube principalities, in the Baltic, Black, Azov, White and Barents Seas, as well as in Kamchatka. They reached the greatest tension in the Crimea. Russia lost the war.
An essential prerequisite for the conflict was that in Europe (except for the Kingdom of Greece - "the only European country on the side of Russia") since the 1840s, there has been an unprecedented increase in anti-Russian sentiment. The Western press emphasized Russia's desire to capture Constantinople.
A few years before the Crimean War (in 1848), Karl Marx, who himself actively published in the Western European press, wrote that a German newspaper, in order to save its liberal reputation, had to "show hatred of the Russians in time." F. Engels in several articles in the English press, published in March-April 1853, accused Russia of trying to capture Constantinople.
Also in 1853, the English liberal newspaper Daily News assured its readers that Christians in the Ottoman Empire enjoyed greater religious freedom than in Orthodox Russia and Catholic Austria.
In 1854 The London Times wrote: "It would be good to return Russia to the cultivation of inland lands, to drive the Muscovites deep into the forests and steppes." In the same year, D. Russell, leader of the House of Commons and head of the Liberal Party, said: "We must pull out the fangs from the bear ... Until its fleet and naval arsenal on the Black Sea are destroyed, Constantinople will not be safe, there will be no peace in Europe."
Sinop battle - the defeat of the Turkish squadron by the Russian Black Sea Fleet on November 18 (30), 1853, under the command of Admiral Nakhimov. The battle took place in the harbor of the city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The actions of the Russian fleet caused an extremely negative reaction in the English press and received the name "Massacre of Sinop" ("Massacre of Sinope"). Ultimately, this pushed Great Britain and France to enter the war (in March 1854) on the side of the Ottoman Empire. Today December 1st is the Day military glory Russia - Victory Day of the Russian squadron under the command of P.S. Nakhimov over the Turkish squadron at Cape Sinop.
(On my own. Nakhimov is a killer, not a hero! They massacred the entire population of Sinop and celebrate! That's the Muscovite scum! And why are they better than the Turks who slaughtered the Armenians in 1915?).
Consequences of the war.
The war brought disorder financial system Russian Empire (Russia spent 800 million rubles on the war, Britain 76 million pounds): to finance military spending, the government had to resort to printing unsecured credit notes, which led to a decrease in their silver coverage from 45% in 1853 to 1853. to 19% in 1858, that is, in fact, to more than a two-fold depreciation of the ruble (see the reforms of E.F. Kankrin). Russia was able to reach a deficit-free state budget again in 1870, that is, 14 years after the end of the war. It was possible to establish a stable exchange rate of the ruble against gold and restore its international conversion in 1897, during the monetary reform of Witte. (End quote).

I think now the consequences will be much worse. Soon we will all be witnesses to this.

On one of the Russian historical-nationalist sites http://www.rosimperija.info/post/231 I read this:
“Theft flourished in the army. During the war years, this turned into a disaster. In this regard, a well-known episode comes to mind. Nicholas I, outraged by all sorts of abuses and theft found almost everywhere, in a conversation with the heir to the throne (the future Emperor Alexander II) shared his discovery, which shocked him: "It seems that in all of Russia only two people do not steal: You and I." (On my own. Yes! I would read Putin, who stole $ 500 billion ...)
In three years, Russia lost 500 thousand people in killed, wounded and captured. The allies also suffered great damage: about 250 thousand killed, wounded and died of disease. As a result of the war, Russia lost its positions in the Middle East to France and England. Its prestige in the international arena was severely undermined. March 13, 1856 in Paris, a peace treaty was signed, under the terms of which the Black Sea was declared neutral, the Russian fleet was reduced to a minimum and the fortifications were destroyed. Similar demands were made to Turkey. In addition, Russia was deprived of the mouth of the Danube and the southern part of Bessarabia, had to return the Kars fortress, and also lost the right to patronize Serbia, Moldavia and Wallachia.
Russia's defeat in the Crimean War was inevitable. Why? "This is a war of cretins against scoundrels," F.I. Tyutchev said about the Crimean War. Too harsh? Maybe. But if we take into account the fact that others died for the sake of the ambitions of some, then Tyutchev’s statement will be accurate. (End of quote).

I would agree with Feodor Ioannovich, who refused to understand Russia-Muscovy with the mind, but here's the bad luck: who are the cretins, who are the scoundrels?
Cretins, presumably, Muscovites who STARTED THIS WAR WITH ATTACK ON SINOP and GENOCIDE OF LOCAL TURKS.
And who are the WRONG? The British and French, who, forgetting the strife, defended these Turks? Obviously, no. So it means SCANTS are also Muscovites. So why are they at war with themselves?
Indeed, "Russia cannot be understood with the mind" ...

To be continued. Visit the site.

To the topic: https://focus.ua/archivist/341153/

Reviews

Russia-Muscovy lost the first Crimean War in the middle of the 19th century.

Well, not the Crimean War, but a truly Eastern one .... The Crimean War is only for European idiots who do not know history ....)))) ... and it was lost by the British and French in the Baltic Sea, they were able to capture only the Alan Islands and no more, lost to the British and French in the North, their attack on the Solovetsky Islands failed ... lost to the British and French in the Pacific Ocean, the attack on Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky ended in the defeat of the Allied landing ... on the Black Sea, the Allies did not take Sevastopol .. only the South and Ship side were captured with huge losses, and the North side remained with us ... the Allies ruined the Black Sea coast ... but that's all ... The Turks in December 1855 could not hold Kars ....

During the XVIII-XIX centuries, constant military clashes took place between the Russian Empire and Turkey, resulting in large-scale wars. One of these clashes was the struggle between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain and France.

History of the conflict

A number of contradictions that arose between the major world powers regarding the issue of the distribution of spheres of influence in the Middle East appeared as early as 1850. A dispute arose over the lands of Bethlehem and Jerusalem between the Russian Empire and France. Catholics and Orthodox could not divide these lands among themselves. The Russians could not but support their brothers in faith, the French took the side of the Catholic population.


Later, the Ottoman Empire, which formerly belonged to Palestine, decided to join the struggle for dominion with France. Russia could not hide its dissatisfaction with this, which later turned into a war of a pan-European scale, since England also joined the alliance of France and Turkey.

• The loss by the Russian Empire of the right to enter the waters of the Black Sea straits.
• Turkey's desire to seize the lands she lost in the course of previous military conflicts.
• The desire of the leading European powers to deprive Russia of a sphere of influence in the Middle East.

Stages

1. Russian-Turkish campaign: November 1853 - April 1954.
2. Russian-English-French campaign: April 1854 - February 1856.

1. The first propaganda in the form of newspaper ducks appeared in the European expanses after the Battle of Sinop. November 30, 1853. The squadron of the Russian Empire, led by Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov, defeated the Turkish flotilla, several times superior to it, and thereby ensured dominance in the waters of the Black Sea at the beginning of hostilities. The next day, articles appeared in the European media about the bloodthirstiness and atrocities attributed to Russian sailors. They mercilessly fired at the dying Turks floating in the sea. But such a sensation was never confirmed by any facts, however, the propaganda caused a furore in European society.
2. During the Crimean War of 1853-56, photography began to be used, with its help, military operations were covered. The very first military photojournalist is considered to be Roger Fenton. During the entire war period, he made 363 lists, which were subsequently purchased by the US Library of Congress.
3. In 1854, the Solovetsky Monastery was attacked by an English flotilla, as a result of which no one was injured, even the seagulls living there. The English ships approaching the Solovetsky Islands hung out signal flags, which the monks perceived as a threat and hastened to be the first to join the battle. One core hit exactly on target - in the English ship. The next day, the British staged a sortie and fired 1800 cores towards the monastery. This battle did without human casualties, not even a single seagull was injured: these birds inhabited the monastery walls in large numbers.
4. The expression "The third does not light up" appeared in the Crimean War. It is associated with the accuracy and accuracy of English snipers. When a Russian sailor lit a pipe, the Englishman already noticed the light, when he passed it to his comrade, the Englishman stood in position, but the third sailor, who wanted to smoke from the pipe of the first, became a target for the shooter. Since that time, this expression has appeared.
5. The Crimean War is considered to be a world war in terms of scale, so at the same time Russia fought on several fronts: Crimea, the Caucasus, Kronstadt, and so on.
6. During the war, the British troops near Balaklava faced severe cold. To solve this problem, knitted hats were used, in which there were slits for the eyes and mouth, called balaclava.
7. The United States was the only ally of the Russian Empire. American surgeons saved the lives of Russian soldiers.
8. In the Crimean War of 1853-56, barrage mines were used for the first time, which are used in naval battles.
9. Sister of Mercy Florence Nightingale was the first to lay the foundations of sanitation, which influenced the reduction of mortality in infirmaries.
10. The Russian surgeon Nikolai Pirogov invented a plaster cast during the war period, it significantly accelerated the healing process of fractures.
11. In October 1854, Princess Elena Pavlovna established the Sisters of Mercy Foundation.
12. During the war, cigarettes were invented. The British and French spied on their Turkish allies how they wrap tobacco in an old newspaper.
13. Weather forecasting is becoming widespread. This is directly related to the storm that inflicted heavy damage on November 14, 1854 on the troops of the enemy coalition. Emperor of France Napoleon III ordered a personal astrologer to create a whole service of astrologers. In February 1855, one of the first forecast maps was created, and weather stations began to appear.
14. During the war period, the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy gained fame by publishing his Sevastopol Tales.
15. After the defeat of Russia in the war, an unusual prisoner was handed over to France - the Misty bell, which found a new home in the Cathedral of the Paris Company. He was returned to Russia in 1913 by Henri Poincaré, the French president.

Crimean War 1853-1856, also Eastern War - a war between the Russian Empire and a coalition of the British, French, Ottoman empires and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The fighting took place in the Caucasus, in the Danubian principalities, in the Baltic, Black, White and Barents Seas, as well as in Kamchatka. They reached the greatest tension in the Crimea.

By the middle of the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire was in a state of decline, and only direct military assistance from Russia, England, France and Austria allowed the Sultan to twice prevent the capture of Constantinople by the rebellious vassal Muhammad Ali of Egypt. In addition, the struggle of the Orthodox peoples for liberation from Ottoman yoke(See Eastern question) These factors led the Russian Emperor Nicholas I in the early 1850s to think about separating the Balkan possessions of the Ottoman Empire, inhabited by Orthodox peoples, which was opposed by Great Britain and Austria. Great Britain, in addition, sought to oust Russia from the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and from Transcaucasia. The Emperor of France, Napoleon III, although he did not share the plans of the British to weaken Russia, considering them excessive, supported the war with Russia as a revenge for 1812 and as a means of strengthening personal power.

In the course of a diplomatic conflict with France over control of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Russia, in order to put pressure on Turkey, sent troops into Moldavia and Wallachia, which were under the protectorate of Russia under the terms of the Adrianople peace treaty. The refusal of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I to withdraw troops led to the declaration of war on Russia on October 4 (16), 1853 by Turkey, followed by Great Britain and France.

In the course of the ensuing hostilities, the Allies succeeded, using the technical backwardness of the Russian troops and the indecision of the Russian command, to concentrate quantitatively and qualitatively superior forces of the army and navy on the Black Sea, which allowed them to successfully land an airborne corps in the Crimea, inflict Russian army a series of defeats and, after a year-long siege, capture the southern part of Sevastopol - the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Sevastopol Bay, location Russian fleet remained under Russian control. On the Caucasian front, Russian troops managed to inflict a number of defeats on the Turkish army and capture Kars. However, the threat of Austria and Prussia joining the war forced the Russians to accept the terms of peace imposed by the allies. The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1856, demanded that Russia cede southern Bessarabia and the mouth of the Danube to the Ottoman Empire. The neutrality of the Black Sea was proclaimed.

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The reason for the Crimean War was a dispute over the keys to holy places in Palestine between Catholics and Orthodox. The Sultan handed over the keys to the Bethlehem Church from the Orthodox Greeks to the Catholics, whose interests were protected by the Emperor of France, Napoleon III. Russian Emperor Nicholas I demanded that Turkey recognize him as the patron of all Orthodox subjects of the Ottoman Empire. On June 26, 1853, he announced the entry of Russian troops into the Danubian Principalities, declaring that he would withdraw them from there only after the Russian demands were satisfied by the Turks.

On July 14, Turkey addressed a note of protest against Russia's actions to other great powers and received assurances of support from them. On October 16, Turkey declared war on Russia, and on November 9, an imperial manifesto followed on Russia declaring war on Turkey.

In autumn, there were small skirmishes on the Danube with varying success. In the Caucasus, the Turkish army of Abdi Pasha tried to occupy Akhaltsy, but on December 1 was defeated by the detachment of Prince Bebutov at Bash-Kodyk-Lyar.

At sea, initially success also accompanied Russia. In mid-November 1853, the Turkish squadron under the command of Admiral Osman Pasha, consisting of 7 frigates, 3 corvettes, 2 steam frigates, 2 brigs and 2 transport ships with 472 guns, en route to the Sukhumi region (Sukhum-Kale) and Poti for landing, was forced was to take refuge in the Sinop Bay off the coast of Asia Minor due to a strong storm. This became known to the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral PS Nakhimov, and he led the ships to Sinop. Because of the storm, several Russian ships were damaged and were forced to return to Sevastopol.

By November 28, the entire fleet of Nakhimov was concentrated at the Sinop Bay. It consisted of 6 battleships and 2 frigates, surpassing the enemy in the number of guns by almost one and a half times. The Russian artillery was also superior to the Turkish in quality, as it had the latest bomb cannons. Russian gunners knew how to shoot much better than Turkish ones, and the sailors were faster and more dexterous with sailing equipment.

Nakhimov decided to attack the enemy fleet in the bay and shoot him from an extremely short distance of 1.5-2 cables. The Russian admiral left two frigates at the entrance to the Sinop raid. They were supposed to intercept Turkish ships that would try to flee.

At half past 10 am on November 30, the Black Sea Fleet moved towards Sinop in two columns. The right one was headed by Nakhimov on the ship "Empress Maria", the left one - by the junior flagship Rear Admiral F.M. Novosilsky on the ship "Paris". At half past one in the afternoon, Turkish ships and coastal batteries opened fire on a suitable Russian squadron. She opened fire, only approaching an extremely small distance.

After half an hour of battle, the Turkish flagship "Avni-Allah" was seriously damaged by the bombing guns of the "Empress Maria" and ran aground. Then Nakhimov's ship set fire to the enemy frigate Fazly-Allah. Meanwhile, "Paris" sank two enemy ships. In three hours, the Russian squadron destroyed 15 Turkish ships and suppressed all coastal batteries. Only the steamer "Taif", commanded by the English captain A. Slade, using the advantage in speed, was able to break out of the Sinop Bay and evade the pursuit of Russian sailing frigates.

The losses of the Turks killed and wounded amounted to about 3 thousand people, and 200 sailors, led by Osman Pasha, were taken prisoner. Nakhimov's squadron had no losses in the ships, although several of them were seriously damaged. In the battle, 37 Russian sailors and officers were killed and 233 were wounded. Thanks to the victory at Sinop, the Turkish landing on the Caucasian coast was thwarted.

The battle of Sinop was the last major battle between sailing ships and the last significant battle won by the Russian fleet. In the next century and a half, he won no more victories of this magnitude.

In December 1853, the British and French governments, fearing the defeat of Turkey and the establishment of Russian control over the straits, brought their warships into the Black Sea. In March 1854, England, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia declared war on Russia. At this time, Russian troops besieged Silistria, however, obeying the ultimatum of Austria, which demanded that Russia clear the Danubian principalities, on July 26 they lifted the siege, and in early September they withdrew beyond the Prut. In the Caucasus, Russian troops in July - August defeated two Turkish armies, but this did not affect the overall course of the war.

The Allies planned to land the main landing in the Crimea in order to deprive the Russian Black Sea Fleet of its bases. There were also attacks on the ports of the Baltic and White Seas and Pacific Ocean. The Anglo-French fleet concentrated in the Varna region. It consisted of 34 battleships and 55 frigates, including 54 steam ones, and 300 transport ships, on which there was an expeditionary force of 61,000 soldiers and officers. The Russian Black Sea Fleet could oppose the Allies with 14 sailing battleships, 11 sailing and 11 steam frigates. The Russian army of 40 thousand people was stationed in the Crimea.

In September 1854, the Allies landed troops in Evpatoria. The Russian army under the command of Admiral Prince Menshikov A.S. on the Alma River, she tried to block the path of the Anglo-French-Turkish troops deep into the Crimea. Menshikov had 35,000 soldiers and 84 guns, while the Allies had 59,000 soldiers (30,000 French, 22,000 British, and 7,000 Turkish) and 206 guns.

Russian troops occupied a strong position. Its center near the village of Burliuk was crossed by a beam along which the main Evpatoria road ran. From the high left bank of the Alma, the plain on the right bank was clearly visible, only near the river itself covered with orchards and vineyards. The right flank and the center of the Russian troops were commanded by General Prince M.D. Gorchakov, and on the left flank - General Kiryakov.

The allied troops were about to attack the Russians from the front, and bypassing their left flank they threw the French infantry division of General Bosquet. At 9 am on September 20, 2 columns of French and Turkish troops occupied the village of Ulukul and the dominant height, but were stopped by Russian reserves and could not hit the rear of the Alm position. In the center, the British, French and Turks, despite heavy losses, were able to force the Alma. They were counterattacked by the Borodino, Kazan and Vladimir regiments, led by Generals Gorchakov and Kvitsinsky. But crossfire from land and sea forced the Russian infantry to retreat. Due to heavy losses and the numerical superiority of the enemy, Menshikov retreated to Sevastopol under the cover of darkness. The losses of the Russian troops amounted to 5700 people killed and wounded, the losses of the allies - 4300 people.

The battle of Alma was one of the first to use the loose formation of infantry on a massive scale. The superiority of the allies in armament also affected here. Almost the entire English army and up to a third of the French were armed with new rifled guns, which surpassed the Russian smoothbore guns in rate of fire and range.

Pursuing Menshikov's army, the Anglo-French troops occupied Balaklava on September 26, and on September 29 - the Kamyshovaya Bay area near Sevastopol itself. However, the allies were afraid to attack this naval fortress on the move, at that moment almost defenseless from land. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Nakhimov, became the military governor of Sevastopol and, together with the chief of staff of the fleet, Admiral V.A. Kornilov began to hastily prepare the defense of the city from land. 5 sailing ships and 2 frigates were flooded at the entrance to the Sevastopol Bay in order to prevent the enemy fleet from entering there. The remaining ships were to provide artillery support to the troops fighting on land.

The land garrison of the city, which also included sailors from sunken ships, totaled 22.5 thousand people. The main forces of the Russian army under the command of Menshikov retreated to Bakhchisaray.

The first allied bombardment of Sevastopol from land and sea took place on October 17, 1854. Russian ships and batteries responded to fire and damaged several enemy ships. The Anglo-French artillery failed then to disable the Russian coastal batteries. It turned out that naval artillery was not very effective for firing at ground targets. However, the defenders of the city during the bombardment suffered considerable losses. One of the leaders of the city's defense, Admiral Kornilov, was killed.

On October 25, the Russian army advanced from Bakhchisaray to Balaklava and attacked the British troops, but could not break through to Sevastopol. However, this offensive forced the allies to postpone the assault on Sevastopol. On November 6, Menshikov again tried to unblock the city, but again he could not overcome the Anglo-French defenses after the Russians lost 10 thousand in the battle of Inkerman, and the allies lost 12 thousand people killed and wounded *.

By the end of 1854, the Allies had concentrated more than 100 thousand soldiers and about 500 guns near Sevastopol. They were intensively bombarding the city fortifications. The British and French launched attacks of local importance in order to capture individual positions, the defenders of the city responded with sorties to the rear of the besiegers. In February 1855, the allied forces near Sevastopol increased to 120 thousand people, and preparations began for a general assault. The main blow was supposed to be inflicted on the Malakhov Kurgan, which dominated Sevastopol. The defenders of the city, in turn, especially strongly fortified the approaches to this height, perfectly understanding its strategic importance. In the South Bay, 3 battleships and 2 frigates were additionally flooded, which closed the allied fleet's access to the roadstead. To divert forces from Sevastopol, the detachment of General Khrulev S.A. February 17 attacked Evpatoria, but was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure led to the resignation of Menshikov, who was replaced as commander in chief by General Gorchakov. But the new commander failed to reverse the unfavorable for the Russian side of the course of events in the Crimea.

8 period from April 9 to June 18, Sevastopol was subjected to four intense bombardments. After that, 44 thousand soldiers allied forces went to storm the Ship side. They were opposed by 20 thousand Russian soldiers and sailors. Heavy fighting continued for several days, but this time the Anglo-French troops failed to break through. However, continuous shelling continued to deplete the forces of the besieged.

On July 10, 1855, Nakhimov was mortally wounded. His burial was described in his diary by lieutenant Ya.P. Kobylyansky: "The funeral of Nakhimov ... was solemn; the enemy, in whose mind they took place, paying tribute to the deceased hero, kept a deep silence: not a single shot was fired at the main positions during the burial of the body to the ground."

On September 9, the general assault on Sevastopol began. 60 thousand allied troops, mostly French, attacked the fortress. They managed to take Malakhov Kurgan. Realizing the futility of further resistance, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army in the Crimea, General Gorchakov, gave the order to leave the southern side of Sevastopol, blowing up port facilities, fortifications, ammunition depots and sinking the surviving ships. On the evening of September 9, the defenders of the city crossed to the North side, blowing up the bridge behind them.

In the Caucasus, Russian weapons were successful, somewhat brightening up the bitterness of the Sevastopol defeat. On September 29, the army of General Muravyov stormed Kare, but, having lost 7 thousand people, was forced to retreat. However, on November 28, 1855, the garrison of the fortress, exhausted by hunger, capitulated.

After the fall of Sevastopol, the loss of the war for Russia became obvious. The new Emperor Alexander II agreed to peace negotiations. On March 30, 1856, peace was signed in Paris. Russia returned Kare, which had been occupied during the war, to Turkey and transferred South Bessarabia to it. The allies, in turn, left Sevastopol and other cities of the Crimea. Russia was forced to abandon patronage of the Orthodox population of the Ottoman Empire. It was forbidden to have a navy and bases on the Black Sea. A protectorate of all the great powers was established over Moldavia, Wallachia and Serbia. The Black Sea was declared closed to military vessels of all states, but open to international merchant shipping. Freedom of navigation on the Danube was also recognized.

During the Crimean War, France lost 10,240 people killed and 11,750 dead from wounds, England - 2755 and 1847, Turkey - 10,000 and 10,800, and Sardinia - 12 and 16 people. In total, the coalition troops suffered irretrievable losses of 47.5 thousand soldiers and officers. The losses of the Russian army in the killed amounted to about 30 thousand people, and those who died from wounds - about 16 thousand, which gives a total irretrievable combat loss for Russia of 46 thousand people. Mortality from diseases was much higher. During the Crimean War, 75,535 French people, 17,225 Englishmen, 24,500 Turks, and 2,166 Sardinians (Piedmontese) died of disease. Thus, the non-combat irretrievable losses of the coalition countries amounted to 119,426 people. In the Russian army, 88,755 Russians died of disease. In total, non-combat irretrievable losses in the Crimean War exceeded combat losses by 2.2 times.

The result of the Crimean War was the loss of Russia's last traces of European hegemony, acquired after the victory over Napoleon I. This hegemony gradually came to naught by the end of the 20s due to the economic weakness of the Russian Empire, caused by the preservation of serfdom, and the emerging military-technical backwardness of the country from other great powers. Only the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871 allowed Russia to liquidate the most difficult articles of the Paris Peace and restore its fleet on the Black Sea.

Historian Artemy Yermakov believes that the Crimean War was nothing more than Russia's first fundamental defeat in the fight against world globalism. In his opinion, as a result of the so-called “Great Reforms” of Alexander II caused by the war, our country actually “lost those internal estate-corporate mobilization mechanisms that for two and a half centuries provided it with relative internal stability and allowed it to repel serious external threats at decisive moments. ". “After the loss of these mechanisms, the collapse and disintegration of the Russian Empire and its political system was only a matter of time,” the historian believes.

The defeat of Russia in the Crimean War opened the era of the Anglo-French redistribution of the world. knocking out Russian empire from world politics and having secured their rears in Europe, the Western powers actively used the gained advantage to achieve world domination. The path to the success of England and France in Hong Kong or Senegal lay through the destroyed bastions of Sevastopol. Soon after the Crimean War, England and France attacked China. Having achieved a more impressive victory over him, they turned this country into a semi-colony. By 1914, the countries occupied or controlled by them accounted for 2/3 of the territory the globe. The war clearly demonstrated Russian government that economic backwardness leads to political and military vulnerability. Further lagging behind Europe threatened even more serious consequences. Under Alexander II, the reform of the country begins. The military reform of the 1960s and 1970s occupied an important place in the system of transformations. It is associated with the name of the Minister of War Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin. This was the largest military reform since the time of Peter, which led to fundamental changes in the armed forces. It affected various areas: the organization and staffing of the army, its management and armament, the training of officers, the training of troops, etc. In 1862-1864. reorganization of the local military administration was carried out. Its essence boiled down to the weakening of excessive centralism in the management of the armed forces, in which military formations were directly subordinate to the center. For decentralization, a military district control system was introduced.

The territory of the country was divided into 15 military districts with their commanders. Their authority extended to all the troops and military establishments of the district. Another important direction of the reform was the change in the system of officer training. Instead of cadet corps military gymnasiums (with a 7-year term of study) and military schools (with a 2-year term of study) were created. Military gymnasiums were secondary schools, close in program to real gymnasiums. Young men with a secondary education were admitted to military schools (as a rule, these were graduates of military gymnasiums). Junker schools were also created. In order to be admitted, they were required to have general education in four classes. After the reform, all persons promoted to officers not from schools were required to take exams according to the program of cadet schools.

All this raised the educational level of Russian officers. The mass rearmament of the army begins. There is a transition from smoothbore guns to rifled rifles.

There is also a re-equipment of field artillery with rifled guns loaded from the breech. The creation of steel tools begins. Russian scientists A.V. Gadolin, N.V. Maievsky, V.S. Baranovsky achieved great success in artillery. Sailing fleet replaced by steam. The creation of armored ships begins. The country is actively building railways, including strategic purpose. The improvement of technology required major changes in the training of troops. The tactics of loose formation, rifle chains are gaining an increasing advantage over close columns. This required an increase in the independence and maneuverability of the infantryman on the battlefield. The importance of preparing a fighter for individual actions in battle is increasing. The role of sapper and trench work, which involves the ability to dig in and build shelters to protect against enemy fire, is increasing. To train troops in the methods of conducting modern warfare, a number of new regulations, instructions, teaching aids. Crown military reform was the transition in 1874 to universal military duty. Prior to that, there was a recruiting system. When it was introduced by Peter I, military duty covered all segments of the population (excluding officials and the clergy). But from the second half of XVIII v. it was limited only to taxable estates. Gradually and among them began to officially practice paying off the army of rich people. In addition to social injustice, this system also suffered from material costs. The maintenance of a huge professional army (its number has grown 5 times since the time of Peter) was expensive and not always effective. In peacetime, it outnumbered the troops of the European powers. But during the war, the Russian army did not have trained reserves. This problem was clearly manifested in the Crimean campaign, when it was additionally possible to recruit mostly illiterate militias. Now young people who have reached the age of 21 were required to appear at the recruiting station. The government calculated the right number recruits and, in accordance with it, determined the number of places that the recruits pulled out by lot. The rest were enrolled in the militia. There were conscription benefits. So, the only sons or breadwinners of the family were exempted from the army. Representatives of the peoples of the North, Central Asia, some peoples of the Caucasus and Siberia were not called. The service life was reduced to 6 years, another 9 years of service remained in the reserve and was subject to conscription in case of war. As a result, the country received a significant number of trained reserves. Military service lost class restrictions and became a nationwide affair.