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The Crimean War
For centuries, one central goal of Russian foreign policy was to obtain a warm water port in the south—namely, at the Bosporus Straits and the Strait of the Dardanelles, which connected the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This essential waterway was controlled by the decaying Ottoman Empire in the 1853, when Russia demanded that the Ottoman Empire recognize Russia's right to protect Eastern Orthodox believers in Turkey. When Turkey refused, Russia sent troops into Ottoman territory. Fearing increased Russian power and an upset to the balance of power on the continent as a whole, Great Britain and France declared war on Russia on March 28, 1854.
Russia fared well against its weaker neighbor to the south, destroying the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Sinop in November 1853. However, in September 1854, the British and French laid siege to Sevastopol, Russia's chief naval base in the Black Sea. After just under one year of constant battle, the Russian abandoned the fortress, blowing up their fortifications and sinking their own ships. Russia's new tsar, Alexander II, sued for peace in 1856. In the resulting Peace of Paris, Russia relinquished its claim as Christian protector in Turkey, the Black Sea was neutralized, and the balance of power was maintained.
Results of the Crimean War
The Crimean War had the highest casualty rate of any conflict in Europe in the near century between the end of the Napoleonic Wars and beginning of World War I. Disease killed many, but poor leadership killed thousands more. It was also the final war in which the Ottoman Empire had any victorious role, though even in the Crimea, Russia fared quite well against the Turks. The greater importance of the Crimean War is embodied in one international and one national element.
In terms of European international relations, the Crimean War marked the end of any claims to Russian military dominance on the continent. While the Russian army was the largest force due to its sheer numbers, it was still soundly defeated by smaller British and French forces, with its navy proving utterly useless. With this defeat, the balance of power in Europe grew increasingly threatened. Without the backing of Russia’s military might to maintain order against revolution, European stability was soon to be a thing of the past.
