Transcript XIII. Russo-Ottoman War 1877

The Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-78
The Russo-Ottoman War of 1877–1878 (93
Harbi in Turkish) was a new confrontaton
between Saint Petersburg and Istanbul. In
spite of some Ottoman advantages in this
conflict such as Ottoman naval supremacy,
well fortified defensive positions and
availability of superior military technologies,
the Sublime Porte a new disaster similar to
1774 and 1829 at the end of the war.
 The last Russo-Turkish War (the Crimean
War) was a defeat for the Romanovs’ Empire.

An anti-Ottoman uprising occurred in BosniaHerzegovina in the summer of 1875. The
main reason for this revolt was the heavy tax
burden imposed by the bankrupt Ottoman
treasury.
 Despite some relaxation of taxes, the uprising
continued until the end of 1875 and
triggered the Bulgarian uprising of 1876.

Tension in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Russian
support encouraged the principalities of
Serbia and Montenegro's declaration of war
against their nominal Ottoman master
(suzerain) early in July 1876.
 The war raised also the imperial aims of two
Great Powers, Russia and Austria-Hungary,
who made a secret agreement in July 8, 1876
on partitioning the Balkan peninsula.

However, in August 1876, Serbian forces,
supported by Bulgarian and Russian
volunteers, were defeated by the Ottoman
army, which was an unexpected scenario for
Russia.
 However the harsh measures taken by the
Ottoman administration during the Bulgarian
uprising and the actions of inadequate
irregulars (başıbozuk in Turkish) used
extensively by the Porte in Bulgaria due to
the engagement of the Ottoman regular army
in Western Balkans had a wide-spread
response throughout Europe, even in the
then pro-Ottoman Britain.


As a result the Istanbul Conference was held in
December 1876. At this conference, the Great
Powers discussed the boundaries of
future
autonomous Bulgarian provinces within the
Ottoman Empire.
Attention
The Ottoman state was not represented at the
conference.
The Conference was interrupted by the
Ottoman foreign minister, who informed the
foreign delegations that Ottoman empire had
approved a new constitution (Kanun-i Esasi),
which guaranteed rights and freedoms of all
ethnic minorities and thus Bulgarians would
enjoy equal rights with all Ottoman citizens.
 Despite this radical move of constitutionalism
and
democratization,
Russia
remained
interventionist towards the Ottoman Empire,
arguing that the constitution was only a
partial solution.

Through diplomatic negotiations Russians
ensured the inaction of Austria-Hungary in a
prospective Russo-Ottoman war.
 Despite a strong public opinion for the idea of
an independent Bulgaria in Britain, fostered
by the writings and speeches of former Prime
Minister William Gladstone, the Prime Minister
at the time, Benjamin Disraeli believed in a
containment policy towards the Romanov
Empire and wanted to continue to support
the Ottoman Empire against any Russian
aggression.
 Disraeli positioned Britain as the defender of
the Ottoman Empire, as London had done in
the Crimean War twenty years ago.

According to the conclusion of the
Conference, Bulgaria would be divided into an
eastern and a western province, BosniaHerzegovina united into one province, and
each of these three provinces would have a
considerable degree of autonomy, including a
provincial assembly and a local police force.
 Also, Serbia was to lose no territory and
Montenegro was to be allowed to keep the
areas she had overrun in the war of 1876 in
Herzegovina and northern Albania.

The Ottoman Empire refused this solution and
Russia declared war on the Porte on 24 April
1877.
 The Sublime Porte with a modernized army
and strong navy was optimistic for the
outcome of the conflict and expected British
military assistance and/or intervention.
 The Russians could raise a larger army but
the Ottomans had the advantage of being
fortified, and of having a complete command
of the Black Sea. The Ottoman army had also
better military equipment such as US made
Winchester rifles.

In spite of some world-wide appreciated
Ottoman defensive successes at Plevna in the
Balkans and at Erzurum in Eastern Anatolia,
Ottoman strategic failures paved the way for
the arrival of the Russian armies until the
gates of Istanbul.
 Under pressure from the British and having
suffered heavy losses (by some estimates
about 200,000 men) Russia accepted the
truce offered by the Porte on January 31,
1878, but continued to move towards
Istanbul.

The British sent a fleet of battleships to
intimidate Russia from entering into the city, and
Russian forces had to stop by San Stefano
(Yeşilköy).
 Eventually Russia entered into a settlement
under the Treaty of San Stefano (Ayastefanos)
on March 3 1878, by which the Ottoman Empire
would recognize the independence of Romania,
Serbia, Montenegro, and autonomy of Bulgaria.
 Alarmed by the extension of Russian power into
the Balkans, the Great Powers later forced
modifications of the treaty in the Congress of
Berlin.

The main change was that Bulgaria would be
split into the northern and eastern parts to
become principalities (Principality of Bulgaria
and Eastern Rumelia), though with different
governors; and the Macedonian region,
originally part of Bulgaria under San Stefano,
would
return
to
direct
Ottoman
administration.
 The war resulted in a sharp decrease of the
Turco-Muslim population in Bulgaria between
1876 and 1882: it is estimated that 262,000
died of various reasons and 515,000 fled (a
new wave of muhajereen).

Congress of Berlin
The Congress of Berlin (June 13 - July 13,
1878) was an international meeting of the
European Great Powers' and the Ottoman
Empire's diplomats in Berlin in 1878.
 In the aftermath of the Russo-Ottoman War,
the meeting's goal was to reshape the
political map of the Balkans.
 Otto von Bismarck, calling himself the “honest
broker” of the negotiations, who led the
Congress, undertook to balance the distinct
interests of Great Britain, Russia and AustriaHungary.

As a consequence, however, differences
between
Russia
and
Austria-Hungary
intensified, as did the nationality question in
the Balkans.
 The congress aimed the revision of the Treaty
of San Stefano and the Ottoman possession
of Istanbul. It effectively dilluted Russia's
military successes over the collapsing
Ottoman Empire.
 The Congress of Berlin gave back to the
Ottoman Empire certain Bulgarian territories
that the previous treaty had given to the
Principality of Bulgaria, most notably
Macedonia.

The Congress was attended by the British
Empire, Austria-Hungary, France, the German
Empire, Italy, Russia and the Ottoman
Empire. Delegates from Greece, Romania,
Serbia, and Montenegro also attended the
sessions in which their states were
concerned.
 The congress was marked by the foes of the
Russian Empire, particularly by the Dual
Monarchy and Britain.
 The Congress of Berlin proposed and ratified
the Treaty of Berlin.
 The congress revised or eliminated 18 of the
29 articles in the Treaty of San Stefano.

The Berlin Congress Settlement