Russo-Turkish War Research Articles

Население Черноморского округа 70-х гг. XIX в.: состояние и структура, влияние Русско-турецкой войны 1877–1878 гг.

In this article, the author examines the society of the Black Sea District during the 1870s of the XIX century. Within the context of colonization processes and the impact of military actions during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, issues pertaining to the formation of administrative and territorial boundaries, as well as the state and structure of the population in both the pre-war and post-war periods, are discussed. The author presents data regarding the ethnic and religious composition of the population, highlighting its growth from the end of 1872 to the beginning of 1883, and comes to the conclusion that the war had a detrimental effect on demographic processes. The main sources of this study include published official statistical data, normative legal acts, and newspaper publications from “Kavkaz” and “Moscow Vedomosti”, alongside personal materials such as memoirs and analytical works by Arseniy Vasilyevich Vereshchagin, an active participant in the development of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus during the 1870s.

«УЧРЕДИТЬ НА ЮЖНОМ БЕРЕГУ КРЫМСКОГО ПОЛУОСТРОВА В СЕЛЕНИИ ЯЛТАХ ТАМОЖЕННУЮ ЗАСТАВУ…»: К ИСТОРИИ СОЗДАНИЯ И ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ ЯЛТИНСКОЙ ТАМОЖНИ И ЮЖНОГО ОТРЯДА ТАВРИЧЕСКОЙ БРИГАДЫ ПОГРАНИЧНОЙ СТРАЖИ

The article examines the history of the creation and activities of the Yalta customs outpost (later the Yalta customs), which celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024. Based on archival documents, some of which are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, as well as previously published statistical materials, collections of the customs department and other official publications of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire, the main stages of interaction between customs institutions, border and quarantine guard units operating in the Taurida province are determined in the 19th century. The work of these authorities in peacetime and the features of their functioning during the Crimean (Eastern) War of 1853–1856 and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had been analyzed. Measures aimed at optimizing the work of these units in difficult conditions of combat operations and occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by the enemy had been studied. The specifics and sources of formation of personnel of the Yalta customs outpost, units of the Taurida border guard brigade, and quarantine guard units stationed in the province had been identified. It is concluded that the organization of customs, quarantine and border services on the territory of the Taurida province, namely, on the southern coast of Crimea in the 19th century was well thought out and fully consistent with local specifics, since the peninsula was not only the center of external and internal trade operations in the Northern Black Sea region, but also the most important region in geopolitical and strategic terms. Russia, which has repeatedly faced the need to eliminate external threats while simultaneously increasing its economic potential, has taken the necessary steps to ensure the normalization of the activities of customs institutions in the region.

ТЮРКСКИЙ КУЛЬТУРНО-ИСТОРИЧЕСКИЙ ТИП В КОНТЕКСТЕ ДИСКУССИЙ ОБ ИСТОРИИ МИРОВЫХ ЦИВИЛИЗАЦИЙ

Turkic cultural-historical type in the context of discussions about the history of world civilizations Summary The article analyzes the historical-cultural types presented in the book "Russia and Europe" by the Russian philosopher N. Danilevsky, published in 1869, and the concept of civilizations put forward by him. The concepts of O. Spengler and A. Toynbee, discussed in the later periods, as a whole, discussions on this level, ideas related to the concepts of "culture", "civilization", "historical-cultural type", as well as literary addresses and texts, and F.M. Dostoyevsky are referred to. As the main reason why the Turkish historical-cultural type cannot take a proper place in these concepts, the rise of the Slavic historical-cultural type against the background of the Russo-Turkish wars is emphasized. It is shown that it is surprising that the Turkish historical-cultural type is not included in the first and subsequent classifications based on the laws and regularities of movement defined by the Russian scientist who had the first role in defining historical-cultural types. Historical facts, evidence and evidence are listed to prove this. Although the indicated error was eliminated by the authors of the Eurasian concept of Russian history in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century, it is noted that there is a need for scientific-theoretical confirmation of the existence of the Turkish historical-cultural type and Turkish civilization as an ideological landmark in the historical conditions of the formation of the Union of Turkic States. Key words: N. Danilevsky, “Russia and Europe”, cultural and historical type, crusades, Slavs

Representation of Novorossiya in “Journey Across Crimea and Bessarabia in 1799” by Pavel Sumarokov

This study explores the representation of Novorossiya’s space in Pavel Sumarokov’s travelogue “Journey Across Crimea and Bessarabia in 1799” within the framework of semiotic-imagological analysis. The research’s relevance stems from the growing interest of domestic humanities in Novorossiysk issues, which exhibit certain lacunae. The novelty of the study lies in the analysis of spatial imagery elements of Novorossiya, primarily limited to descriptions of the surroundings of Nikolaev, Kherson, and Odessa, areas relatively understudied in literary studies. Loci types are identified based on the opposition of “naturalness — anthropogenicity.” The natural space is predominantly portrayed as untamed, dangerous, and inhospitable steppe, contrasted with spatial images of three major Novorossiysk cities mentioned above. Common motifs of sudden (miraculous) appearance, rapid growth, and high degree of orderliness are attributed to the latter. The motif of frontierness is identified as a fundamental element characteristic of the entire Novorossiya space. It is also actualized in the analysis of Sumarokov’s representation of Novorossiya’s historical space, whose core meaning is formed by plots and personae associated with the era of Catherine II and, specifically, the Russo-Turkish wars.

Behind–the–scenes: Aspects of a film reception. The case of The Independence of Romania (Aristide Demetriade, Grigore Brezeanu, 1912) and The Rest is Silence (Nae Caranfil, 2007)

The foreign reader and viewer can find nothing better -or faster, given the exigencies of modern life- than the film as an introduction to the character, history, identity of a nation. With the awards garnered by directors like Cristian Mungiu and Nae Caranfil, new interest has been focused on Romania’s film, community, and history. That is why, an investigation regarding the Romanian early cinema would be necessary in the field of improving education from abroad. The purpose of this paper is to analyze a number of aspects, such as the importance of incorporating a course on cinema in foreign language teaching, one of the major goals being the opportunity to educate the students in the field of movies and thus offering them distinct cultural perspectives. However, this article does not plea for the need of a pedagogy of media studies in higher education, given the complexity of the topic. It rather aims to focus on the history of two Romanian movies: The Independence of Romania (1912) and The Rest is Silence (2007) and highlight the reasons why an urban icon of the city of Tampere is called “Plevna”. This paper sets out to analyze the two mentioned Romanian films who proved to be interesting for Finnish students since they depict an episode of our common history, the 1877 War of Independence (The Russo-Turkish War). At the same time, the paper aims to familiarize them with the allure of the event when Romanian and Finnish soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder on the same front, at Plevna. The Romanian film, The Independence of Romania shot in 1911-1912, was the first feature film to be kept almost entirely in the Romanian National Film Archive; the other one, The Rest Is Silence directed by Nae Caranfil (and representing Romania’s first entry into the 2009 Oscars) and inspired by The Independence of Romania wanted to show the real story of our first full-length filmmaking. Therefore, this latter film contains like a palimpsest an older mute movie, discovered in Romanian Movie Archive. The current article draws upon the insights provided by the Finnish students after watching the two films and summarizes their conclusions. In other words, these lines provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what they learned and discovered. The films were met with positive reviews, and we tried to follow the students’ spontaneous reactions and emotions. An important part of our work was to put in perspective the two inspiring patriotic marches which are commemorating the departure of the Romanian and Finnish soldiers at Plevna in the Balkan’s theater of War: Drum bun! (farewell song composed by Ştefan Nosievich to the lyrics of Romanian patriot Vasile Alecsandri) and Kauan on Kärsitty / Long have suffered, a well-known patriotic song of the Finnish Guard (Suomen kaarti). This article tangentially discusses the role of perception in educational activity, which is presented under two correlated aspects, namely: the activity carried out in this sense by the teacher and by the students and the role of cinema in creating cultural memory from a general perspective, in a way that transforms the manner we think of film and its social importance. This article starts from a very particular point of view, as we discovered by pure chance the name of Plevna building in Tampere, and goes to a more general aspect, which is the battle of Plevna, one of the most important episodes from Romania’s modern history.

Research Project “Bulgaria in the Italian and Vatican Archives”: First Results of the Analysis of “Osservatore Romanoˮ’s Issues 148 and 148

The main aim of the research project “Bulgaria in the Italian and Vatican Archives” is to find information about the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the Bulgarian people in the newspaper “L’Osservatore Romano”. This paper presents a possible method to analyse the issues of the newspaper, which is used for the analysis of issues 148 and 149.

“Olen su sõbra sõber ja su vaenlase vaenlane” – Vene riigi ja Krimmi khaaniriigi diplomaatilised suhted Ivan Julma valitsemisajal

The Russo-Turkish stand-off, which began under Ivan IV the Terrible, was largely motivated by the rising imperialism and ambitions of Muscovy, which the no less ambitious Ottoman sultans, who in turn were expanding their Ottoman Empire, wished to oppose in order to maintain and extend their influence also in the Black Sea, Caspian regions and the Caucasus, where Russian troops were slowly ‘infiltrating’ and to which Moscow’s foreign policy was also increasingly turning its attention. Tsar Ivan IV conquered and destroyed all the Tatar states (including Astrakhan, Kazan, the Siberian Khanate, the Nogai Horde), with the exception of Moscow, which was increasingly subjected to the Russian occupation. Although he eventually achieved military supremacy over Crimea, Ivan IV was unable to subdue Crimean Khanate. In order for Crimea to survive, the Crimean Khan had to accept in the 1580s that Crimea, already formally a vassal of the Ottomans since 1474/1475, would become even more dependent on the Ottoman Empire. This article examines Ivan the Terrible’s eastern policy ambitions, as well as Muscovy’s relations with the khanates, especially the Khan of Crimea, and the diplomatic correspondence between the rulers (the Khan of Crimea and Ivan IV). In addition to excerpts from the letters of the various khans and the Russian tsar’s replies, we present commented translation into Estonian of a letter of 1572 from the Crimean khan Devlet-Girei to Ivan the Terrible, about a year after his raid on Moscow and just after the Battle of Molodi in the summer of 1572. More recently, the history of Russo-Tatar-Turkish relations has shown that the existence of the Crimean Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries depended to a large extent on the support of the Turkish Sultan, and that eventually, after a series of Russo-Turkish wars (often involving Crimea), the Russian Empire absorbed the Crimean Khanate. Admittedly, this took place 200 years after the death of Ivan IV, in 1783, when the Russian Empire was ruled by Catherine II. However, it was Ivan IV who laid the foundations for the conquest of the Tatar lands, and this was only the first episode in a series of Russian-Turkish wars and the Russian-Turkish confrontation, which in fact continues to some extent to this day.

«Мать-Россия новых родных деток нашла…»: о роли образа ребенка в трактовке славянской идеи в «Дневнике писателя» Ф.М. Достоевского

Perceptions of the Russo-Turkish War and Russia’s foreign policy of the 1870s received much attention in “A Writer”s Diary” by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Within the narrative of Slavic suffering in the Balkans, the writer frequently employs the image of a suffering child, the central motif in the “Diary.” This paper argues for the importance of examining sections related to the Eastern Question within the broader ideological context of Dostoevsky’s journal. The identification of parallels between journalistic and artistic segments facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the author’s perspective on the Slavic idea, particularly the significance of the child’s image in its portrayal throughout the “Diary.” While the author provides vivid depictions of Slavic children’s sufferings, he also characterizes Slavs collectively as Russia’s children in need of its advocacy and protection. The portrayal of suffering Slavic Orthodox children is integrated into the overarching system of child imagery in the “Diary,” serving as poignant evidence for the necessity of pan-Slavism. Dostoevsky associates the liberation of Orthodox peoples in the Balkans with Russia’s religious mission, emphasizing its duty to provide altruistic assistance to Slavic “children” in the name of true Christ, whose genuine image endures solely within Orthodoxy.

The Karazin Family: A New Reading (To the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of V. N. Karazin)

The article, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Kharkiv Imperial University Vasyl Karazin, details little-known episodes of his life and traces the genealogy of the entire Karazin family. Based on a thorough study of archival materials, the author for the first time discusses not only the Bulgarian, but also Ukrainian, Greek, and Polish roots of the Karazin family, calling into question the one-sided views that have long dominated the literature on the subject (for example, regarding the alleged Greek roots of the founder of Kharkiv University). The author’s arguments and observations are rooted in the analysis of the records of the Department of Heraldry in the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg and personal papers of Nazar Karazin preserved in the Russian State Military Historical Archive. The article provides a wealth of biographical information on all members of the Karazin family, starting with Oleksandr Karazin, who settled in the lands of the Sloboda regiments and whom the author considers as the family’s founder. The biography of Vasyl Karazin’s father, Nazar Oleksandrovych, a colonel in the Russian army during the time of Catherine II, is explored in more detail. On the basis of archival records, the author describes in particular Nazar Karazin’s military and diplomatic service during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. New light is shed on the life of Vasyl Karazin’s grandson Mykola Mykolayovych Karazin, a well-known artist, member of the Russian Academy of the Arts, and writer, who left to posterity a diary and reports from the frontlines of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. These writings are published by the author of the article in a separate edition. Furthermore, research in the Russian State Naval Archive enables the author to flesh out little-known episodes of the life of one of the sons and another grandson of Vasyl Karazin – Filadelf senior and Filadelf junior, who served in the Russian Navy. The author has also discovered new facts from the lives of descendants of the Karazin family currently living in Ukraine and abroad.

İKİNCİ DÜNYA SAVAŞI ÖNCESİ DÖNEMDE TÜRK-GÜRCÜ ORTAK TARİHİNİN GELECEK DÖNEM İLİŞKİLERİNE ETKİLERİ

The present article provides an analysis of the longstanding relations between Türkiye and Georgia, encompassing various dimensions such as diplomatic, economic, social, cultural, and military. The historical background of Turkish-Georgian relations can be traced back to the Seljuks Conquest and the period of Ottoman Empire’s rule in the Caucasus region through its diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural relations with Georgian region. The historical impact of the Seljuk and Ottoman Empires on Georgia's economic growth as a trading partner in the Black Sea, Caucasians and the Mediterranean is noteworthy. However, the extent of Ottoman’s influence was curtailed by the dominance and sway of Russia. Following the Independence War of Türkiye, diplomatic ties were restored through the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye before the annexation of Georgia by the Soviet Union. After the Soviet occupation of Georgia, Türkiye faced a challenging situation, as the political system recently established in Georgia exhibited a strong alignment with the Soviet Union, a geopolitical entity that Türkiye perceived as a possible menace to its own security. Georgia's independence ushered in a new era in Turkish-Georgian ties after the Cold War ended. The two nations now cooperate in political, economic, social, and cultural areas, with recent years seeing a rise in military ties as well. This article explores the correlation between political interdependence and cultural interactions, with a particular focus on historical events such as the Russo-Turkish War, the Battle of Sarikamish, and the Status of City of Batumi. In this context, it will be investigated whether the Turkish-Georgian relations in the pre-World War II period are the main determining factor in the following period. As an assumption, the hypothesis that well-founded Turkey-Georgia relations will help resolve regional crises will be defended.

F.W. von Bauer and Russian Mapping of Moldavia and Wallachia

Abstract During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 the advance of G.A. Rumiantsev’s First Army after its great victories at Riabaia Mogila, Larga, and Kagul was slowed by several factors, including the lack of adequate maps of southern Moldavia and Wallachia and the Turkish fortress line along the Danube. This problem was finally addressed by Lt General Friedrich Wilhelm von Bauer (1731–1783), a talented engineer in Russian service, a hero of the Riabaia Mogila and Larga battles, and author of a project to organize a Russian General Staff along Prussian lines. Bauer’s surveying work facilitated the Russians’ successful drive across the Danube in 1773 and this surveying work informed the remarkably detailed map of Moldavia he published in 1775 and 1781. The data he gathered for a similar map of Wallachia was published in his Mémoires historiques et géographiques sur la Valachie, avec un prospectus d’un Atlas géographique et militaire de la derniére guerre entre la Russie et la Porte Ottomanne (1778). Bauer’s work as a geographer and cartographer contributed to European knowledge of the geography and chorography of the Danubian region and illustrated the increasing impact of technicalism upon Russian military development in the eighteenth century.

Последняя победа Крымского юрта: Бой у урочища Мигея 7 (18) июня 1769 г.

The article is devoted to one remarkable and dramatic, but still completely unknown combat episode from the history of the initial period of the Russo-Turkish war of 1768–1774, the battle at Migeya Tract in the summer of 1769 between two regiments of light cavalry of the Russian 2nd army and the vastly superior cavalry forces of the Crimean Khanate. As a result of the mistakes of their command and the fatal coincidence of a number of circumstances, the Russian regiments were surrounded by Tatars on the banks of the Southern Bug and tried to defend themselves in wagenburg. Despite of their fierce resistance, it was taken by storm, and most of the Russian detachment was destroyed. This was the last victory in history of the armed forces of the Crimean Khanate in a field battle. The tragedy at Migeya led to an official investigation of the surviving officers and lower ranks of the two defeated Russian regiments. The materials of their interrogations contain valuable factual and psychological details related to the events of that battle. The circumstances of the fighting at Migeya reflected both: some of the strengths of the armed forces of the Crimean Khanate in the last period of its existence, and natural shortcomings of semi-regular cavalry units guarding the borders of Russian Ukraine – Company Cossacks and settled lancers regiments. Also, the events at Migeya are a remarkable episode from the history of the command of General Count P.A. Rumyantsev of the Russian 2nd army in Ukraine in the campaign of 1769, and his reaction to what happened adds new details to his portrait as a commander and a human. The article is based on previously unpublished documents from the collections of the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA). The most important of them, Rumyantsev’s report and an extract from the interrogations of the participants of that battle, are published in the appendix to the article.

Participation of public organizations and people of the Middle Volga region in the charity movement during the period of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878

The article is devoted to the history of private charity in the Middle Volga region during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It analyzes various aspects of the charitable and volunteer movement organized by the population of the provinces of the Middle Volga region. The article shows the role and degree of participation of the population in charitable activities and support for state policy during the war. Special attention is paid to the initiative of ordinary citizens, public organizations and private companies in the formation of the necessary material and technical base, military medical care and gathering donations to the Army.

Дела батумские: Правительствующий Сенат об имущественных правах турецкоподданных

The article deals with the approach of the Ruling Senate to the controversial issues of land rights of Turkish subjects in the regions annexed by Russia as a result of the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878.

Anticipatory historical geographies of violence: Imagining, mapping, and integrating Dersim into the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish state, 1866–1939

Any understanding of the transformation from indirect imperial to centralized nation-state rule must consider the complex interplay between knowledge production, sovereignty, and power, as well as the historical geographies that shape them. As such, this article focuses on Middle Eastern modern-state formation through the case of Dersim, a region in contemporary Turkey's Eastern Anatolia, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It delves deeply into Dersim's intricate dynamics to examine the changing relationship between state and territory through the perspective of government authorities, Western travelers, and local inhabitants. The article argues that the Turkish state's violent transformation of nonstate Dersim in 1937–38 marked a peak in the process of creating a flattened, homogeneous territory where sovereignty would be implemented effectively and, ideally, equally. This process began in Dersim, and the larger region around it, with the implementation of the Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms in the early nineteenth century, gained momentum with the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War, and reached its culmination with genocidal operations in Dersim in the late 1930s. The state elites' instrumentalization of modern cartography, among other technological advancements, for military purposes allowed them to envision, define, and reshape Dersim as an integral part of their imagined national homeland.

Victor Taki. Russia on the Danube: Empire, Elites, and Reform in Moldavia and Wallachia, 1812–1834

Victor Taki. <i>Russia on the Danube: Empire, Elites, and Reform in Moldavia and Wallachia, 1812–1834</i>

The Russo-Turkish War in Crimea and Nightingale's Role in It (1854-1855)

In October 1853, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, after a series of disputes over the holy places in Jerusalem and Russian claims to protect the Orthodox subjects of the Ottoman Empire. The British and French, allies of the Ottoman Empire, sought to check Russian expansion. The majority of the Crimean War took place in Crimea, Russia. However, the British troop base and hospitals for the care of sick and wounded soldiers were established primarily at Scutari (Uskudar), across the Bosphorus from Constantinople (Istanbul). As the war broke out, reports returned to Britain about the terrible conditions for the sick and wounded British soldiers. Popular on the mistreatment of wounded British soldiers, a friend of Florence Nightingale, the Secretary of War, Sidney Herbert, wrote to Florence and asked her to lead a group of nurses to attend the headquarters of the British forces. So Florence Nightingale volunteered to go to Turkey then known as Scutari, accompanied by thirty-eight women, including eighteen Catholic, Anglican and Roman sisters, to war.

Musta mere ranniku eesti asunikud malaaria meelevallas

Musta mere ranniku eesti asunikud malaaria meelevallas

Mülkiye ile Hariciye Arasında Bir Ömür: Hariciye Nazırı Kürt Said Paşa [1834-1907

Bu çalışmada Sultan II. Abdülhamid dönemi Hariciye Nazırlarından Mehmed Said Paşa’nın biyografisi ortaya konmuştur. Memuriyet hayatı Tanzimat devrinde başlayan Said Paşa’nın Mülkiye ve Hariciye arasında salınan kariyeri süresince müdahil olduğu olaylar incelenmiştir. Paşanın Mülkiye görevleri ve Hariciye nazırlıkları döneminde imparatorluğu ilgilendiren temel sorunlar ele alınmış, bu sorunların Said Paşa’nın kariyerine yaptığı etkiler tespit edilmiştir. Paşanın Mülkiye mesleği içindeki görev alanları imparatorluğun sınır bölgelerindeki mutasarrıflık ve vilayetlerden oluşmaktadır. Suriye Vilayeti Umur-ı Ecnebiye Müdürlüğü (politika memurluğu) görevinden itibaren stratejik önemdeki idari birimlerde ve teftiş komisyonlarında görev almıştır. Bu görevlerde edindiği birikim, paşayı Hariciye Nazırlığına taşımıştır. Said Paşa’nın Hariciye Nazırlığı dönemine ait temel meseleler Doğu Rumeli, Berlin Kongresi, Ermeni Meselesi ve zenci esir ticareti konularıdır. Yönetim gücünün Babıali’den Yıldız Sarayı’na geçtiği bir dönemde görev yapan Said Paşa’nın II. Abdülhamid idaresi içindeki konumu belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışmayla Hariciye Nazırlığı gibi önemli bir makamda kesintisiz en uzun süre görev yapan devlet adamlarından biri olan Said Paşa’nın Tanzimat’tan II. Abdülhamid dönemine uzanan hayatı ve politik faaliyetlerine ışık tutulmuştur.

Language Matters

This essay unravels the ‘language choice’ through another parameter—specifically, that which concerns journalistic language in the presentation of news. It observes in the pages of London’s The Times—the newspaper with the larger circulation in Britain—the different ways in which their correspondents on the ground presented the Thessaly uprising of January 1878, one of revolts that occurred in various parts of Ottoman-ruled Balkans during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Two different perspectives found a place in the same newspaper, one by the newspaper’s Constantinople correspondent and editor of The Levant Herald, Edgar Whitaker, and the other by its special correspondent in Greece, Charles Ogle.