Crimean war

The Crimean War started in 1853 and was fought between Russia and an alliance consisting of Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. The war ended in 1856 with the Treaty of Paris.

After a dispute with the Ottoman Empire over the guardianship of several holy towns in Palestine, Russia invaded Moldavia and Walachia, both vassals of the Ottoman Empire, resulting in a declaration of war by the Ottomans in late 1853. The Ottomans were joined by Britain and France in March 1854, and by Sardinia in January 1855. Austria also threatened to enter the war on the Ottoman side, causing the Russians to withdraw from the occupied areas, which were subsequently occupied by the Austrians in August 1854.

The following month, allied troops landed in the Crimean peninsula and besieged the city of Sevastopol. The city was finally captured in September 1855. In the same year, the Russians occupied the Turkish/Armenian city of Kars.

After the occupation of Sevastopol and the accession of czar Russian Tsar Alexander II, peace negotiations finally resulted in the Treaty of Paris in February 1856.

Scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers, which was covered by war media, prompted the work of Florence Nightingale, introducing modern nursing methods. The Crimean War was also the first in which use was made of railways.

Battles

• Battle of Balaklava (1854)
• Battle of Inkerman (1854)

Leaders

• Eduard Ivanovich Totleben (Russia)
• Lord Fitzroy Raglan (Britain)
• Marshall Saint-Arnaud (France)
• Marshall Canrobert (France)