The Crimean War (1853-1856)

The Crimean War was initially sparked by national reactions to a religious dispute over ownership of Christian holy sites between Catholic monks and Orthodox monks in Jerusalem.  The French had backed the Catholics while the Russians backed the Orthodox monks.  Both sides appealed to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire who reigned over Jerusalem to rule in their favor.  Initially the Sultan sided with the French who cited a treaty signed in 1740, but the Russians appealed and cited more recent treaties signed in 1757 and 1774.  When the Sultan reversed his decision the French responded by sailing a 90-gun warship through the Dardanelles.  This action would cause the Sultan to make a final ruling in favor of the French. 

This sudden change prompted Tsar Nicolas I to order the 4th and 5th army Corps to move into Moldova and Walachia in order to force the Sultan to accept his demands and rule in favor of the Orthodox monks.  This lead to open war as the Turks moved forces northward to expel the Russian invaders.

English interest in the war was based on the idea of containing Russian territorial expansionism.  They wanted to keep the Russians from gaining unfettered access to the Mediterranean and thereby threatening the British route to India.  When war first erupted the British government protested the Russian actions by diplomatic channels.  It was only after the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Sinope that the British people, fueled by media reports of the day, became inflamed with anger and demanded that their government take action.

In France Napoleon III sought to increase his prestige and to bring back memories of the victories of Napoleon Bonaparte half a century earlier.  This caused him to back the British demands against Russia, and when that failed, to go to war alongside the British and Turks.

The war was a poorly conducted affair on both sides, but in the end the industrial might of the French and British, along with the threat of Austrian invasion led to a Russian defeat.  The Russian emphasis on the bayonet charge and parade ground performance over marksmanship contributed further to the Russian loss.  The many acts of individual Russian heroism were constantly outweighed by these factors.

By the time the war had ended Russia emerged with a beaten military, tarnished reputation, and new leader.  Tsar Alexander II took control of the nation after the death of his father Nicholas I.  He was left the task of negotiating an end to the war and seeing many restrictions placed upon Russian military forces in the region.