The Crossing of the Danube by the Russian Troops during the Russo-Turkish War (1877—1878): a View from the Ottoman Coast

The paper explores one of the most important episodes during the 1877—1878 Russo-Turkish war namely the crossing of the river Danube by the Russian army which has not received deserved attention in works of both Russian and Turkish historians. The author analyses a wide range of understudied Ottoman sources that allows to reconstruct the “Ottoman perspective” of the Battle of the Danube and the preparation of Ottoman military for it. The comparative analysis of the memoirs of the Ottoman military figures, teachers of the Military Academy and the works of historians makes possible to revise well-established assessments of the Danube operation and its stereotypical interpretations, typical of both Russian and Western literature. The findings of the study show that the Ottomans were aware of the importance of the Danube defense line and the necessity of repelling the Russian offence. The Ottoman officers thoroughly analyzed and investigated this military experience. Going beyond the analysis of actions of army units, the Ottoman officers proposed an alternative plan of action, in their opinion more effective than the plan of the commander-in-chief of the Balkan front. The analysis of the Ottoman sources cast doubt upon a number of wide-spread judgements about the inability of the Ottoman army to defend the Danube effectively. Although the Ottoman military had to undertake drastic changes in the defense structure, the Ottoman army had the potential for successful actions on this theatre of war.

Keywords

Ottoman empire, russo-turkish wars, military history, Balkans, Ottoman literature, art of war

Received

04.12.2023

Publication date

20.11.2023

Number of characters

54188

Cite

GOST	Surikov K. The Crossing of the Danube by the Russian Troops during the Russo-Turkish War (1877—1878): a View from the Ottoman Coast // ISTORIYA – 2023. – V. 14. – Issue 10 (132) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840028570-6-1 (circulation date: 05.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028570-6
MLA	Surikov, Kirill "The Crossing of the Danube by the Russian Troops during the Russo-Turkish War (1877—1878): a View from the Ottoman Coast." ISTORIYA 14.10 (132) (2023) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028570-6
APA	Surikov K. (2023). The Crossing of the Danube by the Russian Troops during the Russo-Turkish War (1877—1878): a View from the Ottoman Coast. ISTORIYA 14(10 (132)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028570-6

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 5, views: 80

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. AVPRI. Fond 180 (Posol'stvo v Konstantinopole). Opis' 517/2. Delo № 4370: Voennye svedeniya o vooruzhennykh silakh Turtsii, Moldovalakhii, Serbii, Chernogorii, Gretsii, raspolozhenie vojsk, sbor redifov (1871—1876).

2. Belyaev N. I. Russko-turetskaya vojna 1877—1878 gg. M.: Veche, 2019.

3. Kuropatkin A. N. Zadachi russkoj armii. T. 2. SPb.: Sklad B. A. Berezovskago, 1910.

4. Sbornik materialov po russko-turetskoj vojne 1877—1878 gg. na Balkanskom poluostrove. Vyp. 3. Zhurnal voennykh dejstvij IX armejskogo korpusa. SPb.: Voennaya tipografiya, 1898.

5. Sbornik materialov po russko-turetskoj vojne 1877—1878 gg. na Balkanskom poluostrove. Vyp. 32. Pereprava u Zimnitsy, utverzhdenie na pravom beregu Dunaya i Zapadnyj front. SPb.: Voennaya tipografiya, 1902.

6. Svechin A. A. Ehvolyutsiya voennogo iskusstva. T. 2. M.: Gosudarstvennoe izdatel'stvo, otdel voennoj literatury, 1928.

7. Tashlykov S. L. Monitor // Bol'shaya rossijskaya ehntsiklopediya. T. 21. M., 2012.

8. Aksan V. The Ottomans (1700—1923). An Empire Besieged. N. Y.: Routledge, 2022.

9. Ayın F. Tanzimat’tan sonra askeralma kanunları. Ankara: Genelkurmay Basımevi, 1994.

10. Berkes N. Türkiye’de çağdaşlaşma. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 2012.

11. Fuad A. Musavver 1293—1294 Osmanlı-Rus seferi. İstanbul: Kitaphane-yi İslam ve Askeri, 1326 (1907).

12. Gates D. Warfare in the Nineteenth Century. N. Y.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.

13. Gülcü N. 19. yüzyılda askeri okullar ve askeri eğitim sistemi. // Akdeniz Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi. 2018 (3). S. 104—113.

14. Hale W. Turkish Politics and the Military. London: Routledge, 1994.

15. İhsan. Askerî târih. 3. cilt. İstanbul: Mekteb-i Harbiye Matbaası, 1927.

16. İslâm Ansiklopedisi. 22. cilt. İstanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, 2000.

17. İslâm Ansiklopedisi. 36. cilt. İstanbul: Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı, 2009.

18. Kara H. Sultan II. Abdülhamid devri Osmanlı Harp okulunda modernleşme; “modernist-gelenekçi subaylar arasındaki çekişme üzerine bir değerlendirme” // Turkish Studies. 2016. No. 11 (21). P. 551—564.

19. Karadaş Y. Osmanlı Ordusunda Modernizasyon ve Demodernizasyon, 1826—1918. İstanbul: Doğu Kitabevi, 2016.

20. Muhtar A. Sergüzeşt-i Hayatım, 1294 Anadolu’da Rus Muharebesi. Dersaadet: Mekteb-i Harbiye Matbaası, 1330 (1912).

21. Nûrî O. Abdülhamîd-i Sânî ve Devr-i Saltanatı. 1. cilt. İstanbul: Kitâphâne-yi İslâm ve Askeri, 1327 (1909).

22. Parla T. Social, Economic and political studies of the Middle East. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1985.

23. Quataert D. The Ottoman Empire, 1700—1922. N. Y.: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

24. Russian-Ottoman borderlands: the Eastern question reconsidered / ed. Frary L. J., Kozelsky M. Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2014.

25. Shaw S. J. History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey. Vol. II. N. Y.: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

26. T. C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Harb Tarihi Dairesi. Türk Silâhlı Kuvvetleri Tarihi. 3. cilt (1793—1908). Ankara: Genelkurmay Basımevi, 1978.

27. Tunalı A. C. Tanzimat döneminde Osmanlı kara ordusunda yapılanma (1839—1876). Ankara: T. C. Ankara Üniversitesi, 2003.

28. Ünal U. Sultan Abdülaziz döneminde Bosna nizâmiye alayları (1861—1876) // Belleten. 2017. No. 81 (290). S. 227—242.

29. Uyar M., Erickson E. J. A Military History of the Ottomans. From Osman to Atatürk. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2009.

30. Yüksel B. 1877—1878 Osmanlı-Rus Savaşı’nda Osmanlı Ordusunun İkmal ve İaşesi. // History Studies. 2013. No. 5 (1). P. 17—38.

31. بیکباشی احسان. عسکری تاریخ، اوچنجی جزء، استانبول، مکتب حربیه مطبعسنده طبع اولنمشدر، ۱۳۴۱

32. عثمان نوری. عبدالحمید ثانی ودورسلطنتی.حیات خصوصیھ وسیاسیھ سی،استانبول،کنابخانٔھ اسلام و عسکری - ایبراھیم حلمی، ١٣٢٧

33. علی فؤاد. مصور ۱۲۹۳-۱۲۹۴ عثمانلی - روس سفری، استانبول، کتابخانهٔ اسلام و عسکری، ۱۳۲۶

34. غازی احمد مختار پاشا. سرکزشت حیاتمن ۱۲۹۴ آناطولیده روس محاربهسی. درسعدت: مکتب حربیه مطبعهسنده طبع اولنمشدر؛ ۱۲۲۸.