CRIMEAN WAR, the struggle be tween England, France, and Turkey on the one hand, and Russia on the other, to prevent the undue preponderance of Russia in the E. of Europe, which oc curred in 1854 to 1856. The old plans for the extension of Russian power conceived by Catharine II. and Potemkin were re suscitated by Nicholas I., who, believing that he had secured himself from inter ference on the part of Austria and Prussia, and that an Anglo-French al liance was impossible, prepared to carry them into action. Servia, Bosnia, Bul garia, and the principalities of the Danube were to become Russian protec torates, and Constantinople was to be provisionally occupied by Russian troops. The first markedly aggressive step—the demand by Russia for a protectorate over the Greek Church throughout the Turk ish empire—brought matters to a crisis.
An ultimatum presented by Menschi koff in May, 1853, was rejected by the Porte; the Russians occupied the Danu bian principalities; and war was de clared by the Porte in October, 1853; by France and England in 1854, and by Sardinia in 1855. A French and English fleet entered the Baltic and captured Bomarsund and one of the Aland Islands, and in the S. the allies landed at Varna, under Lord Raglan and Marshal St. Arnaud as commanders-in-chief. While the allies were making preparations Prussia and Austria demanded the evacu ation of the Danubian principalities, and an evacuation being ordered by Nicholas, "for strategic reasons," the principalities were provisionally occupied by the Aus trians. It soon became obvious that the Crimea must be the seat of the war, and 50,000 French and English troops with 6,000 Turks were landed at Eupatoria (September, 1854). Five days later the battle of Alma was won by the allies (Sept. 20), and the march continued to
ward the E. side of Sebastopol. Soon after St. Arnaud died and was succeeded by Canrobert.
The siege of Sebastopol was begun by a grand attack which proved a failure, and the Russians under Liprandi re taliated by attacking the English at Balaklava (Oct. 25), but were defeated with heavy loss. It was at this battle that the famous, but useless, charge was made by the Light Brigade. A second attack at Inkermann was again repulsed by the allies, but the siege works made slow progress during the winter, in which the ill-supplied troops suffered great pri vations. The death of Nicholas and suc cession of Alexander II., in March, 1855, brought no change of policy. Canrobert resigned in favor of Pelissier; and shortly after an unsuccessful attack on those parts of the fortifications known as the Malakhoff and Redan Lord Raglan died, and was succeeded by Simpson. The bombardment was continued, and in September the French successfully stormed the Malakhoff, the simultaneous attack on the Redan by the British prov ing a failure. The Russians, however, then withdrew from the city to the N. forts and the allies took possession. The chief subsequent event was the capture of Kars in Asia, by the Russians after a splendid defense by the Turks under Gen eral Williams. By this time, however, the allies had practical possession of the Crimea, and overtures of peace were gladly accepted. A treaty was accord ingly concluded at Paris on April 27, 1856, by which the independence of the Ottoman Empire was guaranteed.