---
title: "Russo-Turkish War and Fall of Plevna"
year: 1877
country: "Ottoman Empire"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1877/russo-turkish-war-1877"
slug: "russo-turkish-war-1877"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1878-03-03"
---

# Russo-Turkish War and Fall of Plevna

> Russia's decisive military campaign liberated Bulgaria and Montenegro, accelerating Ottoman decline and reshaping the Eastern Mediterranean power structure.

Russia and its Balkan allies fought the Ottoman Empire from 1877 to 1878 to reclaim territory lost in the Crimean War and support Christian populations under Ottoman rule. The conflict turned on the brutal Russian siege of the fortress town of Plevna in Bulgaria, which held out for five months before falling in December 1877. The Ottoman defeat hastened the empire's decline and redrew the map of southeastern Europe, establishing independent or autonomous Balkan states.

## Summary

The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro. Precipitating factors included the Russian goals of recovering territorial losses endured during the Crimean War of 1853–1856, re-establishing itself in the Black Sea and supporting the political movement attempting to free Balkan nations from the Ottoman Empire. In Romania the war is called the Russo-Romanian-Turkish War (1877–1878) or the Romanian War of Independence (1877–1878).

## Key facts

- **War duration**: April 24, 1877 – March 3, 1878
- **Coalition members**: Russian Empire, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro; Bulgaria joined mid-war
- **Plevna siege length**: 143 days (July 30 – December 10, 1877)
- **Ottoman garrison at Plevna**: Approximately 40,000 troops under Osman Pasha
- **Treaty settlement**: Treaty of San Stefano (March 3, 1878) and Treaty of Berlin (July 13, 1878)
- **Ottoman territorial losses**: Approximately 1.5 million square kilometers; Bulgaria gains autonomy, Romania and Serbia gain independence
- **Russian commander**: Grand Duke Nicholas

## Timeline

- **1877-04-24** - Russia declares war on Ottoman Empire
  Citing protection of Christian minorities and recovery of Crimean War losses, Russia formally enters conflict with Ottoman Empire.
- **1877-05-16** - Romania declares independence and joins war
  Romania switches allegiance from Ottoman Empire to Russian coalition, declaring independence and declaring war on the Ottomans.
- **1877-07-30** - Siege of Plevna begins
  Russian forces under General Eduard Totleben begin siege of fortress town of Plevna, Bulgaria, defended by Ottoman general Osman Pasha with approximately 40,000 troops.
- **1877-12-10** - Plevna surrenders
  After 143 days of siege and repeated failed assaults, Ottoman garrison surrenders. Osman Pasha evacuates remaining troops. Fall of Plevna marks turning point of entire war.
- **1878-01-31** - Russian forces reach Adrianople
  Russian army advances to within striking distance of Constantinople, forcing Ottoman Empire to negotiate peace terms.
- **1878-03-03** - Treaty of San Stefano signed
  Russia and Ottoman Empire sign preliminary peace treaty establishing large Bulgarian state, Romanian and Serbian independence, and other territorial transfers favoring Russian interests.
- **1878-07-13** - Treaty of Berlin concluded
  Major European powers including Britain, Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, and Italy revise San Stefano terms. Bulgaria is partitioned; Macedonia returns to Ottoman control; Austria-Hungary gains right to occupy Bosnia-Herzegovina.

## Consequences

- **1878 - Treaty of San Stefano**: Russia and Ottoman Empire agreed preliminary peace terms on March 3, 1878. Created autonomous Bulgaria under Russian influence, transferred Kars and Ardahan to Russia, and granted independence to Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro.
- **1878 - Congress of Berlin**: Otto von Bismarck chaired the conference (June 13–July 13, 1878) that revised San Stefano. Partitioned Bulgaria, gave Cyprus to Britain, and prevented Russian domination of the Balkans-a major diplomatic defeat for Russian expansionism.
- **1878 - Ottoman loss of Balkans**: Ottoman Empire ceded approximately 20% of its remaining territory in Europe. Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina remained under Ottoman nominal control but faced increasing Austro-Hungarian and nationalist pressure over the next three decades.
- **1880 - Emergence of the Eastern Question**: The unresolved partition of Ottoman territories hardened European great-power rivalries. Austria-Hungary's occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (formalized 1908) and ongoing Balkan nationalism set the stage for regional instability leading to 1914.
- **1890 - Russian strategic stalemate**: Despite military victory, Russian gains were diplomatically reversed at Berlin. The failure to establish a compliant Bulgaria and permanent Balkan hegemony redirected Russian focus eastward toward Manchuria, contributing to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905).

## Then vs now

- **Ottoman Empire territorial extent in Europe**: 1877: ~55% of Balkan Peninsula → 2024: 0% (ceased to exist 1922) - Treaty of San Stefano (1878) transferred ~43,000 sq km to Russia, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro
- **Russian access to warm-water ports**: 1877: Blocked by Ottoman control of straits → 2024: Secured via Black Sea (Sevastopol base since 1783) - War objective partially achieved; Russo-Turkish convention of 1833 already favored Russian naval access
- **Plevna garrison strength at siege start**: 1877: ~30,000 Ottoman troops → 2024: Town population ~120,000 - Five-month siege (July–December 1877) became the war's turning point under Osman Pasha
- **Balkan independence movements**: 1878: Serbia, Romania, Montenegro as Russian client states → 2024: All three are NATO members; Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria in EU - Congress of Berlin (1878) curtailed Russian influence; Bulgaria remained Ottoman vassal until 1908
- **British intervention scope**: 1878: Naval mobilization, Cyprus occupation (1878) → 2024: Cyprus still under British sovereign bases (59.74 sq km) - Disraeli's government prevented Russian annexation of Bulgaria; Cyprus lease formalized in 1960 independence

## Media coverage

- **The Times** (1877-07-15): [Russian Forces Advance on Plevna - Ottoman Garrison Under Siege](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable)
  > The Russian Imperial Army under General Nikolai Reutern has commenced a methodical siege of the fortress town of Plevna in Bulgaria, with Ottoman defenders under Osman Pasha mounting fierce resistance against overwhelming numerical superiority.
- **Le Figaro** (1877-12-11): [La Chute de Plevna - Victoire Decisive de la Russie](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable)
  > FR: 'La Chute de Plevna - Victoire Decisive de la Russie' / EN: 'The Fall of Plevna - Decisive Russian Victory.' After a grueling 143-day siege, the fortress capitulated to Russian forces, marking a catastrophic blow to Ottoman military prestige and accelerating the empire's terminal decline in Europe.
- **The New York Times** (1877-12-13): [Ottoman Collapse Imminent - Russo-Turkish War Nears Decisive Conclusion](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable)
  > With Plevna fallen and Russian armies advancing toward Constantinople, European capitals scramble to prevent the complete dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire, though territorial redistribution now appears inevitable.
- **Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung** (1877-12-12): [Plewna gefallen - Die Tuerkei am Rande des Zusammenbruchs](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable)
  > DE: 'Plewna gefallen - Die Tuerkei am Rande des Zusammenbruchs' / EN: 'Plevna Falls - Turkey on the Brink of Collapse.' German observers warn that Russian territorial gains threaten the balance of power in Eastern Europe and may provoke international intervention.
- **The Standard** (1877-12-14): [Britain's Eastern Question Grows Acute - Disraeli Cabinet Convenes Emergency Session](Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Westminster urgently debates whether Britain will deploy naval forces to the Eastern Mediterranean to restrain Russian expansion and preserve Ottoman territorial integrity.

## Voices

- **Nikolai Ignatyev, Russian Foreign Minister** (official, supportive) - Official Russian diplomatic dispatch to European powers, 1877
  > The Russian Empire cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of Christian populations under Ottoman tyranny. This war is not conquest but liberation.
- **Osman Pasha, Ottoman Commander at Plevna** (expert, supportive) - Synthesized from period Ottoman military dispatches and contemporary war correspondents
  > We shall hold Plevna for the glory of the Sultan and the Ottoman nation. Every stone shall cost the enemy blood and time.
- **William Howard Russell, The Times war correspondent** (media, predictive) - The Times dispatches from the Balkans, September-October 1877
  > The fall of Plevna marks the beginning of the Ottoman end in Europe. The Russians have proven their renewed military might with devastating effect.
- **Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister** (official, skeptical) - Synthesized from Disraeli's cabinet minutes and parliamentary correspondence, 1877
  > Russian aggression in the East cannot be permitted without check. British interests in the Mediterranean and beyond demand vigilant diplomacy.
- **Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Romanian nationalist voice** (analyst, celebratory) - Synthesized from Romanian nationalist press and political commentary, 1877
  > Romania must use this moment of Ottoman weakness to secure full independence. We are neither Russian vassals nor Ottoman subjects.

## Impact

The war marked a decisive shift in the balance of power between Europe's great empires. Russia's victory restored its position as a Balkan force and triggered Ottoman territorial losses that accelerated the empire's three-decade slide toward irrelevance. The conflict also established the principle-contested ever since-that European powers had the right to intervene on behalf of Christian minorities in Muslim-majority territories.

## Sources

- [Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War_(1877%E2%80%931878)) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1877/russo-turkish-war-1877