Misplaced Pages

#595404

71-476: The origins of the name Svishtov can be found in its old Bulgarian variation Sveshtniy (Свѣщний), deriving from the word svesht or svyasht (свѣщ), meaning "candle". This was due to the existence of a lighthouse in the city. The previous name Sistova was first mentioned in the peace treaty that ended the Austro-Turkish War in 1791, when Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule. This name was chosen instead of

142-720: A fleet in September 1860. Fearing that a unilateral intervention would increase French influence in the region at their expense, the British joined the French expedition . Faced with further European pressure, the Sultan agreed to appoint a Christian governor in Lebanon, whose candidacy was to be submitted by the Sultan and approved by the European powers. The Cretan Revolt , which began in 1866, resulted from

213-635: A poll tax in lieu of service, the army itself was divided into four categories: the Nizam (standing army), who served for four years (five for cavalry and engineers); the Ithiat, or first reserve, where a further two years were served (one year for the cavalry and artillery); the Redif, which took veterans of the Nizam and Ithiat categories and men who did not serve; and the Moustafiz, where all men who had completed their service in

284-485: Is Eastern Orthodox Christianity . There is also a small group of Roman Catholics that have migrated from the surrounding villages of Oresh , Dragomirovo and the town of Belene , and small group of Muslims. The mayor of Svishtov Municipality is Gencho Bozhinov Genchev. The D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics was established in 1936 with decree-law signed by Boris III. Since then Svishtov has become an academician town. State commercial high school "Dimitar Hadjivasilev"

355-684: Is twinned with: Treaty of Sistova The Treaty of Sistova ended the last Austro-Turkish war (1787–91) . Brokered by Great Britain , Prussia and the Netherlands , it was signed in Sistova (modern Svishtov ) in Bulgaria on 4 August 1791. The treaty was written in French and Turkish. The Habsburg monarchy had been pushed back in the first year of the war but then conquered Belgrade and gained other victory near Calafat in 1790. Austria's ally, Russia , had also been very successful, but Austria

426-429: Is also a major economic draw. Additionally, there are a large number of European tourists, particularly from Romania, who frequent Svishtov because of its relatively lower prices. One of the most beautiful places around the town of Svishtov is the unique river valley (1 to 2 km (1 to 1 mi) away from the town) which hosts the monastery of Svishtov; the region called Pametnitsite / Паметниците (The Monuments) on

497-422: Is next to Persina , also see Persina's official website. The spring has a small pool and the water comes from it at 48 degrees Celsius. In the pool it is 44–45 degrees. The place is 5 kilometers west from the city. Svishtov has a humid subtropical climate with considerable continental influences. The summer lasts five months, from May to September. Winters start in early December and last until March. Svishtov

568-525: Is the first vocational school in Bulgaria. The first commercial school was established in 1883, with decision of the National Assembly. In the area of the town had a port since the 16th century. Port Svishtov was built in 1906. The main industries in the town of Svishtov include imports and exports via the harbor, electronics, chemical manufacturing, and wheat production. The town's University of Economics

639-691: Is there. Its name is "Shroud of the Holy Mother" (also known as "Virgin Mary’s Winding Sheet"). It has a church named "The Assumption of Virgin Mary" and 2 residential buildings. "Toplata Voda" was originally drilled for petrol in the 1980s, but instead of petrol they found one of the famous sources of thermal water springs in North Bulgaria. The same source is feeding the balneo centers such as Pulski Trumbesh, Ovcha Mogila, well known from many years. The place

710-470: The 8cm and 9cm types for field usage, with 12 cm and 15cm guns also being used (but less commonly) and various older guns found primarily in fortresses. At the outbreak of war, the Ottoman army was divided into several groups. The largest was the 168,000-man contingent under the command of Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha , based out of Shumla . 140,000 were assigned to the general task of fighting threats in

781-896: The Allies of World War I , with the Ottomans sending troops to Galicia and the Austro-Hungarians to Gaza before collapsing together. With the Turkish war ended, Austria joined with Prussia in the Declaration of Pillnitz on 27 August. Austria renounced any expansion at the expense of the Ottoman Empire. In return, Prussia promised not to expand to the east and not to support the Brabant Revolution . Both countries pledged to intervene in France if all of

SECTION 10

#1732855531596

852-565: The Black Sea and supporting the political movement attempting to free Balkan nations from the Ottoman Empire. The Russian-led coalition won the war, pushing the Ottomans back all the way to the gates of Constantinople , leading to the intervention of the Western European great powers. As a result, Russia succeeded in claiming provinces in the Caucasus, namely Kars and Batum , and also annexed

923-456: The Budjak region. The principalities of Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, each of which had had de facto sovereignty for some years, formally proclaimed independence from the Ottoman Empire. After almost five centuries of Ottoman domination (1396–1878), Bulgaria emerged as an autonomous state with support and military intervention from Russia. Article 9 of the 1856 Paris Peace Treaty , concluded at

994-744: The Russian-led wars against the Ottomans during the 19th and 20th centuries. Both countries would eventually face France in the War of the Second Coalition , despite fighting different campaigns against the same enemy in Central Europe and Egypt . During the Second Ottoman–Egyptian War , Austria, along with Britain , saved its old rival from early collapse against Muhammad Ali of Egypt 's Egypt . The two countries would end up teaming against

1065-401: The military school during his reign to educate officers. However, the turnout of this academy was poor and only 1,600 of the 20,000 regular officers of the army were academy trained, though the artillery saw the highest concentration of academy trained officers at 20% of the total. For the entire Ottoman army, only 132 academy-trained generals were available. The Ottoman army was organised at

1136-510: The "independence" of the Ottoman Empire, it would be wholly impossible to afford to it again the support we had afforded in the Crimean war . Although on the winning side in the Crimean War, the Ottoman Empire continued to decline in power and prestige. The financial strain on the treasury forced the Ottoman government to take a series of foreign loans at such steep interest rates that, despite all

1207-539: The 19th century, with the central government occasionally losing control over whole provinces. Reforms imposed by European powers did little to improve the conditions of the Christian population, while managing to dissatisfy a sizable portion of the Muslim population. Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered at least two waves of rebellion by the local Muslim population, the most recent ending in 1862 . Austria-Hungary consolidated after

1278-598: The Bulgarian cause led to a nationwide surge in patriotism on a scale comparable with the one during the Patriotic War of 1812 . From autumn 1875, the movement to support the Bulgarian uprising involved all classes of Russian society. This was accompanied by sharp public discussions about Russian goals in this conflict: Slavophiles , including Fyodor Dostoevsky , saw in the impending war the chance to unite all Orthodox nations under Russia's helm, thus fulfilling what they believed

1349-558: The Crimean War ;– and Russian annexation of the port of Batum on the east coast of the Black Sea . Bulgaria was to become autonomous (independent, according to the Russian records). As the fighting in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued, Serbia suffered a string of setbacks and asked the European powers to mediate an end to the war. A joint ultimatum by the European powers forced

1420-411: The Crimean War; some were Islamized Bulgarians. The Ottoman army suppressed the revolt, massacring up to 30,000 people in the process. Five thousand out of the seven thousand villagers of Batak were put to death. Both Batak and Perushtitsa , where the majority of the population was also massacred, participated in the rebellion. Many of the perpetrators of those massacres were later decorated by

1491-515: The European balance. Bismarck did not wish the breakup of the Ottoman Empire to create rivalries that might lead to war, so he took up Tsar Alexander II of Russia 's earlier suggestion that arrangements be made in case the Ottoman Empire fell apart, creating the Three Emperors' League with Austria-Hungary and Russia to keep France isolated on the continent. France responded by supporting self-determination movements, particularly if they concerned

SECTION 20

#1732855531596

1562-690: The European provinces of the Empire, with 45,000 in various garrisons in Anatolia, Europe, and Crete. With the Caucasus army containing 70,000 men, the total of number of troops amounted to 378,000. Olender gives a breakdown of Ottoman troops in the spring of 1877 as containing 571 infantry battalions (181 of which were Nizam), 147 cavalry squadrons and 143 artillery batteries not including the fortress and garrison companies or irregulars. On paper this would amount to 441,954 infantry (140,094 being nizam troops), 21,021 cavalry and 858 guns. However, due to other conflicts and

1633-476: The Ottoman Empire. Small as the amount of attention is which can be given by the people of England to the affairs of Turkey ... enough was transpiring from time to time to produce a vague but a settled and general impression that the Sultans were not fulfilling the "solemn promises" they had made to Europe; that the vices of the Turkish government were ineradicable; and that whenever another crisis might arise affecting

1704-647: The Ottoman high command. Word of the bashi-bazouks' atrocities filtered to the outside world by way of the American-run Robert College located in Constantinople . The majority of the students were Bulgarian, and many received news of the events from their families back home. Soon the Western diplomatic community in Constantinople was abuzz with rumours, which eventually found their way into newspapers in

1775-553: The Ottoman offensive into Serbia. Meanwhile, Alexander II of Russia and Prince Gorchakov met Austria-Hungary's Franz Joseph I and Count Andrássy in the Reichstadt castle in Bohemia . No written agreement was made, but during the discussions, Russia agreed to support Austrian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Austria-Hungary, in exchange, agreed to support the return of Southern Bessarabia  – lost by Russia during

1846-498: The Ottomans in the war. An uprising against Ottoman rule began in Herzegovina in July 1875. By August almost all of Herzegovina had been seized and the revolt had spread into Bosnia . Supported by nationalist volunteers from Serbia and Montenegro, the uprising continued as the Ottomans committed more and more troops to suppress it. With its origin in the vicinity of the town of Nevesinje

1917-532: The Porte to give Serbia a one-month truce and start peace negotiations. Turkish peace conditions however were refused by European powers as too harsh. In early October, after the truce expired, the Turkish army resumed its offensive and the Serbian position quickly became desperate. On 31 October, Russia issued an ultimatum requiring the Ottoman Empire to stop the hostilities and sign a new truce with Serbia within 48 hours. This

1988-531: The Question of the East calling upon Britain to withdraw its support for Turkey and proposing that Europe demand independence for Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the details became known across Europe, many dignitaries, including Charles Darwin , Oscar Wilde , Victor Hugo and Giuseppe Garibaldi , publicly condemned the Ottoman abuses in Bulgaria. The strongest reaction came from Russia. Widespread sympathy for

2059-400: The Redif (approximately 300,000 troops) served for a further six years. The Redif itself was divided into four categories: the first category consisted of veterans of the Nizam category, who served in the first Redif subcategory for four years before entering the second Redif sub-category; men who were not conscripted served in the third sub-category of the Redif for four years before entering

2130-608: The Turkish word Zigit . During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria the town was also known as Ziștovi and in Romanian as Șiștova. Svishtov is situated in northern central Bulgaria on the right bank of the Danube river in its southernmost point, across from Zimnicea , Romania. The town lies 237 kilometres (147 miles) north-east of the capital Sofia , and 251 kilometres (156 miles) west of the major Black Sea port of Varna . Other important cities in

2201-752: The West. While in Constantinople in 1879, Protestant missionary George Warren Wood reported Turkish authorities in Amasia brutally persecuting Christian Armenian refugees from Soukoum Kaleh . He was able to coordinate with British diplomat Edward Malet to bring the matter to the attention of the Sublime Porte , and then to the British Foreign Secretary Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (the Marquess of Salisbury ). In Britain, where Disraeli's government

Svishtov - Misplaced Pages Continue

2272-499: The agreement heard. When they were rejected by the Great Powers, the Ottoman Empire announced its decision to disregard the results of the conference. On 15 January 1877, Russia and Austria-Hungary signed a written agreement confirming the results of the earlier Reichstadt Agreement of July 1876. This assured Russia of the benevolent neutrality of Austria-Hungary in the impending war. These terms meant that in case of war Russia would do

2343-578: The army. In 1858, stirred by their clergy, the Maronite peasants of northern Lebanon revolted against their predominantly Druze feudal overlords and established a peasant republic. In southern Beirut vilayet , where both Maronite and Druze peasants worked under Druze overlords, Druze peasants sided with their co-religious and against the Maronites, transforming the conflict into a civil war . Although both sides suffered, about 10,000 Maronites were massacred at

2414-401: The banks of the Danube and the park around the old fortress in the centre the town. The House-museum of the Bulgarian novelist Aleko Konstantinov is one of the top 100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria . Another place of interest in town is the region called Мanastira / Манастира (The monastery) 5 kilometres (3 miles) south-east of the town. The name of this place comes from the monastery, that

2485-470: The battalion level with a battalion nominally holding 800 men subdivided into companies of 100 men, for formations above the battalion level these were to be assembled ad-hoc this results in difficulty at estimating Ottoman troop strength throughout the war as many units were below strength before entering the war due to the many rebellions affecting the empire. However, the Ottoman army was well prepared for war, as it had increasingly called up its reserves up to

2556-406: The biography book of General Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov. A year later the restoration of the city has started with the efforts by few returned natives from Svishtov. The funding of the first street projects has been secured by donated profit, made from vineyard production. In few years the city was completely rebuilt and back to life as one of the main ports on Danube river. In 1829 half of the city

2627-546: The crushing French defeat and the support of a grateful Germany , Russia achieved international recognition of its earlier denouncement of Article 11 of the Paris Peace Treaty, thus enabling it to revive the Black Sea Fleet. Other clauses of the Paris Peace Treaty, however, remained in force, specifically Article 8 with guarantees of Ottoman territorial integrity by Great Britain, France and Austria. Therefore, Russia

2698-501: The end of the Crimean War , obliged the Ottoman Empire to grant Christians equal rights with Muslims. Before the treaty was signed, the Ottoman government issued an edict, the Edict of Gülhane , which proclaimed the principle of the equality of Muslims and non-Muslims, and produced some specific reforms to this end. For example, the jizya tax was abolished and non-Muslims were allowed to join

2769-556: The fact that there were numerous regular Turkish troops in those areas. A special Turkish military committee was established to quell the uprising. Regular troops ( Nizam ) and irregulars ( Redif or Bashi-bazouk ) were directed to fight the Bulgarians (11 May – 9 June 1876). The irregulars were mostly drawn from the Muslim inhabitants of the Bulgarian region. Many were Circassians from the Caucasus or Crimean Tatars who were expelled during

2840-528: The failure of the Ottoman Empire to apply reforms for improving the life of the population and the Cretans' desire for enosis – union with Greece . The insurgents gained control over the whole island, except for five fortified cities where the Muslims took refuge. The Greek press claimed that Muslims had massacred Greeks and the word was spread throughout Europe. Thousands of Greek volunteers were mobilized and sent to

2911-508: The fighting and Austria-Hungary would derive most of the advantage. Russia therefore made a final effort for a peaceful settlement. After reaching an agreement with its main Balkan rival and with anti-Ottoman sympathies running high throughout Europe due to the Bulgarian atrocities and the rejection of the Constantinople agreements, Russia finally felt free to declare war. The Ottoman army at this time solely conscripted Muslims with non-Muslims paying

Svishtov - Misplaced Pages Continue

2982-592: The first town to be liberated during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 , since the largest part of the Imperial Russian Army forced the Danube nearby. In January 1878 a correspondent of The Times of London noted that, because of the war, "Sistova does not present its former animated appearance, although there is much more movement here than I expected, . . . with roast turkeys, chickens, and all other delicacies of

3053-555: The fiscal reforms that followed, pushed it into unpayable debts and economic difficulties. This was further aggravated by the need to accommodate more than 600,000 Muslim Circassians , expelled by the Russians from the Caucasus, to the Black Sea ports of north Anatolia and the Balkan ports of Constanța and Varna , which cost a great deal in money and in civil disorder to the Ottoman authorities. The Concert of Europe established in 1814

3124-522: The fourth subcategory. The Redif itself was grouped into battalions and classes, with whole battalions taken out to serve as new units. The annual draft conscripted 37,500 men; following mobilisation of the Nizam and Ithiat, these two portions of the army totaled approximately 210,000 men. An additional 20,000 men of the Gendarme were included in the Nizam. The Redif was theoretically capable of providing 190,000–200,000 troops. Sultan Abdulaziz had reorganised

3195-548: The hands of the Druze. Fearing European intervention, the Ottoman foreign minister Mehmed Fuad Pasha was dispatched to Syria and immediately set about trying to resolve the conflict as swiftly as possible. Mehmed sought out and executed the agitators on all sides, including the governor and other officials. Order was soon restored, and preparations made to give Lebanon new autonomy. These efforts were ultimately not enough to prevent European intervention, however, with France deploying

3266-520: The insurrection was suppressed, but the Porte offered some concessions, introducing island self-rule and increasing Christian rights on the island. Although the Cretan crisis ended better for the Ottomans than almost any other diplomatic confrontation of the century, the insurrection, and especially the brutality with which it was suppressed, led to greater public attention in Europe to the oppression of Christians in

3337-525: The island. The siege of Arkadi Monastery became particularly well known. In November 1866, about 250 Cretan Greek combatants and around 600 women and children were besieged by about 23,000 mainly Cretan Muslims aided by Ottoman troops, and this became widely known in Europe. After a bloody battle with a large number of casualties on both sides, the Cretan Greeks finally surrendered when their ammunition ran out but were killed upon surrender. By early 1869,

3408-476: The joint control of European powers. The Ottomans, however, refused to sacrifice their independence by allowing international representatives to oversee the institution of reforms and sought to discredit the conference by announcing on 23 December, the day the conference was closed, that a constitution was adopted that declared equal rights for religious minorities within the Empire. The Ottomans attempted to use this manoeuver to get their objections and amendments to

3479-555: The last time during Maurice's Balkan campaigns . The legion was also responsible for bridge construction over the Danube. The colony of Novae was the residence of St. Lupus of Novae . For a short time the place was the main city for the Ostrogoths of Theodoric the Great . Theodoric occupied Singidunum in 471 and, after plundering Macedonia and Greece, settled in Novae (the modern Svishtov), on

3550-487: The lower Danube, in 483, where he remained till he transferred the sphere of his activities to Italy ten years later. It was destroyed some time after 613, as shown by coin founds minted up to this date. The Treaty of Sistova ended the last Austro-Turkish war (1787–91). Brokered by Great Britain, Prussia and the Netherlands,[1] it was signed in Sistova (modern Svishtov) in present-day Bulgaria on 4 August 1791.[2] The treaty

3621-499: The region are Pleven 80 kilometres (50 miles) away, and Ruse 90 kilometres (56 miles) away. The port of Svishtov is the southernmost harbor on the Danube. It is served around the clock by the Svishtov-Zimnich ferry — a regular operation Ro-ro ferryboat across the Danube between Svishtov and Zimnicea . The ferry shortens the road path to and from Turkey to Central and Western Europe by 140 kilometres (87 miles) when compared to

SECTION 50

#1732855531596

3692-611: The same time, a severe drought in Anatolia in 1873 and flooding in 1874 caused famine and widespread discontent in the heart of the Empire. The agricultural shortages precluded the collection of necessary taxes, which forced the Ottoman government to declare bankruptcy in October 1875 and increase taxes on outlying provinces including the Balkans. István Deák states that the Albanian highlanders resented new taxes and conscription, and fought against

3763-407: The season on the bill of fare " of the "numerous restaurants in the town." On 4 March 1977, Svishtov suffered major structural damage in the Vrancea earthquake , including the collapse of three apartment blocks in which over 100 people were killed. Svishtov Cove in Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands , Antarctica is named for the town of Svishtov. The main religion in Svishtov

3834-503: The third subcategory of the Redif when Russian forces began gathering in Bessarabia. Olender gives the Ottoman battalion (tabor) of infantry at 774 men on paper and 650 in practice, the cavalry squadron containing 143 men on paper and 100 in practice, with the artillery being organised into six gun batteries. The Ottoman army was also well equipped; 75% of its troops were equipped with Peabody-Martini rifles (accurate to 1,800 yards), with 300,000 of these guns having been purchased prior to

3905-404: The three emperors and the Sultan. Thus revolts in Poland against Russia and national aspirations in the Balkans were encouraged by France. Russia worked to regain its right to maintain a fleet on the Black Sea and vied with the French in gaining influence in the Balkans by using the new Pan-Slavic idea that all Slavs should be united under Russian leadership. This could be done only by destroying

3976-488: The traditional route over the Danube Bridge at Ruse-Giurgiu and allows a time gain of nearly four hours thus avoiding the traffic in and around the city of Bucharest . Svishtov is identified with the Roman colony Novae mentioned by Ptolemy . The emperor Vespasian sent the legion I Italica there 70 AD and Novae served as the legion's base for centuries. Novae served as a base of operations for Roman campaigns against Barbarian tribes including Trajan's Dacian Wars , and

4047-415: The turmoil of the first half of the century and sought to reinvigorate its centuries long policy of expansion at the expense of the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile, the nominally autonomous, de facto independent principalities of Serbia and Montenegro also sought to expand into regions inhabited by their compatriots. Nationalist and irredentist sentiments were strong and were encouraged by Russia and her agents. At

4118-483: The two empires where most non-Russian Slavs lived, the Habsburg and the Ottoman Empires. The ambitions and the rivalries of the Russians and French in the Balkans surfaced in Serbia , which was experiencing its own national revival and had ambitions that partly conflicted with those of the great powers. Russia ended the Crimean War with minimal territorial losses, but was forced to destroy its Black Sea Fleet and Sevastopol fortifications. Russian international prestige

4189-402: The uprising was also known as "Nevesinjska puška" - the rifle of Nevesinje. The revolt of Bosnia and Herzegovina spurred Bucharest -based Bulgarian revolutionaries into action. In 1875, a Bulgarian uprising was hastily prepared to take advantage of Ottoman preoccupation, but it fizzled before it started. In the spring of 1876, another uprising erupted in the south-central Bulgarian lands despite

4260-481: The various powers of Europe agreed that it was necessary. This Austria -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Ottoman Empire –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a treaty is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 The Russo-Turkish War ( Turkish : 93 Harbi , lit.   'War of '93', named for

4331-497: The war. The remainder of the regular troops used Snider rifles ; the irregulars used Winchester repeating rifles , and the Egyptians used Remington rifles. The Ottoman support services were, however, less impressive, with the army often forced to resort to foraging. On the other hand, Ottoman forces were equipped with entrenching tools (which they used extensively at Plevna ) and had sufficient ammunition for their repeating rifles. The Ottoman artillery were armed with Krupp guns of

SECTION 60

#1732855531596

4402-447: The year 1293 in the Islamic calendar ; Russian : Русско-турецкая война , romanized :  Russko-turetskaya voyna , "Russian–Turkish war") was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included Romania , Serbia , and Montenegro . Additional factors included the Russian goals of recovering territorial losses endured during the Crimean War of 1853–1856, re-establishing itself in

4473-408: Was burned again during the next war between Russia and Ottoman Empire, by the order of General Dibich. Soon everything was restored. Svishtov became the home education and newly founded schools, sponsored by generous donors, citizens of Svishtov who built the first vocational school of trade and the University of Svishtov, Academy of Economics, first secular education school, etc. Svishtov is known as

4544-523: Was committed to supporting the Ottomans in the ongoing Balkan crisis, the Liberal opposition newspaper The Daily News hired American journalist Januarius A. MacGahan to report on the massacre stories first-hand. MacGahan toured the stricken regions of the Bulgarian uprising, and his report, splashed across The Daily News ' s front pages, galvanized British public opinion against Disraeli's pro-Ottoman policy. In September, opposition leader William Ewart Gladstone published his Bulgarian Horrors and

4615-555: Was damaged, and for many years revenge for the Crimean War became the main goal of Russian foreign policy. This was not easy though: the Paris peace treaty included guarantees of Ottoman territorial integrity by Great Britain, France and Austria, and only Prussia remained friendly to Russia. The newly appointed Russian chancellor, Alexander Gorchakov , depended upon alliance with Prussia and its chancellor Bismarck. Russia consistently supported Prussia in her wars with Denmark (1864) , Austria (1866) and France (1870) . In March 1871, using

4686-434: Was extremely cautious in its relations with the Ottoman Empire, coordinating all its actions with other European powers. A Russian war with Turkey would require at least the tacit support of all other Great Powers, and Russian diplomacy was waiting for a convenient moment. In 1875, a series of Balkan events brought Europe to the brink of war. The state of Ottoman administration in the Balkans continued to deteriorate throughout

4757-420: Was shaken in 1859 when France and Austria fought over Italy . It came apart completely as a result of the wars of German Unification , when the Kingdom of Prussia , led by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck , defeated Austria in 1866 and France in 1870, replacing Austria as the dominant power in Central Europe. Britain, diverted by the Irish question and averse to warfare, chose not to intervene again to restore

4828-438: Was supported by the partial mobilization of the Imperial Russian Army (up to 20 divisions). Sultan Abdul Hamid II accepted the conditions of the ultimatum. To resolve the crisis, on 11 December 1876, the Constantinople Conference of the Great Powers was opened in Constantinople (to which Ottoman representatives were not invited). A compromise solution was negotiated, granting autonomy to Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina under

4899-486: Was the historic mission of Russia, while their opponents, westernizers , inspired by Ivan Turgenev , denied the importance of religion and believed that Russian goals should not be defense of Orthodoxy but liberation of Bulgaria. On 30 June 1876, Serbia, followed by Montenegro, declared war on the Ottoman Empire. In July and August, the ill-prepared and poorly equipped Serbian army helped by Russian volunteers failed to achieve offensive objectives but did manage to repulse

4970-456: Was threatened with invasion by Prussia . Also, the French Revolution had broken out and demanded Austria's urgent attention. Under that pressure, Austria accepted only very meagre gains from the war: only the town of Orsova (modern Orșova ) and several small places ( Cetingrad , Drežnik , Lapac , Srb ) on the Croatian frontier were ceded to the Habsburg Monarchy. This treaty ended the Ottoman–Habsburg wars . Austria did not participate in

5041-659: Was written in French and Turkish.[1] During one of the Russo-Turkish Wars in 19th century, Svishtov has been burnt down to the ground during the retreat of the Russian Army. The city fortress has been destroyed and the population has been forced to leave the city and move across the river Danube. It was done by the order of General Nikolay Kamenskij and executed by General Guillaume Emmanuel Guignard de Saint-Priest. The event has taken place on September 27, 1810 (Sept 14, according to Julian Calendar). Account in regards of that event has been given by Dr. Dimitar Pavlovich in his book "The life of Dimitar Hadzhivasilev", published in 1906 and in

#595404