# Crimean War: Ottomans Fight Russia with Britain and France

An episode of [The Ottoman Empire: How It Ruled Three Continents for 600 Years — Fexingo History](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1895336292), 29 Jul 2026, 4:54.

Audio: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-ottoman-empire/episode-0186.mp3

In the 1850s, the Ottoman Empire—often called the 'sick man of Europe'—fought a major war alongside Britain and France against Russia. This episode dives into the Crimean War from an Ottoman perspective: the religious dispute over holy places in Jerusalem, Sultan Abdülmecid's declaration of war, the devastating Ottoman naval defeat at Sinop, and the grueling siege of Sevastopol. We discuss key figures like Omar Pasha, the role of Florence Nightingale in Scutari, and the Ottoman defense of Kars in the Caucasus. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1856, which integrated the Ottoman Empire into the European concert but also forced reforms and massive foreign loans that led to financial collapse. Learn how the Crimean War reshaped the Ottoman military, diplomacy, and economy, setting the stage for the empire's 19th-century struggles. #CrimeanWar #OttomanEmpire #KırımHarbi #SultanAbdülmecid #FlorenceNightingale #Sevastopol #Sinop #TreatyofParis #Russia #Britain #France #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanMilitary #NavalHistory #Diplomacy #EasternQuestion Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

## Transcript

Lucas: We've covered a lot of the Ottoman Empire's military history — Lepanto, Vienna, the Janissaries. But in the 19th century, when the empire was often called the 'sick man of Europe,' it fought a major war alongside Britain and France against Russia — the Crimean War.
Luna: Wait, the Ottomans were allied with the British and French? That seems surprising.
Lucas: It really does, but it happened. The war started in 1853 over a dispute about Christian holy places in Jerusalem. Russia demanded the right to protect Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire, but Sultan Abdülmecid saw that as an infringement on his sovereignty. He declared war on Russia in October 1853.
Lucas: The initial fighting went poorly for the Ottomans. The Russian navy attacked the Ottoman fleet at Sinop, a port on the Black Sea, and annihilated it in November 1853. That massacre — because many sailors drowned — shocked Europe and pushed Britain and France to intervene.
Luna: So Sinop was the turning point that brought in the allies.
Lucas: Exactly. By March 1854, Britain and France declared war on Russia. The allies landed troops in the Crimea and besieged Sevastopol, the main Russian naval base on the Black Sea. That siege lasted almost a year, from October 1854 to September 1855.
Lucas: The British and French did most of the heavy fighting at Sevastopol, but Ottoman forces were there too — about 20,000 troops under the command of Omar Pasha, an Ottoman general of Serbian origin. They fought alongside the allies in battles like Balaclava and Inkerman.
Luna: I always associate the Crimean War with Florence Nightingale. Was she in the Ottoman Empire?
Lucas: Yes, she was based at Scutari — modern-day Üsküdar in Istanbul — in a large barracks hospital. She and her team of nurses dramatically improved sanitation and reduced the death rate. It's a famous story, but it's important to remember that the Ottoman government also provided support for the wounded.
Lucas: Meanwhile, on the Caucasus front, the Ottomans fought the Russians at places like Kars. The Ottoman garrison at Kars held out for months but eventually surrendered in November 1855. That was a blow, but it didn't change the overall outcome.
Luna: So how did the war end?
Lucas: The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1856. The Ottoman Empire was admitted to the European concert, which meant the great powers pledged to respect its sovereignty. In return, the sultan issued the Islahat Fermanı, a reform decree that promised equal rights for all subjects, including Christians.
Lucas: But the treaty also imposed a huge financial burden. The Ottoman government had borrowed heavily from European banks to fund the war, and those loans came with high interest. That debt would eventually lead to bankruptcy and the establishment of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration in 1881, which gave European powers control over Ottoman finances.
Luna: So the war both saved the empire temporarily and started its financial downfall.
Lucas: That's a good way to put it. And it's a theme we see elsewhere — the Ottoman Empire often had to trade sovereignty for survival.
Lucas: You know, we're able to explore these complex stories because our show is ad-free. We don't run commercials, and that lets us dive deep without interruption. If you value that and want to support us, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to help keep these conversations going.
Luna: Yeah, I think that's what makes history podcasts special — no breaks for ads, just the story.
Lucas: Exactly. So back to the aftermath: the Crimean War also exposed the Ottoman military's dependence on foreign technology and training. The old Janissary corps had been destroyed in 1826, but the new army, the Nizam-ı Cedid, still lacked modern equipment. After the war, the Ottomans tried to reform further, but the debt made it hard.
Lucas: One more thing: the Crimean War is often seen as a precursor to World War I because it broke up the Concert of Europe and left Russia resentful. For the Ottomans, it was a temporary reprieve — they survived, but at a cost that would haunt them for decades.
Luna: I never connected the Crimean War to the later Ottoman financial crisis. That makes a lot of sense.
Lucas: Right. And it's a reminder that military victories, even with allies, don't always lead to long-term strength. The Ottoman Empire's 19th century is full of such paradoxes.

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