Russo-Turkish War (1828–29)

In 1821, the Greeks revolted and launched a war of independence against the Ottoman Empire, who responded by slaughtering the local population. Russia, France and Great Britain decided to intervene on behalf of their fellow Christians. They dispatched their fleets to Greece and defeated a Turkish armada at the Battle of Navarino in 1827.

A year later, an expeditionary force led by Nicholas I crossed the Danube and advanced into Ottoman territory. The Russian army captured several important Turkish fortresses and reached the outskirts of Istanbul. Russia opened a second front against Turkey in the Caucasus, taking the fortresses of Kars and Erzurum.

The sultan was forced to sue for peace, signing the Treaty of Adrianopole in September 1829. Russia was awarded the mouth of the River Danube and most of the eastern shore of the Black Sea, including the Abkhazian coast. Moldavia and Serbia were granted autonomy within the Ottoman Empire, while Greece finally became an independent nation.