The Russo-Turkish War (1877 - 1878 )

The Ottoman transition to a constitutional regime was no deterrent to Russian ambitions,but the czar had to consider the state of his own military.The principal aim of the russian campaign was to cross the Balkan Mountains and approach Istanbul and the Straits as rapidly as possible in the west while also moving into northeastern Anatolia and taking Kars, Ardahan and Erzurum to force the Porte to accept the proposals it had rejected at the Istanbul Conference.Once the Czar was in position to control the Black Sea and push across Anatolia to Alexandretta, he would gain free access to Mediterranean.The Russians moved in the west in June 1877 with a twin attack across the Danube, slaughterin most of the Muslims.Bulgaria were accompanied by large sacle massacres of turkish peasants.Nicopolis held out valiantly until it fell under a series of enemy assaults, with a heavy loss of men and equipment.Istanbul was shocked by a series of disasters.to gain the necessary popular support Abdulhamit declared himself the Gazi, fghter faith aganist the infidels.At first the Ottomans were hindered by the need to divide their defense forces among all the forts that the Russians might possibly attack between the Black Sea and Lake Van.They could provide little resistance when the Russians attacked and took the main forts, first Ardahan (May 18 , 1877), and then Dogu Beyazit (June 20).the Ottomans suffered heavy loses of men and rifles.