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'{{Short description|Russian military campaigns during the Russo-Turkish War of 1686–1700}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Azov campaigns | partof = [[Russo-Turkish War (1686–1700)]] | image = File:Capture of Azov 1696.png | image_size = 300px | caption = ''Capture of Azov'' by [[Robert Ker Porter]] | date = 1695–1696 | place = [[Principality of Moldavia|Moldavia]], [[Principality of Wallachia|Wallachia]], [[Armenians in the Ottoman Empire|Armenia]], [[Caucasus]], and the [[Dardanelles]] | result = Russian victory | territory = Russia captures Azov<ref>Brian Davies, ''Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe, 1500–1700'', (Routledge, 2007), 185.</ref><ref>''The Crimean Tatars and the Austro-Ottoman Wars'', Dan D.Y. Shapira, '''The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718''', ed. Charles W. Ingrao, Nikola Samardžić, Jovan Pesalj, (Purdue University Press, 2011), 135.</ref> | combatant1 = {{flagicon|Tsardom of Russia}} [[Tsardom of Russia]] | combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Ottoman red flag.svg}} [[Ottoman Empire]] | commander1 = {{flagicon|Tsardom of Russia}} [[Peter the Great]] | commander2 = {{flagicon image|Ottoman red flag.svg}} [[Mustafa II]] | strength1 = 200,000 (both campaigns) | strength2 = 15,000 [[Janissaries]] (Azov garrison) | casualties1 = Heavy | casualties2 = Less than Russian }} {{Campaignbox Great Turkish War}} The '''Azov campaigns of 1695–1696''' ({{lang-ru|Азо́вские похо́ды}}, ''Azovskiye Pokhody''), were two Russian [[military campaign]]s during the [[Russo-Turkish War of 1686–1700]], led by [[Peter I of Russia|Peter the Great]] and aimed at capturing the [[Ottoman Empire|Turkish]] [[Azov Fortress|fortress]] of [[Azov]] ([[garrison]] – 7,000 men) with the aim of controlling the southern mouth of the [[Don River]] gaining access to the [[Sea of Azov]] and entrance to the [[Black Sea]]. Despite stubborn resistance and heavy casualties, the Russians under [[Boris Sheremetev|General Sheremetev]] after a failed siege in 1695 managed to capture the fort, accompanied by a naval force, in July 1696, marking the first major Russian victory against the Turks.<ref name="Jaques Showalter 2007 p. 88">{{cite book | last1=Jaques | first1=T. | last2=Showalter | first2=D.E. | title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E | publisher=Greenwood Press| year=2007 | isbn=978-0-313-33537-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3amnMPTPP5MC |page=}}</ref> == The first Azov campaign == The first Azov campaign began in the spring of 1695. Peter the Great ordered his [[army]] (31,000 men and 170 guns) to advance towards Azov. The army comprised crack [[regiment]]s and the [[Don Cossacks]] and was divided into three units under the command of [[Franz Lefort]], [[Patrick Gordon]] and [[Avtonom Golovin]]. Supplies were shipped down the Don from [[Voronezh]]. In 1693 the Ottoman garrison of the fortress was 3,656, of whom 2,272 were [[Janissaries]].<ref>Rhoads Murphey, ''Ottoman Warfare 1500-1700'', (UCL Press Limited,1999), 55.</ref> Between June 27-July 5 the Russians blocked Azov from land but could not control the river and prevent resupply. After two unsuccessful attacks on August 5 and September 25, the [[siege]] was lifted on October 1.<ref>Brian Davies, ''Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe, 1500–1700'', 185.</ref> Another Russian army (120,000 men, mostly [[cavalry]], [[Streltsy]], [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] [[Cossacks]] and [[Kalmyks]]) under the command of [[Boris Petrovich Sheremetev|Boris Sheremetev]] set out for the lower reaches of the [[Dnieper]] to take the Ottoman forts there. The main fort at Gazi-Kerman was taken when its powder magazine blew up, as well as Islam-Kerman, Tagan and Tavan,<ref>''The Crimean Tatars and the Austro-Ottoman Wars'', Dan D.Y. Shapira, '''The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718''', 135.</ref> but the Russians were not able to hold the area and withdrew most of their forces. By the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1700)]] the remaining Russians were withdrawn and the lower Dnieper was declared a demilitarized zone. == The second Azov campaign == At the end of 1695 the Russians began preparing for the second Azov campaign. By the spring of 1696 they had built a [[Azov Flotilla|fleet of ships]] to block Turkish reinforcements for the garrison.<ref>William Young, ''International Politics And Warfare In The Age Of Louis XIV and Peter the Great'', (iUniverse, 2004), 439.</ref> The cavalry under the command of Sheremetev (up to 70,000 men) was once again sent to the lower reaches of the Dnieper. From April 23–26 the main forces (75,000 men) under the command of [[Aleksei Shein]] started to advance towards Azov by land and water (the rivers of [[Voronezh]] and [[Don River, Russia|Don]]). [[Peter I of Russia|Peter I]] and his [[galley]] [[Naval fleet|fleet]] left for Azov on May 3. On May 27 the [[Imperial Russian Navy|Russian fleet]] (two [[ship-of-the-line|ships-of-the-line]], four [[fire ship]]s, 23 galleys and miscellaneous vessels, built at Voronezh and nearby locations) under the command of Lefort reached the sea and blocked Azov. On June 14 the Turkish fleet (23 ships with 4,000 men) appeared at the mouth of the Don. However, it left after having lost two ships in [[combat]]. After massive [[bombardment]] from land and sea and seizure of the external [[Defensive wall|rampart]] of the fortress by the Ukrainian and Don Cossacks on July 17, the Azov garrison surrendered on July 19.<ref>''The Crimean Tatars and the Austro-Ottoman Wars'', Dan D.Y. Shapira, '''The Peace of Passarowitz, 1718''', 135.</ref> == Aftermath == The Azov campaigns demonstrated the significance of having a fleet and marked the beginning of Russia's becoming a [[Navy|maritime]] power. Russia's success at Azov strengthened its positions during the [[Treaty of Karlowitz|Karlowitz Congress]] of 1698–1699 and favored the signing of the [[Treaty of Constantinople (1700)|Treaty of Constantinople]] in 1700. As [[Azov]]'s harbor was not convenient for the military fleet, the Tsar selected another more appropriate site on July 27, 1696, on the cape Tagan-Rog ([[Taganrog]]). On September 12, 1698, [[Taganrog]] was founded there, which became the first military base of the [[Russian Navy]]. Although the campaign was a success, it was evident to [[Peter I of Russia]] that he achieved only partial results, since his fleet was bottled up in the Sea of Azov due to Crimean and Ottoman control of the [[Strait of Kerch]]. A regular navy and specialists who could build and navigate military ships were necessary for resisting the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] attacks. On October 20, 1696, the [[Boyar Duma]] decreed the creation of the regular [[Imperial Russian Navy]]; this date is considered to be the birthdate of the [[Russian Navy]]. The first shipbuilding program consisted of 52 vessels. In 1697, a Russian ambassador present at the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]] court raised an issue by handing over a note which stipulated that "[[Lezgins|Lezgi]], [[Circassians|Circassian]], and other Caucasian tribesmen, ostensibly Persian subjects", had provided assistance to the Ottomans during the Azov campaigns.{{sfn|Sicker|2001|page=16}} The report also included the request to declare war on the Ottomans, as well as to repay some 300,000 [[Iranian Toman|toman]]s to the Russians, which the report asserted were owed to the Tsar "since the days of [[shah]] [[Safi of Persia|Safi]]" (r. 1629–1642).{{sfn|Sicker|2001|page=16}} == Notes == {{reflist}} ==References== * Brian L. Davies: ''Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe 1500-1700'', Oxon 2007. [https://books.google.com/books?id=XH4hghHo1qoC&q=Warfare,+State+and+Society+on+the+Black+Sea+Steppe+1500-1700 Google-Books-Link] * {{cite book|last1=Sicker|first1=Martin|title=The Islamic World in Decline: From the Treaty of Karlowitz to the Disintegration of the Ottoman Empire|date=2001|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0275968915}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Azov campaigns (1694-1696)}} [[Category:1695 in Europe]] [[Category:1696 in Europe]] [[Category:1695 in the Ottoman Empire]] [[Category:1696 in the Ottoman Empire]] [[Category:1695 in Russia]] [[Category:1696 in Russia]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1695]] [[Category:Conflicts in 1696]] [[Category:Battles of the Great Turkish War]] [[Category:Wars involving the Tsardom of Russia]] [[Category:Russo-Turkish wars]] [[Category:Sea of Azov]]'