Prut campaign: was there any embarrassment? They don’t like to remember this in Russia. What Peter I signed in captivity
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Prut campaign of Emperor Peter 1
The so-called Prut campaign of Tsar Peter the Great began in midsummer in 1711. It was then that, on the territory belonging to modern Moldova, the confrontation escalated within the framework of the war waged between Turkey and Russia. At the same time, the results of these military operations were quite bad for the Russian side. As a result of the war, Peter had to give up the fortress of Azov, which he had previously conquered, which was necessary for Russia both for the development of trade routes and acted as an important naval base. Let's look at the main events of the Prut campaign.
Two years before the events described above, Russia carried out Northern War defeat of the army of the Swedish king Charles the Twelfth. In the battle of Poltava, the entire army was practically destroyed, and the monarch himself was forced to flee to Turkey, where he hid until 1711, when Turkey declared war on Russia. But military operations stood still, because neither side actually wanted to enter into a large-scale war.
Modern historians often blame Peter the Great for the fact that it was precisely because of his omissions during this period that the war became possible. After all, if the Russian Tsar had started pursuing Karl after the Battle of Poltava, then most likely the outcome of events would have been different. However, Peter begins to pursue the fleeing king only three days after his flight. This miscalculation cost the Russian ruler the fact that the Swedish king managed to turn the Turkish Sultan against Peter.
The Russian side had at its disposal Russian army and the Moldavian corps. In total, about eighty-six thousand men and one hundred and twenty guns were collected. The Turkish side consisted of the Ottoman army and the troops of the Crimean Khanate. According to contemporaries, the Turkish army numbered four hundred and forty guns and one hundred and ninety thousand people!
For the Prut campaign, the Russian Tsar transports an army to Poland through Kyiv, bypassing the Soroki fortress, located on the banks of the Dniester. On June 27, 1711, the army, led by Peter himself and his associate Sheremetev, crossed the Dniester and advanced to the Prut River. It took a little less than a week to implement the plan, and if not for the frankly weak discipline in the Russian ranks and the lack of organization, many Russian soldiers would not have had to die from dehydration and exhaustion.
Chronology of the Prut campaign of Peter I
The following events unfolded as follows:
- On July 1, Sheremetev’s troops reach the eastern bank of the Prut River, where they are suddenly attacked by Crimean cavalry. As a result, about three hundred Russian soldiers were killed, but this raid was repulsed.
- Two days later, the army continues its movement along the banks of the river and reaches the town of Yassy.
- On the sixth of the same month, Peter the Great ordered the crossing of the Prut. After a successful crossing, Dmitry Cantemir joins the troops.
- Two days later, the Russian army splits up to better ensure provisions in this territory, and on the fourteenth of July it unites again.
- A nine-thousand-strong garrison remains in Iasi, and the rest of the forces move forward.
- On the eighteenth of July a new battle begins. At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Ottoman soldiers strike at the rear of the Russian troops. Despite the significant numerical superiority, the Turkish garrisons are retreating. The main reason for this lay in the weakly armed infantry and lack of artillery.
- On July 19, the encirclement of Peter the Great's army began. At noon, the Turkish cavalry completely surrounds the Russian army, without entering the battle. The Russian Tsar decides to move up the river to choose a more favorable place for the battle.
- On the twentieth, a huge gap formed during the movement of Peter's troops. The Turks immediately took advantage of this, striking at the convoy, which was left without cover. Then the pursuit of the main forces begins. Russian troops take up a defensive position near the village of Stanilesti and prepare for battle. By evening, the Turkish army also approaches. The battle begins at seven o'clock in the evening, but the first Turkish attack was repulsed. In total, in this battle the Russians lost about two thousand soldiers (half fell on the field, and the others were wounded). However, the Turks' losses were significantly greater. They lost more than eight thousand people wounded and killed.
- On July 21, a massive artillery attack on the Russian army begins. At the same time, in the intervals between shelling, the Turks continually attacked with cavalry and infantry. However, even with such an onslaught, the Russian army continued to bear the blow. Peter the Great himself was well aware of the hopelessness of the situation on the battlefield, and therefore he decides to propose the signing of a peace treaty at the military council. As a result of the negotiations, Shafirov was sent to the Turks as a post-peace officer.
This ended the Prut campaign of Peter the Great.
Map of the Prut campaign of 1711:
Table: Prut campaign of 1711
Video lecture: Prut campaign of Peter 1
Charles XII stayed in Turkey for a long time, inciting the Sultan against Russia. At the end of 1710, the Turks declared war on Peter I. The Ottomans then owned mostly Balkans, and the Orthodox Greeks, Slavs and Wallachians who lived there had long been inviting Russian armies to the peninsula, promising with their arrival to raise a general uprising against the Ottoman oppressors. Such promises were also given to Peter by the rulers of Moldova (Cantemir) and Wallachian (Brancovan). Relying on them, the king in the spring of 1711 moved to the so-called Prut campaign, which was not part of the Northern War, but had a significant influence on its course. This campaign immediately went against Peter’s calculations. Augustus of Poland did not help him, and there was no general uprising of the Moldovans and Wallachians. The Turks blocked Peter's path to the Danube. The main forces of the king and himself were surrounded on the Prut River by a 200,000-strong horde of the Ottoman vizier. Cut off from food, the Russians could only surrender, but Peter, through cunning diplomacy and bribery, persuaded the vizier to peace. The Tsar returned to the Turks Azov, which he himself had previously taken. In the situation in which Peter found himself, such peace conditions should have been considered quite favorable.
Continuation of the Northern War in the Baltics and the project of the Russian-Swedish alliance (briefly)
Returning to Russia, the Tsar continued the Northern War. Russian troops occupied almost all of Finland. On July 5, 1714, a Russian squadron, with the personal participation of Peter, defeated the Swedish fleet at Cape Gangut (southwest of Finland), occupying the Åland Islands, from where they could threaten the Swedish capital Stockholm. England and Prussia joined the military coalition against Charles XII. Russian troops fought together with the allies in Northern Germany, taking many enemy fortresses there and by 1716 finally ousting the Swedes from the southern coast of the Baltic.
Peter I now held most of Finland, Courland, Estland, and exerted a strong influence on the affairs of Poland and North German Mecklenburg and Holstein. Such power of the king caused great fears throughout Europe. Russia's allies began to treat her with distrust. At first, it was decided to continue the Northern War with a joint Allied landing on south coast Sweden, but due to mutual hostility, this expedition did not take place. Having quarreled with his allies, Peter I decided to abruptly change the front in the Northern War: to get closer to his former sworn enemy, Charles XII and his ally France, and start fighting with his own recent friends. In 1717 the tsar was received with honor in Paris. Charles XII, meanwhile, returned from Turkey to Sweden and began friendly negotiations with the Russians in the Åland Islands. Things were moving towards the creation of a Russian-Swedish coalition against Poland and Denmark. Karl wanted to compensate for the loss of the Baltic states by capturing Norway from the Danes, and Peter agreed to help him with this.
End of the Northern War. Peace of Nystadt (briefly)
The plans were frustrated after the unexpected death of Charles XII, who died in 1718 from an accidental shot during the siege of a fortress. The Swedish throne passed to his sister, Ulrike-Eleonora, who changed government policy. The new Swedish government made peace with its German opponents and Denmark, broke off negotiations with Peter and resumed its stubborn struggle with the Russians. But Sweden was already completely exhausted. In 1719 and 1720, the commanders of Peter I staged several invasions of Sweden across the sea, ravaging even the outskirts of Stockholm. On August 30, 1721, at negotiations in the Finnish town of Nystadt, a Russian-Swedish peace was concluded, ending the Northern War. Sweden ceded Livonia, Estland and the shores of the Gulf of Finland to Russia. Peter returned Finland to the Swedes and paid them two million efimki.
Thus ended the war, which turned Russia into the strongest power in the European north. At the celebrations marking its completion, Peter I accepted the imperial title. The Northern War had not only foreign policy significance: it also had a strong influence on the internal life of Russia, predetermining the course of many of Peter’s reforms. During the Northern War, the tsar created a new permanent recruit army. By the time of the Peace of Nystadt there were about 200 thousand regular troops and 75 thousand irregular Cossacks. Previously not having naval forces Russian state now had a fleet of 48 battleships and 800 small ships with 28 thousand crew.
Winter 1710 - 1711 Russian regiments set out from the Neva to the Dniester.
Peter secured the alliance of the rulers of Moldavia - Cantemir and Wallachia - Brankovan, as well as the assistance of Poland. Cantemir pledged to field 10 thousand troops, Brankovan - 50 thousand (of which 20 thousand Serbs).
Augustus moved 30 thousand people to northern Bulgaria, to reinforce which Dolgorukov’s Russian corps (12 thousand people) was sent.
In total, Peter had about 50 thousand people. With the one hundred thousand auxiliary troops promised by the allies, this would constitute an impressive force - "more than sufficient to maintain our victory" - in the words of the Tsar himself.
In addition to this main army, two more were formed: one - Count Apraksin consisting of 20 thousand regular troops, 40 thousand Cossacks and 20 thousand Kalmyks - was supposed to go along the Muravsky Way to the Crimea, the other - Prince Golitsyn (15 thousand regular troops, 30 thousand Cossacks ) from Chigirin moved to Ochakov.
Thus, for the war with Turkey, Russia fielded up to 90 thousand regular troops, 80 thousand Cossacks and 20 thousand Kalmyks - with the forces promised by the allies, this will amount to 300 thousand troops.
At the end of May 1711, the Russian army approached the Dniester. Sheremetev's vanguard reached the Prut, where he linked up with Kantemir.
Here the Russians learned that there were no reserves in Moldova, and the recruitment of the Moldavian army was difficult: in the 17 regiments, organized according to the Russian model, there were no more than seven thousand people; convoys with food for the army coming from Kyiv were intercepted in Podolia by the Tatars.
The situation was becoming serious.
Having crossed the Dniester near the town of Soroki, Peter convened a military council on June 20, at which it was decided to move forward. Only General Galard noticed that the Russian army was in the same position that Charles XII was in when entering Ukraine.
Experiencing great difficulties due to lack of supplies, overcoming intense heat, the Russian army entered Bessarabia. Hoping for allies - the Poles and Vlachs, Peter boldly moved forward.
However, the Polish army and Dolgoruky's corps, having reached the Moldavian border, stopped in Bukovina and took a wait-and-see attitude.
Meanwhile, the Grand Vizier Baltaji Pasha approached the Danube with 300 thousand troops and five hundred guns.
Overestimating the strength of the Russian Tsar, he stopped indecisively at Isakchi.
The Sultan, fearing a general uprising of Christians, offered peace to Peter through the mediation of the Patriarch of Jerusalem and Brankovan (who went over to the side of the Turks).
Türkiye offered Russia all the lands up to the Danube: New Russia with Ochakov, Bessarabia, Moldavia and Wallachia.
Peter I refused, making the biggest mistake of his reign. Having occupied Iasi, Peter moved along the right bank of the Prut to the Danube, sending forward the vanguard of General Renne, which included almost all the cavalry, and ordered him to take possession of Brailov.
Renne quickly moved to Wallachia, took Brailov and began purchasing food and forming Wallachian troops. However, his report was intercepted, and Peter never learned about the capture of Brailov.
The Grand Vizier, crossing the Danube c. with the main forces, quickly moved up the Prut to Iasi.
In July, his first clash occurred with the Russian-Moldavian vanguard, and the Moldovans fled. At night, the entire Russian army retreated to join Repnin’s rearguard, adding extra weight to the fire. The Turks did not pursue. July, the Russian army united in Stanilesti and began to strengthen the camp, but the Turks launched a fierce attack and captured part of the convoys that did not have time to enter the camp. This attack, as well as the next two, were repulsed. great damage to the Turks. There were 38 thousand Russians with 122 guns, Turks - 170 thousand and 479 guns. The Russians lost 2,882 people, while the Turks lost up to 7 thousand people.
Nevertheless, the position of the Russian army became desperate: its position was a quadrangle, the rear face of which abutted the river.
The Turks, having installed artillery at commanding heights, could destroy the Russian camp with impunity. The masses of Turkish riflemen made it even impossible to use water.
The army was surrounded by an enemy five times superior. The fate of Russia that day was in the hands of the Grand Vizier. Even if the Russians managed to break through the ring of enemies, the retreat would have turned into a disaster for them - all crossings across the Prut were in the hands of the Turks. The remnants of the army would have found themselves in Moldova, as if in a mousetrap, and they would have suffered the fate of the Swedes at Perevolochna.
According to Anton Kersnovsky, the greatness of Peter was reflected in these tragic minutes in full splendor.
Getting ready for last fight, he prepared a decree for the Senate: “in the event of his capture by the sovereign, do not consider his orders from captivity.” But God protected Russia. Vizier Baltaci agreed to negotiations and did not use his exceptional strategic position.
The vizier's compliance is explained differently: some believe it is a consequence of the ransom (Catherine's jewelry), others explain it as a rebellion of the Janissaries. The last hypothesis is much more plausible. In addition, the vizier should have been impressed by the resilience of the Russian troops in the battle on July 9 and the significant losses in the best Turkish troops.
The interests of Sweden and its restless king did not touch the phlegmatic Asian, who decided to make peace since it was offered on terms acceptable and even beneficial for Turkey. Negotiations were conducted slowly (in order to warn Charles XII, who rode to the Turkish camp demanding not to concede) and on July 11 led to the Treaty of Prut.
Russia returned Azov and its district to Turkey, and pledged to demolish the fortifications on the Dnieper and Don, as well as the Taganrog fortress. In addition, Peter pledged not to interfere in Polish affairs and gave Charles XII a gtshlgusk to Sweden.
It is difficult to imagine, notes Anton Kersnovsky, what would have happened to Russia if Peter had died on the Prut... Under the unfortunate Alexei Petrovich, she would have had to go through a new time of troubles. All of Peter’s efforts and achievements would have been in vain.
In general, the Prut campaign is a war of missed opportunities. Had Peter agreed to the Sultan’s proposal, the Russian border would have followed the Danube. Svyatoslav’s dream would be fulfilled... There would be no need to shed streams of blood near Ochakov, Izmail, Rushchuk, in Silistria, and fight five wars in a hundred years. However, Baltaci Pasha also made a mistake of approximately the same order. We owe a lot to this vizier.
Prut campaign |
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r. Prut, Moldova |
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Defeat of Russia |
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Opponents |
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Commanders |
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Tsar Peter I |
Vizier Baltaci Mehmed Pasha |
Marshal Sheremetev |
Khan Devlet-Girey II |
Strengths of the parties |
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Up to 160 guns |
440 guns |
37 thousand soldiers, of which 5 thousand were killed in battle |
8 thousand killed in battle |
Prut campaign- campaign in Moldavia in the summer of 1711 of the Russian army led by Peter I against Ottoman Empire during the Russian-Turkish war of 1710-1713.
With the army led by Field Marshal Sheremetev, Tsar Peter I personally went to Moldova. On the Prut River, about 75 km south of Iasi, the 38,000-strong Russian army was pressed to the right bank by the allied 120,000-strong Turkish army and 70,000-strong cavalry Crimean Tatars. The determined resistance of the Russians forced the Turkish commander to conclude a peace agreement, according to which the Russian army broke out of a hopeless encirclement at the cost of ceding to Turkey the previously conquered Azov and the coast in 1696 Sea of Azov.
Background
After the defeat in Battle of Poltava Swedish king Charles XII took refuge in the possessions of the Ottoman Empire, the city of Bendery. The French historian Georges Udar called the escape of Charles XII an “irreparable mistake” of Peter. Peter I concluded an agreement with Turkey on the expulsion of Charles XII from Turkish territory, but the mood at the Sultan’s court changed - the Swedish king was allowed to stay and create a threat to the southern border of Russia with the help of part of the Ukrainian Cossacks and Crimean Tatars. Seeking the expulsion of Charles XII, Peter I began to threaten war with Turkey, but in response, on November 20, 1710, the Sultan himself declared war on Russia. The real cause of the war was the capture of Azov by Russian troops in 1696 and the appearance of the Russian fleet in the Sea of Azov.
The war on Turkey's part was limited to the winter raid of the Crimean Tatars, vassals of the Ottoman Empire, on Ukraine. Peter I, relying on the help of the rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia, decided to make a deep campaign to the Danube, where he hoped to raise the Christian vassals of the Ottoman Empire to fight the Turks.
On March 6 (17), 1711, Peter I left Moscow for the troops with his faithful friend Ekaterina Alekseevna, whom he ordered to be considered his wife and queen even before the official wedding, which took place in 1712. Even earlier, Prince Golitsyn with 10 dragoon regiments moved to the borders of Moldova, and Field Marshal Sheremetev with 22 infantry regiments came out from the north from Livonia to join him. The Russian plan was as follows: to reach the Danube in Wallachia, prevent the Turkish army from crossing, and then raise an uprising of the peoples subject to the Ottoman Empire beyond the Danube.
Allies of Peter in the Prut campaign
- On May 30, on his way to Moldova, Peter I entered into an agreement with the Polish king Augustus II on the conduct of military operations against the Swedish corps in Pomerania. The Tsar strengthened the Polish-Saxon army with 15 thousand Russian troops, and thus protected his rear from hostile actions from the Swedes. It was not possible to drag the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth into the Turkish war.
- According to the Romanian historian Armand Grossu, “delegations of Moldavian and Wallachian boyars knocked on the thresholds of St. Petersburg, asking the tsar to be swallowed up by the Orthodox empire...”
- The ruler of Wallachia, Constantin Brâncoveanu, sent a representative delegation to Russia back in 1709 and promised to allocate a 30,000-strong corps of soldiers to help Russia and pledged to provide the Russian army with food, and for this Wallachia was to become an independent principality under the protectorate of Russia. The Principality of Wallachia (modern part of Romania) was adjacent to the left (northern) bank of the Danube and was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire since 1476. In June 1711, when the Turkish army advanced to meet the Russian one, and the Russian army, with the exception of cavalry detachments, did not reach Wallachia, Brancoveanu did not dare to take the side of Peter, although his subjects continued to promise support in the event of the arrival of Russian troops.
- On April 13, 1711, Peter I concluded the secret Treaty of Lutsk with the Orthodox Moldavian ruler Dmitry Cantemir, who came to power with the assistance of the Crimean Khan. Cantemir brought his principality (a vassal of the Ottoman Empire from 1456) into vassalage of the Russian Tsar, receiving as a reward a privileged position in Moldova and the opportunity to pass on the throne by inheritance. Currently, the Prut River is the state border between Romania and Moldova, in the 17th-18th centuries. The Moldavian principality included lands on both banks of the Prut with its capital in Iasi. Cantemir added six thousand Moldavian light cavalry, armed with bows and pikes, to the Russian army. The Moldavian ruler did not have strong army, but with its help it was easier to provide food Russian army in dry regions.
- The Serbs and Montenegrins, upon hearing of the approach of the Russian army, began to launch a rebel movement, but they were poorly armed and poorly organized and could not provide serious support without the arrival of Russian troops on their lands.
Hike
In his notes, Brigadier Moreau de Braze counted 79,800 in the Russian army before the start of the Prut campaign: 4 infantry divisions (generals Allart, Densberg, Repnin and Weide) with 11,200 soldiers each, 6 separate regiments (including 2 guards and artillerymen) with a total of 18 thousand, 2 cavalry divisions (generals Janus and Renne) 8 thousand dragoons each, a separate dragoon regiment (2 thousand). Given staffing level units, which, due to the transitions from Livonia to the Dniester, decreased significantly. The artillery consisted of 60 heavy guns (4-12 pounders) and up to a hundred regimental guns (2-3 pounders) in divisions. The irregular cavalry numbered approximately 10 thousand Cossacks, who were joined by up to 6 thousand Moldovans.
The route of the Russian troops was a line from Kyiv through the Soroki fortress (on the Dniester) to Moldavian Iasi through the territory of friendly Poland (part of modern Ukraine) with the crossing of the Prut.
Due to food difficulties, the Russian army concentrated on the Dniester - the border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with Moldova - during June 1711. Field Marshal Sheremetev with his cavalry was supposed to cross the Dniester in early June and then rush directly to the Danube to occupy possible crossing points for the Turks, create food stores to supply the main army, and also draw Wallachia into the uprising against the Ottoman Empire. However, the field marshal encountered problems in supplying the cavalry with forage and provisions, did not find sufficient military support locally and remained in Moldova, turning to Iasi.
After crossing the Dniester on June 27, 1711, the main army moved in 2 separate groups: in front were 2 infantry divisions of Generals von Allart and von Densberg with the Cossacks, followed by Peter I with the guards regiments, 2 infantry divisions of Prince Repnin and General Weide, as well as artillery under the command of Lieutenant General Bruce. During the 6-day march from the Dniester to the Prut through waterless places, with sweltering heat during the day and cold nights, many Russian recruits, weakened by lack of food, died from thirst and disease. Soldiers died after reaching for and drinking water; others, unable to withstand the hardships, committed suicide.
On July 1 (New Art.), the Crimean Tatar cavalry attacked Sheremetev’s camp on the eastern bank of the Prut. The Russians lost 280 dragoons killed, but repelled the attack.
On July 3, the divisions of Allart and Densberg approached the Prut opposite Iasi (Iasi is located beyond the Prut), then moved downstream.
On July 6, Peter I with 2 divisions, guards and heavy artillery crossed to the left (western) bank of the Prut, where the Moldavian ruler Dmitry Cantemir joined the king.
On July 7, the divisions of Allart and Densberg linked up with the corps of Commander-in-Chief Sheremetev on the right bank of the Prut. The Russian army experienced big problems with food, it was decided to cross to the left bank of the Prut, where they expected to find more food.
On July 11, cavalry and a convoy from Sheremetev’s army began crossing to the left bank of the Prut, while the remaining troops remained on the eastern bank.
On July 12, General Renne with 8 dragoon regiments (5056 people) and 5 thousand Moldovans was sent to the city of Brailov (modern Braila in Romania) on the Danube, where the Turks made significant reserves of forage and provisions.
On July 14, Sheremetev’s entire army crossed to the western bank of the Prut, where troops with Peter I soon approached it. Up to 9 thousand soldiers were left in Iasi and on the Dniester to guard communications and keep the local population calm. After combining all forces, the Russian army moved down the Prut to the Danube. 20 thousand Tatars crossed the Prut by swimming with horses and began to attack the small rear units of the Russians.
On July 18, the Russian vanguard learned that a large Turkish army had begun crossing to the western bank of the Prut near the town of Falchi (modern Falchiu). At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the Turkish cavalry attacked the vanguard of General Janus (6 thousand dragoons, 32 guns), who, having formed in a square and firing from guns, on foot, completely surrounded by the enemy, slowly retreated to the main army. The Russians were saved by the lack of artillery among the Turks and their weak weapons; many of the Turkish horsemen were armed only with bows. As the sun set, the Turkish cavalry withdrew, allowing the vanguard to join the army in an accelerated night march in the early morning of July 19.
Battle with the Turks. Environment
July 19, 1711
On July 19, the Turkish cavalry surrounded the Russian army, not approaching closer than 200-300 steps. The Russians did not have a clear plan of action. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon they decided to move out to attack the enemy, but the Turkish cavalry pulled back without accepting the battle. The army of Peter I was located in the lowlands along the Prut, all the surrounding hills were occupied by the Turks, who had not yet been approached by artillery.
At the military council, it was decided to retreat at night up the Prut in search of a more advantageous position for defense. At 11 o'clock in the evening, having destroyed the extra wagons, the army moved in the following battle formation: 6 parallel columns (4 infantry divisions, the guard and the dragoon division of Janus), with convoys and artillery in the intervals between the columns. Guards regiments covered the left flank; Repnin's division was moving on the right flank adjacent to the Prut. WITH dangerous parties The troops covered themselves from the Turkish cavalry with slingshots, which the soldiers carried in their arms.
The losses of the Russian army in killed and wounded that day amounted to about 800 people.
By this time the army numbered 31,554 infantry and 6,692 cavalry, mostly unhorsed, 53 heavy guns and 69 light 3-pounder guns.
20 July 1711
By the morning of July 20, a gap had formed between the lagging far left guard column and the neighboring Allart division due to the uneven march of the columns over rough terrain. The Turks immediately attacked the convoy, which was left without cover, and before the flank was restored, many convoys and members of officers' families were killed. For several hours the army stood waiting for the battle march to be restored. Due to the delay of the Turkish infantry, the Janissaries with artillery managed to catch up with the Russian army during the day.
At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the army rested its extreme right flank on the Prut River and stopped for defense near the town of Stanileşti (Romanian: Stănileşti, Stanileşti; about 75 km south of Iasi). On the opposite eastern steep bank of the Prut, the Tatar cavalry and the Zaporozhye Cossacks allied to them appeared. Light artillery approached the Turks and began to fire at Russian positions. At 7 o'clock in the evening there followed an attack by the Janissaries on the location of the divisions of Allart and Janus, who were moving forward somewhat due to the terrain conditions. The Turks, repulsed by rifle and cannon fire, lay down behind a small hill. Under the cover of gunpowder smoke, 80 grenadiers pelted them with grenades. The Turks counterattacked, but were stopped by gunfire at the slingshot line.
Polish General Poniatowski, a military adviser to the Turks, personally observed the battle:
Brigadier Moro de Braze, who was not at all favored in Russian service, nevertheless left such a review of the behavior of Peter I in critical moment battle:
At night the Turks made forays twice, but were repulsed. Russian losses as a result of the battles amounted to 2,680 people (750 killed, 1,200 wounded, 730 prisoners and missing); the Turks lost 7-8 thousand according to the report of the English ambassador in Constantinople and the testimony of brigadier Moro de Braze (the Turks themselves admitted to him the losses).
July 21, 1711
On July 21, the Turks surrounded the Russian army, pressed against the river, with a semicircle of field fortifications and artillery batteries. About 160 guns continuously fired at Russian positions. The Janissaries launched an attack, but were again repulsed with losses. The situation of the Russian army became desperate; there was still ammunition left, but the supply was limited. There was not enough food before, and if the siege dragged on, the troops would soon be in danger of starvation. There was no one to expect help from. In the camp, many officers’ wives cried and howled; Peter I himself at times fell into despair, “ ran back and forth in the camp, beat his chest and could not utter a word».
At the morning military council, Peter I and his generals decided to offer peace to the Turkish Sultan; in case of refusal, burn the convoy and break through " not to the stomach, but to death, not showing mercy to anyone and not asking for mercy from anyone" A trumpeter was sent to the Turks with a peace proposal. Vizier Baltaci Mehmed Pasha, without answering Russian offer, ordered the Janissaries to resume their attacks. However, they, having suffered great losses on this and the previous day, became agitated and began to murmur that the Sultan wanted peace, and the vizier, against his will, was sending the Janissaries to slaughter.
Sheremetev sent the vizier a second letter, which, in addition to a repeated proposal for peace, contained a threat to go into a decisive battle in a few hours if there was no response. The vizier, having discussed the situation with his military leaders, agreed to conclude a truce for 48 hours and enter into negotiations.
Vice-Chancellor Shafirov, endowed with broad powers, was appointed to the Turks from the besieged army with translators and assistants. Negotiations have begun.
Conclusion of the Prut Peace Treaty
The hopeless situation of the Russian army can be judged by the conditions to which Peter I agreed, and which he outlined to Shafirov in the instructions:
- Give Azov and all previously conquered cities on their lands to the Turks.
- Give the Swedes Livonia and other lands, except Ingria (where St. Petersburg was built). Give Pskov as compensation for Ingria.
- Agree to Leshchinsky, the protege of the Swedes, as the Polish king.
These conditions coincided with those put forward by the Sultan when declaring war on Russia. 150 thousand rubles were allocated from the treasury to bribe the vizier; smaller amounts were intended for other Turkish commanders and even secretaries. According to legend, Peter's wife Ekaterina Alekseevna donated all her jewelry for bribery, but the Danish envoy Just Yul, who was with the Russian army after it left the encirclement, does not report such an act of Catherine, but says that the queen distributed her jewelry to save the officers and then, after peace was concluded, she gathered them back.
On July 22, Shafirov returned from the Turkish camp with peace terms. They turned out to be much lighter than those that Peter was ready for:
- Return of Azov to the Turks in its previous state.
- The devastation of Taganrog and other cities in the lands conquered by the Russians around the Sea of Azov.
- Refusal to interfere in Polish and Cossack (Zaporozhye) affairs.
- Free passage of the Swedish king to Sweden and a number of non-essential conditions for merchants. Until the terms of the agreement were fulfilled, Shafirov and the son of Field Marshal Sheremetev were to remain in Turkey as hostages.
On July 23, the peace treaty was sealed, and already at 6 o’clock in the evening the Russian army, in battle order, with banners flying and drums beating, set out for Iasi. The Turks even allocated their cavalry to protect the Russian army from the predatory raids of the Tatars. Charles XII, having learned about the start of negotiations, but not yet knowing about the conditions of the parties, immediately set off from Bendery to the Prut and on July 24 in the afternoon arrived at the Turkish camp, where he demanded to terminate the treaty and give him an army with which he would defeat the Russians. The Grand Vizier refused, saying:
On July 25, the Russian cavalry corps of General Renne with the attached Moldavian cavalry, not yet knowing about the truce, captured Brailov, which had to be abandoned after 2 days.
On August 13, 1711, the Russian army, leaving Moldova, crossed the Dniester in Mogilev, ending the Prut campaign. According to the recollection of the Dane Rasmus Erebo (secretary of Yu. Yulya) about Russian troops on the approach to the Dniester:
The vizier was never able to receive the bribe promised to him by Peter. On the night of July 26, the money was brought to the Turkish camp, but the vizier did not accept it, fearing his ally, the Crimean Khan. Then he was afraid to take them because of the suspicions raised by Charles XII against the vizier. In November 1711, thanks to the intrigues of Charles XII through the English and French diplomacy Vizier Mehmed Pasha was removed by the Sultan and, according to rumors, was soon executed.
Results of the Prut campaign
During his stay in the camp beyond the Dniester in Podolia, Peter I ordered each brigadier to submit a detailed inventory of his brigade, determining its condition on the first day of entry into Moldova and where it was on the day the order was given. The will of the Tsar's Majesty was fulfilled: according to Brigadier Moro de Braze, of the 79,800 people who were present when entering Moldova, there were only 37,515, and the Renne division had not yet joined the army (5 thousand on July 12).
Perhaps the Russian regiments had an initial shortage of personnel, but no more than 8 thousand recruits, for which Peter I reproached the governors in August 1711.
According to Brigadier Moro de Braze, during the battles of July 18-21, the Russian army lost 4,800 people killed, Major General Widmann. Renne lost about 100 people killed during the capture of Brailov. Thus, they deserted, were captured and died, mainly from disease and hunger in initial stage campaign, more than 37 thousand Russian soldiers, of which about 5 thousand were killed in battle.
Having failed, according to the Prut Agreement, to expel Charles XII from Bendery, Peter I ordered the suspension of compliance with the requirements of the treaty. In response, Türkiye again declared war on Russia at the end of 1712, but fighting limited themselves only to diplomatic activity until the conclusion of the Treaty of Adrianople in June 1713, mainly on the terms of the Prut Treaty.
The main result of the unsuccessful Prut campaign was the loss by Russia of access to the Sea of Azov and the recently built southern fleet. Peter wanted to transfer the ships “Goto Predestination”, “Lastka” and “Speech” from the Sea of Azov to the Baltic, but the Turks did not allow them passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, after which the ships were sold to the Ottoman Empire.
Azov was recaptured by the Russian army 25 years later in June 1736 under Empress Anna Ioannovna.
PRUT CAMPAIGN OF 1711
[…] The route of the Russian troops was a line from Kyiv through the Soroki fortress (on the Dniester) to the Moldavian Iasi through the territory of friendly Poland (part of modern Ukraine) with the crossing of the Prut. Due to food difficulties, the Russian army during June 1711 concentrated on the Dniester - the border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with Moldova. Field Marshal Sheremetev with his cavalry was supposed to cross the Dniester in early June and then rush directly to the Danube to occupy possible crossing points for the Turks, create food stores to supply the main army, and also draw Wallachia into the uprising against the Ottoman Empire. However, the field marshal encountered problems in supplying the cavalry with forage and provisions, did not find sufficient military support locally and remained in Moldova, turning to Iasi. After crossing the Dniester on June 27, 1711, the main army moved in 2 separate groups: in front were 2 infantry divisions of Generals von Allart and von Densberg with the Cossacks, followed by guards regiments, 2 infantry divisions of Prince Repnin and General Weide, and also artillery under Lieutenant General Bruce. During the 6-day march from the Dniester to the Prut through waterless places, with sweltering heat during the day and cold nights, many Russian recruits, weakened by lack of food, died from thirst and disease. Soldiers died after reaching for and drinking water; others, unable to withstand the hardships, committed suicide. On July 1 (New Art.), the Crimean Tatar cavalry attacked Sheremetev’s camp on the eastern bank of the Prut. The Russians lost 280 dragoons killed, but repelled the attack.
[…] On July 18, the Russian vanguard learned that a large Turkish army had begun crossing to the western bank of the Prut near the town of Falchi (modern Falchiu). At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the Turkish cavalry attacked the vanguard of General Janus von Eberstedt (6 thousand dragoons, 32 guns), who, having formed a square and firing from guns, on foot, completely surrounded by the enemy, slowly retreated to the main army. The Russians were saved by the lack of artillery among the Turks and their weak weapons; many of the Turkish horsemen were armed only with bows. As the sun set, the Turkish cavalry withdrew, allowing the vanguard to join the army in an accelerated night march in the early morning of July 19.
[…] On July 19, the Turkish cavalry surrounded the Russian army, not approaching closer than 200-300 steps. The Russians did not have a clear plan of action. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon they decided to move out to attack the enemy, but the Turkish cavalry pulled back without accepting the battle. The army of Peter I was located in the lowlands along the Prut, all the surrounding hills were occupied by the Turks, who had not yet been approached by artillery. At the military council, it was decided to retreat at night up the Prut in search of a more advantageous position for defense. At 11 o'clock in the evening, having destroyed the extra wagons, the army moved in the following battle formation: 6 parallel columns (4 infantry divisions, the guard and the dragoon division of Janus von Eberstedt), with convoys and artillery in the gaps between the columns. Guards regiments covered the left flank; Repnin's division was moving on the right flank adjacent to the Prut. From dangerous sides, the troops covered themselves from the Turkish cavalry with slingshots, which the soldiers carried in their arms. The losses of the Russian army in killed and wounded that day amounted to about 800 people.
By this time the army numbered 31,554 infantry and 6,692 cavalry, mostly unhorsed, 53 heavy guns and 69 light 3-pounder guns. By the morning of July 20, a gap had formed between the lagging far left guard column and the neighboring Allart division due to the uneven march of the columns over rough terrain. The Turks immediately attacked the convoy, which was left without cover, and before the flank was restored, many convoys and members of officers' families were killed. For several hours the army stood waiting for the battle march to be restored. Due to the delay of the Turkish infantry, the Janissaries with artillery managed to catch up with the Russian army during the day. At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the army rested its extreme right flank on the Prut River and stopped for defense near the town of Stanilesti. On the opposite eastern steep bank of the Prut, the Tatar cavalry and the Zaporozhye Cossacks allied to them appeared. Light artillery approached the Turks and began to fire at Russian positions. At 7 o'clock in the evening there followed an attack by the Janissaries on the location of the divisions of Allart and Janus, who were moving forward somewhat due to the terrain conditions. The Turks, repulsed by rifle and cannon fire, lay down behind a small hill. Under the cover of gunpowder smoke, 80 grenadiers pelted them with grenades. The Turks counterattacked, but were stopped by gunfire at the slingshot line.
[…] At night the Turks made forays twice, but were repulsed. Russian losses as a result of the battles amounted to 2,680 people (750 killed, 1,200 wounded, 730 prisoners and missing); the Turks lost 7-8 thousand according to the report of the English ambassador in Constantinople and the testimony of brigadier Moro de Braze (the Turks themselves admitted to him the losses).
FAILURE OF THE PRUT CAMPAIGN
[…] The main army crossed the Prut and marched in the designated direction until July 7, despite the news that the khan had crossed the river from behind. On July 7, at six o'clock in the afternoon, General Janus, walking three miles ahead of the army, let it be known that the vizier at the Prut and the Janissaries were already crossing the river. Peter sent a decree to Janus to retreat to unite with main army to Renne, so that he would also immediately go back, taking with him as much provisions as he could collect. Janus, having received the decree, began to move back, despite the advance of the Turks, and managed to bring his detachment without damage. The enemy came after him and, despite the fact that he was met with strong fire, did not stop attacking the Russians until the evening, and at night he began to climb the mountain. That night the Russians had a general council: they reasoned that there was a severe shortage of provisions and horse feed, the cavalry had left with General Renne, the enemy was in excellent numbers: the total Turkish army was 119,665 and the Tatars 70,000, and the Russians had only 38,246. It was necessary to retreat , and early in the morning they moved back up the Prut, the enemy cavalry pursued the retreating, but to no avail. On July 9 in the afternoon, the army reached a place called New Stanelishche: here they placed a convoy near the river, and the army stood in a line around it; in the evening, enemy infantry and artillery appeared and stood towards the mountain, a mile away from the Russian line; the enemy also occupied the other bank of the river. The Turkish infantry and cavalry advanced fiercely, the battle continued until night, but the enemy could not damage the Russian line anywhere; Finally, the enemy cavalry retreated, and the infantry fired cannons all night, and under this fire, the Turks made a retrenchment around their camp and deployed 300 cannons.
PEACE TREATY WITH THE PORT
Even the major setback in the Russian-Turkish conflict of 1710-1711, inspired by England and Charles XII, could not change the favorable course of the Northern War for Russia. The Porte declared war on Russia in the fall of 1710, but hostilities began in January next year raids of the Crimean Tatars on Ukraine. The Russian command decided to achieve success offensive operations in enemy territory. Counting on the help of the peoples languishing under the yoke of the Ottoman feudal lords, Peter I intended to enter Moldavia and Wallachia before the enemy and seize the crossings across the Danube. In the spring of 1711, the Russian army moved south and in June, overcoming the heat and difficulties with food, reached the Prut River. It's ok here. 45 thousand Russian troops led by Peter I were surrounded three times a large number enemy. The expected help from the allies did not arrive in time. Despite this, the enemy did not achieve an advantage in the battle on July 9, 1711. Negotiations with the vizier, skillfully conducted by Vice-Chancellor P. Shafirov, ended on July 12 with the signing of the Prut Treaty: Azov was returned to the Ottoman Empire. Russia pledged not to interfere in the affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Charles XII was given free passage to Sweden. Although Peter returned from the Prut campaign “not without sadness,” the peace treaty with the brilliant Porte allowed Russia to concentrate its efforts on solving the main foreign policy problem - the struggle for strengthening in the Baltic Sea.
With an excessive supply of hopes for Turkish Christians, empty promises on the part of the Moldavian and Wallachian rulers and with a significant amount of his own Poltava self-confidence, but without a sufficient supply and study of the circumstances, Peter in the summer of 1711 set off into the sultry steppe in order not to protect Little Russia from the Turkish invasion, and to defeat the Turkish Empire and on the Prut River he received another new lesson, being surrounded by five times the strongest Turkish army, he was almost captured and, according to an agreement with the vizier, he gave all his Azov fortresses to the Turks, losing all the fruits of his 16-year-old Voronezh, Don and Azov efforts and sacrifices.
Klyuchevsky V.O. Russian history. Full course of lectures. M., 2004. http://magister.msk.ru/library/history/kluchev/kllec61.htm
ROAD CAMPAIGN AND EUROPEAN DIPLOMACY
The Prut campaign of 1711 received its name because the outcome of the Russian-Turkish war of 1710–1711. occurred on the banks of the Prut River. This Russian-Turkish war was the result of the diplomatic activities of Charles XII and the French court friendly to him. Karl lived in Turkey after the Poltava defeat, and he was repeatedly threatened with extradition into the hands of Peter. Russia demanded the extradition of Charles, and he proved to the Turks the timeliness and necessity for the Turks to fight with Peter. The result of his insistence was a diplomatic break between Turkey and Russia. Peter declared war on Turkey (in November 1710) and planned to wage it offensively. He counted on the help of the Turkish Slavs, on an alliance with the vassal Turkish rulers (lords) of Moldavia and Wallachia, and on the support of Poland. In the spring of 1711, Peter hurried on a campaign, thinking before the Turks to take possession of Moldavia, Wallachia and the crossings of the Danube. But none of the allies came to help on time. The accession of the Moldavian ruler Cantemir to Peter did not save the Russian army from hunger; the transition through the steppes exhausted the people. To top it all off, the Turks had previously crossed the Danube and surrounded Peter’s army with enormous forces on the banks of the Prut. Due to the lack of provisions and water (the Russians were cut off from the Prut), it was impossible to stay in place, and due to the comparative small number of troops, it was impossible to successfully break through the Turks. Peter entered into peace negotiations with the Grand Vizier. Sending proxies to him, Peter gave them the authority to release the army and make peace to cede Azov, all conquests on the Baltic Sea (if the Turks demand this for Charles), even Pskov […]. However, much was lost less than that, what Peter was ready for. This happened due to the fact that the Turks themselves wanted to end the war, into which they were drawn by outside influences. In addition, the matter was helped by the dexterity of the Russian diplomat Shafirov and the rich gifts sent by Peter to the vizier. Peace was concluded, and the Russian army was released on the following conditions: Peter gave Azov and some fortified points near the Black Sea to Turkey, refused to interfere in the affairs of Poland (it should be noted that at that time there were already projects for the division of Poland that enjoyed Peter’s sympathy); finally, Peter gave Karl free passage to Sweden. […] Peter got rid of the Turks cheaply and continued to maintain the high political position in the circle of European states that the Poltava victory gave him.
[…] When, after the Prut campaign, Peter in 1711 and 1712. came to Germany, he managed to get closer to Prussia; but he was already dissatisfied with his other allies for their insincerity and inability to conduct the war in agreement. But at the same time, both diplomacy and Western European journalism were, in turn, dissatisfied with Peter. They attributed to him conquest plans for Germany, they saw dictatorial habits in his diplomats and were afraid of the entry of Russian auxiliary troops into Germany. And after the failure on the Prut, Peter was terrible in Europe with his power.
