Siege of Plevna(1877)
Approximate site. The pin marks a locally accepted site or a nearby anchor point, not a survey-grade position.
Pleven city center, Bulgaria
Coordinate source: latitude.to Pleven 43.4167, 24.6167
Background
In July 1877, the Russian Army, under the command of Grand Duke Nicholas, moved toward the Danube River virtually unopposed, as the Ottomans had no sizable force in the area. The Ottoman high command sent an army under the command of Osman Nuri Pasha to reinforce Nikopol, but the city fell to the Russian vanguard in the Battle of Nikopol (16 July 1877) before Osman reached it. He settled on Plevna, a town among vineyards in a deep rocky valley some twenty miles to the south of Nikopol, as a defensive position. The Ottomans quickly created a strong fortress, raising earthworks with redoubts, digging trenches, and quarrying out gun emplacements. From Plevna Osman's army controlled the main strategic routes to the Balkan Mountains. As the Turks hurried to complete their defenses, Russian forces began to arrive.
Campaign: Russo-Turkish War 1877–78
Forces Engaged
The Battle
"I surrender to the young and brave Romanian army" — Osman Pasha to Colonel Cerchez.
The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at Svishtov, it began advancing towards the centre of modern Bulgaria, with the aim of crossing the Balkan Mountains to Constantinople, avoiding the fortified Turkish fortresses on the Black Sea coast. The Ottoman army led by Osman Pasha, returning from Serbia after a conflict with that country, was massed in the fortified city of Pleven, a city surrounded by numerous redoubts, located at an important road intersection.
“"Tell General Skobelev that only death can free the Russian officer from his word." — Major Fyodor Gortalov, refusing to retreat during the August 30 assault
Casualties & Outcome
38,000–50,000 killed, wounded, missing (Allied); 5,000–10,000 combat casualties, 43,338 surrendered (Ottoman)
Romania & Russia achieved victory over Ottoman Empire.
Sword surrendered by Edhem Pasha after the defeat at Plevna. The Plevna Chapel on St Elijah's Square in Moscow, opened in 1887, commemorates the Russian soldiers who died in the battle.
Historical Record
Significance & Legacy
The fall of Plevna broke Ottoman resistance and led directly to Romanian independence.
Although the declining Ottoman Empire was by this time often regarded as "the sick man of Europe", its five-month-long resistance against a much larger army earned a degree of admiration, which may have contributed to the unsympathetic treatment of Russia at the Congress of Berlin. The Plevna Chapel on St Elijah's Square in Moscow, opened in 1882, commemorates the Russian soldiers who died in the Battle of Plevna.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When was the Siege of Plevna?
- The Siege of Plevna took place in 1877. Jul–Dec 1877.
- What was the outcome of the Siege of Plevna?
- The Romania & Russia were victorious against the Ottoman Empire.
- What was the significance of the Siege of Plevna?
- The fall of Plevna broke Ottoman resistance and led directly to Romanian independence.