The Crimean War (1/2) | Animated History

As a fierce battle rages around them, the light brigade of the British cavalry is preparing to charge. Though their orders were vague at best, shouted over the din of gun and cannon fire, the men are ready to ride forth. But unfortunately for these brave soldiers, their charge will not be wholly remembered as a noble and triumphant action. Instead, it will go down in history as a monument to the chaos and foolishness of the Crimean War. Hi, I'm Griffin Johnson, the Armchair Historian. In today's video, we will be re-examining a topic which we covered in one of the first ever videos on this channel, The Crimean War. One of the largest and bloodiest European conflicts in the 19th century, the war is remembered primarily for the disastrous incompetence of the commanders on both sides, and the ultimate futility of the conflict. But while the immediate consequences were insignificant, the long-term effects of this conflict altered the course of European history, and set in motion events that would one day lead to the First World War. The Armchair Historian channel is made possible by our sponsors. Supporting them is the best way to support us. This video is brought to you by March of Empires, a free medieval MMO strategy title that lets you build an empire and wage war while enjoying various historical narratives and events. Play as a Russian Tsar, Eastern Sultan, or Highland Noble, and fight battles in pursuit of total realm dominance. The game just released a major holiday update, so get Christmas gifts from the Holiday Event Shop, or participate in festive Imperial, Royal, and Common Lotteries. On top of all that, you can get 5 days free Paragon Pass, as well as 7 days free of Deluxe VIP and Event Passes. Download the game for free by clicking the link in the description below. Ever since its foundation in the early 1700s, Imperial Russia had sought control over the warm water ports on the Black Sea, an area traditionally under the influence of the Ottoman Empire. Although once considered the menace of all Christian Europe, by the 19th century, the Ottomans were in a rapid decline. A decline which Russia was eager to exploit. But after the tumultuous shake-up of the Napoleonic Wars, most other great powers of Europe desperately wanted to avoid any more disruptions to the balance of power, creating tension between them and expansionist Russia. This tension finally boiled over in 1853, sparked by, of all things, a dispute over the rights of Christians in the Ottoman Empire. In an effort to project power in the Middle East, France declared itself the protector of all Christians in the Holy Land, and convinced the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Majid I, to issue a decree that the Catholic Church had sole authority over all churches, holy sites, and Christian citizens in Palestine. This irritated the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia, which had previously held control over most of these churches. Of course, neither France nor Russia really cared about the religious rights of Christians in Palestine. Controlling churches meant projecting power and influence in the Middle East, a strategic goal of both nations. The French Emperor had challenged Russia to a game of chicken, and the Ottoman Empire was unlucky enough to find itself right in the middle of it. Not one to back down, the Russian Tsar Nicholas I promptly sent an ambassador to the Ottomans in hope of changing the Sultan's mind. This effort succeeded, and the Sultan promptly restored authority over the churches to the Orthodox Church in Russia. Expectedly, the highly ambitious French Emperor Napoleon III escalated the situation by sending a warship into the Black Sea as a show of force, which prompted Abdul Majid to flip-flop once again and proclaim his eternal respect for the authority of the Catholic Church. Further negotiations proved fruitless, with the British ambassador to the Neither side was willing to back down, and so in May of 1853, two Russian armies crossed the Prut River and invaded the Balkan provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Left with no other choice, the Ottomans declared war in response, and sent forces to check the Russian advance at the Danube River. Arriving in September, the Ottoman Empire quickly moved to establish strongholds along the Danube, under the leadership of the skilled general Omar Pasha. The first battle of the war took place in early November, when the Ottomans crossed the river and recaptured the occupied town of Oltenitsa in modern-day Romania. The Russians launched a counterattack to reclaim the town, resulting in a bloody and indecisive battle, which ended with both sides withdrawing to their previous positions. Fighting in the Balkans would continue in much the same way for the rest of 1853, with neither side managing to gain a decisive advantage. Tsar Nicholas was hoping for an announcement of support from Austria, his long-term ally, in order to break this stalemate. But the Austrians were reluctant to get involved. Instead, they hoped to settle things with the mighty Penn, and hosted a conference in Vienna with representatives from France, Britain, and Prussia, with the goal of drafting a treaty to end the war. While these talks were ongoing, Russian warships chanced upon an Ottoman fleet near the port of Sinop. Hoping to disrupt their enemy's supply lines, the Russian ships opened fire initiating battle. This engagement saw the first ever use of explosive shells in naval combat, which completely devastated the wooden hulls of the Ottoman ships, inflicting over 3,000 casualties and destroying their entire fleet. The events at Sinop alarmed the other great powers, and the representatives at Vienna quickly finalized a proposed peace treaty, which they presented to Sultan Abdul Majid and Tsar Nicholas in December. Nicholas was willing to accept the terms offered, but the Sultan objected, and diplomatic talks soon completely broke down. Fighting continued, and in February of 1854, Britain and France presented an ultimatum to Russia. Withdraw from the Balkans, or they would join the war. But now, Russia refused to back down, and the British and French declared their own war in March of 1854. Having made no further gains, and fearing the intervention of a dubiously neutral Austria, Nicholas ordered his forces to withdraw from the Balkan provinces in July. Russia at this time was one of Austria's most important allies, and so by not supporting the Russians, they found themselves isolated diplomatically all throughout the 19th century. With hostilities temporarily ceased, the war could have ended there. But Britain and France, spurred on by pro-war public opinion, and eager to put an end to further Russian expansion, chose to continue the fighting, launching a full invasion of the Crimean Peninsula. Seizing this peninsula would cripple Russia's naval power in the Black Sea, greatly reducing their influence in the Middle East and Balkans. The Allied forces landed at a beach north of the city of Sevastopol in September, and their troubles began almost immediately. The landing of the invasion force was badly mismanaged. For starters, there was no equipment for the unloading of cargo, forcing the soldiers to steal carts and wagons from nearby tartar farms. During this piecemeal unloading process, the soldiers were forced to sleep outside in the rain and heat due to the lack of tents and camping supplies. To make matters even worse, there was not enough food or water to go around, nor enough medicine to treat the many men who came down with cholera and other diseases. After four days, the invasion force finally overcame this comedy of errors and set out for Sevastopol. On the first day of their march, the Allied forces got their first glimpse of the Russian army, assembled on a hill on the other side of the Alma River. The next morning, they crossed the river and attacked the Russians, beginning the Battle of Alma. The defenders were outnumbered, with 37,500 men standing against the 56,500-strong invasion force, but the Russians held a strong defensive position on a steep hill. They held out against three hours of repeated assaults by the Ottomans, British, and French before withdrawing. However, the Allied forces were unable to pursue them due to their lack of cavalry. Following the battle, the invading army marched southeast to the encircling Sevastopol and establishing temporary ports at the towns of Balaklava and Kamysh to bring in supplies. In October, they began to besiege the city with cannon brought in by sea, although further widespread outbreaks of cholera weakened the British army, emboldening the defenders to launch several probing attacks. On October 25th, the Russians attempted a large-scale assault on the British position at Balaklava, sending 25,000 men to disrupt the Allied supply chain between their ports and the siege lines. The first line of defenses at the Vorontsov Heights, manned by the Ottomans, was quickly overwhelmed, and the Russian cavalry then swept down the hill toward the second defensive line in the valley to the south. There, a combined force of Ottoman and British infantry managed to hold the line against the enemy cavalry charge, in a defense that would come to be known as the Thin Red Line. On the northern side of the hill, the British cavalry's light brigade was sent to intercept Russian forces, attempting to withdraw after seizing Ottoman artillery guns captured on the heights. But this order, relayed verbally through multiple sources in something like a game of telephone, was ultimately misinterpreted by the light brigade's commanders, who sent the light cavalry charging down the valley straight into the teeth of a dug-in Russian artillery regiment. The resulting charge of the light brigade was a complete failure, and left over a third of the brigade's soldiers killed, wounded, or captured, and over a half of its forces dead. Shortly thereafter, the Russian forces pulled back to their newly captured defensive positions at the Vorontsov Heights, and the battle came to an end. While the siege of Sevastopol would continue, the Russians had won a tactical and morale-boosting victory at Balaklava, in large part thanks to the disorganization of their enemies. This disorganization and incompetence at the command level would continue to plague the Allied forces for the rest of the war, preventing them from gaining significant ground. To watch the rest of this bloody stalemate play out, head over to the part 2 of this video available right now, through the link in the description below. Thanks again to March of Empires for sponsoring this video. Click their link below to show your support.