The battle of Giurgiu[a] was fought on 12 September 1771 at the Ottoman city of Giurgiu between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The Ottoman forces were led by Grand Vizier Silahdar Cihangirli Mehmed Pasha, whilst the Russian troops were commanded by Reinhold-Wilhelm Ivanovich von Essen. The battle was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.[2]
| Battle of Giurgiu (1771) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) | |||||||
 The Giurgiu Clocktower built amidst the Russo-Turkish war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Russian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mehmed Pasha |
Wilhelm von Essen | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 22,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Low |
500 killed Thousands injured | ||||||
  Location within Europe  Battle of Giurgiu (1771) (Romania) | |||||||
Prelude
editThe new Ottoman Grand Vizier, Silahdar Cihangirli Mehmed Pasha, decided not to invade Wallachia and Moldavia (both Ottoman vassals) to regain lands lost to the Russians. Instead, he situated himself on the Danube and reinforced fortresses along the river. Pyotr Rumyantsev struggled greatly for months to deal with the pasha's cross-river raids, and was unable to penetrate Turkish fortifications along the Danube in what has been coined as the "war of posts".[3]
With the forces of Rumyantsev stretched thin across a wide river, the Grand Vizier quickly took advantage of the situation and amassed a force at Rusçuk. From there, the Ottomans crossed the Danube under the command of Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha and laid siege to Giurgiu between 27 to 29 May 1771, capturing the city.[4]
The city was first unsuccessfully attacked by the Russians under Grigory Potemkin, Christopher von Stoffeln, Aleksandr Zamiatin, and Peter Tekeli from 4 to 7 February 1770.[5] Giurgiu was finally seized by Pyotr Olitz after heavy losses following a 7-day siege between 17 and 24 February 1711.[6]
On 7 August, Reinhold-Wilhelm Ivanovich von Essen arrived to Giurgiu and stormed it over two months after it fell to the Turks; though this ended in a major failure as Essen lost 1/3 of his troops.[4] Over a month later, on 12 September 1771, Ottoman and Russian forces clashed in the proximity of Giurgiu for the last time.[1]
Battle
editThe Russians, under the leadership of Reinhold-Wilhelm Ivanovich von Essen, numbered 22,000. Their force also consisted of some Moldavians. The Ottomans, on the other hand, were most likely led by Grand Vizier Silahdar Cihangirli Mehmed Pasha. They emerged victorious, killing 500 and injuring thousands of Russian soldiers. The Turks also seized seven cannons and three carts of ammunition, left behind as the Russians retreated to Bucharest in a disorganised manner.[2]
Notes
editCitations
edit- ^ a b Somel, Selçuk A. [in Turkish] (2010). The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. LV. ISBN 9780810875791.
- ^ a b von Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph. Çevik, Mümin (ed.). Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi [Great Ottoman History] (in Turkish). Vol. 16. Translated by Özdek, Refik. Istanbul: Üçdal Neşriyat. p. 186.
- ^ Mikaberidze, Alexander (2022). Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780197546734.
- ^ a b Davies 2016, pp. 168–169.
- ^ Davies 2016, p. 136.
- ^ Iorga, Nicolae (2024) [1908]. Afyoncu, Erhan (ed.). Osmanlı İmparatorluğu Tarihi 1300–1912 [History of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1912] (PDF) (in Turkish). Vol. 1–5. Translated by Epçeli, Nilüfer. Istanbul: Yeditepe Yayınevi. p. 1546. ISBN 9786258260717.
References
edit- Davies, Brian L. (2016). The Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774: Catherine II and the Ottoman Empire. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472512932.