The Crimean War and the Charge of the Light Brigade

The Crimean War was one of the most important wars ever fought in Europe. The power structure that is witnessed in recent day Europe is due, to a great extent, a result of the outcome of the war.

The basic reason for the Crimean war and the Charge of the Light Brigade was fought was due to differences in religious opinions. However, surprisingly the difference of opinion was not between Christianity and Islam; it was between Russia and France for the control of the guardianship of all the Christian churches in the Ottoman Empire.

Originally, in 1852 France had secured permission and privileges from Sultan Abd Al-Majid to safeguard the Christian religious sites in Palestine. On the other hand, Russia wanted to have this privilege, which is why they challenged France’s nomination. However, the Ottoman Empire turned all their counter-demands down.

A battle between the French Catholic monks and the Russian Orthodox monks ensued, due to which many Russian monks were killed in Bethlehem. Tsar Nicholas I put the blame of the deaths at the Ottoman Empire’s (Turkey) feet. In July 1853, Russia attacked Moldavia of Turkey. In return, Turkey declared war, but suffered a great loss at Russia’s hands in Sinope when it destroyed the Turkish fleet in the Black Sea.

Fearing that Russia had ulterior motives and planned to gain regional dominance by occupying Turkey, and that it would compromise their trade routes, France and Britain decided to come to Turkey’s aid and declared war on Russia in 1854. In September of 1854, Turkish, French and British troops invaded Crimea to capture the Russian naval base, Sevastopol.

On their way to Sevastopol, the allied forces fought the Battle of (River) Alma. 33,000 Russian troops had occupied high land, while the French and British troops tried to flank them from both sides. At first, the allied forces faced mass casualties, but then the British troops executed a powerful offensive, effectively driving the Russians back.

In their effort to siege the city of Sevastopol, the British secured the Balaclava operating base, while the French secured the Kamiesch Bay operating base. As the Russian troops advanced towards the bases, the British fought the battle of Balaclava. The most famous known event of the Crimean war was the Charge of the Light Brigade. In was a battle of many casualties, which resulted from the confusing order given to the Light Brigade by Commander-in-Chief Lord Raglan. Raglan ordered the cavalry to advance to the front and prevent the Russians from taking the guns. However, this order put the cavalry right in middle of the Russian artillery due to which the Light Brigade faced heavy casualties. Had it not been for the French troops coming to their rescue, the every single member of the Light Brigade would have been killed in the battle.

After the Battle of Balaclava, Russian made one last effort to defeat the British and executed a surprise assault at Inkerman in November 1854. The battle was fought hand-to-hand (the Soldier’s Battle), which resulted in thousands of deaths but the British managed to hold on with the belated help of the French.

Later, in September 1855, the Russians finally surrendered the city, thus, effectively bringing an end to the Crimean War.   

You can now visit Balaklava and the scene of the Charge of the Light Brigade on a day tour from Sevastopol.

If you want to holiday in Crimea than you are in the right place! Click for more information on the Crimean peninsula. 

For more information, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War