Battle of Adrianople

The Battle of Adrianople was one of the final battles of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829 and resulted in the Treaty of Adrianople (1829), which ended that conflict. Background Russian interest with regard to the Ottoman Empire centered on the Balkan Peninsula region and the Dardanelles in particular. Ottoman control of this strait left the potential, despite past treaties, to cut off a significant portion of Russian trade and access to the Mediterranean Sea. A weakened Ottoman military in the wake of Sultan Mahmud II's reformation of the armed forces and the recent destruction of their navy during the Greek War of Independence gave the Russian military the opportunity to seize control of the strait, as well as some additional territory. There is also reason to believe that Tsar Nicholas I desired to further reduce the resurgent Ottoman army. The Balkans were the main focus of Russian attention at this time, but there was a significant interest in the Caucasus as well. Russian aspirations there centered on the creation of a better or more defensible military border with the Ottoman Empire. Though this was not the main objective of this war, the opportunity provided by a weakened Ottoman position in Europe allowed Russian forces the chance to make these goals a reality.