The Crimean War (1)

Question 1

What was the Treaty of Vienna and how did the Russians go against this?

Answer 1

• A peace treaty between Austria, Russia, Britain, Prussia and France whereby they enjoyed nearly four decades of peace
• Russia had territorial ambitions that would lead to a political crisis

Question 2

What was Britain concerned about before the war even began in relation to Russia’s territorial ambitions?

Answer 2

• If Russia seized Constantinople their Black Sea fleet would be able to sail through the straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles)
• This would threaten Britains naval supremacy in the East Mediterranean

Question 3

What was the aims of Napoleon III of France?

Answer 3

• Wanted to destroy the 1815 peace settlement as it contained France
• He was keen to challenge Russia, as they were the biggest supporters of France not dominating Europe

Question 4

Britain did not want to co-operate with France, what forced them to?

Answer 4

• June 1853 British ships were sent to Besika Bay to show support for the Ottomans, they were joined by a French Fleet
• The British Navy therefore was now allied with someone it was strengthened to fight

Question 5

What was Russias first move when trying to press the Ottomans?

Answer 5

• In July 1853 Tsar Nicholas I ordered his troops into the Ottoman provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia
• A peaceful resolution was not reached and this began the process of war

Question 6

When did the Ottoman Empire declare war on Russia and what was the first battle at sea?

Answer 6

• October 1853 the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia
• 30th November the Russian Black Sea Fleet annihilated an Ottoman squadron at Sinope

Question 7

When did the French and British declare war on Russia?

Answer 7

• British and French sent a joint note to the Tsar on 27th Feb 1854. demanding a withdrawal of troops from Moldavia and Wallachia
• This was ignored, France declared war on the 27th March and Britain followed the next day

Question 8

What were the political divisions in Aberdeens government?

Answer 8

• PM Aberdeen was pacific and anti-Ottoman
• Home Secretary Lord Palmerston was bellicose and anti-Russian
• Palmerston’s view represented most Britons who believed Britain must stand firm against Russian expansion

Question 9

When did Russia evacuate Moldavia and Wallachia and why?

Answer 9

• Evacuated in July 1854
• This was following threats from Austria, solving the Balkan issue

Question 10

What was Austrias Four Points?

Answer 10

1) Russia was to renounce special rights in Serbia, Moldavia and Wallachia, whose protection will be guaranteed by European powers
2) The navigation of Danube was to be free to all commerce
3) 1841 Straits convention which banned warships from sailing through the Straits should be revised in the interest of the balance of power, to end Russian naval domination of the Black Sea
4) Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire were to be placed under general European (not just Russian) protection

Question 11

After allied forces were sent to Varna in June 1854, who encouraged an attack and where?

Answer 11

• Duke of Newcastle, the Secretary of State for war urged Lord Raglan to attack the Crimean port of Sebastopol
  AKA Sevastapol

Question 12

When did the British Army sail to the Crimea and what was the army like? (How did The Times describe this army)

Answer 12

• September 1854 an army of 26,000
• The Times described it as ‘the finest army that has ever left these shores’
• The fact of the matter was that the army had been neglected since 1815 due to 4 decades of peace

Question 13

Who was the military commander-in-chief in the years 1842-52? How did this affect the army?

Answer 13

• Wellington
• Due to previously successful campaigns with the army it promoted conservatism and complacency, they believed what worked before would work now
• He viewed calls for reform as no more than demands for further cuts in military spending

Question 14

How much had the army budget been cut from 1815 to 1840?

Answer 14

• 1815 £43 million to £9.5 million in the 1840’s

Question 15

Who was the commander of the British expeditionary force?

Answer 15

• Lord Raglan
• Veteran of the Peninsular War, at Waterloo he had shattered his right elbow by a musket ball and had his arm amputated
• However he had not seen active service since 1815 nor had he commanded an army

Question 16

What were problems with the quality of the British military command?

Answer 16

• Only 1/5 of Raglans infantry divisional commanders were under 60, and the Duke of Cambridge had not ever seen any action
• Chief Engineer, Sir John Burgoyne was 72
• Only 2 of the infantry divisional commanders had taken an army larger than a battalion into battle

Question 17

How was the purchase system interfering with the ability of the army?

Answer 17

• System of buying commissions had ensured wealth triumphed over ability
• During 1814-15 the BA was led by men from professional classes
• 1854 the smaller army was led by officers from the landed gentry and family with military traditions
• Most had a high sense of honour and duty, but some joined the army because it was fashionable and not a strenuous existence

Question 18

Give some examples of the Army’s complicated administration?

Answer 18

• Home Secretary administered the yeomanry and the militia and the distribution of regular troops in Britain
• The Ordnance Board controlled the engineers and the artillery as well as the army’s ammunitions needs
• The Commissariat, Treasury Department, was responsible for food, fuel and transport

Question 19

What was the result of the Army’s overcomplicated administration?

Answer 19

• Created rivalries, procrastination and inertia between the army
• Ministers discussed plans for reform but cabinets were too timid to override the hostility of Wellington and other seniors
• They were not working well together and afraid to subject the army to any greater political control

Question 20

The Army lacked manpower, how many men did the army typically have and how long did they serve?

Answer 20

• Rarely had more than 115,000 men at a time
• Soldiers often served 21 years in infantry, 24 years in cavalry
• Long services overseas exacted a heavy toll on human life and health
• Army struggled to attract sufficient recruits

Question 21

What were the poor conditions of service that made it hard for the army to attract troops?

Answer 21

• Barracks were overcrowded and unsanitary
• Basic soldiers pay was 1 shilling and 6d was deducted for food
• Families of married soldiers had to live in the barracks with the other men
• Army discipline was severe, soldiers could be flogged, in 1846 this was reduced to 50 but still quite bad
• Army routine was monotonous drills

Question 22

Despite no staff work and large scale co-ordination what gave Britain an advantage over Russia?

Answer 22

• Infantry were armed with the minié rifle, which was later replaced by the lighter Enfield rifle
• Was accurate at over 400 yards
• The smoothbore musket used by the Russians had an effective range of less than 100 yards

Question 23

What was the French Army like in 1854?

Answer 23

• Had grown to 120,000
• French divisional commanders were younger than the Brit equivalent, promotions were common and they were very professional
• French had much better organisation and supply

Question 24

What was the Russian Army like in 1854?

Answer 24

• Russian Army was over a million strong
• Its conscripted rank and file suffered worse conditions of service than their Brit counterparts
• Russian officers were often from landowning class and did not take military duty that seriously

Question 25

What was the Ottoman Army like in 1854?

Answer 25

• On paper the army was 700,000 strong, in reality it was probably half that number
• Ottoman forces were poorly led, poorly equipped, poorly trained and poorly supplied

Question 26

What was the state of the Navy in this time?

Answer 26

• Despite it being reduced in size in 1815, it still remained the strongest army in the world
• The main battle fleet was in European waters but captains of 130 frigates and gunboats were scattered across the world defending the growing empire
• The threat posed by the navy to flatten major coastal cities and cut trade gave Britain immense power to intervene as they pleased on the world stage

Question 27

What was the screw propeller and how did this improve the navy?

Answer 27

• Placed under water on the stern, it did not interfere with the broadside and had advantages
• HMS Ajax was the first to be fitted with an engine that turned a screw propeller that helped with movement

Question 28

How was the development of steam helping the navy?

Answer 28

• Paid steamers proved their worth, allowing them to negotiate inlets and rivers during the First Opium War with China

Question 29

How did the Brits stay in front of the French in terms of naval developments

Answer 29

• 1847, the French Navy ordered the worlds first steam powered battleship
• The RN responded and built more steam battleships than the French to retain naval dominance

Question 30

What was the HMS Duke of Wellington?

Answer 30

• Launched in 1853, was twice the size of HMS Victory
• It carried 131 guns and had a speed of 10 knots making it the worlds most powerful battleship
• Steam still remained auxiliary to sail in the 1850’s

Question 31

Who was Sir James Graham?

Answer 31

• A Whig politician was first lord of the admiralty from 1830 to 1834

Question 32

What were Sir James Graham reforms to the Navy?

Answer 32

• He improved the navy’s administration
• Amalgamated the Admiralty and the Navy Board and ensuring there was less nepotism, bribery and corruption
• He made improvements in seamen’s conditions