Siege of Sevastopol
The siege lasted nearly a year, with both sides repeatedly fighting over key points such as the Malakoff Redoubt. In September 1855 the French captured the commanding Malakoff Redoubt, and the Russians abandoned the city and retreated that night.
Belligerents
Anglo-French-Ottoman allies
- Commanders
- Lord Raglan, General Pélissier
- Strength
- Over 100,000 combined
Russian Empire
- Commanders
- Kornilov (killed in battle), Totleben
- Strength
- A garrison of over 40,000, continually reinforced
Background
In the Crimean War, Britain and France, seeking to check Russia's southward expansion into the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, joined the Ottomans in sending troops to the Crimean Peninsula and besieged Sevastopol, the base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
Course of the battle
- Landing and encirclementThe Coalition landed on the Crimean Peninsula and gradually encircled the fortress of Sevastopol.
- Trench standoffThe two sides became locked in protracted trench warfare and artillery duels, and the bitter winter cold caused heavy non-combat losses.
- Fall of the MalakoffThe French finally captured the commanding Malakoff Redoubt, and the Russians were forced to abandon the city and retreat overnight.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1854 |
|---|---|
| Place | Sevastopol (present-day Crimea) |
| Result | The siege lasted nearly a year, with both sides repeatedly fighting over key points such as the Malakoff Redoubt. In September 1855 the French captured the commanding Malakoff Redoubt, and the Russians abandoned the city and retreated that night. |
| Winner | Anglo-French-Ottoman allies |
| Casualties | Combined casualties and deaths from disease exceeded 100,000, with losses from bitter cold and epidemics far surpassing those from combat. |
| Territorial change | Russia was forced to sue for peace; the Treaty of Paris neutralized the Black Sea and limited Russia's naval power. |
Impact
The siege was an early proving ground for industrialized trench warfare and modern battlefield medicine (Florence Nightingale's nursing system), and the outcome of the war reshaped the balance of power among the European great powers in the Black Sea region.
See the world in 1854 on the map →