The Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 played a pivotal role in the history of Crimea. During this conflict, an event long dreamed of in Moscow and St. Petersburg finally occurred: in 1736 and 1737, Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula for the first time in history, devastating many of its cities.
The Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 resulted from escalating Russian-Ottoman tensions, further fueled by the Russo-Polish War of 1733–1735 and raids by the Crimean army into Russian territory.
In the 1730s, Russia fully reorganized its military along European lines, with its middle and upper command ranks filled by European-born commanders. Notable figures included the German Burkhard Christoph von Münnich, who led the first Crimean campaign in 1736, and the Irishman Pierce Edmond de Lacy, who commanded the subsequent campaign. Armed with the best practices of European military science and supported by experienced European personnel, the Russian Empire’s army had become a significantly more formidable and dangerous adversary for the Crimean Khanate.
The only power in the region capable of matching the Russians was the Ottoman Empire, leaving the security of Crimea entirely dependent on the Ottomans’ willingness to confront Russia.
The first Russian attack on Crimea in 1735, led by General Leontyev, ended in failure. Due to an early onset of cold weather and shortages of water and food, the Russian forces were forced to retreat before reaching Crimea, losing around 9,000 soldiers out of an army of 30,000, along with nearly as many horses. Following this setback, the skilled and experienced Burkhard Christoph von Münnich was appointed to replace Leontyev.
In 1736, Münnich led a large army of approximately 60,000 men into Crimea. Kaplan Giray Khan I assembled a comparable force to oppose them, but the Russians had the advantage of powerful artillery, which the Crimean army lacked. Despite the khan’s requests for support, the Ottoman sultan, seeking to maintain peace with the Russian Empire at all costs, was slow to provide assistance, advising the khan to repel the Russian attack on his own.
The Crimean fortresses were in poor condition, and Bakhchysarai, built in open countryside during peaceful years, had no defenses whatsoever. Without Ottoman firepower, the Crimean army was forced to retreat in the face of Münnich’s advancing troops. As a result, the inhabitants of Crimean towns and villages in the path of the Russian army were forced to abandon their homes and flee.
Münnich’s army easily captured Or Qapi (Perekop fortress) and entered Gözleve (Yevpatoriia), which had been abandoned by its inhabitants. The Russians burned the city and marched toward the khanate’s capital. The khan, his courtiers, and the residents were forced to hastily evacuate Bakhchysarai. The capital suffered severe devastation—many buildings were burned, including those of the Jesuit mission. The rich library of the mission was partly destroyed by fire and partly ruined when soldiers found wine stored in the cellars, where the Jesuits had tried to hide valuable books and manuscripts. The Khan’s palace was also burned, along with the archive of the Crimean rulers, the Girays. Villages were razed, and only those who managed to hide in the mountains survived.
Russian forces also destroyed Aqmescit (Simferopol), but their advance halted due to logistical difficulties and a sudden cholera outbreak among the troops. Münnich, assessing the situation, withdrew from the Crimean Peninsula. By the end of the campaign, the western part of Crimea was left in complete devastation.
The following year, the eastern part of Crimea was also devastated. The second campaign began in 1737 from the fortress of Azov. In June, Russian troops under the command of P. Lacy crossed the Bay of Sivash and, on July 14, defeated the forces of Crimean Khan Fetih Giray II, capturing Qarasuvbazar (modern-day Bilohirsk). However, the distance from supply bases forced the Russian command to halt operations and order a retreat. It took the Crimean Khanate twenty years to recover from this unexpected defeat.
In addition to Crimea, battles took place around the fortress of Azov, as well as the fortresses of Ochakiv and Kinburn, which were captured by the Russian army.
The third Russian campaign in Crimea, which took place in 1738, ended in failure. However, Russia fared better in other theaters of war. In 1739, the Russian army, along with Ukrainian Cossack regiments, crossed the Dniester, defeated the Ottoman army, and captured the city of Iași (in present-day Romania). Despite these successes, Russia’s ally Austria, after suffering a series of defeats at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, signed a separate peace agreement on September 1, 1739.
Under these conditions, the Russian Empire, fearing an attack from Sweden, signed the Treaty of Belgrade with the Ottoman Empire on September 29. According to its terms, Russia returned the Azov fortress at the mouth of the Don (with the obligation to destroy the fortifications), but it was forbidden to maintain or build a military or merchant fleet in the Azov and Black Seas, so Russia could trade with the Ottoman Empire only through the mediation of Ottoman ships.
The Peace of Belgrade was unfavorable for the Russian Empire and, as a result of the subsequent Russian-Turkish War (1768-1774), was annulled in 1774 by the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.