Foreign Affairs: The Ottoman Empire

• Western Influence and trade

Needed ports. The Black sea was to be his 'Window on the West'. He followed Sophia and Golitsyn's failed 'Southern Policy' 

• International Power

Considered less important than the smallest German state in the HRE. Russia had no embassies. 

• Security

Crush the Tartars who were backed by the Turks and constantly raided Russia. 

• Religious motives?

Captured Muslim fortresses. Convert people?? political excuse??

1695 failure 

• Capture Azov

Way into the Crimean sea. Strike into heart of Tartar territory. 

• Strength of the Turks 

Turkish naval power kept Russian army out by constant bombardment 

• Lack of Leadership in Russian army

Command divided between Lefort, Gordon and Golovin, who all had to consult Peter before acting. The Streltsy refused to obey their western officers. 

• Poor supply lines and technology

• Gained Austrian and Brandenburger experts
• Drafted peasant labour
• Constructed shipyards at Voronezh 
• Had single commanders

Lefort of the navy and Shein of the army

• Also recruited engineers and supply officers 
• Turkish reinforcements were kept at bay by new Russian fleet
• Azov forced to surrender within 2 months 

• Next step was to take the fortress at Kerch 
• In 1696 Peter knew that his resources were not ready for an assault on the Crimean peninsula
• Hoped he could get alliances to do this 
• No one in Europe was interested in a war with Turkey

• Peter turned his attention to the north 
• came to terms with Turkey 
• Russia kept Azov
• Embassy in Constantinople 
• Turks promised not to help the Tatars

• Kick-started the Russian navy

1698 School of Navigation at Azov. Taganrog naval base. 

• Western experts were brought in to help out in the shipyards and navy
• Russians sent to W. Europe to master seamanship
• Peasants moved to work on the shipyard
• Crimean tartars were silenced 
• Didn't achieve opening up a route into the Med. 
• 1704 Peter had to give some land back to Turkey to prevent the Sultan supporting Sweden 
• Embassy in Constantinople 

• Turkish Sultan became more anxious about Russian power Poltava

Charles XII fled into Turkish territory persuaded the Sultan to declare war in 1710

• 38,000 Russians faced 200,000 Turks at the river Pruth 
• Peter was only saved by the fact the Turkish commanders wanted a quick end to the war. 
• Peter was unprepared - last minute 
• Unable to supply his troops properly 
• Underestimated Turkish strength 
• Overconfident after Poltava 

• Give up Azov and Tagenrog and abandon the fleet
• Remove embassy from Constantinople 
• Allow charles XII safe passage back to Sweden 

• By 1713 Peter lost any gain made in the South 
• 'He considered that God had turned him, like Adam, out of paradise' - Lee
• Was the massive labour and economic cost worth it? 
• 'Blessing in disguise' - Peter could concentrate on the Baltic