Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca
- When
- 1774
- Where
- Küçük Kaynarca; Ottoman Empire; Turkish Straits
- Episodes
- 3
The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed on 21 July 1774, ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. It established Russian victory, granting Russia protectorate rights over Orthodox Christians and access to the Turkish Straits, while the Ottoman Empire suffered significant diplomatic and territorial concessions.
Episodes
- Signing of the Treaty
The Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca on 21 July 1774, ending the war with major concessions to Russia.
- Establishment of Orthodox Protectorate
The treaty granted Russia the right to protect Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire, a significant diplomatic shift.
- Access to Turkish Straits
The treaty forced the Ottomans to allow Russian ships to pass through the Turkish Straits into the Mediterranean.
Background and detail
Military Context. The conflict concluded after Russian armies achieved victory over the Ottoman Empire. On 20 June 1774, Russian forces under Alexander Suvorov routed the Ottoman army near Kozludzha, and Russia used this victory to force the Ottoman Empire to acquiesce to Russia's preferences in the treaty that ended the war of 1768–1774.
Treaty Provisions. The treaty granted Russia the right to construct an Orthodox church in Constantinople and claimed protectorate status for Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. It also allowed Russian ships to pass through the Turkish Straits into the Mediterranean, bypassing previous detours.
Diplomatic Consequences. The agreement marked a milestone in Ottoman decline, as a foreign power gained influence over the Empire's internal governance regarding its Christian subjects. Russia subsequently exploited these provisions to justify further interventions and territorial expansion in the region.
People involved
- Russian Empire · Signatory and victor
- Ottoman Empire · Signatory and defeated party
Sources
- Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-16
- Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-25
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.