122 ISLAM AT WAR
The holy sites in Palestine have been a source of constant conflict not
only between the East and West, but within the Middle East. In 1850 both
France and Russia began demanding of the Ottomans greater influence in
Jerusalem as well as protection for their priests at the holy sites. As early
as 1829 Russia had been championing the rights of the Orthodox priests
against those of the Latins, and in 1843 the Orthodox patriarch obtained
Ottoman assent for his separation from the Patriarch of Constantinople.
This allowed him to begin building his own power base with the help of
the Czar.
France responded in 1850, demanding new privileges, and initially she
prevailed. The Czar demanded balancing concessions, and the entire sit-
uation began spiraling out of control. Religion, national prestige, and the
intransigence of the Czar, Louis Napoleon, and the helplessness of the
sultan would soon lead to war.
Emboldened by the developing diplomatic situation, the Ottoman com-
mander at Sumla presented an ultimatum to the Russian commander in
the principalities (of the Balkans) on October 4, 1853, demanding that he
evacuate them under the threat of war. When no reply was received, the
Ottoman army crossed the Danube and attacked the Russian positions
between October 27 and November 3, 1853. At the same time, an Ottoman
army in eastern Anatolia moved into the southern Caucasus, attacking the
Russian troops stationed there.
The Ottoman fleet under Osman Pasha also mobilized and moved into
the Black Sea, probably because it feared a Russian attack on the Bos-
porus. Not finding the Russian fleet and encountering a powerful storm,
the Turkish fleet moved into Sinope to seek shelter.
In early November 1853, the Russian squadron of Vice-Admiral Pavel
Nakhimov found them riding at anchor at Sinope. The Russian fleet, which
included new steam frigates, attacked on November 18 and destroyed the
Turkish fleet. The heirs of the steppe had the curious distinction of par-
ticipating in the first naval battle in which modern steamers figured promi-
nently. During the Battle of Sinope, 266 Russian officers and crewmen
died, while the Ottomans suffered more than 3,000 casualties and the
wounded Osman Pasha was taken prisoner. European opinion was roused,
and the British government sent word to its fleet to protect the Ottoman
flag as well as Ottoman territory. They were also to compel the Russian
fleet in the Black Sea to return to Sevastopol. War was declared.
Prussia and Austria, the two major European powers not to enter the
Crimean War, persuaded the Russians to abandon the Balkan principalities
so as to avoid a general war. Thus, all of Europe combined to meet the
Ottoman war aims!