The naval battle of Navarino, which took place on a sunny day on October 20, 1927 in the bay of the same name, is not only one of the most glorious pages in the history of the Russian fleet, but also serves as an example of the fact that Russia and the countries of Western Europe can find common language when it comes to the infringement of the rights and freedoms of various peoples. Acting as a united front against the decrepit Ottoman Empire, England, Russia and France provided invaluable assistance to the Greek people in the struggle for their independence.
Russia and Europe in the first half of the 19th century
The Russian Empire in the 19th century, especially after the victory over Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, became a full participant in the international political process. Moreover, its influence in the 1810-1830s. was so great that her support was sought in all more or less significant situations. Created on the initiative of Alexander I, the Holy Union, the main goal of which was the struggle for the preservation of the existing in European countriespolitical regimes, has become an important tool for influencing all intra-European affairs.
One of the pain points of Europe in the first quarter of the 19th century was the gradually collapsing Ottoman Empire. Despite all attempts to reform, Turkey was increasingly lagging behind the leading states, gradually losing control over the territories that were part of its empire. A special position in this process was occupied by the countries of the Balkan Peninsula, which, with an eye to possible assistance from Russia and other European states, increasingly began to fight for their independence.
In 1821, the Greek uprising began. The Russian government found itself in a rather difficult situation: on the one hand, the clauses of the Holy Alliance did not allow supporting those who advocated a revision of the existing situation, and on the other hand, the Orthodox Greeks have long been regarded as our allies, while relations with Turkey have almost always been far away. from optimal. A rather cautious attitude towards these events at first was gradually replaced by an ever-increasing pressure on the descendants of Osman. The Battle of Navarino in 1827 was the logical conclusion of this process.
Background and root causes
In the confrontation between the Greeks and the Turks for a long time, neither side could achieve decisive superiority. The status quo was fixed by the so-called Ackermann Convention, after which Russia, France and England actively took up the cause of a peaceful settlement. Nicholas I gaveto understand to Sultan Mahmud II that he would have to make very serious concessions in order to keep the Balkan state as part of his empire. These requirements were fixed by the Petersburg Protocol in 1826, where the Greeks were promised broad autonomy, up to the right to elect their own officials to government posts.
Despite all these agreements, Turkey, at every opportunity, sought to unleash a real genocide against the proud Hellenes. This eventually forced Russia and its European allies to take more decisive action.
The alignment of forces before the Battle of Navarino
The battle of Navarino showed that the times when the Turkish fleet was considered one of the best in Europe have irrevocably passed. The Sultan and his Kapudan Pasha Muharrey Bey managed to gather very impressive forces in the Mediterranean region. In addition to the Turkish frigates proper, powerful battleships from Egypt and Tunisia were concentrated here. In general, this armada consisted of 66 pennants, which had more than 2100 guns. The Turks could also count on the support of coastal artillery, in the organization of which French engineers played a big role in their time.
The Allied squadron, commanded in seniority by the Englishman Codrington, numbered only twenty-six pennants with almost 1,300 guns. True, they had more battleships - the main force in any naval battle of that time - ten against seven. As for the Russian squadron, it included fourbattleship and frigate, and was commanded by an experienced warrior L. Heiden, who held his flag on the flagship Azov.
Disposition before the battle
Already in the area of the Greek archipelago, the allied command made a last attempt to peacefully resolve the conflict. Pasha Ibrahim, during negotiations on behalf of the Sultan, promised a three-week truce, which he violated almost immediately. After that, the allied fleet locked the Turks in the Navarino Bay with a series of roundabout maneuvers, where they, under the protection of powerful coastal batteries, intended to fight a pitched battle.
The battle of Navarino was largely lost by the Turks even before it began. By choosing this rather narrow bay, they actually deprived themselves of a numerical advantage, since only a small part of their ships could simultaneously participate in the battle. The coastal artillery, on which the horseshoe of the Turkish fleet relied, did not play a special role in the battle.
The Allies planned to attack in two columns: the British and French were to crush the right flank, and the Russian combat squadron was to complete the rout by leaning on the left side of the Turkish fleet.
Start of the battle
On the morning of October 8, 1827, the Anglo-French squadron, which was closer to the enemy, lined up in a column, began to slowly move towards the Turks. Having approached the distance of a cannon shot, the ships stopped, and Admiral Codrington sent truce envoys to the Turks, who were shot from guns. The shots became the signal for the start of the battle: from bothNearly two thousand guns fired from both sides at the same time, and the entire bay was quickly shrouded in acrid smoke.
At this stage, the allied fleet failed to achieve decisive superiority. Moreover, the Turkish shells inflicted quite serious damage, the order of Mukhharei Bey remained unshakable.
Battle of Navarino: the entry of the Russian fleet and a radical change
At a time when the outcome of the battle was still far from obvious, the Russian squadron of Heiden began active hostilities, the blow of which was directed at the left flank of the Turks. First of all, the frigate "Gangut" shot the coastal battery, which did not have time to make even ten volleys. Then, standing within a pistol shot, the Russian ships entered into a fire duel with the enemy fleet.
The main burden of the battle fell on the flagship "Azov", the commander of which was the famous Russian naval commander M. Lazarev. Having led the Russian combat detachment, he immediately entered into battle with five enemy ships, quickly sinking two of them. After that, he hurried to the rescue of the English "Asia", against which the enemy's flagship opened fire. Russian battleships and frigates behaved exemplarily in battle: occupying their places in battle formation, they performed precise and timely maneuvers under fierce enemy fire, sinking Turkish and Egyptian ships one after another. It was the efforts of Heiden's squadron that provided a radical turning point in the battle.
End of Battle: Total Allied Fleet Victory
The battle of Navarino lasted a little morefour hours and was distinguished by a very high concentration of fire and saturation of maneuvers. Despite the fact that the battle was fought on Turkish territory, it was the Turks who were less prepared for it. Several of their ships at once ran aground during the movements and became easy prey. By the end of the third hour, the outcome of the battle became clear, the allies began to compete in who could sink the most ships.
As a result, without losing a single warship, the allied squadron defeated the entire Turkish fleet: only one ship managed to escape, and even that one received very serious damage. This outcome dramatically changed the entire balance of power in the region.
Results
The Battle of Navarino in 1827 was the prologue to another Russian-Turkish war. Another result was a sharp change in the balance of Greek-Turkish forces. Having suffered such a crushing defeat, Turkey entered a period of serious internal political crisis. She was not up to the ancestors of the Hellenes, who were able not only to win wide autonomy, but also soon achieve full independence.
1827 in the history of Russia is another confirmation of its military and political power. Enlisting the support of such states as England and France, she was able to profitably use the situation to strengthen her position in the European arena.
