The domestic history preceding the era of Peter the Great left many unresolved issues, and one of them is the lack of access to the seas, which seriously hampered the development of the Russian state. Muscovite Russia has always waged a stubborn struggle for the right to own the southern expanses. The development of any power depends on the ability to enter the world trade arena and the ability to conduct a competent foreign policy. The lack of direct access to the sea deprived Russia of huge opportunities.
Reasons for going to Azov
The urgent need for further growth of the state arose at the turn of the century, marked by the reign of the great reformer Peter 1, who set the main task of strengthening the internal unity of the country, strengthening its military power and increasing world significance. The search for ways to enter the world political arena led to the inevitability of a southern military campaign, which was called the Azov campaigns of Peter 1. We will briefly describe andother reasons for their occurrence.
Historians claim that over the course of many centuries, almost five million people were driven into slavery by the raids of the Crimean Tatars from Russian lands. The need to resist the barbarian hunt for people was another reason for the start of the southern campaigns. The Chigirinsky campaigns of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and the Crimean expeditions of Prince Golitsyn undertaken in the second half of the 17th century did not bring proper results, leaving the question of strong positions on the Black Sea lands unresolved. Therefore, young Peter could not help but focus all his attention on resolving issues of border security and the opportunities for the country's foreign policy growth that opened up with access to the southern seas.
In the war with Turkey and the Crimea that began in the 1670s, Russia acted as part of the strongest powers - members of the Christian coalition. In the 1690s, Russia's allies - Poland and Austria - concluded agreements with Turkey on peace conditions without taking into account Russian interests - this is what history says. Peter the Great put forward demands for the cessation of raids and the possibility of free navigation of the Russian flotilla in the Azov and Black Seas. They were disputed by the Turks for several years. Negotiations dragged on until 1694. Then Peter 1 decided to achieve the fulfillment of the conditions by force of arms.
The main goal was the fortress of Azov, located at the mouth of the Don and blocking access to the Black Sea. Its capture opened up access to the sea for Russia, made it possible to build a navy and create an outpost for furthermilitary operations. The years of the Azov campaigns of Peter 1 became a turning point in the history of the country.
Plans for the first campaign
With the courage and maximalism characteristic of youthful age, the young emperor at the beginning of 1695 announced a campaign against the Crimea. This was the first Azov campaign of Peter 1. To disorientate and divert the attention of the enemy from Azov, a gathering of warriors was announced in Moscow, gathering to march to the lower reaches of the Dnieper under the command of B. P. Sheremetyev. At the same time, the 30,000-strong Azov Army was secretly formed, consisting of the three best divisions under the command of Generals Lefort, Gordon, Golovin, armed with more than 100 mortars and 40 squeakers.
The emperor himself was listed in the army as bombardier Pyotr Alekseev. The command of the troops was not concentrated in one hand. Important issues were resolved at military councils and approved by Peter 1.
The first trip to Azov
The Azov campaigns of Peter 1 began in 1695. In the spring, the vanguard of Gordon's division, having concentrated in Tambov, moved to Azov. He walked through the steppe to Cherkassk, where the Don Cossacks joined him. The fortress of Azov, located on the left bank of the Don, not far from its mouth, was a superbly fortified citadel on all sides.
At the end of June, Gordon reached his final goal and camped near the fortress. For the landing of the main forces above Azov, near the Kaisuga River, he built the Mytisheva pier. At the same time, the main forces reached Tsaritsyn along the Moscow, Volga and Oka rivers, then overland to Panshin, and thenagain along the Don to Azov, having dispersed near which in early July, they settled south of the fortress, stretching to the Kagalnik River. The siege park and ammunition were temporarily stored at the Mytisheva pier, which became a kind of base from where shells were transported to the army.
Began the siege of Gordon's advanced troops in early July with a heavy bombardment of the fortress, as a result of which its walls were seriously damaged. But the city, besieged from the land, held on due to the receipt of food and ammunition from the sea. The Russian troops were ground forces, did not have a strong fleet and could not interfere with the enemy, which is why the siege did not bring the desired effect. The Turks, supported by the cavalry of the Crimean Tatars, who fought outside the walls of the citadel, made frequent sorties.
On the night of July 20, several units of the army of Peter I crossed to the right bank of the main Don and, having built fortifications and armed the soldiers with artillery, were able to shell the city from the north. As close as possible to the ramparts, the Russian troops launched an assault on August 5. Azov survived. The siege continued for a long time, it was decided to re-storm. Breaking into the city through a small collapse from a mine explosion, Gordon's soldiers were crushed by Turkish troops. The attack again failed, the Turks forced the Russian troops to a general retreat. The Azov campaigns of Peter 1, in particular, the first of them, revealed errors and blunders in the command and conduct of the siege battle.
Grieved by failures and heavy losses, Peter gave the decision to end the siege: on September 28, they began to disarm the batteries, and on October 2, all troopswent to Moscow.
Sheremetyev's successes
Sheremetyev's actions on the Dnieper somewhat compensated for the bitterness of defeat in the Azov campaign. He took possession of two fortresses, ruined the citadels abandoned by the Turks. And although the failure in the main direction of hostilities forced the young emperor to pull Sheremetyev's army to the borders, his contribution to the Azov campaigns of Peter 1 was considerable.
Preparing for a new trip
Realizing the importance of achieving the set goals and analyzing the reasons for the failures, Peter 1 began preparations for the next southern campaign. He realized that the basis for the failure of this campaign was the lack of a fleet, and successful conduct of hostilities is possible only in the unified interaction of the land army and the military flotilla, capable of blocking the approaches to Azov from the sea, thereby depriving it of resupply with outside help. Peter the Great, whose years of reign were full of great events, ordered the construction of ships in Preobrazhensky and Voronezh to begin, he himself led the construction.
At the same time, regiments of the new Azov army were formed, partially reinforced by the forces of Sheremetev's troops, the recruitment of civilians and the conscription of the Cossacks. To make up for the lack of army engineering personnel, Peter turned to the heads of the allied states, Poland and Austria.
Second southern campaign
Azov campaigns of Peter 1 continued. In the spring of 1696, the army under the command of Generalissimo A. S. Shein, consisting of divisionsGenerals Gordon, Golovin and Regeman with a total number of 75 thousand people, was prepared for the Second Azov campaign. During the winter, a fleet was built, which Lefort began to command. It consisted of 2 ships, 23 galleys and 4 firewalls. Peter 1 appointed Voronezh as the collection point for the army, from where it was planned to send the main part of the troops to Azov by land, and the artillery and the remaining formations to be transported by water. The infantry set out from Moscow on March 8 and by the end of the month, having concentrated in Voronezh, began loading ships, after which the head units of the army headed for the fortress.
On May 19th, the advance units of Gordon's division landed at Novosergievsk, just above Azov. The main echelon of Russian ships controlled the movement of the Turkish fleet standing in the roadstead. After several insignificant clashes, the Turks did not dare to launch an assault force to reinforce the city. Their squadron went to sea, doing nothing to save the citadel. The garrison of the fortress did not expect a second siege. Using this omission, the Russian troops, who approached by the beginning of June, fortified the camps, occupied the well-preserved approaches and proceeded to install artillery.
Fortress siege
The second siege of Azov by Peter I was carried out much more successfully. And although the Tatars, dispersed across the steppe, periodically attacked the besiegers, the Azov garrison, isolated from the outside world, did not defend very actively. Generalissimo Shein was in charge of the siege work. The ships of Peter the Great were in the roadstead, he himself was at sea and onlysometimes moved ashore to control the course of hostilities.
Development of events
The two-week bombardment of the citadel, launched in mid-June, did not bring the desired results - the ramparts and walls did not receive serious damage. Then an extraordinary, but effective solution was found: to build a rampart higher than the fortress, move it to the wall and, having filled the moat, start the assault. It was a gigantic job. Every day, 15 thousand people were engaged in it: two shafts were built at the same time, and the outer one was intended for the installation of artillery. Austrian specialists who arrived in the army - engineers, miners and artillerymen led the work, using the latest methods of military engineering of that time.
The capture of Azov by Peter 1 in 1696
The capture of Azov happened quickly: in mid-July, tired of a long siege, the Cossacks, together with the Don Cossacks, launched a surprise attack on the citadel and, immediately taking possession of part of the earthen rampart, forced the Turks to retreat. This success decided the final outcome of the war. Thus ended the Azov campaigns of Peter 1. Having briefly and powerfully beat off several unsuccessful counterattacks, the Russian formations offered to surrender. The besieged Turks began negotiations on terms of surrender. On July 19, Peter's army entered Azov.
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this victory for Russia and the youngest tsar, who began ruling the country with the triumphant victory brought by the Azov campaigns of Peter 1. A table comparing the historical events of both campaigns shows how quickly the emperormistakes were analyzed and evaluated, how brilliantly they were corrected.
