Siege of Pleven
Part of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78
Date: July 20–December 10, 1877 Location: Pleven, Bulgaria Result: Russian victory Casus belli: {{{casus}}} Territory changes: {{{territory}}}
Combatants
Russia, Romania	Ottoman Empire
Commanders
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolai Krudener King Carol I of Romania	Osman Pasha
Strength
100,000	30,000
Casualties
38,000 killed, wounded or captured	40,000 killed, wounded or captured
{{{notes}}}

Map

The Siege of Pleven (or Plevna) during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78, saw a major struggle in what would become Bulgaria between the joint army of Russia and Romania; and the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish defense held up the main Russian advance southwards into Bulgaria. Eventually superior Russian numbers forced the garrison to capitulate. Plevna Monument near the walls of Kitai-gorod. ... Reduta Grivita 1877 This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about a town in Bulgaria. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich (July 27, 1831 - April 13, 1891) was the third son and sixth child of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. ... Carol I, original name Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (April 20, 1839 - October 10, 1914) was elected Domnitor (prince) of Romania in April 1866 following the overthrow of Alexander John Cuza, and proclaimed king on March 26, 1881. ... The Battle of Lovcha, or Loftcha, was a battle of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 which occurred during the siege of Pleven. ... In an effort to reduce the fortress of Pleven quicker, Russian forces began targetting garrisons along the Turkish supply and communications route. ... Image File history File links from ROUMANIA PAST AND PRESENT, by James Samuelson (1882) digitalized by Univ. ... Image File history File links from ROUMANIA PAST AND PRESENT, by James Samuelson (1882) digitalized by Univ. ... Plevna Monument near the walls of Kitai-gorod. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40...

Background

In July, 1877 the Russian Army, under the command of Grand Duke Nicholas, moved toward the Danube River virtually unopposed, since the Turks had no sizeable force in the area. The Turkish high command sent an army to reinforce the city of Nikopol under the command of Osman Pasha. Before Osman reached Nikopol, the Russian vanguard easily took the city in the Battle of Nikopol (16 July 1877) and Osman settled on Pleven to the south. Hours after Osman constructed fortifications Russian forces began to arrive. July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich (July 27, 1831 - April 13, 1891) was the third son and sixth child of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. ... Length 2,888 km Elevation of the source 1,078 m Average discharge 30 km before Passau: 580 m³/s Vienna: 1,900 m³/s Budapest: 2,350 m³/s just before Delta: 6,500 m³/s Area watershed 817,000 km² Origin Black Forest (Schwarzwald-Baar, Baden- Württemberg, Germany... Nikopol is a town in North Bulgaria, Pleven Province, on the Danube river. ... The Battle of Nikopol, or Nicopolis, was one of the early battles of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... This article is about a town in Bulgaria. ...

The Siege

First Battle

General Schilder Schuldner, commanding the Russian 5th Division, IX Corps, received orders to simply occupy Pleven. Schuldner arrived outside the city on July 19 and began to bombard the Turkish defenses but made no attack. The next day the Schuldner attacked and succeeded in driving the Turks from some of the outer defenses. Osman brought up reinforcements and launched a series of counter-attacks which drove the Russians from the captured trenches, inflicting 2,800 casualties at a cost of 2,000. July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ...

Second Battle

Both sides brought up reinforcements. General Nikolai Krudener arrived with the entire Russian IX Corps and Osman's forces grew to 20,000. On July 30 Russian headquarters ordered Krudener to assault the city. Krudener had a cavalry division under General Schakofsky and an infantry division under General Mikhail Skobelev. Schakofsky attacked the eastern redoubts and Skobelev assailed the Gravitza redoubt to the north. Schakofsky managed to take two redoubts, but by the end of the day the Turks succeeded in repulsing all the attacks and retaking lost ground. Russian losses amounted to 7,300 and the Turks lost 2,000. July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev (Russian: ) (September 29, 1843 – July 7, 1882; September 17, 1843 — June 25, 1882, O.S.) was a Russian general famous for his conquest of Central Asia and heroism during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. ...

Third Battle

After repulsing the Russian attacks, Osman failed to press his advantage and possibly to drive off the besiegers. He did however make a cavalry sortie on August 31 which cost the Russian 1,300 casualties and the Turks 1,000. The Russians continued to send reinforcements to Pleven, and their army reached 100,000 men, now personally led by the Grand Duke. On September 3, Skobelev reduced the garrison at Lovech guarding the Turkish supply-lines before Osman could move out to relieve it. see main article: Battle of Lovcha. The Turks organized the survivors of Lovech into 3 battalions for the Pleven defenses. Osman received an additional 13 battalions, bringing his total strength to 30,000; the highest it would reach during the siege. August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich (July 27, 1831 - April 13, 1891) was the third son and sixth child of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. ... The Battle of Lovcha, or Loftcha, was a battle of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 which occurred during the siege of Pleven. ...

On September 11 the Russians made a large-scale assault on Pleven. Skobelev took two southern redoubts and a Romanian division took the Gravitza redoubt. The next day the Turks retook the southern redoubts, but could not dislodge the Romanians. From the beginning of September Russian losses had amounted to roughly 20,000, while the Turks lost 5,000. September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ...

Plevna Chapel on St Elijah's Square in Moscow, opened in 1882, commemorates the Russian soldiers who died in the Battle of Pleven.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x762, 184 KB) 19th-century postcard of Pleven Monument on Old Square in Moscow. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x762, 184 KB) 19th-century postcard of Pleven Monument on Old Square in Moscow. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: ▶ (help· info)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ...

Fourth Battle

Growing Russian casualties put a halt to frontal assaults. General Eduard Ivanovich Todleben arrived to oversee the conduct of the siege as the army chief of staff. Todleben had proven command experience in siege warfare: he had previously gained renown for his defense of Sevastopol (1854 - 1855) during the Crimean War. He decided on a complete encirclement of the city and of its defenders and by October 24 the Russians and Romanians had completely surrounded Pleven. Osman requested permission to abandon Pleven and retreat, but the Ottoman high command did not allow him to do so. Supplies began to run low in the city and Osman finally made an attempt to break the Russian siege in the direction of Opanets. On December 9 Osman crossed the Vid River, attacked on a 2-mile front and broke through the first line of Russian trenches. Outnumbering the Turks almost 5 to 1, the Russians drove the Turks back across the Vid and wounded Osman in the process. Making a brief stand, the Turks eventually found themselves driven back into the city, losing 5,000 men to the Russians' 2,000. The next day Osman surrendered the city, the garrison and his sword to the Romanian colonel Mihail Cerchez. The number of Ottoman prisoners-of-war captured at Pleven exceeded 2100 officers and 43000 soldiers. Eduard Ivanovich Totleben (or Todleben) (May 20, 1818 - July 1, 1884), Count, general, was a famous Russian military engineer. ... The term Chief of Staff can refer to: The White House Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ... The Siege of Sebastapol (or Sevastapol, more correctly), was a major siege during the Crimean War, from 1854- 1855. ... Sevastopol (Севастополь, Sevastopol’ in Russian and Ukrainian; Aqyar in Crimean Tatar), formerly known as Sebastopol (from a mistransliteration of the Russian v), is a port city in Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimean peninsula at , . It has a population of 328,600 (2004). ... Combatants United Kingdom, France, Ottoman Empire, Sardinia Imperial Russia Commanders Strength 250,000 British 400,000 French 10,000 Sardinian 1,200,000 Russian Casualties 17,500 British 30,000 French 2,050 Sardinian killed and wounded 256,000 killed and wounded {{{notes}}} The Crimean War lasted from 28 March... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... High command may refer to: Chain of command Commander-in-Chief Defence minister NeoCracer Category: Disambiguation ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Results

The siege had held up the main Russian advance into Bulgaria and captured the world's admiration. The fall of Pleven freed up Russian reinforcements sent to Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko, who decisively defeated the Turks in the fourth battle of Shipka Pass. Field Marshal Joseph Gourko Count Joseph Vladimirovich Romeyko-Gourko (the first name is also sometimes transliterated Ossip) (1828-1901) was a Russian Field Marshal prominent during the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. ... Battle of Shipka Pass Conflict Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78 Date January 5-9, 1878 Place Shipka Village, Bulgaria Result Decisive Russian victory The Battle of Shipka Pass from January 5-9 was the finaly battle for Shipka Pas and a crushing Russian victory during the Russo-Turkish War of...

See also

• Battles of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78

Chronological listing of the battles of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878 // List of Battles Key: (R) - Russian victory; (O) - Ottoman victory; (I) - Inconclusive 1877 6/25 - Battle of Kizil-Tepe; Russian attempt at besieging Kars is driven off (O) 6/26 - Battle of Simnitza; Russians begin crossing the Danube...

Sources

• http://www.xenophongi.org/rushistory/battles/plevna2.htm
• Compton's Home Library: Battles of the World CD-ROM