Crimean War Timeline

(October 1853 – February 1856)

The Crimean War was a military conflict fought from October 1853 to February 1856, in which the Russian Empire lost to an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, Britain, and Sardinia. The war arose from disputes over the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land and Russian expansion into the declining Ottoman Empire. It is remembered for the Siege of Sevastopol, the Battle of Balaclava (including the famous Charge of the Light Brigade), and pioneering nursing reforms by Florence Nightingale. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Causes and Prelude

Russia occupies Danubian Principalities

Jul 2, 1853

Tsar Nicholas I ordered Russian troops to occupy the Ottoman vassal states of Moldavia and Wallachia, pressuring the Ottomans over disputes regarding the protection of Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land. The occupation alarmed Britain and France and pushed Europe toward war.

Image source: Danubian Principalities

Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia

Oct 4, 1853

After Russia ignored an ultimatum to withdraw from the Danubian Principalities, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, beginning the armed phase of the Eastern Question crisis that would escalate into the Crimean War.

Image source: Crimean War

Major Battles and Campaigns

Battle of Oltenița

Oct 23, 1853

The first engagement of the Crimean War saw Ottoman forces under Omar Pasha cross the Danube and defeat a Russian force at Oltenița in Wallachia. Though tactically minor, the victory boosted Ottoman morale across Europe.

Image source: Battle of Oltenița

Battle of Sinop

Nov 30, 1853

A Russian squadron under Admiral Nakhimov annihilated an Ottoman fleet anchored at Sinop on the Black Sea coast, killing thousands. The destruction of wooden ships by explosive shells shocked public opinion in Britain and France and spurred their intervention in the war.

Image source: Battle of Sinop

Siege of Silistra begins

Apr 5, 1854 - Jun 24, 1854

Russian forces besieged the Ottoman fortress of Silistra on the Danube for nearly three months. Stubborn Ottoman defense, aided by British and French officers, forced the Russians to abandon the siege as diplomatic pressure mounted.

Image source: Siege of Silistra (1828)

Allied landings at Varna

Jun 28, 1854

British and French troops landed at Varna in Bulgaria to support the Ottomans against Russia. Cholera ravaged the Allied army there, and after Austria's ultimatum removed the need for action in the Principalities, the Allies turned toward Crimea.

Image source: Varna, Bulgaria

Allied invasion fleet lands in Crimea

Sep 14, 1854

Around 60,000 British, French, and Turkish troops landed at Kalamita Bay north of Sevastopol, beginning the invasion of the Crimean Peninsula aimed at destroying the Russian Black Sea Fleet and its naval base.

Battle of the Alma

Sep 20, 1854

The first major battle of the war saw Allied forces cross the Alma River and defeat General Menshikov's Russian army defending the heights above it. The victory opened the road to Sevastopol but the Allies failed to pursue decisively.

Image source: Battle of the Alma

Flank march around Sevastopol begins

Sep 25, 1854

Rather than assault Sevastopol immediately while its defenses were weak, the Allies executed a slow flank march south of the city, giving Russian engineer Todleben crucial time to fortify the defenses that would resist siege for nearly a year.

Image source: Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)

First bombardment of Sevastopol

Oct 17, 1854

Allied artillery opened a massive bombardment of Sevastopol's defenses, damaging forts but failing to silence Russian guns, which were repaired nightly. Repeated bombardments would punctuate the eleven-month siege.

Battle of Balaclava

Oct 25, 1854

Russian forces attacked the Allied supply port at Balaclava. The battle featured the 'Thin Red Line' of Highlanders and the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade, a misdirected cavalry assault against massed Russian artillery that became a symbol of heroic blunder.

Image source: Battle of Balaclava

Charge of the Light Brigade

Oct 25, 1854

Due to ambiguous orders, Lord Cardigan's light cavalry charged directly into a valley raked by Russian guns. Of roughly 670 riders, over a hundred were killed and many more wounded or captured, immortalized by Tennyson's poem 'The Charge of the Light Brigade.'

Image source: Charge of the Light Brigade

Battle of Inkerman

Nov 5, 1854

Fought in dense fog, this brutal 'soldiers' battle' saw Russian sorties from Sevastopol repulsed by British and French troops in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. The failed Russian offensive ended hopes of quickly lifting the siege.

Image source: Battle of Inkerman

Great Storm devastates Allied camps

Nov 14, 1854

A violent hurricane wrecked supply ships carrying winter clothing and food for the Allied armies besieging Sevastopol. Combined with inadequate logistics, the storm plunged the British army into a catastrophic winter of disease, starvation, and exposure.

Image source: Great Storm of 1854

Battle of Eupatoria

Feb 17, 1855

Russian field commander Liprandi launched a costly assault on the Ottoman-held town of Eupatoria and was decisively repulsed. The failure undermined Russian morale and led to the dismissal of commander Menshikov.

Image source: Battle of Eupatoria

Battle of Malakoff's approaches: Redan assaults fail

Jun 18, 1855

A coordinated Allied assault on the Malakoff and Redan strongpoints on the anniversary of Waterloo ended in bloody repulse, with heavy British casualties at the Redan, deepening tensions between French and British commands.

Battle of the Chernaya

Aug 16, 1855

Russian Field Marshal Gorchakov launched a final attempt to break the siege by attacking Allied positions along the Chernaya River. French, Sardinian, and Turkish troops routed the attack, extinguishing Russian hopes of relieving Sevastopol.

Image source: Battle of the Chernaya

Fall of Sevastopol

Sep 8, 1855

French troops stormed and captured the key Malakoff redoubt, making the city untenable; the Russians scuttled their remaining fleet and withdrew across a pontoon bridge to the northern side. The fall of Sevastopol effectively decided the war.

Capture of Kinburn

Oct 17, 1855

An Anglo-French naval force bombarded and captured the Russian fortress of Kinburn at the mouth of the Dnieper, using ironclad floating batteries in combat for the first time — a milestone in naval warfare.

Image source: Battle of Kinburn (1855)

Diplomacy and Treaties

Anglo-French fleet enters the Black Sea

Jan 3, 1854

In response to the massacre at Sinop, Britain and France sent their fleets into the Black Sea to protect Ottoman shipping, effectively placing them on a collision course with Russia despite both nations not yet being formally at war.

Britain and France declare war on Russia

Mar 27, 1854

After Russia rejected an ultimatum to evacuate the Danubian Principalities, Britain and France formally declared war, transforming the Russo-Ottoman conflict into a major European war involving the great powers.

Austria pressures Russia to leave the Principalities

Jun 3, 1854 - Aug 31, 1854

Austria, mobilizing along its frontier and threatening to join the Allies, demanded Russian withdrawal from Moldavia and Wallachia. Tsar Nicholas I complied, with Austrian troops occupying the principalities, removing one cause of the war but not ending it.

Sardinia joins the Allied coalition

Jan 26, 1855

The Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont under Cavour declared war on Russia and sent about 18,000 troops to Crimea, seeking a seat at the peace conference and great-power backing for Italian unification ambitions.

Image source: Kingdom of Sardinia

Nicholas I dies; Alexander II becomes Tsar

Mar 2, 1855

Tsar Nicholas I died during the war, reportedly of pneumonia, and was succeeded by his son Alexander II. The new tsar eventually accepted the need to seek peace, though he first allowed continued defense of Sevastopol.

Image source: Alexander II of Russia

Austria issues ultimatum threatening war with Russia

Dec 16, 1855

Austria presented Russia with harsh peace terms backed by an ultimatum: accept them or face Austrian entry into the war. Isolated diplomatically and exhausted militarily, Alexander II chose to negotiate.

Congress of Paris opens

Feb 25, 1856

Delegates from Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, Sardinia, Austria, and Prussia convened in Paris to negotiate peace, marking a new era of multilateral European diplomacy.

Image source: Congress of Paris (1856)

Treaty of Paris signed

Mar 30, 1856

The Treaty of Paris ended the Crimean War. Russia ceded southern Bessarabia, renounced claims to protect Ottoman Christians, and all powers guaranteed Ottoman independence. The Black Sea was neutralized, banning Russian and Ottoman warships and arsenals there.

Aftermath and Legacy

Florence Nightingale arrives at Scutari

Nov 21, 1854

Florence Nightingale arrived with a team of nurses at the British base hospital at Scutari near Constantinople, where she dramatically improved sanitation and care. Her work reduced mortality rates and founded modern professional nursing.

Image source: Florence Nightingale

Victoria Cross established

Jan 29, 1856

Queen Victoria instituted the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry, largely inspired by acts of valor reported from the Crimean War. It remains the most prestigious decoration in the British honors system.

Image source: Victoria Cross

Ottoman Reform Edict (Hatt-ı Hümayun) issued

Feb 18, 1856

Issued partly under Allied pressure as part of the peace settlement, the Hatt-ı Hümayun promised equality for all Ottoman subjects regardless of religion, launching a new phase of Tanzimat reforms in the empire.

Image source: Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856

Key Facts

The Crimean War (1853–1856) pitted the Russian Empire against an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France, and Sardinia.
The war began over disputes between Russia and the Ottoman Empire regarding protection of Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and Russian influence over Ottoman territories.
The Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) was the war's defining campaign, lasting nearly a year before Russian forces abandoned the city.
Florence Nightingale's work during the war revolutionized battlefield nursing and modern healthcare practices, dramatically reducing death rates among wounded soldiers.
The Treaty of Paris (1856) ended the war, forcing Russia to demilitarize the Black Sea and marking a shift in European power dynamics that would shape politics for decades.

Source

This Crimean War timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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