How Tsar Peter took Azov
A. Schoonebeck. The Capture of Azov. Two horsemen in the center – Tsar Peter I and the military commander Alexei Shein.
prehistory
The Russians firmly included the Azov and northern Black Sea regions within their sphere of influence back in the period of Ancient Rus'. It was not for nothing that the Black Sea was then called "Russian." And what is now the Kerch Strait was controlled by the Russian fortresses of Tmutarakan and Korchev (now Kerch).
In the 13th century, these lands were lost and occupied by our enemies. The Russian Empire had to spend a long time, fighting a series of brutal wars, reclaiming its strategic positions.
The young Tsar Peter Alexeevich, for all his shortcomings, possessed a strategic mind. He understood that the Russian Empire must regain access to the Baltic and Black Seas. This was determined by both military-strategic and economic factors.
Russia's vast territory was cut off from its coastlines, which hindered its military and economic capabilities. The seas that washed Russia's northern and eastern shores, despite their vast expanse, were practically unusable for economic or commercial purposes. The lands of the Russian North, Siberia, and the Far East were only just beginning to be developed. Added to this was the Arctic's natural and climatic conditions. Access to warmer seas was essential.
In the 17th century, Arkhangelsk, a port on the White Sea, served as Russia's only seaport to the north. However, the sea was frozen for most of the year. Furthermore, the route from here to Western Europe was twice as long as from the Baltic. The Arkhangelsk port itself was remote from Russia's main governmental and economic centers. Highways and railways did not yet exist.
In the south, there was another port—Astrakhan—which connected Rus' with Persia and other Central Asian countries. But this was clearly not enough. For the Russian state to develop, access to the Baltic and Black Seas was essential.
Access to the Black and Azov Seas was blocked by the powerful Ottoman Empire and its vassal, the Crimean Khanate, which until relatively recently (according to historical (by standards) was a terrible enemy of all its neighbors. The mouth of the Dnieper was blocked by the Turkish fortress of Ochakov, the mouth of the Don by Azov.
Azov
Peter decided to first break through to the southern sea. Victory would strengthen Russia's position in the south and reduce the power of the rapacious Crimean feudal lords. Meanwhile, Peter Alexeevich's government continued the Russo-Turkish War, begun in 1686 by the government of Tsarevna Sophia in alliance with Poland and the Holy Roman Empire. The Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689, led by Prince Vasily Golitsyn, were unsuccessful because they were poorly prepared.
Preparations for the campaign began in early 1695. The Tsar and his circle of friends decided to change the route and goal of the campaign. Usually, Russian regiments would assemble in Belgorod and Sevsk and, with large supply trains (the steppe was deserted, and supplies were scarce), march slowly toward Crimea. They suffered from a lack of food and water (water sources were often poisoned by the Crimeans), as well as from heat and disease. Meanwhile, the steppe dwellers were "pecking" them. At Perekop, the Russian forces were already weakened, with enemy cavalry in their rear. A blockade was imminent. The Russian commanders, trying to save their army, retreated. The return march was plagued by the same difficulties, with high non-combat losses.
Now they decided to strike not at Crimea, but directly at the Ottomans—the Azov fortress. This route had several advantages: they could march through their own territory, solving the issue of supply and security; troops and supplies could be transported along the Volga and Don, freeing the army from long marches on foot and facilitating supply lines.
In early February 1695, the assembly of the local cavalry began in Belgorod, led by Boris Sheremetev. Strelets regiments set out from Moscow under the command of Patrick Gordon in early March. They were joined by soldier regiments in Tambov. Supplies were prepared in Voronezh and delivered along the Don.
On June 24, Gordon's regiments were stationed near Azov, but they did not engage in combat, awaiting the arrival of the main forces. At the end of April, the main forces of Fyodor Golovin and Franz Lefort departed from Moscow. The Tsar himself participated in the campaign as "Bombardier Peter." The regiments embarked on barges on the Moskva River and traveled along the Oka and Volga Rivers to Kamyshin. There, they disembarked and marched to Panshin, where the bend of the Don River came closest to the Volga. From Panshin to Azov, the troops traveled by water. On June 29, the main forces joined Gordon's vanguard. The Russian army numbered approximately 30 men.
The siege began on July 2. The fortress was manned by a 7-strong Turkish garrison under the command of Hasan Arslan Bey.
Tsar Peter was confident of success. However, the operation failed. The main reason was that the Azov fortress was not isolated from the sea (the Russians lacked a naval flotilla), and the Turks received reinforcements and supplies by sea. The Ottomans, after the Don Cossacks took the fortress with a daring attack in 1637, had fortified it well. Upstream, they closed off the Don River with two watchtowers, chains stretched between them, preventing ships from exiting the river into the sea. The Turks also built Fort Lyutik on the northern branch of the Don, the so-called Dead Donets.
Furthermore, the lack of a unified command was a hindrance. The Russians had three corps, three commanders—Gordon, Lefort, and Golovin. Everyone was trying to dominate, getting in each other's way, and not supporting the other corps. Peter, acting as bombardier, was impatient, insisting on an assault even though he was poorly prepared.
The siege also revealed the poor engineering skills of the Russian troops and the lack of adequate specialists among the foreign mercenaries. The mines laid as far as the enemy fortifications did no damage, but instead led to losses for our troops.
On July 14, the Russians captured one watchtower, but the enemy abandoned the second the following day. Thirty-two guns were captured from both towers. That same day, the Turks, aided by a Dutch defector, Jacob Jansen, made a successful sortie. Gordon had difficulty restoring order to the troops. Losses were high—hundreds of soldiers.
On August 5, soldiers, supported by Cossacks, launched a poorly prepared assault. There were no breaches in the ramparts or walls, and no assault ladders. The assault was repelled. Gordon's column broke through the rampart, but its success was not supported by Lefort and Golovin's columns. When the Ottomans overthrew Gordon's column, others attacked, but it was too late. The resulting losses were high—1500 men.
The second assault, which began on September 25, failed in a similar fashion. Fyodor Apraksin and his Semyonovites, Preobrazhensky, and Don Cossacks managed to break through the ramparts into the city, but due to a lack of coordination, their success was not sustained. The Turks managed to regroup their forces and launched a counteroffensive. Apraksin withdrew his troops.
On October 20, the siege was lifted. The garrison was left in the captured Azov Towers, which were renamed Novosergievsky City.
Meanwhile, Sheremetev, supported by Mazepa's Little Russian Cossacks (around 60 men in total), successfully fought on the Dnieper. His troops captured four advanced Turkish fortresses: Kazi-Kermen, Mustrit-Kermen, Aslan-Kermen, and Muberek-Kermen. This created a bridgehead for a further offensive.
Some errors
The first lesson of Azov was a difficult one. The army suffered serious losses, including during the retreat—due to raids by Crimean cavalry and bad weather (frosts and the first snow). Real war, with its hardships and casualties, and fierce enemy resistance, did not forgive mistakes.
Peter knew how to learn from his mistakes and correct them. He didn't give in to despair; on the contrary, he became vigorous in his work. He demonstrated tenacity and determination, and he forced others to join him. He immediately began building a flotilla capable of blockading Azov from the sea. He sent out decrees demanding that shipwrights and carpenters from Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh, and other cities and towns be sent to Moscow.
The Tsar appointed two military leaders instead of three equal commanders. The ground forces were led by Generalissimo Alexei Shein, and the fleet — the Tsar's favorite, Lefort. However, the new commanders showed no particular military talent. The boyar Shein was an ordinary courtier, and the Swiss Lefort preferred feasting to working. He arrived at Azov later than everyone else and departed earlier than everyone else, never assuming command of the fleet. But Shein and Lefort were mere figureheads; the Tsar was in charge.
By November 27, mobilization had already been announced in Moscow—the mustering of the local cavalry in Preobrazhenskoye by December 1. In January 1696, the tsar introduced an innovation: all volunteers, not just nobles, could report to Preobrazhenskoye. For example, serfs living in Moscow were drawn there, thereby gaining their freedom. At the same time, a recruitment effort was underway for foreign specialists with an understanding of engineering. Specifically, 12 Austrian officers, artillerymen, and miners were hired.
Construction began on river-sea vessels suitable not only for transporting troops and cargo, but also for combat. Pyotr Alekseevich personally oversaw this project, even toiling with an axe in hand. In Kozlov, Dobry, Sokolsk, and Voronezh, over 20 carpenters were to construct over 1300 barges by the start of the navigation season. In Preobrazhenskoye, 23 galleys were being built, which would be delivered disassembled to Voronezh. This enormous undertaking, which astonished even contemporaries, was accomplished in a remarkably short time.
Voronezh became the assembly point for the army: 46 soldiers, plus Cossacks and Kalmyk cavalry. In total, they planned to assemble around 70 men near Azov.
Peter the Great in 1696. The Capture of Azov. British artist Robert Ker Porter.
Taking the fortress
At the end of April 1696, boats and galleys carrying soldiers and strelets began to depart from Voronezh. The Tsar himself departed on May 3. On May 15, Peter arrived in Cherkessk, where he learned from the Cossacks that they had attempted to board two enemy ships. The Tsar wanted to attack them, but was forced to abandon the idea when they discovered an entire enemy flotilla of 20 galleys and numerous smaller vessels. At the time, Peter had only 9 galleys and 40 Cossack boats.
Nevertheless, the Don Cossacks again attacked the Ottomans themselves: they burned one galley, the Turks sank a second, and also burned nine smaller vessels. After this blow, the Ottoman flotilla retreated, unable to land reinforcements at Azov. The Cossacks captured substantial booty. The victory won by the Cossacks on May 20 had significant operational significance. The Azov fortress lost the support of the Turkish navy and received no reinforcements or supplies. The Turkish garrison was demoralized by the fact that it was blockaded from the sea and had nowhere to retreat.
The fact that the Ottoman command clearly didn't expect to see the Russians at Azov so soon also played a role. The fortifications weren't reinforced, and reinforcements and supplies weren't delivered in time.
On May 27, the Russian flotilla blockaded Azov from the sea. The siege began on May 28. Apparently believing the Russians wouldn't arrive so soon, the Ottomans didn't even fill or destroy the old siege trenches. This facilitated and accelerated the Russian engineering preparations. The Tatar cavalry, which attempted to disrupt the siege, was driven off by Russian landed cavalry.
The Ottomans awaited the arrival of strong reinforcements (4 soldiers) with a fleet. The Russian galleys prepared for battle. However, the Turkish commander did not dare engage the Russian ships.
The fortress, deprived of naval support, did not hold out for long. On June 16, when the siege works were completed and the batteries were prepared for bombardment, a peace envoy was sent to the fortress demanding surrender. He was met with gunfire. The battle began. artillery Preparations: the Turkish artillery had been suppressed, the city was burning. A mobile rampart was quickly advanced toward Azov, covering our troops and from which it was possible to scale the city ramparts.
The assault was scheduled for July 22. But on the 18th, the Ottoman commanders, to avoid extermination, offered to surrender themselves. The terms of the surrender were honorable: the Turkish troops would leave the fortress with personal weapons, "with all their property and belongings." Residents were also allowed to leave the city freely. Only one demand was categorical: the surrender of the defector and traitor Jacob Jansen, who by this time had managed to "become a Muslim"—convert to Islam and enlist in the Janissaries. The Ottomans argued for a while, but eventually agreed to hand him over.
On July 19, 1696, the Turkish garrison abandoned the fortress. On the 20th, the Turks boarded their ships and departed for Porto. That same day, Peter hosted a traditional feast. The Tsar wrote to his closest boyar, Romodanovsky, who was replacing him in Moscow:
Be it known to you, sovereign, that the Lord God has blessed your sovereign weapons, since yesterday, through your prayers and happiness, the Azovites, seeing the final crush, surrendered... The traitor Yakushka was given back alive.
Thus, the Russians returned to the Azov region, gained control of the Don River mouth and access to the Sea of Azov. It was a strategic victory.
The Tsar immediately began fortifying Azov in case of a Turkish attack. He also sought a harbor for the fleet: access to the sea near Azov depended on the wind direction—the north wind pushed the sea so hard that it became very shallow. On July 27, Peter Alexeevich found a good spot. It was Taganrog. That same year, construction began on a naval fleet that would help Russia break through to the Black Sea.
This was Tsar Peter's first major victory. He wanted to celebrate it well and commissioned the construction of a triumphal arch in Moscow. Upon receiving word that the arch would not be ready until the second half of September, the Tsar was in no hurry to return to the capital. He left Azov on August 15, stopping en route at the estates of his nobles and visiting two metallurgical plants, where he himself acted as a blacksmith.
At the end of September, the Tsar arrived in Kolomenskoye, along with the troops participating in the campaign. At the entrance to the Stone Bridge from Zamoskvorechye, a gate no less than 10 meters high was erected, decorated with sculptures, artistic weapons, and texts from ancient mythology and history. The vault and pediment of the arch were supported by colossal figures of Hercules and Mars. The following inscriptions were placed in three places along the vault: “I came, I saw, I won”.
"Moscow defeats the Hagarians, bravely driving them away for many miles.", read the inscription on the triumphal arch of 1696.
Moscow witnessed a previously unheard-of spectacle. A veritable social festival. A military column stretched across the entire city. Shein and Lefort served as honorary commanders. Behind Lefort followed the Tsar himself, wearing German dress and carrying a partisan. Muscovites were astonished to see Peter the Great walking, while Admiral Lefort followed in a luxurious carriage (he was suffering from a leg wound).
At the triumphal gate, Vinius greeted Lefort with poetry. The greeting was accompanied by artillery salutes. Soldiers dragged Turkish banners along the ground. A prominent place was given to the traitor Yakushka, who was carried in a cart, dressed in Ottoman garb, shackled, and bearing the inscription: "Villain"On October 7, Jansen was brutally tortured and executed in Preobrazhenskoye.
Pyotr Alekseevich understood that the capture of Azov was only the beginning of a greater undertaking. He told his generals:
Now, thank God, we already have one corner of the Black Sea, and in time, perhaps, we will have it all.
To the remark that this was very difficult, the king replied:
Not suddenly, but little by little.
He understood that a difficult battle lay ahead for access to the Black (Russian) Sea. Unfortunately, Peter would never be able to achieve this goal. Russia would devote all its forces to the Baltic.
In 1697, during Tsar Peter's stay in Amsterdam, he commissioned the medalist of the Utrecht Mint, Jan Boskam, to make a medal for the capture of Azov with the following inscriptions on the obverse (front side) and reverse (back side): "Peter Alekseevich, ruler of Moscow, ever-growing"; "The winner of lightning and waves"Almost the entire edition of the medal was sold abroad. It was subsequently copied numerous times by other artists. During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, medalist Johann Lefken produced his own version (from F. Alekseev's medal), distinguished by its original portrait type of Peter I.
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