Capture of Giurgiu (1771)
| Capture of Giurgiu (1771) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) | |||||||
 The Giurgiu Clocktower built amidst the Russo-Turkish war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ottoman Empire |
 Russian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Mehmed Pasha |
Second-Major Genzel | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Over 14,000 | Near 1,000 | ||||||
  Location within Europe  Capture of Giurgiu (1771) (Romania) | |||||||
The capture of Giurgiu[a] was a military siege undertaken by the Ottomans between 27 and 29 May 1771 against the city of Giurgiu, occupied by the Russians since February. The siege was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.[2]
Prelude
[edit]Pyotr Olitz marched onto Giurgiu with thousands of troops and captured it three months ago in a siege that lasted from 17 and 24 February 1711. Olitz left Second-Major Genzel in charge of the garrison and returned to Bucharest.[3]
Aware that Giurgiu was inadequately garrisoned, Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha ordered the build-up of soldiers in Rusçuk, which was very close to Giurgiu. On 25 and 26 May, the pasha landed his troops in the town of Slobozia and on an island opposite Giurgiu.[4]
Siege
[edit]On 20 February, a small Ottoman artillery unit was advanced to the outer walls of Giurgiu, where they started firing and thus commenced the siege. Instead of utilising the numerous fortress cannons to neutralise the Turkish battery, Genzel opted to launch a sortie. This attempt of pushing the Turks back was unsuccessful, forcing Genzel to retreat back into the citadel, which allowed the Ottoman cavalry and infantry to advance all the way to the opposite end of the citadel bridge.[4]
Nikolai Vasilyevich Repnin set out from Bucharest to assist Genzel, assuming that he could defend Giurgiu for around two weeks. However, by 29 May, Genzel’s forces had suffered significant casualties, leaving him with only 379 men fit to fight. The Turkish artillery had also cut the chains that controlled the citadel's drawbridge, meaning the only barrier preventing the Turks from entering was the Russian canister shots directed across the lowered drawbridge. Consequently, Genzel was forced to surrender on 29 May, securing a promise of safe evacuation. Repnin arrived at the outskirts of Giurgiu only hours later, only to discover it was occupied by 14,000 Turks, prompting him to retreat back to Bucharest.[2]
Aftermath
[edit]After learning on 2 June that Genzel had surrendered Giurgiu, Pyotr Rumyantsev had Genzel, as well as officers Koliubakin and Ushakov, tried by a military court. Although they were sentenced to death by shooting, this was commuted and they were instead stripped of their military ranks. Their properties were also confiscated.[1]
Giurgiu was attacked once again by the Russians under the command of Reinhold-Wilhelm Ivanovich von Essen on 7 August, which ended in failure.[5] The final engagement in Giurgiu during the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) was a battle on 12 September 1771, which resulted in an Ottoman victory.[6]
Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b Davies 2016, p. 169.
- ^ a b Davies 2016, pp. 168–169.
- ^ Davies 2016, pp. 167–168.
- ^ a b Davies 2016, p. 168.
- ^ Imber, Colin (2002). The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power. New York City: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 55. ISBN 9780333613863.
- ^ von Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph. Çevik, Mümin (ed.). Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi [Great Ottoman History] (in Turkish). Vol. 16. Translated by Özdek, Refik. Istanbul: Üçdal Neşriyat. p. 186.
References
[edit]- Davies, Brian L. (2016). The Russo-Turkish War, 1768–1774: Catherine II and the Ottoman Empire. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472512932.