What started as an issue involving the rights of Christian minorities in the Holy Land, part of the Ottoman Empire led to a military conflict between Russia and the alliance made up of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom, and Sardinia is known as The Crimean War. It was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 in which Russia lost.
While Russia promoted those of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the French promoted the rights of Roman Catholics. This was happening when Ottoman Empire was on a steady decline during which, Britain and France were unwilling to have Russia gain territory, which is seen as another cause that led to the war. The Churches worked out their differences with the Ottomans and agreed, but Nicholas I of Russia and the French Emperor Napoleon III refused to back down.
Nicholas demanded that the Orthodox subjects of the Ottoman Empire be placed under his protection. Britain attempted to mediate and arranged a compromise which Nicholas agreed to. When the Ottomans demanded changes to the agreement, Nicholas renounced and prepared for the war. Having obtained promises of support from France and Britain, the Ottomans declared war on Russia in October 1853.
The Crimean war was extensively documented in written reports and photographs. The war quickly became a symbol of mismanagement, logistical, medical, and tactical failures. The war weakened the Imperial Russian Army, drained the treasury and undermined Russia's influence in Europe. It took Russia decades to recover. This led Russia to come up with major reforms and saw rapid modernization of the country as its sole way to recover the status of a European power.
So there it is, a little bit of history for this week. Stay tuned for the next.