The Russo-Ottoman alliance was a

defensive alliance A defense pact ( Commonwealth spelling: defence pact) is a type of treaty or military alliance in which the signatories promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.Volker Krause, J. David Singer "Minor Powers, Alliances, And ...

between the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

directed against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

between 1799 and 1806, during the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

. The first treaty of defensive alliance, including secret clauses, was signed on . That was complemented by the Anglo-Ottoman alliance, formed later that month. The alliance was renewed on . French victory over Russia in the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, First French Empire, France and French client republic, its client states under Napoleon I an ...

caused a shift in Ottoman policy away from Russia and towards France.

Selim III Selim III (; ; was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. Regarded as an enlightened ruler, he was eventually deposed and imprisoned by the Janissaries, who placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV (). A group of a ...

refused to ratify the treaty signed in September 1805. By February 1806, Russian warships were being blocked from the

Turkish Straits The Turkish Straits () are two internationally significant waterways in northwestern Turkey. The Straits create a series of international passages that connect the Aegean and Mediterranean seas to the Black Sea. They consist of the Dardanelles ...

. In October, Russia invaded the Ottoman Empire and in December the Ottomans formally declared war. The Russo-Ottoman War lasted until 1812. In March 1812, Russia demanded an alliance as part of the treaty to end the war, which was rejected by the Ottomans, who preferred neutrality. It did not find its way into the Treaty of Bucharestm which formally ended the Russo-Ottoman War in May.

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* * * * * * {{Straits Question navbox Treaties of the Russian Empire Treaties of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire–Russian Empire relations 1799 establishments in Europe 1799 establishments in Asia 1806 disestablishments in Europe Napoleonic Wars treaties

See also

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