Siege Of Ochakov (1737)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The siege of Ochakov (1737) took place during the Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39) in which the
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n army, led by
Burkhard Christoph von Münnich Burkhard Christoph Graf von Münnich (; – ) was a German-born army officer who became a field marshal and political figure in the Russian Empire. He carried out major reforms in the Russian Army and founded several elite military forma ...
, captured the Ottoman
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
of
Ochakov Ochakiv (, ), also known as Ochakov (; ; or, archaically, ) and Alektor (), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Ochakiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. ...
. It took place in 1737.


Siege

The first
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n attack was repelled with heavy losses, but as a result of heavy mortar fire, a fire broke out, and on the second day a powder magazine within the city blew up, killing around 6,000 defenders. The
fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
quickly surrendered, but the remaining defenders were massacred by the attackers despite attempting to surrender. In the ensuing slaughter, all but 3,000 of the garrison were killed. The stench of decaying corpses was such that the
Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
had to withdraw 15 miles from the fortress.


Aftermath

The Russians razed and abandoned Özi in late 1738 after a disease ravaged the Russian garrison of the fortress, killing 60,000 people. It would not be attacked again until July 1771 in a failed siege. The Russians only managed to regain Özi in December 1788.Duffy C. ''Russia's Military Way to the West: Origins and Nature of Russian Military Power 1700–1800''. Routledge & Kegan Paul Books Ltd. 1985. p. 187


Notes


References


Sources

* *Europe and the world, 1650–1830, Jeremy Black * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ochakov 1737 Conflicts in 1737 Sieges involving the Ottoman Empire Sieges involving the Russian Empire Military history of Ukraine 1737 in the Ottoman Empire 1737 in the Russian Empire 1730s in Ukraine Russo-Turkish War (1735–1739) Massacres committed by the Russian Empire Massacres in Ukraine Ottoman period in Ukraine 18th-century prisoner of war massacres Ochakiv urban hromada History of Mykolaiv Oblast 18th century in the Zaporozhian Host Building bombings in Ukraine Ammunition depot bombings Industrial fires and explosions in Ukraine Attacks on military installations in Ukraine