Azov campaign in 1696 who won. The first Azov campaigns of Peter I the Great. Preparing for a new campaign

Reasons for the Azov campaigns of Peter I

Among the main reasons for the Azov campaigns of Peter I were the gradual growth of the Moscow state, the strengthening of its internal unity and the increase in military power. They allowed Russia to put on the agenda the question of moving its southern border to its natural border on the Black Sea coast. Acting with great persistence, consistency and caution, Muscovite Russia moved step by step the border to the south, to the Belgorod line, consolidated the traversed space by setting up defensive lines and colonizing the southern outskirts, concentrated the main mass of its armed forces there, and in the second half of the 17th century already entered into a struggle with Turkey and its vanguard - the predatory Crimean Khanate. It is believed that during the XIV-XVII centuries, the Crimean Tatars drove about three or even five million people from the Russian lands into slavery. The need to resist this brutal hunt for people was also an important reason for the Azov campaigns of Peter I. At the end of the 17th century, neither Chigirin hikes the era of Alexei Mikhailovich and Fyodor Alekseevich, nor Crimean campaigns book. V. V. Golitsyna, did not lead to positive results, and the issue of a strong Russian consolidation on the Black Sea shores, remained unresolved, was passed on to the legacy of the leaders of the 18th century. Peter I, who appeared at the turn of two centuries, from among the questions of foreign policy, first of all sharply raised the southern question, focusing on it primarily attention. The consequence of this attention was Azov campaigns1695-96 years.

Moscow's war with Turkey and Crimea began in the 1670s. Russia participated in it as one of the members of a broad Christian coalition, which included a number of strong European powers. In the 1690s. Russia's allies, Poland and Austria, agreed with Turkey on the terms of peace, without taking into account Russia's interests. Then Peter I opened direct negotiations with the Crimean Khan, demanding payment of tribute, free navigation of Russian ships in the Azov and Black Seas and an end to raids. The Tatars challenged the proposed conditions and dragged out the negotiations until 1694, when Peter I finally decided to achieve the fulfillment of his demands by force of arms. The main target of the attack, Peter I, like the Don Cossacks in 1637-1642, chose Azov, the capture of which gave Russia access to the Sea of ​​Azov, provided the opportunity to build a navy and create a strong starting point for further actions against the Crimea and Turkey.

The first Azov campaign of Peter I (1695)

To divert the enemy's attention away from Azov, it was decided to resort to a demonstration. On January 20, 1695, a gathering of military men of the old order to Belgorod and Sevsk "for fishing over the Crimea" was announced in Moscow. The command over the army prepared for the Azov campaign (120 thousand) Peter I entrusted the boyar B. P. Sheremetev, which had to wait for the appearance of grazing and the annexation of the Little Russian Cossacks, head to the lower reaches of the Dnieper.

While the Crimean army clearly gathered at the points indicated to her, in Moscow formed secretly The Azov army (31 thousand soldiers, 104 mortars, 44 squeaks), made up of three divisions of the best troops (Gordon, Lefort and Avtonom Golovin). The command of the army was not united in the same hands, military councils had to meet to discuss important issues, the decisions of which could be carried out only with the consent of the "bombardier Peter Mikhailov" (as Peter I called himself in this campaign).

At the end of April, Gordon's vanguard (9.5 thousand), concentrating in Tambov, began the Azov campaign. He moved in the steppe to Cherkassk, united there with the Don Cossacks and then continued on his way to the south. Azov, located on the left bank of the main Don branch, 15 versts from its mouth, was a fairly strong fortress at that time in the form of a quadrangle with bastions. At the end of June, Gordon approached Azov and settled in a fortified camp on the left bank of the Don in view of a fortress; to facilitate the landing of the main forces, 15 versts above Azov, at the mouth of the river. Kaisugi, he built a pier (Mytishevaya), provided with a fortification with a special garrison. Meanwhile, the main forces (20 thousand), planted in Moscow on ships, moved on the Azov voyage by river route along Moscow, Oka and Volga to Tsaritsyn, then along land to Panshin, and then again by river route along the Don to Azov, where they concentrated July 5, located south of the fortress to the Kagalnik river. The siege park and ammunition were temporarily left at the Mytisheva pier, from where they were brought to the army as needed.

The siege of Azov was launched by Gordon's vanguard on July 3, and on July 9, a heavy bombardment was carried out, the consequence of which was serious destruction in the fortress. However, the further siege progressed slowly. The lack of a sufficiently strong fleet did not allow the Russians to establish a complete blockade of the fortress, thanks to which the Azov garrison received both reinforcements and supplies by sea. The Turks, supported by the Tatar cavalry operating outside the fortress, made frequent sorties. The absence of one-man command in the Russian army and our little acquaintance with engineering were also negatively reflected in the course of the First Azov campaign of Peter I.

The plan of the siege of Azov during the campaigns 1695-1696

On the night of July 20, 1695, the forces of Peter I crossed partly to the right bank of the main Don branch, built a fortification there and armed it with artillery, thus gaining the opportunity to shell Azov from the northern side. By the end of July, the siege work was completed by 20-30 saots. to the rampart, 5 August. the assault on Azov was carried out, but unsuccessfully. After that, the siege work continued for another month and a half; On September 25, it was decided to repeat the assault. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a mine explosion produced a small landslide in the Azov wall, onto which part of the assault (Gordon's division) climbed, and after a while the Guards regiments and Don Cossacks managed to seize the river wall and break into the city from the other side.

Despite these partial successes, we still did not have to take Azov on this campaign: the Turks, taking advantage of the different timing of the assaults and the inaction of Golovin's division, consistently concentrated superior forces on the threatened sectors and eventually forced the Russians to a general retreat. Grieved by the secondary failure and heavy losses, Peter decided to end the siege. On September 28, the disarmament of the batteries began, and on October 2, 1695, the last regiments left the outskirts of Azov and moved through Cherkassk and Valuiki to Moscow. Sheremetev's actions on the Dnieper were more successful: he captured the fortresses of Kizikerman and Tagan and ravaged the fortresses abandoned by the Turks Orslan-Ordek and Shagin-Kerman; but the failure at the main theater of the First Azov campaign forced the tsar to pull the army of Sheremetev to the borders as well.

Second Azov campaign of Peter I (1696)

Deciding, however, to attain the set goal by all means and realizing a clear account of the reasons for the failure, Peter I, while the army was moving back to Moscow, began to prepare for a second campaign. The most important of the amendments to the plan of the First Azov campaign was to operate in the future not only the army, but also the fleet, which could lock Azov from the sea and deprive him of the opportunity to receive help from outside. With this in mind, Peter ordered the construction of ships in Preobrazhensky and Voronezh in the winter to begin and, in order to ensure the success of the work, became himself at the head of this business. Along with the construction of the fleet, the formation of a new Azov army went on, strengthened partly at the expense of Sheremetev's army (10 thousand Regeman), and partly by recruiting freemen and conscripting the Cossacks. Finally, to make up for the lack of experienced engineers in the army, Peter turned to his allies, the Polish king and the Austrian emperor, with a request to send him appropriately trained foreigners.

In the early spring of 1696, the army of Generalissimo A.S. Shein, consisting of 3 divisions (Gordon, Golovin and Regeman) and brought up to 75 thousand people, was completely ready for the Second Azov campaign. The newly built fleet was also ready (2 ships, 23 galleys and 4 fire-ships), transferred to the command of Admiral Lefort. Having entrusted again the production of the demonstration to the lower reaches of the Dnieper Sheremetev and hetman Mazepa, Peter I appointed Voronezh as a gathering point for the Azov army, from where most of the troops were supposed to be sent to Azov by dry route, and a smaller part, artillery and weights to be transported by river. The infantry, which departed from Moscow on March 8, concentrated in Voronezh by the end of the month and began to load the ships, which ended on April 22, 1696; the next day, the head units of the army were already moved to Azov.

On May 19, the vanguard of Gordon (3.5 thousand people, landed on 9 galleys and 40 Cossack boats) landed at Novosergievsk (3 versts above Azov), and the head echelon of ships established surveillance of the Turkish fleet standing in the roadstead. After small clashes at the mouth of the Don, the Turks at the end of May decided to send reinforcements to Azov, but as soon as our flotilla, which had already managed to concentrate by that time, began to withdraw from anchors to attack the enemy, the ships with the landing party returned. Following this, the covering squadron of the Turks, having set their sails, went out to sea and no longer did anything to rescue Azov. The garrison of the fortress, apparently, did not expect a second siege; the Turks did not take any measures to strengthen the fortresses and did not even fill up our last year's trenches. As a result, the Russian troops that approached between May 28 and June 3, 1696, having made minor corrections in the fortifications of their camps, immediately occupied the completely preserved approaches of last year and began to deploy artillery.

The siege of Azov during the Second campaign of Peter I to him was conducted much more successfully than during the First. True, the Tatars, concentrated, as before, in significant forces beyond the river. Kagalnik, from time to time, bothered the besiegers with their attacks, but the Azov garrison, dejected by the knowledge that it was cut off from communication with the outside world, defended itself much more passively than in the previous year. The direct management of the siege work came from Generalissimo Shein, since Peter I lived at sea on the Principium gallery and only sometimes went ashore to get acquainted with the course of the siege and give general instructions on further actions. On June 16, in the evening, the bombardment of the fortress began, carried out simultaneously both from the left bank and from the right, where we again occupied the fortification built during the last siege. But the shooting, which continued for two weeks, did not give noticeable results: both the ramparts and the fortress walls of Azov remained intact.

Then it was decided to build a rampart higher than that of the fortress, gradually move it to the fortress and, after filling the moat, make an assault. To carry out this gigantic work, up to 15 thousand people were appointed daily: two ramparts were built simultaneously, one after the other, and the rear one was intended for installing artillery. In early July, the long-awaited Caesar (Austrian) engineers, miners and artillerymen arrived in the army of Peter I near Azov. The arrival of the latter was especially useful: under their leadership, the shooting went much more successful and we managed to shoot down the palisade in the corner bastion.

The capture of Azov by Peter I in 1696

On July 17, the Cossacks, bored from the long siege of Azov, in agreement with the Don Cossacks (only 2 thousand Cossacks), made a surprise attack on the fortress and, having seized part of the earthen rampart, forced the Turks to retreat behind the stone fence. This success of the Cossacks finally decided the outcome of the Second Azov campaign of Peter I in our favor. After several unsuccessful counterattacks, repulsed by us with the help of reinforcements that came to the aid of the Cossacks, the Turks, discouraged and already feeling a lack of military and food supplies, began surrender negotiations, and on July 19 Russian troops entered Azov.

The results of the Azov campaigns of Peter I

The Azov campaigns had very remarkable results. They showed Peter that many shortcomings were also inherent in the troops of the new system, the elimination of which, due to a lack of knowledge, could not be helped by either the tsar himself or the foreigners around him. With this in mind, Peter decided to personally go abroad in order to acquire the necessary knowledge there, and also to encourage his allies, the Polish king and the Austrian emperor, to continue the war with Turkey. It was decided to build the fleet with the help of "kumpanstv", and to create Russian technicians - to send abroad 50 noble young people "to study architecture and ship management."

Thus, an important result of the Azov campaigns was the further military reforms of Peter I and the closer involvement of Russia in European politics. However, it was precisely this pulling of Peter into Western relations that soon reoriented his external course from south to north - from the fight against the looting of Muslims to the Northern War with the Swedes. The main initial goal of Peter (strengthening the Russian presence in the Black Sea region) was not achieved following the results of the Azov campaigns. The war in the south was not continued in a timely manner, for Peter I devoted himself entirely to the task of annexing the Baltic states. Himself occupied in 1696, Azov was lost for a long time by Russia after the unsuccessful Prut campaign in 1711.

Literature about the Azov campaigns of Peter

Leer. Review of the wars of Russia, 1898, part IV, book. I.

Ustryalov. History of the reign of Peter the Great, 1858, vol. II

Laskovsky. Materials for the history of engineering art in Russia, 1861, part II

Maslovsky. Notes on the history of V. art in Russia. 1891, at. I.

Brandenburg. Shein's Azov campaign in 1697 (V. Sat. 1868, No. 10).

Ratch. Azov campaign in 1695 (Artillery magazine, 1857, no. 5).

A. Myshlaevsky. Azov campaigns. (V. Sat. 1901, No. 1).

Russia before the Peter the Great had no outlet to the ice-free sea. This state of affairs slowed down the development of trade and partnerships with Western countries.I understood that very well. In 1693 he visited Arkhangelsk, the only city at that time with a seaport.

After his visit to Arkhangelsk, the king finally realizes that the White Sea is not enough for the development of foreign policy ties. He sees the need for Russia to reach the Black Sea, which is dominated by the Ottoman Empire.

Some time later, in January 1695, it was announced about the upcoming march to the south. For the campaign, the Russians gathered 30 thousand soldiers, who were ordered to command. Peter I was also listed in the army as a scorer.

The campaign of Russian troops to the south in Russian history was called "Azov campaigns". The beginning of the "Azov campaigns" is the first independent step of the new sovereign on his throne. Russian tsars have repeatedly undertaken campaigns to the Crimea, but time after time they have failed. Crimea remained a dream, and at the same time, a heavy reminder of Russia's weakness.

First of all, Peter I decided to strike at the Azov fortress, which was located at the mouth of the Don, and blocked the exit to the Black Sea. It was a powerful fortress surrounded by ramparts and moats. In July 1695, Russian troops began a siege. The city besieged from land continued to receive provisions and shells from the sea.

Russian troops did not have ships, and therefore the siege was not as productive as the Russian tsar would have liked. In October 1695, he gave the order to lift the siege from Azov. Despite the fact that Azov could not be taken, he does not refuse this venture. On the Voronezh River, in the place where it flows into the Don, the sovereign orders to start building warships.

Already in April 1696, two ships, 4 fire ships, 23 galleys and 1300 large boats were launched. The size of the army was doubled, the Don and Zaporozhye Cossacks were actively joining it. The second siege of Azov went off with a bang. The fortress was blocked from the sea and Russian troops were able to capture it. The Russian army got 16 Turkish battle banners, 130 cannons.

To consolidate the success of the Azov campaign, Peter I ordered the construction of the Taganrog fortress, which would become the first Russian fortress on the Sea of ​​Azov. He understood that in order to consolidate previous successes and future great victories, Russia needed to greatly increase the size of the fleet. The issue of shipbuilding was decided at a meeting of the Boyar Duma on October 20, 1696. The question was resolved: there should be a fleet! This day is considered the birthday of the Russian fleet.

The sage avoids all extremes.

Lao Tzu

The Azov campaigns began in 1695, when Peter 1 began military campaigns against the Turkish-Tatar fortress of Azov, which was located at the mouth of the Don River and was an important Azov sea port. The young tsar made it his task to lead Russia to the sea. After the first campaign was unsuccessful, Peter did not hesitate and after half a year began the second campaign. This time everything went well for Russia: for the first time, the country got access to the ice-free Sea of ​​Azov. However, further advancement to the Black Sea required a full-fledged war with the then still powerful Ottoman Empire, so Peter 1 began to prepare for a new, Northern War with Sweden. The article is devoted to the description of the reasons, course and results of the Azov campaigns, as well as the analysis of the estimates of the Azov campaigns by famous historians.

Prerequisites for the Azov campaigns

In 1689, the official reign of Peter 1 began. The young tsar saw one of his main tasks as securing an outlet for Russia to the sea. Firstly, to create a powerful fleet, and secondly, to develop trade and ensure cultural ties. There were two options: the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea. The first option required wars with Sweden and the Commonwealth. The second - with the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire. After the signing of the "Eternal Peace" with the Commonwealth in 1686, the Muscovy not only established friendly relations with its western neighbor, but also began to join the anti-Turkish coalition in Europe. As a result, the Crimean campaigns began (1687, 1689), which, however, did not bring success to Russia. However, the wars of the Turkish army in Europe, as well as the powerful alliance of Poland, Austria and the Venetian Republic against Turkey, significantly weakened the Ottoman Porto.

Reasons, goals and objectives of the parties

After Peter came to power, he decided to continue the previous direction of foreign policy, referring to the possible weakening of the Turkish-Tatar power. However, the Turkish-Tatar fortress of Azov was chosen as a new target. Peter literally raved about the sea, so the Azov campaigns were only a matter of time.

The main tasks of Russia during the Azov campaigns were:

1. The assault and seizure of the Azov fortress to provide a bridgehead, with the help of which it was possible to begin the struggle for access to the Black Sea.
2. To turn the Azov naval fortress into a center for the creation of the Russian fleet.
3. Establishing control over the territory of the Don River, which made it possible to develop the fleet in other cities on the Don, and, if necessary, lower them to the Sea of ​​Azov.
4. Weakening of Turkey's influence in the Azov Sea region.

The actual preparation for the campaign began in 1694. The Don Cossacks, as well as the Ukrainian Cossacks, led by Hetman Mazepa, were involved in organizing the campaigns.

Trekking progress

There were two trips in total. Since the first was unsuccessful, Peter 1 had to organize the second. Let's take a closer look at them.

First campaign: July - October 1695

To ensure a successful campaign, Peter 1 created two armies. The first was headed by Boris Sheremetev, she was supposed to play a distracting role, attacking the Crimean Khanate in the Dnieper region. This should have forced the Turks to ferry the fleet from Azov. This was exactly what the second army should have expected, whose task was to directly capture the Azov fortress. This army was led by three generals: F. Lefort, F. Golovin and P. Gordon.

In June 1695, Russian troops approached Azov and began shelling. The food was transported by rivers, so that the Russian troops were ready to carry out a long siege. However, the Turks stretched their chains across the Don, which did not allow Russian ships to enter the Sea of ​​Azov and intensify the shelling. In addition, the presence of three generals did not go into the hands of the Russian army: they often acted inconsistently, which determined the ineffectiveness of the campaign for Russia. In September 1695, the Russian army returned to Moscow. However, the young king did not fold his hands. He gave the command to prepare for a new campaign, but at the same time he tried to take the maximum lessons from this defeat.

The first of the Azov campaigns was unsuccessful. The reason is that Russia did not have a fleet, without which it is impossible to siege a naval fortress.

Map of the first Azov campaign of Peter

Second campaign 1696

The tsar hired several engineers from the West, who were given the task of starting the creation of a modern Russian fleet. Voronezh was chosen as a place for the experiment. At the end of 1695, the tsar fell seriously ill, in addition, on January 20, 1696, his brother Ivan died. However, even this did not stop the plans of Peter 1. He personally went to the shipyard to oversee the production of the Russian fleet. In addition, the tsar prepared a new 70,000-strong army, which was led by A. Shtein. It was decided to launch a swift strike with the help of the fleet (headed by F. Lefort), which allowed them to enter the Sea of ​​Azov and encircle the Azov fortress. By the way, B. Sheremetyev had to make a diversionary strike on the Crimean peninsula for the second time.

From April to July 1696 the siege and shelling of the Turkish-Tatar fortress lasted. On July 18, Russian troops were successful - Azov was captured, and Russia was able to reach the sea. In addition, the commander of this campaign A. Shtein received the first in the history of the country the rank of Generalissimo.

Map of the second Azov campaign of Peter

Assessment of the Azov campaigns of Peter 1

Despite the fact that the Azov campaigns were successful (at least there was a positive result in the form of the capture of Azov), there is no single opinion among historians regarding the campaigns. Having analyzed the main views on the Azov campaigns, one can describe the main positive and negative components of this historical event.

Positive evaluations of hikes

For example, the historian S. Soloviev argues that after the first Azov campaign, the birth of the Russian tsar-reformer Peter 1 began. path to the sea.

Scientists who specialize in military history, I note that in the Azov campaigns, the importance of artillery for waging a siege war was finally proved. The experience of the Azov campaigns was used not only by Russia, but also by many European countries.

Another positive aspect of the Azov campaigns, historians call the fact that in 1696 the Boyar Duma decreed "the ships to be", in fact, this meant the creation of a full-fledged sea fleet. In addition, a lot of money was allocated for this. Also, after these campaigns, Russia began to colonize the mouth of the Don, Taganrog was built, and later Rostov.

Negative assessments

Some historians emphasize the actual futility of campaigns. Indeed, despite the capture of Azov, access to the Black Sea required a further full-fledged war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate, which required huge resources. In 1700, the Great Northern War began, Russia completely switched to a war with Sweden for access to the Baltic Sea, abandoning the idea of ​​reaching the Black Sea, which during Russia was called "Russian".

Thus, despite the presence of historians who critically consider the Azov campaigns of Peter 1, we can say that they brought Russia their results, and most importantly, they gave a new challenge, a desire to fight for the sea and build their own fleet. In addition, they convinced Peter 1 of the need to reform the country.

At the end of the 17th century, one of the most important tasks facing the Russian state was the struggle for access to the sea - the Black and Baltic Seas.

The resolution of this problem was a decisive condition:
- to eliminate the technical and economic backwardness of Russia, its political and economic blockade,
- for the development of industry and trade,
- to strengthen the international position of the country.
- to ensure the external security of the state, the borders of which were attacked in the south by the Crimean Tatars and Turks, and in the north-west by the Swedes.

Peter I directed his efforts, first of all, to the solution of the Black Sea problem, since during this period there was a military alliance of Russia, Poland, Austria and Venice against Turkey.
To achieve this goal, Peter I chose two areas of military operations: the mouth of the Don (main) and the lower reaches of the Dnieper (auxiliary).
If successful, Peter acquired bases on the Azov and Black Seas.
And there it was possible to develop the construction of the fleet.
- The Don connected the central regions of Russia with the Sea of ​​Azov and was a good communication.
And this, given the poor condition of the roads at that time, was of great importance.
At the mouth of the Don was the Azov fortress.
- The Dnieper was also a convenient waterway connecting the southern regions of the country with the Black Sea.
On the Dnieper, the Turks had fortresses: Ochakov, Kazikerman and Aslan-Ordek.

Here is Tsar Peter and resumed active hostilities against Turkey:
- required access to the Black Sea,
- it was necessary to end the invasions of the Crimean Khanate,
- to ensure the possibility of using and settling the fertile lands of the south.
At the same time, the mistakes of the unsuccessful Crimean campaigns of Golitsyn in 1687 and 1689 were taken into account.
The main blow in 1695 was struck at the Turkish fortress of Azov at the mouth of the Don.

I must say that the Azov campaigns undertaken by Peter I were dictated by political necessity:

A) The young king was not a fool.
And, already in the first years of his rule, he was well aware that any diplomatic efforts would be in vain until Russia acquires the status of an independent power by consolidating its positions at sea.
Indeed, at the end of the 17th century, Russia practically had no outlet to the sea.
- The only port of Arkhangelsk in the north, unfortunately, did not solve this problem for Russia.
After all, the approaches to this city were free of ice for only a few months a year.
And it was necessary to sail from here to European ports by a long and very dangerous route around Scandinavia.
Consequently, the North Sea is not well suited for extensive trade and cultural ties with the Western world.
- In the south, things were also not in the best way.
Here Russia owned Astrakhan at the mouth of the Volga.
But the Caspian Sea is essentially a large lake, albeit a huge one. And it has nothing to do with the World Ocean.
Here is the Black Sea - yes. This is a different matter. It was once called the "Russian Sea" (at the time of Kievan Rus).

Peter in his youth, reading "The Tale of Bygone Years" by Nestor the Chronicler, was surprised and delighted to hear about the campaign of Prince Oleg the Prophetic to Constantinople (Constantinople).
Since then, he had a dream (as he later said) to repeat Oleg's feat. And "to take revenge on the Turks and Tatars for all the insults they inflicted on Russia," seizing in the middle of the 15th century the lands that were once conquered by the warriors of the Kiev prince.

B) Another circumstance was also important: after the Crimean campaigns of Vasily Golitsyn, a state of war remained between Russia and Turkey.
Crimea, which was dependent on the Turkish sultan, did not agree to Moscow's proposals:
- exchange prisoners,
- cancel the payment of the annual Moscow tribute to the Crimean Khan,
- stop the raids of the Crimean Tatars on Russian possessions,
- to grant Russia the right to free trade with Crimea and Turkey.
Crimea did not want peace.
So, it was necessary to secure the southern borders of the state from the annual invasions of the Crimean Tatars.
After all, they, with the full approval of Turkey, constantly attacked the Russian regions.
For example, in 1692, a 20,000-strong Tatar army attacked the city of Nemiroff and burned it down. Two thousand Russian people were taken prisoner and sold into slavery.
And such raids were repeated constantly.
Crimean Tatars plundered the population and burned crops. They took thousands of Ukrainians and Russians into captivity in order to then sell them on slave markets in Eastern countries.

C) The tsar was pushed to the campaign, among other circumstances, and the persistent demands of Austria and Poland, Russia's allies in the anti-Turkish "Holy Union".
They strove to ensure that Moscow continued military operations against Crimea, diverting the main Turkish forces to itself.

D) Yes, and the Greek Orthodox clergy demanded to deal with the Turks.
This clergy, oppressed by the Turks, was extremely offended by the fact that the Turks transferred the Holy Places in Jerusalem (Calvary, Bethlehem Church, Holy Cave, etc.) to French Catholics. Although before that these shrines belonged to the Greek Church.
That is why it stood up for the struggle against the infidels-basurmans.

Jerusalem Patriarch Dositheus, reproachfully wrote to Moscow:
"The Tatars are a handful of people and they boast that they take tribute from you, and since the Tatars are Turkish subjects, it turns out that you are also Turkish subjects."

Indeed, the Turks defiantly slighted Moscow.
For example, when the new Sultan Ahmed II ascended the throne, a solemn notification of this was sent to all European courts. Only the Kremlin was ignored at the same time.

D) Peter also connected his personal ambitious calculations with the campaign against the Turkish Azov, which blocked the exit from the Don to the Azov and Black Seas.
In the rays of military glory, the aura of a winner, he hoped to travel to the countries of Western Europe.
Visit them in order to get acquainted with their achievements and, by comparison, really assess the position of your state.
And at the same time, talk with Western sovereigns on an equal footing.
And for this, it was necessary to win at least one major military victory before going there.

E) In addition, the campaign was supposed to show that it was not in vain that the Russian Tsar organized "Martian fun" in Preobrazhensky and Kozhukhov.
The time has come for the army, which fought in amusing battles, to show itself in the real case.

1. The first siege of Azov.

Peter I, at the end of 1694, was fired up with the idea of ​​a campaign against the Crimean Tatars.
He discussed the idea of ​​this campaign in numerous conversations with people close to him.
And already on January 20, 1695, servicemen were officially ordered to gather under the command of the boyar B.P.Sheremetev.
And go camping. On a hike to the Crimea.

It seemed to be about a repetition of the traditional route. The route through the endless Ukrainian steppes, as it was during the times of Sophia and Golitsyn.
But this was done only to divert the eyes.
It was a ploy to cover up the true purpose.
But in fact, Peter intended to strike at Azov, a Turkish fortress at the mouth of the Don.
By the way. The fortress in Turkish was called Saad-ul-Islam, "the stronghold of Islam."
It was a first-class fortress, surrounded by a double row of stone walls, an earthen rampart, and a moat. In front of her, on both banks of the Don, there were two towers (kalanchi). 3 iron chains stretched between them blocked the river bed, blocking the way for ships.
It was this "stronghold" that Peter decided to crush.
After all, the seizure of this fortress made vulnerable both the Crimean peninsula and the Turkish possessions on the Black Sea coast.

N.I. Pavlenko:
“The new strategic direction had a number of advantages over the old one aimed directly at Crimea. The main one was that the troops were able to move not along the deserted and waterless steppe, but along the Don River, along which the settlements of the Don Cossacks stood. There was no longer the need for a colossal wagon train that delivered not only food, but also water. "
("Peter the First and His Time").

Sheremetev's army was 120 thousand people.
It moved in a previously announced direction - to the lower reaches of the Dnieper, to the Crimea.
Hetman Mazepa went to meet him.
In May 1695, Mazepa's troops reached the Mishurin Horn and soon united with the Russian army at Perevolochnaya.
Further, the combined army moved south in the usual way.
The Zaporozhye flotilla accompanied her along the Dnieper.
The troops captured a number of Turkish fortresses at the mouth of the Dnieper: Tavan, Kizikermen, Aslankermen, Shaginkermen (on the territory of the modern Kherson region). And after that they returned to Mishurin Horn and Perevolochnaya.
The fortresses were transferred to the Cossacks.
They also received a significant part of the trophies and prisoners, who were taken to the Chertomlyk Sich.

Simultaneously with Sheremetev, another elite army of 31 thousand people set off along a different path.
It moved towards Azov.
Peter himself was in this army. He was numbered under the name of "the scorer Peter Alekseev."

V. I Buganov and A. V. Buganov:
“Half of them, led by Golovin and Lefort, were sent by the tsar from Moscow on April 30 with water. The warriors sailed along the Moskva River, Oka and Volga. On June 8 we arrived in Tsaritsyn. From here to the Cossack Panshin town on the Don, the army went on foot. The soldiers carried and pulled the guns and all the equipment themselves, since they did not have time to prepare the required number of horses. The same thing happened with food supplies, which were supposed to be collected in the same Panshin. The contractors did not bring him on time and did not show up themselves, they had to urgently look for them in different cities. There was no salt at all. Overcoming difficulties and hardships, the army gathered in Panshin, where the king was. We sailed down the river, reaching Azov on June 29. Gordon's army approached, marching dry. It was too late - it was necessary to build bridges across the rivers, to overcome the disobedience of the archers. "
("Generals. XVIII century").

The Turks nevertheless learned about the impending danger and strengthened the garrison of the fortress, increasing its number from 3 to 7 thousand people.
Russian troops reached Azov at the end of July 1695.

Peter divided the army into 3 separate parts led by Golovin, Lefort and Gordon.
They all quarreled and feuded among themselves.
That is, it turned out that the Russian army did not have a common command.
Because of this, the troops acted inconsistently.
This made it difficult to siege the fortress.
It must be admitted that this was a serious mistake of the young tsar ...

The siege of Azov lasted almost 3 months.
Only now she did not bring laurels to Russian weapons ...
Because it was not possible to force the garrison of the fortress to surrender by means of a siege.
And all because the Ottoman ships had free access to the city.
And all this happened due to the fact that the Russian command, not having a fleet, could not isolate Azov from the sea. It could not cut off the approaches to the fortress from the sea to the Turks.
Therefore, they without hindrance delivered people, food and ammunition to help the besieged troops by sea.
And this made the siege practically useless.

At the insistence of Peter, 2 assaults were undertaken (August 5 and at the end of September).
But they revealed inconsistencies in the actions of the besiegers and did not bring the desired success.
- The mines that were laid in the trenches caused more damage to their soldiers during explosions than to the Turks.
- The actions of the Russian artillery lacked power and strength. The shelling did not do much harm to the Turks and their fortifications.
- There were few cavalry.
- Lack of experience in siege of powerful fortresses.
- In addition, the Dutch sailor Jansen ran over to the Turks.
He, as S. M. Solovyov would write later, "gave the enemy the secret of Russian strategy."
This defector told his enemies that the Russians had a habit of sleeping after dinner.
The Turks used the information they received for a moment.
They made a successful sortie: they killed hundreds of sleepy soldiers, captured and spoiled many cannons.
It remains only to be amazed at the naivety (more precisely, negligence, negligence) of Peter's generals in this campaign. How could you not have set up reliable guards - after all, everything was happening under the noses of the Turks.

The only success that the Russians had was that the Don Cossacks took by digging two towers (fortifications, towers, well equipped with artillery), built by the Turks on both banks of the Don above the Azov.

The king began to understand that the campaign was poorly prepared.
But, he blamed only himself for this.
Therefore, none of his generals and officers were injured. Although the professional military were, without a doubt, much more to blame for the failure of the campaign than their unharmed tsar-father ...

On September 27, 1695, Peter decided to end the siege of Azov and return home.
On the captured watchtowers and in the newly built fortress of Sergievskaya, which is opposite Azov, the tsar left a 3-thousandth garrison under the command of the governor Akim Rzhevsky.
The Don Cossacks were entrusted with the obligation to provide this garrison with assistance in the event of an enemy attack.

I must say that on the way back, the Russian army lost many more people.
- Many drowned in the flooded Don.
- Others died due to the cold (that year the cold came early that year), bad weather and hunger (there was not enough food).
- A lot of lives were also claimed by the attacks of the Tatar cavalry on the rear guard of the Russian army, when they walked in the steppe to Valuyki, the first southern Russian city.

In an area of ​​800 miles, says the Austrian agent Player, the corpses of people and horses, torn to pieces by wolves, were scattered about.

Peter was saddened by the results of the campaign.
He ironically called his return to Moscow a return from "not taking Azov."

Thus, the first military campaign of the young Russian tsar ended in failure.
But he did not lose heart.
It was at this moment that the strength of character characteristic of Peter was revealed.
He showed a very rare ability for monarchs with unlimited power to learn from mistakes, to learn from them, and tenfold energy to correct mistakes.

S. M. Solovyov:
“Thanks to this failure, the appearance of the great man took place. Peter did not lose heart, but suddenly grew up from misfortune and discovered an amazing activity in order to make amends for the failure, to consolidate the success of the second campaign. The reign of Peter the Great begins with the failure of the Azovskoye.
("Readings and stories on the history of Russia")

Literally immediately upon his return, he begins to prepare for a new campaign in order to correct mistakes and, in spite of everything, win.

At the beginning of 1696, a large number of Tatars invaded the territory of our region - the Dnepropetrovsk region.
They destroyed a number of priorelsktkh cities - Kitaygorod, Kishenka, Keleberda.
Having burned down the Nekhvoroshchansky monastery on the left bank of the Orel, the Tatars retreated to the Crimea.
After that, at the Novoboroditsk fortress, a border reserve corps of selected cavalry was created.
To prevent the surprise attack of the Turks and Tatars, he kept his patrols right up to Kizikermen.
Cossack regiments also carried out patrol service in the upper reaches of Samara, in order to prevent the possible approach of the Tatars to the aid of the Azov garrison.
And they also repulsed the attacks of the Horde on Posamarya.

2. Taking the "Bulwark of Islam".

The tsar began preparations for a new campaign immediately after his return "from not taking Azov."

After the failure of the first Azov campaign, he fully took into account the mistakes of the last year's campaign.

It became clear to Peter that it was impossible to block Azov, which had free communication with the sea, without a fleet.
Therefore, in the winter at the shipyard in Voronezh, the construction of ships began at an unprecedented speed.
The tsar now throws all his strength into the creation of warships.
More than 27 thousand people were herded to work from different places.
Peter himself works on a par with ordinary craftsmen. Waving an ax, sawing boards.
And at the same time he shows such skill and diligence that experienced carpenters only shrug their hands:
"Evona! Tsar, but he knows how to do carpentry! "
Peter infects everyone around him with his energy.
“In the sweat of our brow we eat our bread,” he wrote to Streshnev from Voronezh.
Thanks to the incredible energy and pressure of the king, construction is proceeding very quickly.
Already in April 1696, the first warships were launched.

At the same time, ground forces were being formed in Preobrazhenskoye.
Even serfs were enlisted in the army, thus gaining freedom.
Moreover, without the knowledge and consent of the owners.
For the sake of the interests of the Fatherland, Peter neglected the "sacred" foundations, in this case - serfdom.

Among other things, the tsar gave instructions to call specialists from Austria and Prussia to take fortresses.
He took these measures so that when a new attempt was made to capture Azov, the explosion of enemy fortifications would be supervised by engineers who were knowledgeable in this matter.

The ground forces consisted of 2 armies:
- The army, intended for the campaign against Azov, was formed by the spring of 1696, consisting of 75,000 people.
It was divided into 3 divisions (Gordon, Golovin, Regeman).
A single commander, boyar A.S. Shein, was placed at the head of the army.
And his assistant is General Gordon.
The command of the fleet was entrusted to Franz Lefort.

At the same time, the 2nd Army under the command of the boyar Sheremetev was also preparing.
She was again entrusted with the task of demonstrating in the lower reaches of the Dnieper.

In the formation of the armies, considerable attention was paid to strengthening discipline and engineering training.

As in the previous year, the general plan was as follows:
- Sheremetev, together with Hetman Mazepa, must act in the mouths of the Dnieper,
- and the main forces go under Azov.

On May 3, the newborn military fleet went to the battle site:
- 2 large ships,
- 23 galleys and
- 4 fire-ships.
Ahead was the Principium galley under the command of Captain Pyotr Alekseev. That is, the king himself, who built this galley with his own hands.

Another army under the command of the boyar Sheremetev, together with the Ukrainian Cossacks, went to the lower reaches of the Dnieper.

While the Russian army and navy were on their way to Cherkassk, the Don Cossacks (250 people) with the village ataman Leonty Pozdneev made a search in the Sea of ​​Azov.
Cossack boats met 2 large Turkish warships.
The battle began. Having surrounded the enemy ships, the Cossacks began to throw grenades at them and fired from rifles.
Despite the terrible cannon fire from the ships, the Cossacks managed to grapple with them. And even cut their sides with axes, and sink them along with people and cargo.
At the same time, the heroic Cossacks themselves did not lose a single person.
It happened on May 17.

On May 20, a detachment of 40 Cossack boats under the command of Ataman Frol Minyaev attacked the Turkish squadron near Azov.
The Turks lost 2 ships and 10 tumbases (cargo ships).

This is how Peter I described this battle:

“This month, on the 15th day, we arrived at Cherkaska and stood for 2 days; and having assembled with galleys, also on Tours, which was taken, having seated people, they went in the 18th to the watchtowers in 9 galleys and came the same day at 2 o'clock in the morning at the watchtowers. And in the morning they went to the sea, and, moreover, there were several Cossacks; and that night and the next morning it was impossible to pass beyond the melt's mouth, because the wind was siver and the water in the sea was beating; And also, seeing the enemy ships, they went to sea in small ships. And the enemy from the ships, of which there were 13, unloaded into 13 tunbas, for which there were 11 tunbas in the escort, and as the enemy drew equal those 9 were burned; and the ships, seeing, 11 departed, and one they drowned themselves, and the other ours they burned; and in Azov, they left with three, and then without any reserve. On those tunbases taken: 300 great bombs, poods of 5, 500 mines, 5000 grenades, 86 barrels of gunpowder, 26 people of tongues, and any other supplies: flour, millet, Rena vinegar, bekmesu, oils and junk, a lot, and more cloth ; and everything that was sent to them for their salary and on the seat, everything went into our hands. "

The Turks took steps to protect Azov.
On June 14, a Turkish fleet of 23 ships with 4 thousand reinforcements, ammunition, equipment and food came to the aid of the garrison of the fortress.
And it was here that the Turks were in for a surprise ...
As it turned out, they had no idea that the Russians had warships!
Seeing the orderly ranks of Russian galleys standing at the mouth of the Don, the Turks stopped in amazement.
Noticing that the Russian ships were beginning to take off from anchors, they, deciding not to tempt fate, raised their sails and went to sea.

The "pirates" of this area - the Don Cossacks - decided to fight the Turkish fleet.

Here is how E.P.Saveliev described this battle:
“On their 100 flying plows, they hid in the reeds behind the Kanayarskiy Island and lay in wait for the approaching enemy, which had a direction to Azov. The battle was terrible and terrible. The Cossacks, like steppe eagles, swooped down on the Turkish fleet from all sides, sank and burned many ships, grappling with them on board, the rest scattered and put to flight. This battle cost the Turks very dearly: in addition to those who were burned and drowned, they lost up to 2 thousand killed. The Cossacks captured 270 people and one agu. From the ships in battle, 10 half-galleys were taken, and 10 large ships, driven aground, surrendered. On the captured ships were found 50 thousand ducats, cloth for 4 thousand people, a lot of military equipment, 70 copper cannons, 3000 bombs, 4 thousand grenades, 80 barrels of gunpowder, a large number of lead, sabers and other weapons. "
("Ancient history of the Cossacks").

On June 16, 1696, the Russian army again found itself at the walls of the fortress.
To their aid came the Zaporozhye and Little Russian Cossacks with the order hetman Yakov Lizogub and part of the Kalmyks who recognized the power of Moscow.

The siege of Azov began: the cannons opened fire on the fortress.
But the shooting, which continued for two weeks, did not give noticeable results: both the ramparts and the fortress walls of Azov remained intact.

Then it was decided to build a rampart higher than the rampart. Gradually advance it towards the fortress. And, having filled up the moat, make an assault.
To carry out this gigantic work, up to 15 thousand people were appointed daily. Two ramparts were being built at the same time, one after the other. Moreover, the rear one was intended for the installation of artillery.

In early July, the long-awaited Caesar (Austrian) engineers, miners and artillerymen arrived in the army of Peter I near Azov.
The arrival of the latter was especially useful: under their leadership, the shooting went much more successful and the Russians managed to shoot down the palisade in the corner bastion.

Peter was in time everywhere - the "first bombardier" was seen both on ships and under the walls of the fortress, at which he fired from guns, being exposed to danger.

When her sister Natalya, having learned about this, wrote to him about her concern, the tsar replied as follows:

“According to your letter, I don’t go close to cannonballs and bullets, but they come to me. Order them not to go. However, although they walk, only at times are polite. "

On July 16, they managed to destroy the main part of the fortifications.
The troops were ordered to prepare for the assault.

On July 17, regular troops from 3 sides made a demonstrative attack on Azov.
At the same time, from the fourth side, the Don Cossacks with the military ataman Frol Minaev and the Zaporozhye with Lizogub launched a decisive attack. They took possession of two bastions and four cannons.
Desperate attacks by the Turks could not drive them out of there.
The Cossacks held on firmly.

The king ordered to prepare for a decisive assault.
But on July 18 the garrison of the fortress, desperate to get help from anywhere, announced its surrender.
The winners got 136 guns.

Thus, with the capture of Azov, access to the sea in southern Russia became open.

Peter made a reconnaissance of the sea coast and laid the foundation of the port and the Troitskaya fortress on Taganrog.
After that, leaving a strong garrison in Azov with Prince Lvov, he triumphantly returned to Moscow.
All the burden of defending this fortress again fell on the Cossacks.
All the following years passed in hot battles between the Don people and the Turks and Tatars, both at sea and on land ...

In the Dnieper theater of military operations, the Russian-Ukrainian troops were limited to the defense and actions of the Zaporozhye fleet on the Dnieper and the Black Sea.
True, the sea campaigns of the Cossacks in 1696 were mostly unsuccessful.
Koshevoy Chaly died.
And koshevoy Frost was forced to flood the seagulls and make their way overland to the Sich.

The capture of Azov was the first major military victory of Peter.

I. A. Izmailova writes:
“Together with the first significant victory came the first recognition of Europe.
With amazement and some wariness, foreign diplomats inform their governments of the Russian victory. In Austria and Venice, negotiations of the Russian envoy about a possible alliance against Turkey went more successfully, France frowned, Sweden became worried. And in Warsaw, the Russian resident, without hesitation, ordered to fire cannons and rifles, and the people greeted this salute with jubilation. And when the ambassador ordered to roll out five barrels of beer and three barrels of honey to the audience, there was a unanimous cry: "Vivat, vivat to the king, his mercy!" But then the Polish king had to bite his lips: the same envoy of Russia demanded that from now on the Polish kings in official papers "do not call themselves rulers of Kiev and Smolensk, since they are not." I had to obey. Where are you going to go? But there and then began secret relations between Poland and the Crimean Khan and messages to Hetman Mazepa ...
So, Russia for the first time declared itself to the world in a full voice, and it cannot be said that its rise was greeted with special joy, unless, of course, the enthusiasm for barrels of intoxicated honey is excluded ...
It turns out that this country, which has been looked down upon for so long, can be a serious military adversary. It turns out that Russian envoys know how not only to trade in sables, but also to resolutely defend the rights of their state. It turns out that the young Russian tsar, who was still playing the war on the Moskva River and on the Yauza, so “playfully” created an army, and this army besieged and took a fortress, the power of which was well known in Europe.
Moscow rejoiced. For a long time, for a long time already, the Russians did not have to rejoice in victories over the most hated enemy - Turkey. "

These military companies were the first step towards solving one of the main tasks facing Russia at that time - gaining access to the sea.

These campaigns gave a start to the most important undertakings of Peter I, which largely determined the further nature of his reign.

The capture of Azov was the 1st major victory for Russia in the wars with the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century.
This was a major strategic success for the Russians, as Azov ceased to serve as the northeastern stronghold of Turkey's imperial aspirations.
The significance of the Azov campaigns in the history of Russia is not limited only to the sphere of military success.
Their consequences became more important.

The consequences of the Azov campaigns for the history of Russia were enormous.

Firstly.
They expanded Peter's foreign policy plans.
Access to the Sea of ​​Azov did not solve the problem of Russia entering the Black Sea, since the way there was reliably covered by Turkish fortresses in the Kerch Strait.
To solve this problem, Peter is organizing a Grand Embassy to European countries.
The tsar hoped with their help to oust the Turks from Europe and achieve Russia's access to the Black Sea shores.

Secondly.
The experience of the Azov campaigns convincingly confirmed the need for further reorganization of the Russian armed forces.
The Azov campaigns marked the beginning of the creation of the Russian fleet.
In 1699, the recruitment of a new regular army began.

The mission of the Great Embassy did not live up to Peter's hopes.
In Europe in those years, the confrontation between France and Austria was escalating, and no one aspired to a serious struggle with Turkey.
In 1699, at the Karlovytsky Congress, representatives of the countries of the "Holy League", with the exception of Russia, signed a peace with the Ottoman Empire.
A year later, Russia also concluded peace with Turkey.
According to the Treaty of Constantinople (1700), the Russians received Azov with the adjacent lands and stopped the tradition of sending gifts to the Crimean Khan.
The collapse of the Black Sea hopes leads to a reorientation of Peter's foreign policy plans to the Baltic shores.
Soon the Great Northern War began there, which became a turning point in the history of Russia ...

Azov campaigns 1695 and 1696 - Russian military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire; were undertaken by Peter I at the beginning of his reign and ended with the capture of the Turkish fortress of Azov. They can be considered the first significant accomplishment of the young king. These military companies were the first step towards solving one of the main tasks facing Russia at that time - gaining access to the sea.

The choice of the southern direction as the first target is due to several main reasons:

• the war with the Ottoman Empire seemed to be an easier task than the conflict with Sweden, which closed the access to the Baltic Sea.
• the capture of Azov would make it possible to secure the southern regions of the country from the raids of the Crimean Tatars.
• Russia's allies in the anti-Turkish coalition (Rzeczpospolita, Austria and Venice) demanded that Peter I begin military operations against Turkey.

The first Azov campaign in 1695

It was decided to strike not at the Crimean Tatars, as in the campaigns of Golitsyn, but at the Turkish fortress of Azov. The route of travel has also been changed: not through the desert steppes, but along the regions of the Volga and Don.

In the winter and spring of 1695, transport ships were built on the Don: plows, sea boats and rafts for the delivery of troops, ammunition, artillery and food from the deployment to Azov. This can be considered the beginning, albeit imperfect for solving military tasks at sea, but - the first Russian fleet.

In the spring of 1695, the army in 3 groups under the command of Golovin, Gordon and Lefort moved south. During the campaign, Peter combined the duties of the first bombardier and the actual leader of the entire campaign.

The Russian army recaptured two fortresses from the Turks, and at the end of June laid siege to Azov (a fortress at the mouth of the Don). Gordon stood against the southern side, Lefort to the left of him, Golovin, with whose detachment the Tsar was also - to the right. On July 2, troops under the command of Gordon began siege work. On July 5, they were joined by the corps of Golovin and Lefort. On July 14 and 16, the Russians managed to occupy the watchtowers - two stone towers on both banks of the Don, above the Azov, with iron chains stretched between them, which blocked the way out to sea for river vessels. This was in fact the highest success of the campaign. Two assault attempts were made (August 5 and September 25), but the fortress was not taken. The siege was lifted on 20 October.

Second Azov campaign in 1696

Throughout the winter of 1696, the Russian army was preparing for a second campaign. In January, at the shipyards of Voronezh and in Preobrazhenskoye, a large-scale construction of ships was launched. Disassembled galleys built in Preobrazhensky were delivered to Voronezh, assembled there and launched. In addition, engineering specialists were invited from Austria. Over 25 thousand peasants and townspeople were mobilized from the immediate vicinity for the construction of the fleet. 2 large ships, 23 galleys and more than 1,300 plows, barges and small ships were built.

The command of the troops was also reorganized. Lefort was put at the head of the fleet, the ground forces were entrusted to the boyar Shein.

An imperial decree was issued, according to which the slaves who joined the army received freedom. The land army doubled, reaching 70,000 men. It also included Ukrainian and Don Cossacks and Kalmyk cavalry.

On May 20, Cossacks in galleys at the mouth of the Don attacked a caravan of Turkish cargo ships. As a result, 2 galleys and 9 small ships were destroyed, and one small ship was captured. On May 27, the fleet entered the Sea of ​​Azov and cut off the fortress from sources of supply by sea. The approaching Turkish military flotilla did not dare to join the battle.

On June 10 and June 24, sorties of the Turkish garrison were repulsed, reinforced by 60,000 Tatars camped south of Azov, across the Kagalnik River.

On July 16, the preparatory siege work was completed. On July 17, 1,500 Don and part of the Ukrainian Cossacks rushed into the fortress without permission and settled in two bastions. On July 19, after prolonged artillery shelling, the Azov garrison surrendered. On July 20, the Lyutikh fortress, located at the mouth of the northernmost branch of the Don, also surrendered.

By July 23, Peter approved a plan for new fortifications in the fortress, which by this time had been severely damaged as a result of artillery shelling. Azov did not have a convenient harbor for the basing of the navy. For this purpose, a more successful place was chosen - on July 27, 1696 Taganrog was founded. Voivode Shein became the first Russian generalissimo for his services in the second Azov campaign.

The value of the Azov campaigns

The Azov campaign demonstrated in practice the importance of artillery and the fleet for the conduct of war. It is a notable example of the successful interaction of the fleet and ground forces during the siege of a seaside fortress, which stands out especially clearly against the background of the similar failures of the British during the storming of Quebec (1691) and Saint-Pierre (1693).

The preparation of the campaigns clearly demonstrated Peter's organizational and strategic abilities. For the first time, such important qualities as his ability to draw conclusions from failures and to gather strength for a second strike were manifested.

Despite the success, at the end of the campaign, the incompleteness of the achieved results became obvious: without the capture of the Crimea, or at least Kerch, access to the Black Sea was still impossible. To keep Azov, it was necessary to strengthen the fleet. It was necessary to continue building the fleet and provide the country with specialists capable of building modern sea vessels.

On October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma proclaims "Sea vessels will be ..." This date can be considered the birthday of the Russian regular navy. An extensive shipbuilding program is approved - 52 (later 77) ships; new duties are being introduced to finance it.

The war with Turkey is not over yet, and therefore, in order to better understand the alignment of forces, find allies in the war against Turkey and confirm the already existing alliance - the Holy League, finally, to strengthen the position of Russia, the "Great Embassy" was organized.