Treaty of the Pruth

The Treaty of the Pruth was signed on the banks of the river Pruth between the Ottoman Empire and the Tsardom of Russia on 21 July 1711 ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1710–1711. The treaty was a relative political victory for Russia despite its military defeat.

The Treaty stipulated the return of Azov to the Ottomans, Taganrog and several Russian fortresses were to be demolished and the Tsar pledged to stop interfering in the affairs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which the Russians increasingly saw as under their sphere of influence.

• Razed fortresses: Taganrog Fortress, Kodak Fortress (Stari Kodaky, Dnipro), Novobogoroditskaya Fortress (Samar, Dnipro) as well as Kamenny Zaton (Rocky Backwater, today Kamianka-Dniprovska)
• Surrendered fortress: Azov Fortress

Background

The indirect causes of the war can be attributed to the aggressive expansion of the Swedish Empire throughout the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Sweden’s aggressive expansion in Scandinavia forced a coalition of Eastern European nations to form and contain them, including the Tsardom of Russia . After defeat at the Battle of Narva in 1700, Russia was invaded by King Charles XII as part of the Great Northern War. The invasion of Russia was unsuccessful, and many of Charles’ army died of disease and attrition (Stanford, 2020).  In addition, Peter the Great’s reign comprised of a period of increasing western influence and orientation, characterised by establishing the capital of Russia as Saint Petersburg in 1703, opening direct naval links to the west.

The Pruth River Campaign erupted as a direct result of the defeat of King Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava in the summer of 1709 and his retreat into the Ottoman Empire . Despite repetitive calls from Russia to extradite King Charles, the Ottoman Court refused. These repetitive calls and aggressive diplomacy on behalf of King Charles XII lead the Ottomans to declare war on Russia on 20^th November 1710. Concurrently, Russia and Moldovia (now Moldova) signed an agreement which guaranteed Russian military access through Moldovia and promised troops and logistics.

Pruth River Campaign

A Russian army of 80,000 men advanced down the Pruth River in the summer of 1711, utilising Moldovan support and military access. The army was led by Peter the Great and Boris Sheremetev and attempted to invade Ottoman occupied Moldovia with the support of exiled ruler (Voivode) of Moldova Dimitrie Cantemir. The campaign was ill-prepared and lacked proper planning and logistic support, and although the Russian army was large and well equipped, it was outmanoeuvred by a 70,000 strong Ottoman army under the command of Grand Vizier Baltacı Mehmet Pasha.

The decisive moment of the campaign was the four-day Battle of Stănileşti, which began on the 18^th July 1711. The two armies engaged on the floodplains of the Pruth River in an unprepared battle. During the engagement, Ottoman forces surrounded and cut off the large Russian army, leading to their eventual surrender on the 22^nd July.