Turkish Crimea Medal

 

The Crimean War 1854 - 1856.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

The Turkish Crimea Medal was issued by the Sultan of Turkey in 1855 to the Allied forces of Britain, France and Sardinia who served during the Crimean War 1854 - 1856.

 

 

The medal is circular, 36mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of this medal depicts a cannon, mortar and anchor standing on the Russian flag. A map of the Crimea is spread over the cannon. In the background are the four flags of the allies.

 

The reverse depicts the Sultan's cypher and the inscription; 'Crimea 1271' in Arabic, all within a wreath.

 

Because it was issued to different allied forces, three versions of the obverse exists. These are as follows:-

 

Awarded to the British with the inscription; 'CRIMEA 1855' upon the obverse in the exergue, British flag to the fore, on the right.

 

Awarded to the French with the inscription; 'LA CRIMEE 1855' upon the obverse in exergue, French flag to the fore, on the right.

 

Awarded to the Sardinians with the inscription; 'LA CRIMEA 1855' upon the obverse in exergue, Sardinian flag to the fore, on the right.

 

The original suspension was by means of a small silver and larger steel ring fit through a pierced hole in the disc, but this is very often replaced with a Queen's Crimea medal suspender, or some other more robust form of suspension.

 

The medal was issued un-named but these medals are frequently found with engraved naming of various un-offical styles - in in some cases they are also found impressed in regimental or depot style.
 

 

 

The ribbon is 32mm wide (although the original medal ribbon was much smaller being only 14mm wide) and is crimson in colour with a narrow green stripe along either edge.

 

 

None were authorised for this medal.

 

Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.

 

 

 

* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.

 

 

This section contains information on:-

 

- The Crimean War.

- Turkey And The Crimea War.

 

The Crimean War - The Crimean War was a conflict in which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. While neutral, Austria played a role in stopping the Russians.

 

The immediate issue involved the rights of Christians in the Holy Land, which was controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The French promoted the rights of Catholics, while Russia promoted those of the Orthodox. The longer-term causes involved the decline of the Ottoman Empire, and the unwillingness of Britain and France to allow Russia to gain territory and power at Ottoman expense. Russia lost and the Ottomans gained a twenty-year respite from Russian pressure. The Christians were granted a degree of official equality and the Orthodox gained control of the Christian churches in dispute.

 

Russia survived, gained a new appreciation for its religious diversity, and launched a reform program with far-reaching consequences. According to Shepard Clough, professor of history at Columbia University, the war:

 

'…was not the result of a calculated plan, nor even of hasty last-minute decisions made under stress. It was the consequence of more than two years of fatal blundering in slow-motion by inept statesmen who had months to reflect upon the actions they took. It arose from Napoleon's search for prestige; Nicholas’s quest for control over the Straits; his naïve miscalculation of the probable reactions of the European powers; the failure of those powers to make their positions clear; and the pressure of public opinion in Britain and Constantinople at crucial moments…'

 

Russia and the Ottoman Empire went to war in October 1853 over Russia's rights to protect Orthodox Christians. Russia gained the upper hand after destroying the Ottoman fleet at the Black Sea port of Sinope; to stop Russia's conquest France and Britain entered in March 1854. Most of the fighting took place for control of the Black Sea, with land battles on the Crimean peninsula in southern Russia.

 

The Russians held their great fortress at Sevastopol for over a year. After it fell, peace became possible, and was arranged at Paris in March 1856. The religion issue had already been resolved. The main results were that the Black Sea was neutralised - Russia would not have any warships there - and the two provinces of Wallachia and Moldavia became largely independent under nominal Ottoman rule.

 

There were smaller campaigns in eastern Anatolia, Caucasus, the Baltic Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the White Sea. In Russia, this war is also known as the 'Eastern War'.

 

The war transformed the region. Because of battles, population exchanges, and nationalist movements incited by the war, the present-day states of Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, and regions such as Crimea and the Caucasus all changed in small or large ways due to this conflict.

 

The Crimean War is notorious for logistical, medical and tactical failure on both sides. The naval side saw both a successful Allied campaign which eliminated most of the ships of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, and a successful blockade by the Royal Navy in the Baltic. It was one of the first 'modern' wars because it saw the first use of major technologies, such as railways and telegraphs. It is also famous for the work of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, who pioneered contrasting modern medical practices while treating the wounded.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.

 

Turkey And The Crimea War - The Crimean War (1853–1856) was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining Ottoman Empire. The financial burden of the war led the Ottoman state to issue foreign loans amounting to 5 million pounds sterling on 4 August 1854.

 

The war caused an exodus of the Crimean Tatars, about 200,000 of whom moved to the Ottoman Empire in continuing waves of emigration.

 

Toward the end of the Caucasian Wars, 90% of the Circassians were ethnically cleansed and exiled from their homelands in the Caucasus and fled to the Ottoman Empire, resulting in the settlement of 500,000 to 700,000 Circassians in Turkey. Other sources give much higher numbers, totaling 1 million - 1.5 million deported and or killed.

 

This information was taken from ‘Wikipedia’. The original article and details of the authors can be found here. It is reproduced on this web-site under the ‘creative commons’ licence which can be found here.