Russia’s Pursuit of Danubian Access: A Historical-Geographical Study of Wars, Treaties, and Ottoman Border Records, 1700-1826
Journal: Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi
Year: 2026

This article examines the Ottoman-Russian contest over the Danubian frontier between 1700 and 1826 through the prism of Ottoman documents. It treats the Danube not merely as a geographic boundary but as a political and administrative frontier whose transformation reflected wider shifts in imperial governance and diplomacy. Seeking to secure its Balkan marches and maintain suzerainty over Wallachia and Moldavia, the Ottoman Empire faced an increasingly assertive Russia that, after joining the Hol