Russian demands to exert control over some Ottoman Empire territories on its borders had led the Ottoman Empire to declare war in October 1853, beginning the Crimean War. Britain and France, wary of Russian expansion, declared war in March 1854. Allied forces would join the Ottomans at Varna, Bulgaria, in June and invade the Russian territory of Crimea in September. During this year General submitted a plan to Russian Tsar Nicholas I for an invasion of British India. Duhamel had been Russian envoy to Persia between 1838 and 1841 and, in 1848, been sent by Nicholas to suppress the uprising against the Russian administration of nominally Ottoman Wallachia. Britain maintained a relatively small standing army compared to other world powers and the demands of the Crimean War even led her to deploy militia to the theatre. Duhamel considered that a Russian intervention against India would force Britain to withdraw regular units opposing Russian forces in the Near East.