page_title: Russian conquest of the Caucasus
section_title: Black Sea coast
hierarchical_section_title: Russian conquest of the Caucasus / Black Sea coast
caption_attribution_description: English: Location (in yellow) of Krasnodarski Krai (Krai = federal subject of Russia) at Black Sea
context_page_description: The Russian conquest of the Caucasus mainly occurred between 1800 and 1864. In that era the Russian Empire expanded to control the region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, the territory that is modern Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Iran and Turkey, as well as the North Caucasus region of modern Russia. Multiple wars were fought against the local rulers of the regions, as well as the dominant powers, the Ottoman Empire and Persian Empire, for control. By 1864 the last regions were brought under Russian control.
context_section_description: The east coast of the Black Sea has four parts. In the far northwest around the Taman Peninsula the land was flat, connected to the steppes to the north and east and inhabited by Circassians.  Along most of the Circassian Coast the mountains came right down to the sea and the population was Circassian. Further south the coastal plain became wider and the population was Abkhazian – relatives of the Circassians under significant Georgian influence.  In Georgia the mountains and coast part company and agricultural land extends far into the interior. Where the coast swings westward the population becomes Muslim and Turkish.
  The Georgian coast belongs to the history of Georgia while the Circassian coast was the southern flank of the Russo-Circassian War which Velyaminov described as a great siege. Our main concern is with the fortified ports along the coast. From these the Ottomans could support the Circassians with guns and propaganda.  Potentially they could have landed troops, but this only happened twice (Abkhazia in 1855 and 1877).  The Russians needed to take the forts to tighten the ring around Circassia. The most important were Poti which led to Georgia and Anapa in the north which led to the steppes and the main body of Circassians.  Any attack on the ports would be an act of war against the Ottoman Empire. Such a war would be fought mainly in the Balkan region. At war's end the ports would be used as bargaining chips by diplomats dealing with far more important matters on the opposite side of the Black Sea.
caption: Krasnodar Krai and Georgia on the east coast of the Black Sea
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