jan 1, 1853 - Crimea War

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1853 Tsar Nicholas I of Russia goes to war against the Ottoman Turks over what he sees as his right to defend Orthodox Christians in Turkey and in Jerusalem (then under the authority of the Ottoman Empire).

1854 Imperial Britain and France are afraid of Russian expansion. At a Turkish port on the Black Sea, the Russian navy, using exploding shells for the first time, sets a Turkish fleet afire. The British respond with horror to the devastation. The British declare war, and Queen Victoria writes of "the great sinfulness" of Russia having "brought about this War" – the Crimean War.

1856 Tsar Nicholas I of Russia dies. His son, Alexander II, makes peace with Britain and France. The Crimean War ends. Russia's humiliation inspires Alexander's desire for reform.

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