Chapter 61: Outbreak of Near East War

On February 21, 1852, the Ottoman Empire rejected the Russians' impudent demands, and the Constantinople negotiations ended in failure, making the Russo-Turkish war inevitable.

That did not come as a surprise to anyone, as Russia's demands were such that no one could possibly agree to them.

If it had just been a matter of knocking off a little bit from the edges, perhaps the decaying Ottoman Government might have endured it, but to swallow them whole was beyond any possibility of compromise.

A week later, the Sultan Government likewise rejected Austria's terms, and war entered the countdown phase.

From a military standpoint, fighting on two fronts was very unwise.

Theoretically, having Austria occupy Moldavia and Wallachia would cut off relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the Balkan region, significantly reducing the military pressure on the Ottomans.