On march 27th 1854, France and the United Kingdom declared war on Russia. It’s the beginning of the war of Crimea.
The conflict started by an absurd feud between the French Emperor Napoleon III and the tsar Nicolas 1st. Both wanted to be the sole protector of the Holy Lands of Jerusalem, which at the time was part of the Turkish Empire.
Since the sultan of Istanbul seemed to prefer the Catholics represented by Napoleon III, the tsar Nicolas 1st proposed England to split up the crumbling Turkish empire (“The sick man of Europe”, as Alexandre Gorthakov so diplomatically stated it).
England refused by fear of seeing Russia gain to much influence in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Furious, the tsar attacked and destroyed alone the Turkish float in the Black Sea. He also invaded the Romanian provinces of the Turkish Empire.
Napoleon III, emperor of the French, who declared during his crowning: “The Empire is peace!”, was pushed to war by his young wife who wanted to push the catholic agenda.
Napoleon III and the English government of Queen Victoria unite to help the sultan together. It’s the first time since the crowning of Alienor or Aquitaine and Henri II Plantagenet (700 years earlier) that the two nations fight on the same side!!!
Calling for the preservation of the Ottoman Empire, the two allies send their floats to the Black Sea …
