The Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74

A large map of the theatre of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74, with three sheets covering from Bucharest in Romania, through Moldova and Ukraine, to Astrakan on the coast of the Caspian Sea, with a separate flap showing the western coast of the Black Sea south to Istanbul. Copied from a map by Georges-Louis Le Rouge, it shows the region in the first year of the war. The Russians ere largely succesful in their campaigns, but Catherine II decided against continuing the war because of the opposition of other European powers, particularly Austria. In the peace treaty Russia gained naval access to the Black Sea for the first time and became official protector of Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire, a role that led to the Crimean War over half a century later. Increased tensions between Russia and Austria led to the First Partition of Poland.