The Crimea in the Context of French-Russian Relations in the Age of Napoleon

Abstract

Among the components of Napoleon’s foreign policy there was an attempt to revive France’s former influence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This paper addresses the efforts paid by the emperor and his retinue to collect information on the Crimea and their plans to use this peninsula for the needs of foreign political game. In 1802, Napoleon initiated the treaty with Russia on the Black Sea trade. In 1803, French diplomatist Jean Reuilly visited the Crimea, made a detailed account of it, and suggested to use the peninsula as an outpost for commercial penetration into the inner provinces of Russia and farther to Central Asia. It has been proved that Napoleon changed his “Crimean projects” according to current political situation. In February 1807, trying to establish alliance with the Ottoman Porte, he suggested the Turks his help to win the Crimea back, but in a few years later Napoleon offered Alexander I of Russia the partition of the Porte. On the eve of the invasion into Russia, the retinue of Napoleon discussed the project of making a barrier of restored and French-dependent states on Russian border. One of them should be a Crimean Tartar realm allied to France in its struggle with the Russian Empire. The Russian government’s policy towards the Crimean Tatars during the armed conflicts in 1806–1814 was someway twofold since it did not trust this group of subjects, but the Crimean Tartars kept loyal to Russia, and some of them gain laurels in the Napoleonic wars.

Keywords

• Крым
• Наполеон
• шпионаж
• записки путешественников
• Наполеоновские войны
• Российская империя
• крымские татары.