1804-18

Colonists endure a long and difficult journey either overland or by river - Between 1804-1812, colonists were unable to make the trip by way of the Danube River because of the Russo-Turkish War. In 1817, thousands died of disease and exposure as the inexperienced colonists took barges down the Danube.

The Russo-Turkish War

The Russo-Turk War was a series of campaigns in which Russia expanded at the expense of the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey). In 1696, Peter I won the first Russian victory by capturing the fortress at Azov. In 1736 war broke out again, with Austria as a Russian ally.

The first major Russo-Turkish War (1768-74) began when Sultan Mustafa III, encouraged by France, declared war on Catherine II of Russia. The Russians conquered the Crimea, installed a pro-Russian khan there, and overran Moldavia and Walachia. The treaty ending the war solidified Russia's Crimea gains (Catherine annexed it outright in 1783), gave Russia a voice in Turkish domestic matters, and allowed it navigation rights on the Black Sea.

Catherine's second war (1787-92) gave Russia the southwest Ukraine, with Odessa. The war of 1806-12 gave Bessarabia to Russia.