Finding Aid Russian military intelligence on Turkey Published by IDC Publishers, 2006 • Descriptive summary Creator: Russia. Armiia. Voenno-uchenyĭ arkhiv Title: Russian military intelligence on Turkey Dates (inclusive): 1700-1917 Abstract: Collection contains textual and cartographic materials Languages: Predominantly in Russian and French, also materials in German and English, a few items in Turkish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Latin and Dutch Extent: 917 [i.e. 919] archival files ; 41 microfilm reels ; digital images available in the IDC Digital Library (www.idc-digilib.nl) Order no.: RIA-4 • Location of Originals Rossiĭskiĭ gosudarstvennyĭ voenno-istoricheskiĭ arkhiv (RGVIA), Moscow. Fond 450. • Scope and Content Documents containing general intelligence on the Turkish army, and on the domestic and foreign policy of the country ; This group consists of dispatches and memorandums from Russian military agents and diplomatic representatives on the domestic political situation in Turkey, Russo-Turkish relations, the strengthening of British influence in Turkey, the organization and state of the Turkish army, fortifications in the Bosporus and Dardanelles, the suppression by Turkish forces of the Druze uprising in Syria in 1852, unrest in Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey’s preparations for wars, and the construction of highways and railways in the country with the involvement of foreign capital. There are some documents of French origin: a plan of the Turkish defensive system in the Black Sea, Bosnia, Albania and Epirus that was submitted by General Vodoncour to Napoleon in 1810; a memorandum from General Guillaume from 1811 on the possibility of invading Turkey via Epirus. Water colors from the late 19th century illustrate the various different uniforms and shoulder-straps worn by the Turkish army. There are also a few photographs of Turkish soldiers from the 1860s to the 1880s, and from the early 20th century. Documents containing geographical, topographical, statistical, ethnographical and hydrographical intelligence on Turkey Geographical and topographical intelligence ; This set of documents consists mostly of maps, plans, and a few atlases and descriptions, of Russian, Western European and (to a lesser extent) Turkish origin, including maps of European and Asiatic Turkey, the Turkish Empire, Asia Minor and Syria. There are maps of Anatolia, Albania, Turkish Armenia, the Turkish provinces of Karaman and Kurdistan, the Pashaliks of Baghdad, Baiazet, Kars, Akhaltsikhe and Erzerum, the Sanjak of Zabah (disputed with Persia), and other districts and provinces of Turkey. There are quite a few city maps, in some cases accompanied by descriptions and drawings, and in particular several maps of Constantinople and its environs. ; Some examples of the documents in this group are: a late-19th-century French album of engravings and descriptions of the Büyük- Dere valley, the Princes Islands, and the Bosporus, including the fortifications in the Bosporus; a map of Turkish territories in Asia showing the borders between Russia and Persia, published in London in 1833; a mid-19th-century Turkish map of the Vilayets of Erzerum and Van showing the mountain chains and peaks; a map of Constantinople with views of the city and the Dardanelles, published in Nuremburg in the early 18th century; a drawing of the palace occupied by Russian envoys in Constantinople, executed in 1783; and a military historical description of the fortress walls of Constantinople written in the early 19th century by the Russian army colonel Perevanov. Statistical and ethnographical intelligence ; This consists mostly of statistical, topographical and ethnographical descriptions of the country and its individual regions. The section also includes some maps and statistical tables on towns, the population, and the number of mules in Turkey. Intelligence on communications ; This section of the collection consists of maps and descriptions of highways, post roads, dirt roads and railways. It also contains a fairly large number of route maps and descriptions of routes across European and Asiatic Turkey. Hydrographical intelligence ; This takes the form of maps and descriptions of the seas, bays, roadsteads, rivers and lakes of Turkey. Intelligence on the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles ; This takes the form of maps and descriptions of the straits of the Bosporus, the Dardanelles and Constantinople, and plans of fortresses and fortifications. There are also some drawings and engravings of straits, fortresses and fortifications. • Organization and Arrangement Organized into the following series and subseries: ▪ 1. General intelligence on the Turkish army, and on the domestic and foreign policy of the country ▪ 2. Geographical, topographical, statistical, ethnographical and hydrographical intelligence ▪ 2.1. Geographical and topographical intelligence ▪ 2.1.1. European and Asian Turkey ▪ 2.1.2. Districts and provinces ▪ 2.1.3. Towns and fortresses ▪ 2.2. Statistical and ethnographical intelligence ▪ 2.3. Intelligence on transportation routes and communications ▪ 2.3.1. Highways, mail routes, earth roads, railways, and telegraph lines ▪ 2.3.2. Routes ▪ 2.4. Hydrographical intelligence ▪ 2.5. Intelligence on the straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles ▪ 3. Additional files • Access Restrictions Please, note that some files could not be filmed due do the physical condition of the materials or due to technical restrictions. Some files have been transferred to a different fonds and are not filmed either. The omitted files (176 out of 919) are not shown in this finding aid. • Selected Search Terms Organizations Russia. Armiia. Voenno-uchenyĭ arkhiv Geographic Areas Turkey -- Description and travel Turkey -- Maps Turkey -- Strategic aspects • Container List • 1. General intelligence on the Turkish army, and on the domestic and Microfilm foreign policy of the country no. Title: The project of General Vudoncourt, presented to Napoleon in 1810, regarding the 1 Turkish defence system on the Black Sea, in Bosnia, Albania, and Epirus. Author: Vaudoncourt Dates: 1810 Extent: 15 p. Languages: French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Black Sea ; Bosnia ; Albania ; Epirus File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 1 Title: Considerations regarding the possibility to invade Turkey through Epirus. 1 Author: Guillaume Dates: 1811 Extent: 15+I p. Languages: French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Turkey ; Epirus File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 2 Title: Excerpts from the work by Juchereau de Saint-Denys about the janissaries' rebellion in 1 Constantinople in 1807-1808. Comp. by Lieutenant General G.L. Cancrin in Saint- Petersburg. Author: Saint-Denys, de Juchereau Dates: 1822 Extent: 16 p. Languages: French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Constantinople File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 3 Title: Internal correspondence of H.I.M. General Staff about sending Colonel Berg to Turkey; 1 topographical, statistical and ethnographical information about Turkey, collected by Berg. Dates: 1826-1827 Extent: 406+I-XIII p. Languages: Russian ; French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Turkey File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 4 Title: Reports of Colonel Berg, Russian military agent in Constantinople, about the situation 1 in Turkey and Turkish army. Correspondence of I.I. Dibich-Zabalkanskii, Chief of H.I.M. General Staff, and K.V. Nesselrode, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Author: Berg ; Dibich-Zabalkanskii I.I. ; Nesselrode K.V. Dates: 1826-1830 Extent: 294+I-IV p. Languages: Russian ; French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Turkey Illustrations: contains a plan File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 5 Title: Description of military manoeuvres of Turkish army, which took place in Buyukdere 2 valley and Kiahat-hane valley near Constantinople. Dates: 1826-1827 Extent: 16 p. Languages: Russian Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Buyukdere, valley ; Kiahat-hane, valley ; Constantinople Illustrations: contains plans File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 6 Title: Reports of Major-General Berg, Russian military agent in Constantinople, about the 2 structure of Turkish regular army; topographical information about the area around Constantinople, about fortifications in the Bosporus and the possibility of Russian forces capturing them. Author: Berg Dates: 1826-1827 Extent: 115+I p. Languages: Russian ; French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Constantinople ; Bosporus Illustrations: contans plans File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 7 Title: Description of the manoeuvres of Turkish regular cavalry near Besiktas village. 2 Dates: 1827 Extent: 4 p. Languages: Russian Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Besiktas File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 8 Title: Excerpts from the reports of Lieutenant Colonel Liprandi, Russian military agent in 2 Constantinople, about the Zaporozhian and Nekrasov Cossacks who dwelled along the right bank of Danube. Author: Liprandi Dates: 1827 Extent: 8 p. Languages: Russian Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Danube File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 9 Title: Military information about the sanjak of Adrianople. 2 Dates: 1827 Extent: 2 p. Languages: French Type of Document: Handwritten Geographic Areas: Adrianople File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 10 Title: Brief summary of Turkish army regulations at the time of Mahmud II. 2 Dates: 1830 Extent: 19 p. Languages: Russian Type of Document: Handwritten File no.: Fond 450, opis΄ 1, delo 11 Title: Report