The First Russo-Turkish War was the opening round of a long series of conflicts between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Its central episode was an Ottoman and Crimean Tatar expedition against Astrakhan in 1569, which was backed by Sultan Selim II and his grand vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha. One aim was reportedly to dig a canal between the Don and the Volga, which would have allowed Ottoman ships to reach the Caspian Sea. The project failed because of logistical problems and the harsh terrain, and the Ottoman force withdrew without taking the city. Ivan IV, who ruled Russia, held on to the lower Volga, and a truce followed. The clash foreshadowed the later rivalry over the Black Sea and the Caucasus.
Before and after
- 15 May 1567Birth of Claudio Monteverdi
- 25 July 1567Founding of Caracas
- 1568The Blind Leading the Blind
- from 1568 to 1600Azuchi-Momoyama period
- from 1568 to 1570First Russo-Turkish War
- from 1568 to 1918Russo-Turkish Wars
- from May 1568 to May 1573Marian civil war
- from 23 May 1568 to 30 January 1648Eighty Years' War
- from 24 December 1568 to 1 March 1571Rebellion of the Alpujarras
More in Wars, politics & history
- 1534Henry VIII becomes head of the Church of England
- from 17 January 1558 to 26 May 1583Livonian War
- from 2 April 1562 to 30 April 1598French Wars of Religion
- from September 1688 to September 1697Nine Years' War
- 1713Pragmatic Sanction of 1713
- from 28 May 1754 to 7 October 1763French and Indian War
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.