From the History of Russian Expansion in the Black Sea Area: The British Position towards the Russo-Turkish Dispute over the Construction of the Fortress of St Elisabeth (1754–1756)

Abstract

In 1751, Russia began to organise the colony of New Serbia in Zaporizhia, which provoked tensions with Austria, as the settlers came from its territories. In turn, the construction in 1754 of the Fortress of St Elisabeth on the Ingul River sparked a protest from Turkey, which considered it to be a breach of the Treaty of Belgrade (1739). The conflict posed a risk of war, which is why British and Austrian diplomats sought to calm the situation and prevent France from exploiting the dispute. London feared that a Russo-Turkish war would weaken Russia, its ally in the defence of Hanover. Russia tactically abandoned its plan to construct the fortress in late 1754, which the British regarded as their diplomatic success. After concluding a subsidy convention with London in 1755, the Russians planned to return to the matter, but in 1756, when they faced an impending war with Prussia, they abandoned the project entirely.