Synopsis
Brian L. Davies has an established position as one of the foremost military historians of early modern Russia. His latest book is a comprehensive and detailed study - the first for over a century - of the Empress Catherine the Great's first Ottoman War (1768-74). This ended by establishing Russia on the northern shore of the Black Sea and in the Caucasus, thereby facilitating its further expansion during the later eighteenth century and in particular enabling the Russian seizure of the Crimea (1783-84). Professor Davies is an authoritative guide to some complex events, which are of enduring importance: the origin of many of the present-day problems of eastern Europe are to be found in the fighting and its aftermath. * Professor Hamish Scott, University of Glasgow, UK * This new study of Catherine II's first Turkish war constitutes the fourth volume of Russian historian Brian Davies' work on eighteenth century Eurasia, which he has consciously modeled on William S. McNeill's classic Europe's Steppe Frontier 1500-1800. Though focusing primarily on the 1768-74 war, the narrative is comprehensive about the military and diplomatic environments of both Russian and Ottoman courts. Davies' expertise in Russian military history is matched here with a sincere effort to reach into the less well developed Ottoman side, resulting in a rare, balanced understanding of the imperatives and impact of the long confrontation on the Danube. * Virginia H. Aksan, McMaster University, Canada
