The 1788 siege of Khotyn resulted in an Allied Russian-Austrian capture of a key Ottoman fortress, transferring control of a strategic Dniester stronghold.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 2 July – 19 September 1788
- Austrian force size
- 18,000 men
- Austrian commander
- Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
- Russian commander
- Ivan Saltykov
- Ottoman resistance
- Over two months before capitulation
- Russian occupation ended
- 1792, end of Russo-Turkish War
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of the Austro-Turkish War and Russo-Turkish War, Habsburg Austria sought to press its campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the region of Bukovina. Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld led an Austrian army of 18,000 men from Bukovina toward the strategically significant Ottoman fortress of Khotyn on the Dniester River.
The combined Russian-Austrian forces besieged the Ottoman garrison at the fortress of Khotyn from 2 July to 19 September 1788. The Ottoman Pasha of Khotyn held out for more than two months before capitulating. The surrender terms, negotiated by Austrian generals, allowed Ottoman troops to march out with flags flying and provided civilian refugees with food and 3,000 carts for their possessions.
The favorable surrender terms were widely ridiculed across Europe as excessively lenient toward the Ottomans. The fortress passed into Russian occupation and remained under Russian control until the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War in 1792, consolidating Allied influence over this strategic Dniester crossing point.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Ivan Saltykov.
Side B
1 belligerent
Pasha of Khotyn.