The Black Sea and British Foreign Policy

“The Seven Years’ War created a new balance of power in European and global politics. American independence in the Atlantic world, the 1768–1774 Ottoman–Russian War, and the first partition of Poland in 1772 fundamentally reshaped the balance of power in Eastern and Central Europe. As a result of these developments, England paid greater attention to Eastern Europe, particularly the Black Sea region. This concern reached its peak during the 1791 Ochakov debate. Russia’s expansion into the Black Sea and southward directly threatened British interests. Consequently, London sought to strengthen the Ottoman Empire both politically and militarily in response to Russian expansion. In addition, the British Foreign Office dispatched military experts and agents such as George Frederick Koehler, Sir Sidney Smith, and George Monro to the region. Their roles included reinforcing the Ottoman Empire’s defences and gathering intelligence about Ottomans. Based on observations of the Ottoman Empire’s socio-economic, military, and political conditions, their reports were submitted to the British Foreign Office. This book examines both Britain’s interest in the Black Sea and the reports and activities of Sir Sidney Smith and George Monro.”