The Armed Forces of the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War: Evaluating in the Past and in the Present

Military actions of allies in the Crimean War of 1853-1856 had the coalition character, and therefore it is quite problematic to evaluate the contribution of individual troops objectively. At the national historical schools, as well as in public opinion of the state, the army’s participation and its contribution in the course of military operations are actualized. This trend has been common both in the war years and today. The imaginary and the real successes of the army are highly appreciated, and it is impossible to do this without downgrading the role of allies in the coalition. The evaluation of Ottoman troops’ behavior during the Balaklava battle in the Crimean War may serve as an example of such ambiguity. This article deals with the problem of ambiguity of contribution made by the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire to the military operations of the Crimean war in the context of existing assessments. On the one hand, the behavior of the Ottoman forces does not give reasons for the low evaluation of their fighting qualities. On the other hand, current attempts to form an image of the Egyptian contingent as one of the main conflict factors seem to be very far from reality.