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The Treaty of San Stefano concluded
February 19 (March 3), 1878 in the small town of San Stefano (a western suburb of Constantinople, from 1926 - of Istanbul) was signed a preliminary peace agreement between the Russian and Ottoman empires, which ended the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
As a result of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, Russia won most of the European part of the Ottoman Empire. Due to the intervention of the Western powers, only the capital city of Constantinople was not taken. Having suffered a complete defeat in the war, the Turkish government turned to Russia with a request for an armistice.
February 19 (March 3), 1878 in San Stefano, Russia and the Porte signed a peace treaty taking into account a preliminary agreement concluded January 19 (31) in Adrianople.
The contract included of a preamble and 29 articles. From the Russian side, the agreement was signed by the former Russian ambassador in Constantinople, Count N. P. Ignatiev and the chief of the diplomatic office of the commander-in- chief of the Russian army in the Balkans and the future ambassador, A. I. Nelidov. From the Turkish – by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Savfet Pasha and the ambassador to Germany, Saadullah Pasha.
The Treaty of San Stefano was of great importance for the liberation of the Balkan nations from the Ottoman yoke. According to the agreement, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania received independence and greatly expanded their territory.
Bulgaria became autonomy within the Ottoman Empire, was entitled to its own government, army; its relationship with Turkey was limited to the payment of tribute. Turkish troops were withdrawn from Bulgaria, the Russians remained there for 2 more years.
Bosnia and Herzegovina were granted autonomy within the Ottoman Empire.
Russia received Batum, Ardahan, Kars, Bajazet and South Bessarabia, taken away from it by the Treaty of Paris in 1856 (except for the islands in the delta of the Danube).
Turkey was obliged to pay Russia 310 million rubles of indemnity, to establish in Epirus, Thessaly and Albania the government similar to that introduced in 1868 in Crete, and to carry out reforms in Turkish Armenia.
The terms of the treaty had caused a negative reaction of Western European states, which feared the exceedingly increased Russian influence in the Balkans. Austria-Hungary and Britain announced that it violated the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Fearing the threat of a new war, to which Russia was not ready, the Russian government was forced to revise the treaty at an international congress in Berlin, where the Treaty of San Stefano was replaced by the Treaty of Berlin disadvantageous for Russia and the Balkan countries.
Lit.: Беляев Н. И. Русско-турецкая война 1877–1878 гг. М., 1956; Виноградов В. И. Русско-турецкая война 1877–1878 гг. и освобождение Болгарии. М., 1978; Генов Ц. Русско-турецкая война 1877–1878 гг. и подвиг освободителей. София, 1979; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/h/genov/index.html; Дебидур А. Дипломатическая история Европы от Венского до Берлинского конгресса (1814-1878). М., 1947. Т 2; Игнатьев Н. П. Походные письма 1877 года. М., 1999; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/db/ignatyev_np/index.html; Сан-Стефанский прелиминарный мирный договор [Электронный ресурс] // Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова. 1997–2013. URL: http://www.hist.msu.ru/ER/Etext/FOREIGN/stefano.htm; Фортунатов П. К. Война 1877–1878 гг. и освобождение Болгарии. М., 1950; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/h/fortunatov_pk01/index.html.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Беренс А. И. Интересы России на Востоке и нынешняя война. СПб., 1877;
Домонтович М. А. Обзор русско-турецкой войны 1877-1878 гг. на Балканском полуострове. СПб., 1900;