Romanian War of Independence
| Romanian War of Independence | |||||||||
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| Part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 | |||||||||
Romanian troops returning to Bucharest after the war, 8 October 1878. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Romania Russia | Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Carol I Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolai Stoletov |
Ahmed Muhtar Pasha Gazi Osman Pasha | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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Around 114,000 soldiers 190 cannons 280,000 troops (European front) 500 cannons |
106,000 troops 210 cannons | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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4,302 killed and missing 3,316 wounded 19,904 sick 15,567 killed 56,652 wounded 6,824 died from wounds 81,363 died from disease 1,713 died from other causes 3,500 missing |
30,000 killed in battle, 50,000 died from wounds and diseases (during the entire Russo-Turkish War) 2 river monitors sunk | ||||||||
| History of Romania |
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| Romania portal |
The Romanian War of Independence (Romanian: Războiul de Independență al României) is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), in which Romania, fighting on the Russian side of the war, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On April 16 [O.S. April 4] 1877, Romania and the Russian Empire signed a treaty at Bucharest under which Russian troops were allowed to pass through Romanian territory, with the condition that Russia respected the integrity of Romania. Consequently, the mobilization of the Romanian troops also began, and around 114,000 soldiers were massed in the south of the country to defend against an eventual attack of the Ottoman forces from south of the Danube. On April 24 [O.S. April 12] 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire and its troops entered Romania through the newly built Eiffel Bridge, on their way to the Ottoman Empire. Due to great losses, the Russian Empire asked Romania to intervene. On July 24 [O.S. July 12] 1877, the first Romanian Army units crossed the Danube and joined forces with the Russian Army.