Pages: 319-334

This article introduces and analyzes a French document called “Mémoire sur la fortresse d’Akermann remis au Directoire en Nivose de l’an 6” (“Report about the fortress of Akkerman submitted to the Directory in Nivose month, 6”). The author of the report is not mentioned, but the date of the French revolutionary calendar in the title dates it to 1797/1798. The study has shown that the document was created in the spring of 1794 by the French engineer at the Ottoman service, Fr. Kauffer. It was a basic analytical report on the defense issues of the Akkerman fortress on the Dniester and perspectives of its modernization, meant for the government of the Ottoman Empire. The project proposed by the engineer was partially implemented by the Ottoman administration in the period from 1797 to 1806 (probably closer to the later date). The Turks were in no hurry to implement full-scale defensive work in the fortresses on the right bank of the Dniester, preferring the Danubian Chilia and Ismail. Aggravation of the political situation in the Black Sea region at the turn of 1797/1798 years, due to the coalition wars, aroused the interest of the French Directory to this faraway object as was the Akkerman fortress, a frontier outpost of the Turks on the Lower Dniester.

Keywords: Akkerman, fortification, Kauffer, cartography, French diplomacy, protection of Russian-Turkish border

Information about authors:

Andrew Krasnozhon (Odessa, Ukraine). Candidate of Historical Sciences. K. D. Ushinskiy South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University. Staroportofrankovskaya St., 26, Odessa, 65000, Ukraine
E-mail: [email protected]
Aleksei Dragomiretskiy (Odessa, Ukraine). Candidate of Philological Sciences. I. I. Mechnikov Odessa National University. Dvoryanskaya St., 2, Odessa, 65026, Ukraine
E-mail: [email protected]