Primary sourceDocument21 July 1774

Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca

21 July 1774

The 1774 peace treaty ending Russia's war with the Ottoman Empire, signed under Catherine the Great and giving Russia access to the Black Sea.

This treaty, concluded under Catherine's rule, marked a major territorial and diplomatic victory of her reign.

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Photograph of a white marble commemorative plaque with Cyrillic and Italian inscriptions, mounted on a wall. The top lines in Bulgarian text state the treaty was signed 10/21 July 1774 between Catherine II, Abdul Hamid I and the Ottoman grand vizier Mehmed Pasha, with the text of a clause in Italian and Bulgarian below, and a date and signature line at the bottom. — Commemorative plaque, Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed 21 July 1774, Kaynardzha, Bulgaria.

About this source

What it is

Signed on 21 July 1774 at Küçük Kaynarca, this treaty ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 between the Russian Empire, represented by Field-Marshal Count Pyotr Rumyantsev under Catherine II, and the Ottoman Empire, represented by Muhsinzade Mehmed Pasha under Sultan Abdul Hamid I.

Why it matters

The treaty gave Russia access to the Black Sea, control connected to the Crimean Khanate, and a claimed right to protect Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire. It marked a major step in Ottoman decline and in Russia's rise as a Black Sea power under Catherine, later leading to her formal annexation of Crimea in 1783.

Look closer

Why might a treaty about protecting Christians also serve as a tool for political influence?
What does this treaty reveal about shifting power between Russia and the Ottoman Empire?
How did this agreement set the stage for later conflicts?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Catherine the Great on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.