Dardanelles

The Dardanelles (Greek: ???????????, Turkish: Çanakkale Boğazı), formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. It is located at approximately {{coor dm|40|13|N|26|26|E|}}. The strait is 61 km (38 miles) long but only 1.2 to 6 km (0.75 to 4 miles) wide, averaging 55 m (180 ft) deep with a maximum depth of 81 m (300 ft). Water flows in both directions along the strait, from the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean via a surface current and in the opposite direction via an undercurrent.

Related Topics:
Greek - Turkish - Hellespont - Strait - Turkey - Aegean Sea - Sea of Marmara

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just like the Bosporus strait, it separates Europe (in this case the Gallipoli peninsula) and the mainland of Asia. The major city adjoining the strait is Çanakkale (which takes its name from its famous castles; kale means "castle"). The name Dardanelles derives from Dardanus, an ancient Greek city on the Asian shore of the strait.

Related Topics:
Bosporus - Europe - Gallipoli peninsula - Asia - Çanakkale - Castle - Dardanus - Ancient Greek

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The strait has long had a strategic role in history. The ancient city of Troy was located near the western entrance of the strait and the strait's Asiatic shore was the focus of the Trojan War. It was also the scene of the legendary Greek story of Hero and Leander. The Persian army of Xerxes I and later the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great crossed the Dardanelles in opposite directions to invade each other's lands, in 480 BC and 334 BC respectively. The Dardanelles were vital to the defence of Constantinople during the Byzantine period, and since the 14th century they have almost continuously been controlled by the Turks.

Related Topics:
Troy - Trojan War - Hero and Leander - Persian - Xerxes I - Macedonia - Alexander the Great - 480 BC - 334 BC - Constantinople - Byzantine - 14th century

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gaining control or special access to the strait became a key foreign policy goal of the Russian Empire during the 19th century. In 1833, following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, Russia forced the Ottomans to sign the Treaty of Hunkiar Iskelesi which required the Ottomans to close the straits to warships of non-Black Sea powers at Russia's request. This would have effectively given Russia a free hand in the Black Sea.

Related Topics:
Russian Empire - 19th century - 1833 - Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The treaty alarmed the Western powers, who feared the consequences of potential Russian expansionism in the Mediterranean. At the London Straits Convention in July 1841, Britain, France, Austria and Prussia forced Russia to agree that only Turkish warships could traverse the Dardanelles in peacetime. Britain and France subsequently sent their fleets through the straits to attack the Crimea during the Crimean War in 1853, though this was done as allies of the Ottoman Empire. This convention was formally reaffirmed by the Congress of Paris in 1856, following the Russian defeat in the Crimean War, and it remained theoretically in force into the 20th century.

Related Topics:
1841 - Britain - France - Austria - Prussia - Crimea - Crimean War - 1853 - Congress of Paris - 1856 - 20th century

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a result of the strait being vital for the Ottoman's domination over their eastern Mediterranean territories, the Allies made a failed attempt to seize the Dardanelles during World War I. The Battle of Gallipoli was officially declared lost on March 18, 1915; the high number of casualties (see ANZAC) from this battle almost ended the career of Winston Churchill. The straits were mined to prevent Allied ships from penetrating them, although a British submarine did succeed in evading the minefields and sank a Turkish battleship off the Golden Horn in Istanbul.

Related Topics:
Ottoman - World War I - Battle of Gallipoli - March 18 - 1915 - ANZAC - Winston Churchill - Golden Horn

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the war, the 1920 Treaty of Sévres demilitarized the strait and made it an international territory under the control of the League of Nations. This was amended under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne which restored the straits to Turkey but allowed all foreign warships to traverse the straits freely. Turkey rejected the terms of this treaty and subsequently remilitarized the area. The reversion to this old regime was formalised under the Montreux Convention of July 1936. The convention, which is still in force today, treats the straits as an international shipping lane but Turkey retains the right to restrict the naval traffic of non-Black Sea nations. During World War II, when Turkey was neutral for almost the entire length of the conflict, the Dardanelles were closed to the ships of the belligerent nations.

Related Topics:
1920 - Treaty of Sévres - League of Nations - 1923 - Treaty of Lausanne - Montreux Convention - 1936 - Black Sea - World War II

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~