The process of capturing Kars by the Russian Army in the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878

The 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War; is one of the most important wars of the 19th century in terms of military availability, usage of advanced technology, and implementation of the change in defense systems. Although the War of 1877-1878 took place on a local scale, it constituted an important turning point in international politics by creating global consequences. In the battles that took place in the Caucasus Front in the mentioned war, the main focus of the strategy of the Ottoman State and Russia was the Erzurum and Kars castles. Considered as the shield of Erzurum and Anatolia, Kars Castle is of critical importance in Caucasian operations. The fall of Kars Castle, one of the most equipped castles in the Caucasus Front during the 1877-1878 War, deeply affected the Caucasus policies of the Ottoman Empire and Russia. In this thesis, the fall of Kars Castle in the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War is discussed. The fall of Kars Castle was examined in military and administrative terms, public reflections of this loss, its place in the Ayastefanos and Berlin treaties and its role in the post-war migrations were discussed. In the thesis, the reasons for the invasion were determined by considering the existing equipment, ammunition and the amount of soldiers of the Kars Castle, which was modernized in the light of developing military technologies.