| Conflict: | Battle of Giurgiu (1771) |
| Partof: | the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774) |
| Date: | 12 September 1771 |
| Place: | Giurgiu, Ottoman Empire |
| Map Type: | Europe#Romania |
| Map Relief: | 1 |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Map Mark: | Battle icon (crossed swords).svg |
| Map Marksize: | 20 |
| Result: | Ottoman victory[1] |
| Strength1: | Unknown |
| Strength2: | 22,000 |
| Casualties1: | Low |
| Casualties2: | 500 killed Thousands injured |
The battle of Giurgiu was fought on 12 September 1771 at the Ottoman city of Giurgiu between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The Ottoman forces were led by Grand Vizier, whilst the Russian troops were commanded by . The battle was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.[2]
The new Ottoman Grand Vizier,, decided not to invade Wallachia and Moldavia (both Ottoman vassals) to regain lands lost to the Russians. Instead, he situated himself on the Danube and reinforced fortresses along the river. Pyotr Rumyantsev struggled greatly for months to deal with the pasha's cross-river raids, and was unable to penetrate Turkish fortifications along the Danube in what has been coined as the "war of posts".[3]
With the forces of Rumyantsev stretched thin across a wide river, the Grand Vizier quickly took advantage of the situation and amassed a force at Rusçuk. From there, the Ottomans crossed the Danube under the command of and laid siege to Giurgiu between 27 to 29 May 1771, capturing the city.
The city was first unsuccessfully attacked by the Russians under Grigory Potemkin,,, and Peter Tekeli from 4 to 7 February 1770. Giurgiu was finally seized by after heavy losses following a 7-day siege between 17 and 24 February 1771.[4]
On 7 August, arrived to Giurgiu and stormed it over two months after it fell to the Turks; though this ended in a major failure as Essen lost 1/3 of his troops. Over a month later, on 12 September 1771, Ottoman and Russian forces clashed in the proximity of Giurgiu for the last time.
The Russians, under the leadership of, numbered 22,000. Their force also consisted of some Moldavians. The Ottomans, on the other hand, were most likely led by Grand Vizier . They emerged victorious, killing 500 and injuring thousands of Russian soldiers. The Turks also seized seven cannons and three carts of ammunition, left behind as the Russians retreated to Bucharest in a disorganised manner.
tr:Akşin Somel
. The A to Z of the Ottoman Empire . . . 2010 . LV. 9780810875791.