102955 | FRANCE & RUSSIA. Napoléon III/Capture of Sevastopol copper Medal.

102955  |  FRANCE, UKRAINE, RUSSIA & OTTOMAN EMPIRE. Napoléon III/Capture of Sevastopol copper Medal. Issued 1855 (46mm, 48.31 g, 12h). By Alphonse Desaide-Roquelay at the Paris mint.

 

NAPOLEON III EMPEREUR DES FRANÇAIS, head left, wearing oak wreath // Crowned shield reading "PRISE / DE / SÉBASTOPOL / LE 8 / SEPTEMBRE / 1855" in six lines; all over facing eagle and laurel wreath, with crossed banners, cannons, and bayonets in background. Edge: [hand] CUIVRE.

 

Divo 275; Collignon 1712; Diakov –. Choice Mint State. Rich red-brown surfaces, with a few minor stains noted for completeness.

 

Though there were many factors which led to the outbreak of the Crimean War, the main focal point involved Russia's desire for a stronger position around the Black Sea, as this water had long been important in her military strategy and might. The waning of the Ottoman Empire's power provided an opportunity to Russia around not only the Black Sea but also parts of the Balkans. Great Britain and France, neither wanting to see an expanded Russia, banded together to push back the latter. Stalled action in the southeastern Black Sea by the French and British forces caused them to turn their attention to Russia's main naval base on the Crimean peninsula at Sevastopol. This approach led to the successive battles of Alma, Balaclava, and Inkerman, the initial being an allied victory, with the latter two being more indecisive. Nevertheless, the allied presence was felt, and the assault on Sevastopol resulted in her submission, but only after nearly a year. As Russia saw more nations coming to the side of the allies, she had no choice but seek peace and end the war in early 1856. One of the resounding effects of her defeat was the decree that the Black Sea be neutral, preventing Russian warships from sailing there and greatly limiting her influence in this vital, warm weather port.

 

Fast-forwarding over half a century, the toppling of the czarist government in Russia at the hands of the Bolsheviks provided an opportunity for those in Ukraine seeking independence. While Russia's Entente allies, France and the United Kingdom, did not want to recognize any such Ukrainian independence, the Central Powers welcomed such an invitation, as it provided a buffer between them and Russia. With a pact signed, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the combined forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany intervened and drove out the Russian Red Army. Following World War I however, this Ukrainian victory was short-lived, as signatories of the treaty on the side of the Central Powers began to fade: Austria-Hungary dissolved following the war, Turkey opted for a pact with the pro-Soviet Ukrainian SSR, and Germany signed on to a deal with Soviet Russia. As such, most of what is modern-day Ukraine, including the Crimean region, would fall back under Soviet command until the dissolution of the Soviet Union's vast empire in 1991. Since that point, Ukraine's very existence has been at the crosshairs of Soviet diehards, including its current de facto "chairman" and czarist wannabe.

 

Upload: 15 January 2025.