TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Battle · 1829
In the Ottoman–Russian war of 1828–1829, after Grand Vizier Darendeli İzzet Mehmed Pasha was dismissed for his failure at Varna, Reşid Mehmed Pasha, who had fought the Greek insurgents successfully in the Morea, was made grand vizier and ordered to hurry to Shumen (28 January 1829). According to the TDV article on Reşid Mehmed Pasha, he gathered 45,000 picked troops at Shumen and moved against General Roth's forces before Silistra. But despite great efforts he could not hold out against the large army of the Russian commander-in-chief Diebitsch and was defeated by a Russian attack at the Kulevicha pass (June 1829). The defeat made it easier for the Russians to cross the Balkans (14–17 July) and reach Edirne; the war ended with the Treaty of Adrianople on 14 September 1829.
| Date | June 1829 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kulevicha pass, near Shumen |
| Result | The Ottoman army was defeated; the way across the Balkans was opened to the Russians |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Russian Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Reşid Mehmed Pasha | Hans Karl von Diebitsch |
Took place during the reign of Mahmud II (1808–1839). Mahmud II
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 4,506,000 km² in 1829; at the start of Mahmud II's reign they measured 4,551,000 km², at its end 3,803,000 km².
During Mahmud II (1808–1839) the atlas records 0 regions gained and 6 regions lost.
Regions lost: Cyclades (Naxos) (1821), Morea (Peloponnese) (1828), Akhaltsikhe (Childir) (1828), Athens–Central Greece (1829), Algiers (1830), Euboea (Negroponte) (1833).
He recentralised the state: he abolished the Janissaries and founded modern ministries, schools and the census. The territorial losses were heavy (Greece, Algiers, Bessarabia), but the administrative structure he built made the Tanzimat possible.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “REŞİD MEHMED PAŞA” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Battle of Kulevicha (1829): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/battle-of-kulevicha/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections
Terms on this page: Grand vizier · Vizier