TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Treaty · 1791
Russia's ally Austria had joined the Ottoman–Russian war that began in 1787 (9 February 1788). According to the TDV article on the Treaty of Sistova, Emperor Joseph II and then Leopold II wanted to end the war because of the French Revolution and signs of unrest in their lands; after the Convention of Reichenbach (27 July 1790), signed under Prussian pressure, Austria agreed to make peace on the basis of the status quo through the mediation of Prussia, Britain and the Netherlands. A nine-month armistice came first; at the end of eighteen sessions of talks at Sistova, the main treaty (fourteen articles) and a separate instrument (seven articles) setting out the places left to Austria were signed on 4 August 1791. It was the twenty-first peace Austria made with the Ottoman state between 1533 and 1791; Austria did not get what it had hoped for from three and a half years of war and had to be content with small gains.
| Signed | 4 August 1791 |
|---|---|
| Place of signing | Sistova (Svishtov), on the Danube |
| Parties | Ottoman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy |
The war with Russia ended the next year with the Treaty of Jassy.
Took place during the reign of Selim III (1789–1807). Selim III
Open the reign of Selim III on the mapBy the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 4,596,000 km² in 1791; at the start of Selim III's reign they measured 4,596,000 km², at its end 4,551,000 km².
During Selim III (1789–1807) the atlas records 0 regions gained and 1 region lost.
Regions lost: Budjak–Bessarabia (1806).
He launched a thorough programme of reform: a new army, permanent embassies, engineering schools. The programme was overthrown by a Janissary revolt and he himself was killed; yet the Nizam-ı Cedid became the blueprint for Mahmud II's reforms.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “ZİŞTOVİ ANTLAŞMASI” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Treaty of Sistova (1791): Terms, Date and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/treaty-of-sistova/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections