Delimitating Northwestern Ottoman Borders: An Analysis of 1830 Ottoman-Russian Border Protocol

From the 18th century until 1829, Russia persistently exerted pressure on the Danube frontier through successive wars with the Ottoman Empire. By the end of the century, the occupation of the fortresses of Ochakiv and Budjak enabled Russia to advance closer to the Danube from the north. The Treaty of Bucharest in 1812 granted Russia limited rights over the river, marking the beginning of the Ottomans’ erosion of full control over the Danube. The Ottoman defeat in the war of 1828-1829 resulted in the transfer of the Danube islands and the formal recognition of the river as a boundary. Under the Treaty of Adrianople, a boundary protocol (hududnâme) was jointly prepared in 1830 to define the new borders between Ottoman, Russian, Wallachian, and Moldavian territories along the Danube. This study aims to analyse and critically assess the boundary arrangements in 1830 and the protocol text itself. Despite its significance, this document has not been examined in detail in the existing literature. Accordingly, the defined borders are evaluated through official records, boundary maps, and relevant scholarly studies.