Izmail Fortress
Izmail Fortress was an Ottoman stronghold in the southernmost part of modern-day Ukraine, near the border with Romania and on a branch of the Danube Delta.
History
In the 16th century, Izmail was mentioned as an Ottoman Turkish fortress; in 1569, Sultan Selim II settled the Nogais here. In 1761, the cathedra of Metropolitan Daniel of Brăila was established here, administering churches in all the Turkish "rayas." In 1632, Izmail was sacked by the Cossacks.It was repeatedly attacked by the Russians. By the 1790 campaign, the Turks, under the leadership of the French engineer André-Joseph Lafitte-Clavé and the German Richter, had transformed Izmail into a formidable stronghold. In the course of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), it was captured by A. Suvorov-Rymniksky after a bloody assault, preceded by a 600-cannon bombardment the day before. By the Treaty of Bucharest (1812), Izmail was annexed to Russia; in the 1830s, new settlers flocked to the city from various directions: Greeks, Bulgarians, fugitives from the rest of Russia, and also Old Believers. By the Treaty of Paris (1856), it was given to Wallachia. After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), it again fell under Russian control on, but only ruins remained of the fortress.