This series of posts is from a presentation entitled “German Geography of the Russian Empire 1721-1914” that I gave in the summer of 2025 at the conferences of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) and the Foundation for East European Family History Studies (FEEFHS). At a high level, it explores the territorial growth of Imperial Russia and shows its significance to German settlement and migration across the empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire
III. The Black Sea Region
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| Section of the 1842 map “Sketch of the Acquisitions of Russia Since the Accession of Peter I to the Throne” showing the territory that Russia acquired north of the Black Sea. |
Timeline
1768 — Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774).
1774 — Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca.
1783 — Crimea annexed by ukase.
1787 — Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792).
1792 — Treaty of Jassy.
1794 — City of Odessa founded.
1803 — Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815).
1806 — Russo-Turkish War (1806-1812).
1812 —Treaty of Bucharest.
Up to this point, the territorial gains have come from the Kingdom of Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and a good chunk from Prussia thanks to France. The Black Sea region, however, came entirely from the Ottoman Empire.
The Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire were at war from the mid-1500s until the early 1900s, with 12 Russo-Turkish wars. Peter the Great had little success in gaining and keeping territory and a warm water port on the Black Sea, although he did try. Catherine the Great, however, made significant gains in 1774 at the end of that particular Russo-Turkish War.
In the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, Russia finally gained Azov. It also added the territory between the Bug and Dnieper rivers and Taganrog.
Russia was assured free navigation of the Black Sea and passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles strait out to the Mediterranean in exchange for its conquests on the Danube River and Crimea. Crimea became the edge of the Russian frontier; its independence was recognized, and independence meant it was ripe to be annexed.
And Catherine did just that.
In 1783, she annexed Crimea by ukase, or by edict. Although the act broke the previous peace treaty, the Ottoman Empire acknowledged the annexation. The following year, Crimea was incorporated into the Taurida province of the Russian Empire.
The final Russo-Turkish war under Catherine was from 1787-1792. In Treaty of Jassy, Russia was gained control over the region known as Ochakiv (Özi), along with a fortress of the same name on Black Sea. It also was ceded the territory between the southern Bug and Dniester rivers, including the Black Sea coastline.
With this came the warm-water ports on the Black Sea...and also a great swath of black earth (chernozem), extremely fertile land which was ideal for growing grain and grapes. In 1794, the city of Odessa was founded and grain port established.
While not directly a part of the Napoleonic Wars, the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) is considered by historians as a parallel conflict, with the Russian Empire encroaching into Bessarabia and the Ottoman Empire interfering with Russian controlled territories on the Danube.
The Treaty of Bucharest ended the war. Turkey ceded Bessarabia and part of Moldavia to Russia, extending its frontier to the Prut River.
This entire area dubbed Novaya Rossiya, New Russia. The entire area was also a part of the Pale of Settlement.
What did this mean for German settlement and migration?
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Having secured trade passage out of the Black Sea, warm water ports, and fertile land, all that was left for Russia was to populate the land with skilled farmers to transform this region into a breadbasket. Unlike the previous regions, there were no Germans already living here.
The first German colony in this area was Alt-Danzig in 1785. Remember that the manifesto of Catherine the Great inviting foreigners to Russia was still in effect, although between the founding of the last Volga mother colony in 1776 and 1785, few Germans immigrated to Russia.
Several more early Black Sea colonies were founded between 1789 and 1791: Josefstal, Fischersdorf, Jamburg. They were a mix of Lutheran and Catholic colonies. The first Mennonite group also arrived from West Prussia in 1789. They had negotiated with Russia for land near Melitopol to be near the Sea of Azov, but continued unrest with Turkey—namely the Russo-Turkish War in 1787—prevented them from going that far south. They formed the Chortitza Colony of settlements near Zaporizhia today.
The Napoleonic Wars started to push Germans out of Europe in 1803, and free land pulled them to the Black Sea region. They showed up even before 1804 when Tsar Alexander II reaffirmed Catherine’s manifesto.
And as mentioned in the last region, some of the Germans who immigrated to South Prussia first, immigrated again to the southern part of the province of Bessarabia and the other provinces in this region: Kherson, Ekaterinoslav, and Taurida.
Settlement across the territory that came from the Ottomans began with small pockets of German colonies here and there that were founded on Crown land in enclaves named Liebental, Beresan, Glückstal, Kutschurgan, Prischib, Planer/Grunau/Mariupol, along with two large Mennonite settlements named Chortitza (see above) and Molotschna. Over time, they purchased or rented more land. Mother colonies (the original settlements) spawned Daughter colonies (subsequent settlements) in enclaves both near and far from the original settlements. Eventually, German settlements in this area looked something like the map above. Among the German colonies were villages with other ethnicities, including numerous Jewish agricultural colonies.
Next, we’ll look at the Caucasus region.
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Related Posts and Sources:
- Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire
I. Introduction (posted 20 September 2025)
II. The Baltics & Finland (posted 21 September 2025)
III. Eastern Europe (posted 22 September 2025)
IV. The Black Sea Region (posted 23 September 2025)
V. The Caucasus Region
VI. Central Asia and Western Siberia
VII. Far East Russia
VIII. Summary - Images from the series Geography of German Settlement in the Russian Empire