Russian and Ottoman empires · 1853-1856

The Crimean War

Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France go to war over the Black Sea. It is one of the first wars reported by telegraph and photographed, and the war of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Students explore why it began and what it changed.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1854
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France go to war over the Black Sea. It is one of the first wars reported by telegraph and photographed, and the war of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. Students explore why it began and what it changed.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain the causes of the Crimean War and name the countries on each side.
  • Locate Sinop, Sevastopol, Balaklava and Scutari on the map.
  • Describe how nurses, journalists and new technology changed how people saw war.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1854

The Black Sea

Open the map in 1854 and zoom in on the Black Sea. Which two empires share its coasts? Find the Crimean peninsula and the Bosporus.

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1854

An old map

Stay in 1854 and turn on Historical Maps: a map of the Ottoman Empire from around 1880 appears. Compare its borders around the Black Sea with the borders on the map.

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1854

Sevastopol and Balaklava

Zoom in on the south-west tip of Crimea. Find Sevastopol and the small harbour of Balaklava. Why did the allies land so close to Russia's great naval base?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The war began partly with a quarrel over who protected Christian holy places in Jerusalem. Why could a religious dispute spark a war between great powers?
  2. Britain and France fought to defend the Ottoman Empire. What did they fear Russia would do?
  3. More soldiers died of disease than in battle. What does that tell you about armies in the 1850s?
  4. Russia lost the war. How might defeat push a country to reform at home?
  5. Why do you think Florence Nightingale became famous at once, while Mary Seacole was almost forgotten for a century?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Catherine the Great in Rule History, starting with her round on the Black Sea. She took Crimea in 1783, and Sevastopol was founded that year as a naval base. Discuss: why was Crimea still worth a great war 70 years later?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.