Russo-Khivan War of 1839–1840 | |||||||
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Part of Russian conquest of Turkestan | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Junior jüz | Russian Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Allah Quli Bahadur Makhambet Otemisuly |
Nicholas I Vasily Perovsky | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 6,651 troops | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 2,500 killed or died of diseases |
The Russo-Khivan War of 1839–1840 was a failed Russian attempt to conquer the Khanate of Khiva. Vasily Perovsky set out from Orenburg with 5,000 men, met an unusually cold winter, lost most of his camels, and was forced to turn back after going halfway.
Russians attacked Khiva four times. Around 1602, some free Cossacks made three raids on Khiva. In 1717, Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky attacked Khiva and was soundly defeated, only a few men escaping to tell the tale. After the Russian defeat in 1839–1840, Khiva was finally conquered by the Russians during the Khivan campaign of 1873.