Where the battle of the fleets of Octavian and Anthony took place. Fight with unusual results

Under one word “Jews” completely different peoples are united! Not all Jews descended from the ancient Jews! There are Jews who descended from other peoples who adopted Judaism. For example, from the Khazars, Turks and Slavs who converted to Judaism. The origin of Jews from the Slavs is almost unknown in the world. In the Jewish community itself, these issues are bashfully kept silent.

In his new book, Michael Dorfman talks about the secrets of Ashkenazi Jews. And about the contribution this small active people made to the culture of the whole world.

Jews and life. How Jews descended from the Slavs Michael Dorfman

Under one word “Jews” completely different peoples are united! Not all Jews descended from the ancient Jews! There are Jews who descended from other peoples who adopted Judaism. For example, from the Khazars, Turks and Slavs who converted to Judaism. The origin of Jews from the Slavs is almost unknown in the world. In the Jewish community itself, these issues are bashfully kept silent.

In his new book, Michael Dorfman talks about the secrets of Ashkenazi Jews. And about the contribution this small active people made to the culture of the whole world.

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September 2, 31 BC off Cape Actium on the Greek Adriatic coast fleet Octaviana meets with Antony's fleet. After a short battle the fleet Antonia fails. Octavian's victory means the end of the civil wars that have plagued Rome for years. This is followed by the annexation of Egypt, after which the Romans establish dominance over the entire Mediterranean.

What was in fact only the end of a civil war waged by two Roman generals vying for supreme power was transformed, thanks to the efforts of Octavian, who became Emperor Augustus, into a victory for the Roman civilized west over the barbarians of the east.

West vs East
Since 32 BC. The quarrels between the two triumvirs are becoming more and more serious: Octavian, the only ruler of the West, and Antony, who, together with Queen of Egypt Cleopatra leads the luxurious life of an eastern ruler in Alexandria. Octavian managed to prepare the Romans for a new civil war against Antony, whom he portrays as an “Egyptian” traitor. In 32, he read out before the Senate the will that his worst enemy gave to the Vestals. Everyone learns with indignation that Anthony is passing on the inheritance Cleopatra and their two common children vast eastern lands under the rule of Roman Empire.

Octavian forces the West to swear an oath of allegiance to him and officially declares war on the queen Egypt. Antony, who took her side along with his supporters, is also declared his enemy. In the campaign he organized to discredit the “Egyptian,” Octavian mockingly asserts that in Antony’s army the commanders are Cleopatra’s slaves, her eunuchs Mardion And Pothen as well as hairdressers Iraz And Karmion. But in fact his enemy has a very significant force under his command: 19 legions, 500 galleys, most of which have from 8 to 10 ranks of oars, additional troops provided to him by the allied kings of the East, and Cleopatra's 800 ships. Octavian's army is much weaker: 80,000 infantry and 250 galleys. However, his troops are better trained, his galleys are much faster and more mobile than Antony's huge, unwieldy ships. In addition, he has an excellent military leader, his friend Agrippa.

In the Gulf of Art
Relying on the superiority of his naval fleet, Antony chooses to meet Octavian in a naval battle. He sets up camp in Epirus on the southern shore of the Gulf of Artia in the Ionian Sea, ending at the exit with the high cape of Actium, where the temple of Apollo is located. Octavian approaches the northern coast of the bay. Antony is forced to wait for four days for the strong wind to subside before starting the battle. On September 2, a lull allows the opponents to approach each other. Antony's fleet, followed by Cleopatra's fleet of 60 galleys, leaves the Gulf of Arta and is located at the foot of Cape Actium along the open roads to the Ionian Sea. Antony commands the right flank of his fleet, Instenius- center and Caelium- left flank. On the part of Octavian, whose fleet is located approximately 1500 meters from Antony's fleet in deep waters, where it is easier to maneuver, the right flank is given Mark Luria, the center - Mark Aruntius, and the left flank - Agrippa And Octavian. Antony intends to bypass Octavian's ships to the right and left and thus encircle them. Agrippa suggests using his forces to surround the enemy. As for the ground forces of one and the other, they are lined up on both sides on the shore and are watching the battle.

Unexpected escape
Around noon, Antony’s warriors, wanting to quickly start a battle, push forward the right flank of the fleet. This is exactly what Agrippa is waiting for, who can now surround Antony’s galleys with his ships. The battle is more reminiscent of a land battle than a sea battle. In groups (of three or four) Agrippa's galleys surround Antony's impressive ships, and the Octavians, as if during a siege, bombard them with spears, harpoons, and burning arrows. From the heights of the towers on their ships, Anthony's warriors respond to the blows with the help of catapults.

The battle is very chaotic. But suddenly 60 of Cleopatra’s galleys unfurl their sails and, taking advantage of the resulting void in the center, leave the battle and head out to the open sea. Seeing this sudden maneuver, Anthony also begins to flee after Cleopatra, followed by 75 galleys. Antony's remaining fleet, demoralized by the flight of their leader, surrenders after a 10-hour battle. In this battle, Anthony lost 5,000 soldiers, 300 ships were captured. Antony and Cleopatra, hiding in Alexandria, commit suicide at the moment of Octavian’s triumphant arrival in the city in 30 BC. Having become the only winner of the civil wars, he strengthens his personal power and in 27 receives the nickname “ August”, which turns him into the ruler of a single Mediterranean world. In honor of Apollo of Actium, who Octavian says fought on his side, he erects a magnificent temple near his palace on the Palatine Hill.

After the death of Caesar, the struggle for power in Rome resumed with renewed vigor. Was especially fierce the struggle of two dictator candidates - Octavian (Caesar's adopted son) and Antony , who actively supported Caesar's monarchical aspirations at one time. They divided power among themselves: Octavian took the western half of the state, Antony took the eastern half.

While in the east, Anthony behaved like an autocrat. He distributed Roman possessions right and left as his property, and, in particular, gave them to the Egyptian queen Cleopatra and her children. Roman slave owners watched Antony's actions with growing dissatisfaction. At the beginning of 32 BC. e. An open break occurred between Antony and Octavian, who expressed the interests of the Roman slave owners, and both sides began to prepare for war.

Anthony had an army of more than 100 thousand people and a large fleet. Its fleet consisted of heavy, high-sided, slow-moving and slow-moving ships. To protect against ramming attacks, they were lined with a wooden belt. In addition to the ram, the ships were armed with heavy throwing machines installed on the deck. The army and navy were largely staffed by residents of the eastern provinces of the Roman state.

Octavian's army numbered 80 thousand people, but its organization was higher than that of Anthony's army: it was more homogeneous in composition and relied on the old military and state apparatus of the republic. Octavian's fleet consisted of 260 ships, most of which were built just before the start of the war. Commander of Octavian's fleet, Marcus Agrippa , abandoned the construction of heavy high-sided ships and created light, fast and agile liburni, named after the Liburians, inhabitants of the northern part of the Adriatic Sea, who built such ships. Libournes had a displacement of 80-100 tons, a length of 30 m, a width of 5 m and a draft of about 1 m. The oars were placed in one or two rows. Were armed liburni throwing machines and “incendiary projectiles,” which were spears wrapped in tow and soaked in tar. Threw out by throwing machines, they set fire to the enemy's wooden ships.


Anthony's plan was to concentrate forces in Greece and occupy the island of Corfu, relying on which he intended to land his army in Italy and capture Rome.

Carrying out this plan, Anthony in the fall of 32 BC. e. concentrated his army and most of the fleet in Greece at Cape Actium and remained inactive during the winter of 32/31, thus allowing Octavian to seize the initiative. Octavian's forces were concentrated in Tarentum and Brundisium. Octavian's war plan also included the occupation of the island of Corfu, which was to serve as an intermediate base for the landing of his troops in Greece.

The war began in the spring of 31 BC. e. actions of Octavian's fleet on the communications connecting Anthony with Egypt, Syria and Asia Minor, which seemed to affect the supply of Anthony’s troops, since Agrippa captured many transports with provisions. Then Agrippa landed troops on the island of Corfu and captured it. All this, as well as the inaction of Antony’s fleet, allowed Octavian, under the protection of his fleet, to transport the army by sea and freely land it in Greece, 20 miles north of Actium. Along with this, Agrippa landed troops on the coast of the Peloponnese and occupied a number of points there.

The occupation of these points, and especially the island of Leucadne, allowed Agrippa to effectively block Antony's fleet in the Ambracian Gulf.

After much hesitation, Antony decided to give Agrippa battle. Anthony hoped that if he managed to defeat the enemy fleet, he would be able to land his army in Italy.

Battle of Cape Aktii

Due to inactivity and lack of food, discipline in Anthony's army and navy declined sharply. Cases of desertion have become more frequent. Since there was a shortage of personnel in the fleet, Anthony burned some of the Egyptian ships, from which he replenished the crews of the remaining ships.

Anthony had 170 ships. In addition, his fleet included 60 Egyptian ships, led by Cleopatra. Antony's plan was to fight in the narrow part of the entrance to the Ambracian Gulf and thereby deprive the enemy ships of freedom of maneuver. Anthony's ships had to stay at close intervals and, remaining in place, wait for the enemy to attack. Antony believed that Agrippa's light and low-sided ships could not do anything with his heavy, high-sided ships standing in close formation. Dividing his fleet into three detachments, Antony lined it up at the narrow part of the entrance to the Ambracian Gulf in frontal formation; both flanks rested on the banks. The Egyptian ships were behind the center.

Octavian's fleet , consisting mainly of Liburni, was also divided into three detachments and lined up opposite the enemy in a semicircle formation. Agrippa wanted the battle to take place in a wide part of the strait, where his more maneuverable ships could exploit their advantages. Therefore, the detachments located on the flanks were given the task of achieving separation of the enemy’s flanks from the center and dragging them away into a wider part of the strait. This should also have been achieved by exposing the flanks of each enemy detachment and dividing its fleet into parts. Then Agrippa's fleet , using numerical superiority and the best maneuvering qualities of their

Battle of Cape Actium (31 BC)e.).Second point.


ships, was supposed to attack Antony, so that for one enemy ship there would be two and three ships of Agrippa.

Thus, Antony's plan was a plan of passively waiting for the enemy to strike, while Agrippa's plan was designed for active action.

The battle took place on September 2, 31 BC. e. It began with the movement of Agrippa's ships towards the location of Antony's fleet. Before reaching the enemy 8 cables, Agrippa, delivering short attacks on the enemy flanks with a subsequent retreat, began to challenge the enemy to pursue. Soon the flanks of Antony's fleet moved forward with the aim of attacking Agrippa's ships. The latter, following the instructions of their commander, began to retreat, dragging the enemy with them. As a result of this, both flanks of Anthony were torn away from their center, the formation was broken, and the flanks of the detachments were exposed.

This is what Agrippa wanted. His ships, located on the flanks, taking advantage of their numerical superiority and speed advantage, quickly attacked the flanking detachments of Antony. Agrippa himself, who was in the center of the battle formation, rushed to the center of the enemy. Many of Antony's ships were simultaneously attacked from different sides by two or three ships of Agrippa. It was difficult for the low-sided Liburnians to board Antony's large, high-sided ships. Therefore, the main means of disabling a ship or destroying it were incendiary shells . Having throwing engines, Agrippa's ships pelted the enemy with incendiary shells and pots of burning tar. This weapon had a demoralizing effect on the diverse and unstable personnel of Antony’s fleet. It also affected the personnel of the Egyptian ships. In the midst of battle Cleopatra ordered her ships to go to Egypt. The departure of the Egyptian ships had a depressing effect on the crews of Antony's fighting ships. Antony himself, seeing Cleopatra's retreating ships, boarded a fast messenger ship and followed her, leaving his army and the fighting fleet without leadership. Some of the ships followed him, but the majority, attacked by the Liburnians, still continued to fight. Eventually, Antony's remaining ships were burned or captured by Agrippa's fleet.

The immediate result of Agrippa's victory was that a few days after the battle, Antony's army, left without a commander, surrendered to Octavian.

Conclusions. In the battle at Cape Actium, many characteristic features of the naval art of the rowing fleet of the ancient world appeared (order of battle, the desire to secure flanks, ramming). But at the same time, this battle is an example of the successful use of light and more maneuverable ships against heavy high-sided ships.

The decisive factor in the outcome of the battle was not ramming and boarding, but throwing machines and incendiary shells, the effectiveness of which turned out to be quite high when striking individual low-maneuverable enemy ships with groups of light ships.

One of the main reasons for the success of Agrippa's fleet in battle and, in particular, the high effectiveness of incendiary shells, was the weak moral stability and low combat training of the personnel of Antony's ships.

Agrippa himself played a major role in the battle. His tactical art is characterized by the ability to correctly evaluate and use new technical means (liburns, incendiary shells, throwing machines, etc.), the ability to navigate the situation and the ability to create favorable battle conditions for himself.

In 30 BC. e. Octavian captured Egypt and annexed it to the possessions of Rome. Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide.

Thus, the struggle between the two contenders for dictators ended with the victory of Octavian, who after that became a de facto monarch, and the Roman Republic turned into a slave-owning empire.

In subsequent times, the Roman Empire, until its death, had no naval opponents, and military clashes took place mainly on land.

Help me please! Say: 1) the year the empire was established in Rome 2) the name of the place where the supporters of the republic suffered their final defeat

defeat

3) the cape near which the battle of the fleets of Actavian and Antony took place and the year of the battle

answer: 1) the name of the post of head of government in Prussia. 2) the settlement where the battle took place, in which the Austrians suffered a crushing defeat

defeat by the Prussian army. 3) the surname of the head of government in Prussia and the German Empire in the second half of the 19th century. 4) The name of the city in Sicily. near which a decisive battle took place between the Garibaldians and the soldiers of the Neapolitan king. 5) City Council building. 6) The name of one of the largest theorists of anarchism, whose followers became part of the Paris Commune in March 1871. 7) name the fortresses where French troops were surrounded and defeated at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War.

Horizontally: 3. The city near which the Romans were defeated by the Franks. (7 letters). 4. Head of the monastery. (5 letters). 9. The first ruler of the state

francs (7 letters). 11. The city where the Franks defeated the Arabs. (6 letters). 13. The Germans who conquered Gaul. (6 letters). 14. Nickname of a noble Frank, winner of the Arabs (translated into Russian). (5 letters). 16. Roman province conquered by the Franks. (6 letters). 18. Dynasty of the first Frankish rulers. (9 letters). 21. New title of Charlemagne. (9 letters). 22. Participants of sea voyages from Scandinavia. (7 letters).
Vertically:
1. "Long-bearded" Germans. (10 letters). 2. Manager of the royal house under the “lazy kings” in the state of the Franks. (8 letters). 5. Workshop on copying books. (10 letters). 6. The city is the location of the court of Charlemagne. (4 letters). 7. River in the territory of the original settlement of the Franks. (4 letters). 8. Material for writing in the early Middle Ages. (8 letters). 10. Rulers of the regions under Clovis. (5 letters) 11. A city in France on the territory of the royal domain. (5 letters) 12. The dynasty of Frankish kings, which replaced the rulers from the family of Merovei. (9 letters) 15. Region of Northern Italy. (9 letters). 17. A region of modern France, the name of which comes from the grandson of Charlemagne. (10 letters). 19. The city is the place where the agreement on the division of Charlemagne’s empire was concluded. (6 letters). 20. The royal dynasty that came to power in France at the end of the 10th century. (9 letters).

URGENTLY!!!

Read an excerpt from a historical source and indicate the name of the settlement near which the battle described in it took place. Enter the correct answer without spaces in the answer box.

“But on Wednesday, July 11, Guy and Guillaume, having learned through scouts that all the French were preparing for battle in the morning, began to prepare themselves. They positioned the inhabitants of Ypres opposite the castle to prevent those who would want to make a sortie out of it during the battle, after which, at about the hour of the third, they lined up their army in a very elongated and close formation and began to wait for the enemy in the field. At about the hour of the sixth, the French appeared on the field, fully armed... Shortly before the hour of non, the battle began with a terrifying roar, with the roar inherent in war and with many deaths. The battle was fought with hatred and cruelty, but it did not last long, since God was imbued with compassion for the Flemings and quickly granted them victory.”

“History has never known such a decisive battle with such unusual results” (Admiral of the Fleet I. S. Isakov)

The Industrial Revolution of the mid-19th century led to unprecedented changes in military affairs: new technical means of warfare meant the end of the concept of the “armed nation” put forward by the French Revolution, and the birth of the doctrine of “nations at war”, which has not lost its relevance to this day. The first armed conflict of the new era is considered to be the Crimean War (another name is the Eastern War) of 1853–56. Each of the battles of this war opened a new page in world military history - the Battle of Sinop was no exception. Here are some facts about this naval battle.

The last battle of the sailing fleets

The battle that took place on November 30, 1853 near the city of Sinop on the Black Sea coast of Turkey between the Turkish and Russian squadrons is considered the last battle of the era of sailing fleets and the first with the use of bomb guns that fired explosive shells.

Turkish forces

The forces of the Turkish squadron, which arrived in Sinop from Istanbul and were preparing to land a large amphibious assault in the area of ​​Sukhum-Kale (modern name - Sukhum) and Poti, consisted of two steam frigates, seven sailing frigates, three corvettes and four transports.

Ships of the Turkish squadron

Ship type

Name

Number of guns

Sailing frigate

"Nizamiye"

Sailing frigate

"Nesimi Zefer"

Sailing frigate

"Forever Bahri"

Sailing frigate

"Damiad"

Sailing frigate

"Kaidi Zefer"

Sailing frigate

"Aunni Allah"

Sailing frigate

"Fazli Allah"

"Nezhm Fishan"

"Faze Meabud"

"Guli Sefid"

Steam frigate

Steam frigate

"Erkile"

Total

A.P. Bogolyubov, “The extermination of the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Sinop. 1854." Unfortunately, the only available images of Turkish ships are paintings by Russian artists

The flagship of the Turkish squadron was the frigate "Aunni Allah". According to Russian-language sources, the command of the Turkish ships was carried out by Osman Pasha, in turn, English-language sources (in particular, the book by R. Ernest Dupuis and Trevor N. Dupuis “The World History of Wars”) name Huseyn Pasha as the commander. Perhaps Huseyn Pasha took command of the squadron already during the battle, after Osman Pasha was wounded.

Turkish admiral Osman Pasha. The portrait is shown in the book “The Russo-Turkish War” by H. M. Hozier, undated

The Turkish coastal defense consisted of six artillery batteries (one eight-gun, three six-gun and two batteries of unknown composition), armed with 38 guns.

Russian forces

The Russian squadron consisted of six battleships, two sailing frigates and three steam frigates.


I.K. Aivazovsky, “Review of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849.” The second in the column is the battleship Rostislav, which took part in the Battle of Sinop

Ships of the Russian squadron

Ship type

Name

Number of guns

Battleship

Battleship

"Grand Duke Constantine"

Battleship

"Three Saints"

Battleship

"Empress Maria"

Battleship

Battleship

"Rostislav"

"Kulevchi"

Steam frigate

"Odessa"

Steam frigate

Steam frigate

"Chersonese"

Total

The Russian squadron was commanded by Vice Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, and the flagship ship was the battleship Empress Maria.

Osman Pasha's dilemma

The Battle of Sinop had a kind of prelude. Approaching Sinop on November 23 and discovering a detachment of Turkish ships in the bay, Admiral Nakhimov decided to block the port with three battleships (Empress Maria, Chesma and Rostislav) until reinforcements arrived from Sevastopol. A significant part of historians condemn the Turkish admiral for the fact that, having a significant advantage in artillery (472 guns versus 252), he did not attack Russian ships. However, the authors of textbooks on naval tactics are more loyal to Osman Pasha. In their opinion, Admiral Nakhimov, having blocked the port, left his Turkish “colleague” two options for the development of events: either, taking a landing party on board, break through to Sukhum-Kala and Poti, or try to destroy the Russian ships and then take on board the landing party. The first option could lead to significant casualties among the landing party, and in the second case, the Russian ships could retreat without taking the fight, and, waiting for the Turkish ships to return to the port, resume the blockade. Therefore, many experts in naval tactics consider the decision of the Turkish admiral to wait for reinforcements to be absolutely justified.

Wake columns are the key to a successful attack

After the arrival of reinforcements, Admiral Nakhimov decided to attack the Turkish squadron. Since he saw the main threat to his ships in Turkish coastal guns, capable of using hot cannonballs in battle, a tactic was chosen designed to minimize the time of the battle. To reduce the time required to reach firing positions, Russian ships had to move in two wake columns (the right column (consisting of the battleships Empress Maria, Chesma and Rostislav) was led by Nakhimov himself, the left column (consisting of the battleships Paris, Velikiy Prince Konstantin" and "Three Saints") - Rear Admiral F. M. Novosilsky). To reduce the time of fire contact, the opening of fire was planned from a distance of 1.5–2 cables (about 270–370 meters).


I.K. Aivazovsky, “120-gun ship “Paris””. "Paris" and the battleships of the same type "Grand Duke Konstantin" and "Three Saints", sheathed below the waterline with steel sheets and armed with bomb guns, constituted the main combat force of the Russian squadron

Destroying an entire squadron in just 3.5 hours

The battle began at 9:30 a.m. with the raising of the signal “Prepare for battle and go to the Sinop roadstead” on the battleship “Empress Maria.” The active part of the battle began at 12 hours 28 minutes, when the Turkish flagship Auni Allah fired the first salvo at the Russian ships. The battle lasted up to 16 hours and ended with the complete defeat of the Turkish squadron. As a result of the battle, the frigate "Navek Bahri", two corvettes ("Nezhm Fishan" and "Gyuli Sefid") and the steam frigate "Erkile" were destroyed, and six frigates ("Aunni Allah", "Fazli Allah", "Nizamiye", "Nesimi" Zefer", "Damiad" and "Kaidi Zefer") and the corvette "Feize Meabud" - washed ashore. The total losses of the Turks amounted to up to 3,000 people killed and wounded, as well as 200 people captured, including Admiral Osman Pasha.

Dismissal is a “reward” for saving the ship

The only surviving Turkish ship is the steam frigate "Taif" under the command of Captain Adolph Slade (sometimes another spelling is found - Slad) - an Englishman who converted to Islam (Russian-language sources do not have a clear opinion about the Muslim name of the captain, calling him "Yahya Bey" or "Mushaver" -pasha").

The story of the ship breaking through from Sinop is no less controversial. Contrary to popular belief, the Taif did not leave Sinop Bay immediately after the start of the battle, but only made a breakthrough at about 13:00 (according to another version - 14:00). It is known for sure that the ship took part in the battle - among the crew there were 11 killed and 17 wounded. According to the most common version, upon returning to Istanbul, Captain Adolph Slade was dismissed from service and stripped of his rank for “inappropriate behavior.” According to legend, Sultan Abdulmecid was very dissatisfied with the flight of Taif, saying: “I would prefer that he did not flee, but died in battle, like the others.”.

Adolph Slade. Image first appeared in Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, undated

Continuing the topic:
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