How true was the assertion of Nicholas I that Turkey is the “sick man of Europe”? How did European countries
How true was the assertion of Nicholas I that Turkey is the “sick man of Europe”? How did European countries try to take advantage of the difficult situation of the Ottoman Empire?
The assertion of Nicholas I was fair, since the Ottoman Empire, after its defeat at Vienna in 1683, gradually weakened for 150 years, suffered defeats in war, lost territory and lagged behind in development from the leading countries of Europe, for example, those that took part in Vienna Congress in 1815. The national liberation movement of Greeks, Bulgarians and Serbs has become more active on its territory.
The difficult position of the Ottoman Empire was most actively used by its neighbors in the west and north – the Russian Empire and the Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs. They tried to take away the territory from her, which led to a clash of interests on the lands along the Danube.
