The origin of the Crimean War can be traced to the waning military and political power of Turkey’s Ottoman Empire. Ottoman control of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles Straits gave the Turks a unique position to influence European events. The discussions on the fate of the Ottoman Empire, and control over the Holy Land by the so-called great powers—Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia—became known as the Eastern Question .

Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2023. 3p.