The Crimean War (1853-56) was a conflict primarily between which countries?

The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain. A fourth ally, Sardinia joined the war in 1855, near the end of the conflict. The war began in the Balkans in 1853, when Russian troops occupied Ottoman-controlled areas in present-day Romania. The Ottoman forces struggled against the Russian attack, France and Britain feared this may cause the Ottoman Empire to collapse and rushed their own forces to aid them. By the time the French and British arrived in the Balkans, there was little left for them to do.

Frustrated by the initial action, the allied force decided to attack Russia at Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula in 1854. The allied force landed and expected to march on to Sevastopol without resistance. But the 35 mile distance to travel to Sevastopol took a year of hard fighting to reach and ultimately capture the city. The series of battles that took place were collectively a part of “The Siege of Sevastopol”. Sevastopol fell to the allied force in September 1855.

The war was also fought in other smaller theaters of operation, the Baltic Sea, Caucasus Mountains, in the White Sea and in the Far East. By March 1856, Russia was calling for peace and public support for the war in France and Britain was eroding. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856.