Treaty of San Stefano
The Treaty of San Stefano ends the war and creates a large autonomous Bulgaria while recognising the independence of Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1878 in Russia
Explore 34 historical events and records for Russia in 1878.
Historical records for Russia in 1878
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 34 of 34 unique records.
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March
Treaty of San Stefano
Through the Treaty of San Stefano, the Russians, led by Chancellor Alexander Gorchakov, creating the Bulgarian autonomous principality under Ottoman Empires nominal rule
Treaty of San Stefano
Negotiates the Treaty of San Stefano creating independent states of Bulgaria & Serbia
June
Congress Delegation
Serves as a Russian plenipotentiary at the Congress of Berlin.
Russian Delegation
Leads the Russian delegation seeking to preserve as much as possible of the San Stefano settlement.
Anglo-Russian Negotiations
Negotiates directly with Salisbury to narrow British and Russian differences over the San Stefano settlement.
July
Alashkerd Agreement
Signs the supplementary agreement with Salisbury on the commission that will delimit the Alashkerd frontier.
Asian Frontier
Defends Russian territorial gains in the Caucasus while accepting the return of Bayazid and Alashkerd to Turkey.
Batum
Secures recognition of Russian possession of Batum under the Asian territorial settlement.
Batum Free Port Declaration
Accepts a treaty declaration that Batum is intended to become an essentially commercial free port.
Bessarabia Settlement
Receives southern Bessarabia from Romania under the territorial provisions of the Treaty of Berlin.
British-Russian Accommodation
Helps prevent an Anglo-Russian confrontation by converting earlier bilateral compromises into the congress settlement.
Bulgarian Compromise
Helps negotiate Russian acceptance of a smaller Bulgaria north of the Balkan Mountains.
Bulgarian Revision
Accepts the reduction of the large Bulgaria established at San Stefano in return for international recognition of other Russian gains.
Caucasus Gains
Retains Kars, Ardahan and Batum as major Russian gains from the war with the Ottoman Empire.
Kars and Ardahan
Secures international recognition of Russian possession of Kars and Ardahan in the Caucasus.
Reduced Bulgaria
Accepts a much smaller Bulgarian principality than Russia had obtained under the Treaty of San Stefano.
Return of Bayazid
Accepts restoration of Bayazid and the Alashkerd valley to the Ottoman Empire.
Southern Bessarabia
Accepts the settlement restoring southern Bessarabia from Romania to Russia.
Treaty Signature
Adds his seal to the final settlement as a Russian plenipotentiary based at the German imperial court.
Treaty Signature
Signs the Treaty of Berlin for the Russian Empire.
Treaty Signature
Signs the final Berlin settlement as one of Russia's three plenipotentiaries.
Other events (month unknown)
Acquisition of Batum and Ardahan
Russia retains Batum and Ardahan as territorial gains confirmed by the Congress of Berlin.
Assassination of Fyodor Fyodorovich Trepov
The Jury refuse to convict because of Trepovs repressive measures. Shot by Vera Zasulich
Assassination of Fyodor Fyodorovich Trepov
Assassinates Trepov the Chief of Saint Petersburg Police
Birth of Michael Alexandrovich
His son Michael Alexandrovich is born and later becomes a prominent member of the imperial family.
Capture of Adrianople
Russian forces occupy Adrianople as the Ottoman army retreats toward Constantinople.
Congress of Berlin
Accepts a revised Balkan settlement after the European powers reduce many Russian gains from San Stefano.
Congress of Berlin Reaction
Views the diplomatic reduction of Russian gains after the Russo-Turkish War with deep dissatisfaction.
Death of Fyodor Fyodorovich Trepov
Death of Fyodor Fyodorovich Trepov, assasinated
Odessa Railways
Builds experience in railway administration and traffic management.
Return of Southern Bessarabia
Russia recovers southern Bessarabia under the settlement reached at the Congress of Berlin.
Trial
The Jury refuse to convict Zasulich because of Trepovs repressive measures
Trial
The Jury refuse to convict Zasulich because of Trepovs repressive measures
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.