The importance of the ports of Braila (Wallachia) and Galati (Moldavia) in European trade increased greatly in the 1840s, following the massive British involvement in the Danubian grain market. However, these promising possibilities were... more
The importance of the ports of Braila (Wallachia) and Galati (Moldavia) in European trade increased greatly in the 1840s, following the massive British involvement in the Danubian grain market. However, these promising possibilities were hindered by a diversity of natural or artificial obstacles, tolerated by the Russian authorities: the onerous quarantine measures the prevailing climate of extreme illegality, their failure to prioritize the attainment and maintenance of a navigable depth on the Sulina channel and bar, and so on. British consular officials amplified the protests coming from commercial circles, so that the question attained a notable political relevance in the overall context of strained British-Russian relations from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. In this context, the Crimean War provided the opportunity for a resolution of the Danube question, with the anti-Russian coalition unanimous in its resolve to break Russia’s hold over navigation on the river.
