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The Romanian War of Independence was fought in 1877 against the Ottoman Empire.
On 4 April (Old Style) / 16 April 1877, Romania and Russia signed at Bucharest a treaty under which Russian troops were allowed to pass through Romanian territory, with the condition that Russia respect the integrity of Romania. The mobilization began, and about 120,000 soldiers were massed in the south of the country to defend against an eventual attack of the Ottoman forces from south of Danube. On 12 April (O.S.) / 24 April 1877, Russia declared war to the Ottoman Empire and its troops entered Romania.
At 9 May (O.S.) / 21 May, in the Romanian parliament, Mihail Kogălniceanu declared the independence of Romania as the will of the Romanian people and a day later the act was signed by King Carol I. Another day later, the Romanian government canceled paying its tribute to Turkey (914,000 lei) and the sum was given instead to the War Minister.
Initially, Russia did not wish to cooperate with Romania, since they did not wish Romania to participate in the peace treaties after the war, but the Russians encountered a very strong Turkish army of 50,000 soldiers lead by Osman Pasha at Plevna.
Due to great losses, Nikolai Konstantinovich, Grand Duke of Russia asked Carol I for the Romanian Army to intervene and fuse with the Russian Army. Carol I accepted, and became the commander of both the Romanian and Russian troops, conquering Plevna after heavy fighting. The most important battles were at Griviţa, Rahova, Opanez and Smirdan. Romania won the war, having about 10,000 casualties.
The armistice between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was signed on 19 January 1878. Russia did not keep its promises of the April 1877 treaty to respect Romania's territorial integrity. The peace treaty gave Romania its independence, in the territories of Dobrogea, the Danube Delta, and Insula Serpilor, but Russia gained the southern counties of Bessarabia (Cahul, Bolgrad and Ismail), which by the Treaty of Paris (1856, after the Crimean War) were included in Moldavia.
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