Nicholas I (1825-1855) directed an aggressive foreign policy that ultimately aimed at securing Russian control of the Turkish-held Dardanelles and the Bosporus. With this geostrategically important set of straits in his hands, Nicholas could send Russian warships and merchantmen into the Mediterranean Sea. without opposition. To this end, in 1853, against the advice of most of his cabinet members, the tsar called for the Slavs and Orthodox Christians of the Balkans to rise up against the Turks. He also pledged to protect them if war came. The cabinet generally felt that these actions would provoke a war with Great Britain or France, who feared Russian power in the Mediterranean. Nicholas disagreed. When Wallachia and Moldavia revolted against the Turks, Nicholas sent Russian troops to aid them. Nicholas, however, underestimated the amount of furor his invasion would cause. Eager to protect...