1854 : prince Napoleon visits Malta

Abstract

The fierce rivalry between Britain and France in the early 1800s for supremacy in the Mediterranean was a thing of the past. As the Crimean War broke out in 1854 Britain and France were allies. That war was brought about largely through the aggressive policy of Tzar Nicholas I of Russia, who had visions of a Russian Empire embracing the whole of South East Europe. Nicholas used as his pretext an obscure quarrel in Jerusalem between Greek and Latin Christians. The Latin and Greek monks in Palestine were at variance in connection with the Holy Places in Palestine. Nicholas claimed the right to protect the Greek Church, whilst Napoleon Ill (1808-73) supported the Latin claims. The Tzar boldly claimed from the Sultan of Constantinople a protectorate over all the Greek Christians in the Ottoman dominions, thereby hoping to make the impending war a struggle between Cross and Crescent. [excerpt]