Trade, Power and Migration

With the end of Ottoman rule, the Black Sea became the scene of imperial rivalry between St Petersburg and Istanbul. At the same time, the region experienced an unprecedented trade boom. Grain merchants, shipowners and bankers from a wide variety of backgrounds forged new networks. Port cities such as Odessa, Trabzon, Burgas and Batumi propelled the Black Sea from the periphery to the centre of world trade. Settlers, refugees and adventurers flocked through the multi-ethnic metropolises of Istanbul, Trabzon, Batumi, Sevastopol, Odessa and Burgas, fundamentally altering the character of the region.