Editing Sevastopol (section)

===Part of the Russian Empire===
[[File:"Soldier and Sailor" Memorial to Heroic Defenders of Sevastopol.jpg|thumb|"Soldier and Sailor" Memorial to Heroic Defenders of Sevastopol]]
[[File:2012-09-09 Памятник затопленным кораблям в Севастополе (1).jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Monument to the Sunken Ships]], dedicated to ships [[Scuttling|scuttled]] during the siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War, designed by [[Amandus Adamson]]]]
[[File:Sevastopol Panorama.jpg|left|thumb|Sevastopol in 1889, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/features/watsons_russia.html Department of Image Collections], National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, D.C.]]
Sevastopol was founded in June 1783 as a base for a naval squadron under the name Akhtiar<ref>{{Citation | contribution-url = http://leksika.com.ua/19111014/ure/sevastopol | contribution = Sevastopol | title = The Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia | publisher = Leksika | place = [[Ukraine|UK]]| title-link = Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia }}</ref> (''White Cliff''),<ref name=bse>{{Cite book | url = http://bse.sci-lib.com/article100495.html | title = Севастополь (Sevastopol)| publisher = [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]] | place = [[Moscow]]| language = ru }}</ref> by [[Thomas MacKenzie (Russian admiral)|Rear Admiral Thomas MacKenzie]] ("Foma Fomich Makenzi"), a native [[Scottish people|Scot]] in Russian service; soon after, the [[Russian Empire]] annexed the [[Crimean Khanate]]. Five years earlier, [[Alexander Suvorov]] had ordered that earthworks be erected along the harbour and Russian troops be placed there. The Crimean Tatar version of this name is now written ''[[:wikt:Aqyar|Aqyar]]''.

In February 1784, [[Catherine the Great]] ordered [[Grigory Potyomkin]] to build a fortress there and call it Sevastopol. The realisation of the initial building plans fell to Captain [[Fyodor Ushakov]] who in 1788 was named commander of the [[Port of Sevastopol|port]] and of the [[Black Sea Fleet|Black Sea squadron]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sevastopol.info/history/hist_first.htm|title=Основание и развитие Севастополя (Osnovaniye i razvitiye Sevastopolya) |trans-title=Foundation and development of Sevastopol | publisher = Sevastopol.info|date=28 May 2007| access-date=26 April 2010|language=ru}}</ref> The city was established on the western shore of Southern Bay which branches away from the bigger [[Sevastopol Bay]]. The ruins of ancient Chersonesus were situated to the west. The newly built settlement became an important [[naval base]] and later a commercial [[seaport]]. In 1797, under an edict issued by Emperor [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]], the military stronghold was again renamed Akhtiar. Finally, on 29 April (10 May), 1826, the Senate returned the city's name to Sevastopol.{{cn|date=July 2022}} In 1803 to 1864 along with [[Mykolaiv]] the city was part of Nikolayev–Sevastopol Military Governorate.
[[File:Sevastopol British Memorial Complex.jpg|left|thumb|British Memorial Complex, Sevastopol, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/features/watsons_russia.html Department of Image Collections], National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, D.C.]]