New Source from the French Archives: Lafitte-Clavé’s 1784 Description (Memoir) of Varna and Varna Bay

Bulgarian Historical Review, 54 (2026), No. 3, pp. 57-80
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR3.26.IR02

Ivan Roussev

Prof. Ivan Roussev, DSc - Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, University of Economics – Varna, 77 Knyaz Boris I Blvd, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria; SCOPUS Researcher ID: 57290233200, Web of Science Researcher ID AAN-4300-2020, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7143-7651, E-mail: ivroussev@ue-varna.bg

Abstract: The article presents the notes and the detailed description of Varna and Varna Bay made by the French officer, engineer and topographer Andre-Joseph Lafitte-Clave. In1784, at the request of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Halil Hamid Paşa, and with the agreement of the French ambassador in Constantinople, the Comte de Saint-Priest Lafitte-Clave undertook an expedition to the Black Sea to inspect strategically important fortresses and make recommendations for their further strengthening. The whole course of the expedition is described in a detailed diary kept by the Frenchman. In July, the expedition was in Varna for ten days, where it made observations of the fortress, prepared a detailed plan of the surrounding area, and took measurements of the depths of Varna Bay. In September Lafitte-Clave returned to Constantinople, and dated 30 December 1784 he prepared a detailed ‘Memoirе de Varna’ and several plans of the city and bay. Today, these valuable historical sources are preserved in the collection of ‘Service historique de la Defense’ of France in Vincennes (Paris), and this publication is the first to present to the scientific community the ‘Memoirе’ and Lafitte-Clave’s notes on Varna contained in his diary, accompanied by a scientific commentary.

Keywords: Andre-Joseph Lafitte-Clave, Varna, France, Ottoman Empire, Eastern Question, French Ottoman Relations, Black Sea Region

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