Expert: Michael Troy - 12/2/2005

Question
Which country was inadvertently at war with Russia between 1854 and 1966?

Answer
Hi Liz,

No "country" was at war with Russia that long.  However, there was a tiny village in Great Britain called Berwick-upon-Tweed.  Because it was right on the line between England and Scotland, it ended up getting a special status in 1502.  As a result, it was mentioned separately in all British proclamations.

At the start of the Crimean War, Queen Victoria signed the declaration of war on Russia in 1853, she did so in the name of "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and the British Dominions beyond the sea." But Berwick was not mentioned in the Treaty of Paris that concluded the Crimean War in 1856, leaving the town technically still at war with Russia.

When this was pointed out years later, the Mayor of Berwick-upon-Tweed when to the Soviet Union in 1966, the 100th anniversary of the real end of the war, and signed a peace treaty, mostly as a public relations stunt.

I hope this helps!
- Mike