# Russo-Japanese War begins (1904)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1904-russo-japanese-war-begins
Categories: battle

Japan attacked the Russian fleet at Port Arthur on the night of 8-9 February 1904. Russian forces suffered a series of defeats, and Port Arthur surrendered in January 1905. Ivan Pavlov received the Nobel Prize in 1904. The war arose from rivalry over Manchuria and Korea. It was the first defeat of a European great power by an Asian nation in modern times.

## Why it matters
It was the first defeat of a European great power by an Asian nation in modern times.

Ruler at the time: [Nicholas II](https://history-russia.com/rulers/nicholas-ii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Russo-Japanese War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War)
- [Wikipedia — Siege of Port Arthur](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Port_Arthur)
- [Wikipedia — Russian Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Russo-Japanese War begins](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Russo-Japanese+War+begins)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)