The Crimean War was fought by the allies to remove the threat of Russian aggression against Turkey on land or by sea. Invasion of Moldavia and Wallachia in July 1853 and devastation of the Turkish fleet at Sinope four months later were stark reminders of Russian military potential. Dispute over the rights of Catholic monks in Jerusalem provided an excuse for armed conflict. The more fundamental hidden agenda involved protection of trade routes in the Mediterranean (especially to India), British and French commercial interests in the Ottoman Empire, especially the Fevant, and wider stability in south-eastern Europe in the wake of Greek independence and disaffection among Christian subjects of the Sultan.