Crimean Khanate

Quick Facts: Who was Crimean Khanate?

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Crimean Khanate

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A powerful Crimean Tatar state that flourished from 1441 to 1783, controlling vast steppes.

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Origins & Early Life

The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatar state established by Hacı I Giray existing from 1441 to 1783. In the first half of the 16th century, the Crimean Khanate reached the height of its power and extended from Bessarabia in the west to the North Caucasus in the east. In one of his diplomatic letters, Mehmed Giray Khan proclaimed himself: "the great khan of the Great Horde, the Qipchaq Steppe, and all the Mongols, padishah Mehmed Giray Khan" and secured recognition of his authority from the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its ruler, Prince Vasili III. Later, he also succeeded in uniting the Crimean, Kazan, and Astrakhan khanates, bringing a significant part of the western lands of the former Jochid Ulus under his control. In addition to the steppe and foothill regions of Crimea proper, the khanate encompassed the lands between the Danube and the Dnieper, the Azov region, and much of present-day Krasnodar Krai in Russia.

Career & Major Achievements

In 1783, violating the 1774 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (which had guaranteed non-interference of both Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the affairs of the Crimean Khanate), the Russian Empire annexed the khanate. Among the European powers, only France came out with an open protest against this act, due to the longstanding Franco-Ottoman alliance. The Crimean Khans, considering their state as the heir and legal successor of the Golden Horde and Desht-i Kipchak, called themselves khans of "the Great Horde, the Great State and the Throne of the Crimea". The full title of the Crimean khans, used in official documents and correspondence with foreign rulers, varying slightly from document to document during the three centuries of the Khanate's existence, was as follows: "By the Grace and help of the blessed and highest Lord, the great padishah of the Great Horde, and the Great State, and the Throne of the Crimea, and all the Nogai, and the mountain Circassians, and the tats and tavgachs, and The Kipchak steppe and all the Tatars" (Crimean Tatar: Tañrı Tebareke ve Ta'alânıñ rahimi ve inayeti milen Uluğ Orda ve Uluğ Yurtnıñ ve taht-ı Qırım ve barça Noğaynıñ ve tağ ara Çerkaçnıñ ve Tat imilen Tavğaçnıñ ve Deşt-i Qıpçaqnıñ ve barça Tatarnıñ uluğ padişahı, تنڭرى تبرك و تعالينيڭ رحمى و عنايتى ميلان اولوغ اوردا و اولوغ يورتنيڭ و تخت قريم و بارچا نوغاينيڭ و طاغ ارا چركاچنيڭ و تاد يميلان طوغاچنيڭ و دشت قپچاقنيڭ و بارچا تاتارنيڭ اولوغ پادشاهى). According to Oleksa Hayvoronsky, the inhabitants of the Crimean Khanate in Crimean Tatar usually referred to their state as "Qırım yurtu, Crimean Yurt", which can be translated into English as "the country of Crimea" or "Crimean country".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

English-speaking writers during the 18th and early 19th centuries often called the territory of the Crimean Khanate and of the Lesser Nogai Horde Little Tartary (or subdivided it as Crim Tartary (also Krim Tartary) and Kuban Tartary). The name "Little Tartary" distinguished the area from (Great) Tartary – those areas of central and northern Asia inhabited by Turkic peoples or Tatars. The Khanate included the Crimean peninsula and the adjacent steppes, mostly corresponding to parts of South Ukraine between the Dnieper and the Donets rivers (i.e. including most of present-day Zaporizhzhia Oblast, left-Dnipro parts of Kherson Oblast, besides minor parts of southeastern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and western Donetsk Oblast). The territory controlled by the Crimean Khanate shifted throughout its existence due to the constant incursions by the Cossacks, who had lived along the Don since the disintegration of the Golden Horde in the 15th century. The London-based cartographer Herman Moll in a map of c. 1729 shows the Crimean Khanate as including the Crimean peninsula and the steppe between Dnieper and Mius River as far north as the Dnieper bend and the upper Tor River (a tributary of the Donets).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1441: 1441 Milestone — The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatar state established by Hacı I Giray existing from 1441 to 1783.
2. 1729: 1729 Milestone — 1729 shows the Crimean Khanate as including the Crimean peninsula and the steppe between Dnieper and Mius River as far north as the Dnieper bend and the upper Tor River (a tributary of the Donets).
3. 1783: 1783 Milestone — In 1783, violating the 1774 Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (which had guaranteed non-interference of both Russia and the Ottoman Empire in the affairs of the Crimean Khanate), the Russian Empire annexed the khanate.

Notable Quotes by Crimean Khanate

“"the great khan of the Great Horde, the Qipchaq Steppe, and all the Mongols, padishah Mehmed Giray Khan"”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Crimean Khanate

True or False: “The Crimean Khanate was never directly influenced by the Ottoman Empire during its existence.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While it maintained a degree of autonomy, the Khanate operated under the protection and influence of the powerful Ottoman Empire.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Crimean Khanate