The Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire was caused by the Ottoman Empire's war with Persia and the continuing raids by the Crimean Tatars. The war also represented Russia's ongoing struggle for access to the Black Sea. In 1737, the Habsburg monarchy joined the war on Russia's side, known in historiography as the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739.
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 existing from 1441–1783, the longest-lived of the Turkic khanates that succeeded the empire of the Golden Horde. Established by Hacı I Giray in 1441, it was regarded as the direct heir to the Golden Horde and to Desht-i-Kipchak.
Devlet I Giray ruled as Crimean Khan during a long and eventful period marked by significant historical events. These events included the fall of Kazan to Russia in 1552, the fall of the Astrakhan Khanate to Russia in 1556, and the burning of Moscow by the Crimean Tatars in 1571. Another notable event during Devlet's reign was the defeat of the Crimeans near Moscow in 1572. However, Cossack raids into the Crimea were also common during his reign.
The Nogai Horde was a confederation founded by the Nogais that occupied the Pontic–Caspian steppe from about 1500 until they were pushed west by the Kalmyks and south by the Russians in the 17th century. The Mongol tribe called the Manghuds constituted a core of the Nogai Horde.
Russo-Turkish wars or Russo-Ottoman wars were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European history. Except for four wars, the conflicts ended in losses for the Ottoman Empire, which was undergoing a long period of stagnation and decline; conversely, they showcased the ascendancy of Russia as a European power after the modernization efforts of Peter the Great in the early 18th century.
Bilohirsk is a city and the administrative centre of Bilohirsk Raion, one of the raions (districts) of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is recognised by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine, but is occupied by Russia. Population: 16,354 .
Ivan Dmytrovych Sirko was a Zaporozhian Cossack military leader, Koshovyi Otaman of the Zaporozhian Host and putative co-author of the famous semi-legendary Cossack letter to the Ottoman sultan that inspired the major painting Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks by the 19th-century artist Ilya Repin.
Mehmed IV Giray, the Sufi (1610–1674), was khan of the Crimean Khanate in 1641–1644 and 1654–1666. His two reigns were interrupted by that of his brother İslâm III Giray. His first reign was uneventful, except for the recapture of Azov from the Cossacks. His second reign was spent fighting Russians and Cossacks in alliance with Poland. He had some reputation as a poet.
The steppe and forest-steppe of Ukraine and southern Russia, traditionally held by pastoral nomads, provided agricultural opportunities. States that were able to settle the land with tax-paying peasants could significantly increase their power. From 1500 to 1800, this region came under Russian control.
Selim I Giray, Selim Khan Girai was four times Khan of the Crimean Khanate in the period from 1671 to 1704. During this time Crimean khans were regularly appointed and replaced by the Ottomans. The main events of the period were the continuing conflicts in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Azov and the Great Turkish War during which the Turks were pushed back from Vienna in 1683 to about the line of Belgrade. Unlike other khans of the period, he ruled well and had no conflicts with his nobles. He was born in 1631.
Devlet II Giray (1648–1718) was Khan of the Crimean Khanate from 1699 to 1702 and from 1709 to 1713. He was the eldest son of Selim I Giray.
Ğazı II Giray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate. Born in 1554, he distinguished himself in the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–90), gaining the trust of his Ottoman suzerains. He was appointed khan in 1588, after his homeland experienced a period of political turmoil. He failed to capture Moscow during his 1591 campaign against Tsardom of Russia, however he managed to secure a favorable peace treaty two years later. He was then summoned to support his Ottoman allies in the Long Turkish War, taking part in multiple military expeditions centered in Hungary. In late 1596, the Ottoman sultan briefly unseated Ğazı II Giray in favor of Fetih I Giray after heeding the advice of Grand Vizier Cığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha. He returned to power three months later, continuing his reign until his death in November 1607.
The Kalmyk Khanate was an Oirat Mongol khanate on the Eurasian steppe. It extended over modern Kalmykia and surrounding areas in the North Caucasus, including Stavropol and Astrakhan. During their independence, the Kalmyks both raided and allied with Russia in turn, engaging in numerous military expeditions against the Crimean Tatars, the Ottoman Empire, neighboring Muslim tribes, and the highlanders of the North Caucasus. The Khanate was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1771.
The territory of the Crimean Khanate was annexed by the Russian Empire on 19 April [O.S. 8 April] 1783. Russia had wanted more control over the Black Sea, and an end to the Crimean slave trade, and as such, waged a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire and its Crimean vassal. The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca was signed in 1774, following the Russian victory against the Ottoman Empire. The treaty granted the Crimean Khanate independence from the Ottoman Empire but in reality, placed the khanate under Russian influence. The period before the annexation was marked by Russian interference in Crimean affairs, a series of revolts by Crimean Tatars, and Ottoman ambivalence. In March 1783, Grigory Potemkin made a persuasive appeal to Catherine the Great to annex the Crimean Khanate. He had just returned from a trip to Crimea and reported to the Empress that the Crimean people would "happily" accept Russian rule. Motivated by this information, Empress Catherine officially proclaimed the annexation on April 19, 1783.
Fetih II Geray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate. During his brief reign Russia invaded Crimea for the second time. He was the eldest son of Devlet II Giray, one of the six brothers who held the khanship for most of the period 1699-1743. His son was future khan Selim III Giray. His brothers were future khans Arslan Giray and Qırım Giray.
Selim III Giray was a Crimean khan from the Giray dynasty, son of Khan Fetih II Giray and grandson of Devlet II Giray.
Qaplan I Giray was three times khan of the Crimean Khanate. He was the son of Selim I Giray and thus one of the six brothers who ruled for most of the period from 1699 to 1743. During his first reign he was defeated by the Kabardians. His second reign ended when he did not fully support the Turks in the Balkans. During his third reign Russia invaded Crimea and burned its capital. He and his brothers, as members of the House of Giray, were direct patrilineal descendants of Tuqa-timur, son of Jochi Khan, the founder of the Golden Horde.
Mengli II Giray (1678–1740) was twice khan of the Crimean Khanate. He was a son of khan Selim I Giray and thus one of the six brothers who were khans during most of the period from 1699 to 1742. He was said to be intelligent, a lover of literature and involved with the Sufi order. He funded mosques and madrassas in Crimea, Budjak and Istanbul. During his first reign he regained control the Crimean nobles and then the Nogais in Budjak and the Kuban region.
Arslan Giray (1692–1768) was Khan of the Crimean Khanate from 1748 to 1756 and again in 1767. He was the second son of Devlet II Giray. Arslan's own son, Devlet IV Giray, acceded to the khanship in 1769, and his grandson was the historian Halim Giray. Two of Arslan's brothers were also khans: Fetih II Giray (1736) and Qırım Giray (1758). He was said to be noble, brave, and respected by his subjects. His name means "lion".
The Battle of Azov (1736) was fought during the Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39)
