Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate
The history of the Crimean Khanate’s foundation still remains poorly studied. Also, little is known about the early years of the first Crimean khan Haci I Giray whose ancestors ruled in the Crimea and the Golden Horde. In the 20s of the 15th century the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas actively int...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of History
2013-09-01
|
| Series: | Золотоордынское обозрение |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://goldhorde.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/%D0%97%D0%BE%D0%BB-%D0%9E%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B7%D1%801-110-146.pdf |
| _version_ | 1826908295932149760 |
|---|---|
| author | V.P. Gulevych |
| author_facet | V.P. Gulevych |
| author_sort | V.P. Gulevych |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The history of the Crimean Khanate’s foundation still remains poorly studied. Also, little is known about the early years of the first Crimean khan Haci I Giray whose ancestors ruled in the Crimea and the Golden Horde.
In the 20s of the 15th century the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas actively intervened in the affairs of the Crimea and the Golden Horde trying to establish his sovereignty in the city of Caffa, where he strove to nominate subordinated khans. However, at the end of his reign, he could not exert a serious military pressure because until he died, he was occupied with his coronation.
The boundaries of the Crimean tumen extended from the river Dniester in the West to the Volga River in the East, from the mean flow of the Dnieper and Southern Bug River in the North to the coastal cities of the Crimean peninsula in the south. In the first half of 15th century, there were many stationary settlements of Tatars in the Black Sea steppes. Thus, the tumen occupied a large territory.
Having a great military power, the Crimean rulers did not separate the Crimean Ulus from the Golden Horde, but used the peninsula as a staging area for the seizure of power in the state capital city of Sarai.
The Tatar nobility also sought to enthrone those khans who would be dependent on them. One of their strongest representatives was Tehene-bey who had a residence in Solkhat on the Crimean peninsula. He persuaded Vytautas to give them Ulugh Muhammad as a khan. In response, the khan nominated Tehene-bey as his deputy in the Crimea.
A few years later, Ulugh Muhammad quarreled both with Tehene-bey and the Lithuanian ruler Švitrigaila. In 1433, the Grand Duke of Lithuania helped Khan Sayid Ahmad II both to split the Golden Horde and to seize power on the right bank of the Dnieper.
According to many historians, Haci Giray seized power in the Crimea and defeated a Genoese military detachment in 1434, but this statement is not confirmed by the written sources and numismatic data. The assumption of some historians that Haci Giray took power with the help of the Lithuanian Grand Duke, Sigismund Keystutovich, has no confirmation. The Crimean peninsula had been owned by Ulugh Muhammad Khan before 1441, and thereafter by Sayid Ahmad II for a short time.
It is not known exactly where Haci I Giray had been staying in the 30s, but in the early 40’s, he resided in Lithuania. In the spring of 1442, Tehene-bey arrived in Lithuania with the Embassy of the Crimean nobles and convinced the new Lithuanian ruler, Casimir, to allow Haci Giray to become the Khan of Crimea.
The analysis of sources leads to the conclusion that Haci Giray appeared as a khan in March-April 1442. Possibly the actions of the Lithuanian Grand Duke in relation to Crimea were agreed with his elder brother Władysław III, King of Poland and Hungary. The Ambassador T. Buczacki visited Haci Giray in the summer of 1442 on behalf of Władysław III. He returned to Hungary together with the ambassador of the Tatar khan.
Haci I Giray remained under the patronage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This is confirmed by the peace agreements signed in February and June 1442 between the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Casimir and ruler of Moldavia, Iliaş I.
Using the patronage of the Lithuanian ruler, Haci Giray quickly established his authority on the Crimean peninsula. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:10:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2aa4940ac9f7499b9d36389899ae5b8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2308-152X 2313-6197 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-17T09:21:32Z |
| publishDate | 2013-09-01 |
| publisher | Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of History |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Золотоордынское обозрение |
| spelling | doaj.art-2aa4940ac9f7499b9d36389899ae5b8e2025-01-02T12:26:47ZengTatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of HistoryЗолотоордынское обозрение2308-152X2313-61972013-09-011110146Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean KhanateV.P. Gulevych0Staff of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Kiev, Ukraine); gulevych_v@ukr.netThe history of the Crimean Khanate’s foundation still remains poorly studied. Also, little is known about the early years of the first Crimean khan Haci I Giray whose ancestors ruled in the Crimea and the Golden Horde. In the 20s of the 15th century the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas actively intervened in the affairs of the Crimea and the Golden Horde trying to establish his sovereignty in the city of Caffa, where he strove to nominate subordinated khans. However, at the end of his reign, he could not exert a serious military pressure because until he died, he was occupied with his coronation. The boundaries of the Crimean tumen extended from the river Dniester in the West to the Volga River in the East, from the mean flow of the Dnieper and Southern Bug River in the North to the coastal cities of the Crimean peninsula in the south. In the first half of 15th century, there were many stationary settlements of Tatars in the Black Sea steppes. Thus, the tumen occupied a large territory. Having a great military power, the Crimean rulers did not separate the Crimean Ulus from the Golden Horde, but used the peninsula as a staging area for the seizure of power in the state capital city of Sarai. The Tatar nobility also sought to enthrone those khans who would be dependent on them. One of their strongest representatives was Tehene-bey who had a residence in Solkhat on the Crimean peninsula. He persuaded Vytautas to give them Ulugh Muhammad as a khan. In response, the khan nominated Tehene-bey as his deputy in the Crimea. A few years later, Ulugh Muhammad quarreled both with Tehene-bey and the Lithuanian ruler Švitrigaila. In 1433, the Grand Duke of Lithuania helped Khan Sayid Ahmad II both to split the Golden Horde and to seize power on the right bank of the Dnieper. According to many historians, Haci Giray seized power in the Crimea and defeated a Genoese military detachment in 1434, but this statement is not confirmed by the written sources and numismatic data. The assumption of some historians that Haci Giray took power with the help of the Lithuanian Grand Duke, Sigismund Keystutovich, has no confirmation. The Crimean peninsula had been owned by Ulugh Muhammad Khan before 1441, and thereafter by Sayid Ahmad II for a short time. It is not known exactly where Haci I Giray had been staying in the 30s, but in the early 40’s, he resided in Lithuania. In the spring of 1442, Tehene-bey arrived in Lithuania with the Embassy of the Crimean nobles and convinced the new Lithuanian ruler, Casimir, to allow Haci Giray to become the Khan of Crimea. The analysis of sources leads to the conclusion that Haci Giray appeared as a khan in March-April 1442. Possibly the actions of the Lithuanian Grand Duke in relation to Crimea were agreed with his elder brother Władysław III, King of Poland and Hungary. The Ambassador T. Buczacki visited Haci Giray in the summer of 1442 on behalf of Władysław III. He returned to Hungary together with the ambassador of the Tatar khan. Haci I Giray remained under the patronage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This is confirmed by the peace agreements signed in February and June 1442 between the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Casimir and ruler of Moldavia, Iliaş I. Using the patronage of the Lithuanian ruler, Haci Giray quickly established his authority on the Crimean peninsula.http://goldhorde.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/%D0%97%D0%BE%D0%BB-%D0%9E%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B7%D1%801-110-146.pdfNorth Black Sea regionCrimeaGolden HordeGrand Duchy of LithuaniaUlugh Muhammad khanSayid Ahmad II khan |
| spellingShingle | V.P. Gulevych Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate Золотоордынское обозрение North Black Sea region Crimea Golden Horde Grand Duchy of Lithuania Ulugh Muhammad khan Sayid Ahmad II khan |
| title | Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate |
| title_full | Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate |
| title_fullStr | Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate |
| title_short | Northern Black Sea Region in 1400–1442 and the Origin of the Crimean Khanate |
| title_sort | northern black sea region in 1400 1442 and the origin of the crimean khanate |
| topic | North Black Sea region Crimea Golden Horde Grand Duchy of Lithuania Ulugh Muhammad khan Sayid Ahmad II khan |
| url | http://goldhorde.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/%D0%97%D0%BE%D0%BB-%D0%9E%D0%B1%D0%BE%D0%B7%D1%801-110-146.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vpgulevych northernblacksearegionin14001442andtheoriginofthecrimeankhanate |