Russo-Crimean Wars
Encyclopedia
The Russo-Crimean Wars were fought between the forces of the Muscovy and the invading Tatars
of the Crimean Khanate
.
(For background, see Expansion of Russia 1500-1800.)
The Crimean Tatars' invasions of Russia
(Muscovy) began in 1507, after the death of Moscow's grand duke Ivan III, when the Crimean Khanate
attacked the Russian towns of Belev and Kozelsk
.
In the 16th century the border of the Wild Steppes was near the city of Ryazan
, near the Oka River
, a tributary of the Volga, and close to the Yelets
river, a tributary of the Don
river, near Sosna. The main path to Moscow was the Muravsky Trail
, going from the Crimean Isthmus of Perekop
up to Tula
between the basins of the Dnieper
and Severskiy Donets rivers. Penetrating for about 100–200 kilometers into Russian territory, the Tatars would turn back only after extensive looting and kidnapping. Captives were sent to the Crimean city of Caffa to be sold.
Every spring, Moscow mobilized up to 65,000 soldiers for border service. The defensive lines consisted of a circuit of fortresses and cities.
To protect from invasions by the Nogai Horde
in the region between the Volga and Irtysh rivers, the Volga cities of Samara
(1586), Tsaritsyn (1589), and Saratov
(1590) were founded.
The Russian population in the border regions suffered heavily from these invasions. This depopulation, in combination with the inability of Russian settlement in southern regions where the climate was more conducive to agriculture, hindered Muscovy's social and economic development.
The most dangerous invasions occurred in 1517, 1521 (supported by the Khanate of Kazan
), 1537 (supported by the Khanate of Kazan, the Lithuanians
, and the Turks
), 1552, 1555, 1570–72 (supported by Sweden), 1589, 1593, 1640, 1666–67 (supported by Poland-Lithuania), 1671, and 1688.
borderland of Muscovy, only meeting weak resistance.
Devlet I Giray
, and Big and Small Nogai
hordes and troops of Circassians, bypassed the Serpukhov
defensive fortifications on the river Oka
, crossed the river Ugra and rounded the flank of the 6,000-man Russian army. The sentry troops of Russians were crushed by the Crimeans. Not having forces to stop the invasion, the Russian army receded to Moscow
. The rural Russian population also fled to the capital.
The Crimean army devastated unprotected towns and villages around Moscow, and then set fire to suburbs of the capital. Due to a strong wind, the fire quickly expanded. The townspeople, chased by a fire and refugees, rushed to northern gate of capital. At the gate and in the narrow streets, there was a crush, people "went in three lines went on heads one of another, and top pressed those who were under them". The army, having mixed up with refugees, lost order, and general prince Belsky
died in a fire.
Within three hours, Moscow burnt out completely. In one more day, the Crimean army, sated with its pillage, left on the Ryazan road to the steppes. The Ottomans placed into slavery 150,000 Russians. Contemporaries counted up to 100,000 victims of the invasion in 1571. Papal ambassador Possevin testified of the devastation: he counted in 1580 no more than 30,000 inhabitants of Moscow, although in 1520 the Moscow population was about 100,000.
. In July-August, the 120,000-strong horde of Devlet I Giray
of Crimea was defeated by Russians led by Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky
and Prince Dmitriy Khvorostinin.
region and Crimean khanate was invaded several times and finally conquered in late 18th century during the Russo-Turkish Wars..
1507 and 1514: Raids led by Tatar nobles so the Khan would not officially break peace.
1521: Khan and 50,000 men cross the Oka at Kolomna and ravage outskirts of Moscow for 2 weeks
1533-47:(regency for Ivan IV) some 20 large raids on the frontiers.
1541: Crimean Khan crosses Oka on rafts under covering fire from Turkish guns.
1555,1562,1664,1565; Khan leads large armies into Muscovy.\
1564: Ryazan posad
burned.
1571: Russo-Crimean War (1571) Moscow burned.
1572: Battle of Molodi
, vital battle of the war. Turks stopped growing to the north. Then started to retreat.
1591: Raid reaches Moscow (this seems to contradict the next entry)
1591: Artillery stops raid at Kolomenskoy on the Bank Line
1592: Suburbs of Moscow burned while Russian troops were away fighting Swedes
1598: Crimeans stopped by Bank Line, withdraw and sue for peace
1614: Nogai
raids within sight of Moscow. During the Time of Troubles
so many captives were taken that the price of a slave at Kaffa dropped to fifteen or twenty gold pieces
1618: Nogais release 15,000 captives in peace treaty with Moscow.
1632: Force from Livny ambushed by Tatars and Janissaries(sic). 300 killed and the rest enslaved
1632: 20,000 Tatars raid south of lines because troops were shifted for Smolensk War
1633: 30,000 Tatars cross Abatis and Bank lines. Thousands of captives from Oka region.
(the last deep raid into Muscovy )
1635: Many small war parties south of Ryazan
1637,41-43: Raids by Nogais and Crimean nobles without permission of Khan
1643: 600 Tatars and 200 Zaporozhian Cossacks(sic) raid near Kozlov
. 19 killed, 262 captured.
1644: 20,000 Tatars raid southern Muscovy, 10,000 captives
1645: 6,000 captives. (It is claimed that the Turks encouraged these raids to obtain galley slaves for a war with Venice)
1691-92:Several thousand captives from near Izium Line
1769: Winter raid into New Serbia. Prisoners by the thousands
Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatars or Crimeans are a Turkic ethnic group that originally resided in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language...
of the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
.
History
The Crimean Tatars' invasions of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(Muscovy) began in 1507, after the death of Moscow's grand duke Ivan III, when the Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
attacked the Russian towns of Belev and Kozelsk
Kozelsk
Kozelsk is a town in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra River , southwest of Kaluga. Population: -History:The town of Kozelsk was first mentioned in a chronicle under the year of 1146 as a part of Principality of Chernigov...
.
In the 16th century the border of the Wild Steppes was near the city of Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
, near the Oka River
Oka River
Oka is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Kaluga. Its length exceeds...
, a tributary of the Volga, and close to the Yelets
Yelets
Yelets is a city in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Sosna River, which is a tributary of the Don. Population: -History:Yelets is the oldest center of the Central Black Earth Region. It is mentioned in historical documents as far back as 1146, when it belonged to the Princes of Ryazan...
river, a tributary of the Don
Don River (Russia)
The Don River is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast of Moscow, and flows for a distance of about 1,950 kilometres to the Sea of Azov....
river, near Sosna. The main path to Moscow was the Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail
Muravsky Trail or Murava Route was an important trade route and according to the Russian historiography a favourite invasion route of the Crimean Tatars during the Russo-Crimean Wars of the 16th and early 17th centuries. It was also used somewhat for peaceful trade...
, going from the Crimean Isthmus of Perekop
Isthmus of Perekop
The Isthmus of Perekop is the narrow, 5-7 km wide strip of land that connects the peninsula of Crimea to the mainland of Ukraine. The isthmus is located between the Black Sea to the west and the Azov Sea the east. The isthmus takes its name from the Tatar fortress of Perekop.The border between the...
up to Tula
Tula, Russia
Tula is an industrial city and the administrative center of Tula Oblast, Russia. It is located south of Moscow, on the Upa River. Population: -History:...
between the basins of the Dnieper
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
and Severskiy Donets rivers. Penetrating for about 100–200 kilometers into Russian territory, the Tatars would turn back only after extensive looting and kidnapping. Captives were sent to the Crimean city of Caffa to be sold.
Every spring, Moscow mobilized up to 65,000 soldiers for border service. The defensive lines consisted of a circuit of fortresses and cities.
To protect from invasions by the Nogai Horde
Nogai Horde
The Nogai Horde was a confederation of about eighteen Turkic and Mongol tribes 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 Manghits constituted a core of the Horde...
in the region between the Volga and Irtysh rivers, the Volga cities of Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
(1586), Tsaritsyn (1589), and Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
(1590) were founded.
The Russian population in the border regions suffered heavily from these invasions. This depopulation, in combination with the inability of Russian settlement in southern regions where the climate was more conducive to agriculture, hindered Muscovy's social and economic development.
The most dangerous invasions occurred in 1517, 1521 (supported by the Khanate of Kazan
Khanate of Kazan
The Khanate of Kazan was a medieval Tatar state which occupied the territory of former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 1552. Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. The khanate covered contemporary Tatarstan, Mari El,...
), 1537 (supported by the Khanate of Kazan, the Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
, and the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
), 1552, 1555, 1570–72 (supported by Sweden), 1589, 1593, 1640, 1666–67 (supported by Poland-Lithuania), 1671, and 1688.
1570
In 1570 the Crimean Tatars' horde terribly devastated the RyazanRyazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
borderland of Muscovy, only meeting weak resistance.
1571
In May 1571, the 120,000-strong Crimean and Turkish army (80,000 Tatar, 33,000 irregular Turks and 7,000 janissary) led by the khan of CrimeaCrimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate during whose long reign the khanate rose to the pinnacle of its power....
, and Big and Small Nogai
Nogais
The Nogai people are a Turkic ethnic group in Southern Russia: northern Dagestan and Stavropol Krai, as well as in Karachay-Cherkessia and the Astrakhan Oblast; undefined number live in Chechnya...
hordes and troops of Circassians, bypassed the Serpukhov
Serpukhov
Serpukhov is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which is situated at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers. It is located south from Moscow on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tula railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
defensive fortifications on the river Oka
Oka River
Oka is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, as far upstream as to the town of Kaluga. Its length exceeds...
, crossed the river Ugra and rounded the flank of the 6,000-man Russian army. The sentry troops of Russians were crushed by the Crimeans. Not having forces to stop the invasion, the Russian army receded to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. The rural Russian population also fled to the capital.
The Crimean army devastated unprotected towns and villages around Moscow, and then set fire to suburbs of the capital. Due to a strong wind, the fire quickly expanded. The townspeople, chased by a fire and refugees, rushed to northern gate of capital. At the gate and in the narrow streets, there was a crush, people "went in three lines went on heads one of another, and top pressed those who were under them". The army, having mixed up with refugees, lost order, and general prince Belsky
Belsky
The Belsky or Belski family was a princely family of Gediminid origin in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It later deflected to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and played a key role during the regency of Ivan IV of Russia. The family started with Ivan Vladimirovich, son of Vladimir Olgerdovich and grandson...
died in a fire.
Within three hours, Moscow burnt out completely. In one more day, the Crimean army, sated with its pillage, left on the Ryazan road to the steppes. The Ottomans placed into slavery 150,000 Russians. Contemporaries counted up to 100,000 victims of the invasion in 1571. Papal ambassador Possevin testified of the devastation: he counted in 1580 no more than 30,000 inhabitants of Moscow, although in 1520 the Moscow population was about 100,000.
1572
After the burning of Moscow, the Crimean khan, Devlet Giray, supported by the Ottoman Empire, planned the full conquest of Russia. In 1572 the Tatars and the Turks again invaded Russia, however, this time they were repelled in the Battle of MolodiBattle of Molodi
The Battle of Molodi was one of the key battles of Ivan the Terrible's reign. It was fought near the village of Molodi, 40 mi south of Moscow, in July-August 1572 between the 120,000-strong horde of Devlet I Giray of Crimea and about 60,000 Russians led by Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky...
. In July-August, the 120,000-strong horde of Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray
Devlet I Giray was a khan of the Crimean Khanate during whose long reign the khanate rose to the pinnacle of its power....
of Crimea was defeated by Russians led by Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky
Vorotynsky
Vorotynsky was one of the most eminent Rurikid princely houses of Muscovite Russia. Their lands lay principally in the Upper Oka region and comprised the towns of Peremyshl and Vorotynsk as well as parts of Novosil and Odoyev....
and Prince Dmitriy Khvorostinin.
After 1572
The Crimean Tatars continued to exact tribute from Russia till 1680. Later, the Russian expansion turned to the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
region and Crimean khanate was invaded several times and finally conquered in late 18th century during the Russo-Turkish Wars..
Incomplete list of Tatar raids
This list does not include raids into Poland-Lithuania (75 raids during 1474–1569)- 1465: Crimea attacks the Great Horde to prevent it from raiding Russia and disrupting the northern trade
- 1480: Great stand on the Ugra river
1507 and 1514: Raids led by Tatar nobles so the Khan would not officially break peace.
1521: Khan and 50,000 men cross the Oka at Kolomna and ravage outskirts of Moscow for 2 weeks
- c1533: Abatis defense line about 100 km south of the Oka.
1533-47:(regency for Ivan IV) some 20 large raids on the frontiers.
1541: Crimean Khan crosses Oka on rafts under covering fire from Turkish guns.
1555,1562,1664,1565; Khan leads large armies into Muscovy.\
- 1556-59: Russians and Zaporozhians raid the Black Sea coast four times
1564: Ryazan posad
Posad
A posad was a settlement, often surrounded by ramparts and a moat, adjoining a town or a kremlin, but outside of it, or adjoining a monastery in the 10th to 15th centuries. Usually it was inhabited by craftsmen and merchants, known as posadskiye lyudi .In the Russian Empire a posad was a small...
burned.
1571: Russo-Crimean War (1571) Moscow burned.
1572: Battle of Molodi
Battle of Molodi
The Battle of Molodi was one of the key battles of Ivan the Terrible's reign. It was fought near the village of Molodi, 40 mi south of Moscow, in July-August 1572 between the 120,000-strong horde of Devlet I Giray of Crimea and about 60,000 Russians led by Prince Mikhail Vorotynsky...
, vital battle of the war. Turks stopped growing to the north. Then started to retreat.
1591: Raid reaches Moscow (this seems to contradict the next entry)
1591: Artillery stops raid at Kolomenskoy on the Bank Line
1592: Suburbs of Moscow burned while Russian troops were away fighting Swedes
1598: Crimeans stopped by Bank Line, withdraw and sue for peace
1614: Nogai
Nogai Horde
The Nogai Horde was a confederation of about eighteen Turkic and Mongol tribes 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 Manghits constituted a core of the Horde...
raids within sight of Moscow. During the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
so many captives were taken that the price of a slave at Kaffa dropped to fifteen or twenty gold pieces
1618: Nogais release 15,000 captives in peace treaty with Moscow.
1632: Force from Livny ambushed by Tatars and Janissaries(sic). 300 killed and the rest enslaved
1632: 20,000 Tatars raid south of lines because troops were shifted for Smolensk War
Smolensk War
The Smolensk War was a conflict fought between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia.Hostilities began in October 1632 when Tsar forces tried to recapture the city of Smolensk, a former Russian possession. Small military engagements produced mixed results for both sides, but the surrender...
1633: 30,000 Tatars cross Abatis and Bank lines. Thousands of captives from Oka region.
(the last deep raid into Muscovy )
1635: Many small war parties south of Ryazan
Ryazan
Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...
1637,41-43: Raids by Nogais and Crimean nobles without permission of Khan
1643: 600 Tatars and 200 Zaporozhian Cossacks(sic) raid near Kozlov
Kozlov
Kozlov , or Kozlova is a common Russian surname. It is derived from the sobriquet ""...
. 19 killed, 262 captured.
1644: 20,000 Tatars raid southern Muscovy, 10,000 captives
1645: 6,000 captives. (It is claimed that the Turks encouraged these raids to obtain galley slaves for a war with Venice)
- c1650: BelgorodBelgorod-Twin towns/sister cities:Belgorod is twinned with: Wakefield, England, United Kingdom Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia Opole, Poland Vyshhorod, Ukraine Kharkiv, Ukraine-External links:...
Line pushes Russian forts 300 km south of the Abatis Line.
- c1680: Izium Line: Russian forts within 150 kilometers of Black Sea.
- 1687,89: Crimean campaignsCrimean campaignsCrimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 were two military campaigns of the Russian army against the Crimean Khanate. They were a part of the Russo-Turkish War and Russo-Crimean Wars. These were the first Russian forces to come close to Crimea since 1569...
: attempt to invade Crimea fails.
1691-92:Several thousand captives from near Izium Line
1769: Winter raid into New Serbia. Prisoners by the thousands
- 1774: Crimea a Russian vassal
- 1783: Crimea annexed by Russia.
Source
- Vasily KlyuchevskyVasily KlyuchevskyVasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky dominated Russian historiography at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is still regarded as one of three most reputable Russian historians, alongside Nikolay Karamzin and Sergey Solovyov.-Early life:...
, The Course of Russian History, Vol. 2. - http://www.kulichki.com/moshkow/HISTORY/ANDREEW_A_R/krym_history.txt
- The Full Collection of Russian Annals. The Patriarchal Annals, vol.13, Moscow. 1965
External links
- http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/russia/milxrussianempire.html