Crimean campaigns

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prince Vasily Golitsyn

Crimean campaigns ( Russian Крымские походы ) were two campaigns by the Russian army against the Crimean khanate in 1687 and 1689. They were part of the Russo-Turkish War 1686-1700 .

prehistory

After Russia had made the " Eternal Peace " with Poland-Lithuania in 1686 , it saw a good opportunity to get rid of the long-standing danger from the south. The Crimean Tatars have been raiding southern Russian and Ukrainian areas for centuries, taking many people into slavery. Russia participated in the anti-Turkish coalition, the so-called Holy League , which consisted of Austria , the Republic of Venice and Poland-Lithuania and fought against the Ottoman Empire and its vassals, the Crimean Khanate .

First campaign in 1687

In May 1687, the 100,000-strong Russian army under Prince Vasily Golitsyn , together with Don and Zaporozhian Cossacks, started their campaign from the left bank of Ukraine against the Crimea. However, the Crimean Tatars set fire to the steppe, so that the huge conflagration made the advance of the Russians impossible and they had to turn back. For the failure of the campaign, Golitsyn blamed the Ukrainian hetman Ivan Samoylowytsch , who was exchanged for Ivan Masepa .

Second campaign in 1689

After that, preparations began for a new campaign. Meanwhile, the Polish king began negotiations with the Ottoman Empire and shifted the entire burden of war on Russia. In the spring of 1689 the numerically even stronger Russian army started a new campaign southwards. On May 15, a Crimean Tatar attack was repulsed. On May 20, she reached Perekop , the strategic fortress on the isthmus of the same name , in which a huge number of Ottoman and Crimean Tatar soldiers were concentrated. Because of the great strength of the defenders, no siege was started.

rating

The Crimean campaigns of Russia could for some time tie up considerable forces of the Turks and Crimean Tatars and were of use to the European allies. The goal of the campaigns, namely to secure the southern borders of Russia, could not be achieved. The unsuccessful outcome of the Crimean campaigns was one of the reasons for the overthrow of Sofia Alexeyevna's government . Power was taken over by the young Tsar Peter , who subsequently also undertook two campaigns against the Crimean khanate, which went down in history as the Azov campaigns .

literature

  • Brian L Davies, 'Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe 1500-1700', 2007