“Treason of the Crimean Khan” in the battle of Berestechko: myths and facts

Abstract

On the climax of the battleunder Berestechko (June 30, 1651) the Crimean Tatars fled, leaving their allies, the Ukrainian Cossacks, in the battlefield. According to the almost unanimous opinion, the cause of the defeat of the allied forces was the successful actions of the Polish army under the leadership of the king John II Casimir, who dealt the main blow to the Crimean cavalry. Under the enemy`s cannonballs, the Crimeans suffered heavy losses and fled, and khan Islam III Giray himself was nearly killed. But there is no evidence that the Tatars deliberately abandoned the Cossacks.