Political History and State Organizition of the Crimean Khanate (1441–1783)

Abstract

Geographically situated between the Don-Dnieper rivers, the Crimean Khanate played an important role in between the centuries XV and XVIII in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the northern regions of the Black Sea. After the disintegration of the Golden Horde State, the Khanate, which was established in 1441, became a subject of the Ottoman State in 1475. The Khanate became an ally for the Ottoman Empire. The Crimean Khanate served the Ottoman Empire in wars, by the order of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the Khanate soldiers made constant raids into Russia and prevented them from going to the south. The Khanate was one of the important powers of the region until the XVIII century. The dominance of the Ottoman Empire in Crimea lasted for three hundred years, with the Treaty of Kucuk Kaynarca in 1774 Crimea was separated from the Ottoman Empire and became independent, it was captured by the Russian army in 1783. The aim of this study is to analyze the political history of the Crimean Khanate and the state organization issues important for understanding the political history, by using primary and secondary sources. If there are different opinions on the use of resources, the available resources were analyzed in a comparative way. This study was made by using clear language that anyone can understand. As an outcome of the study, after analyzing all the stages of the Crimean Khanate history, the effects of the Khanate history reflected on today are revealed.