In the 17th century, the Crimean peninsula turned out to be one of the ruins of the old Mongol empire - the Golden Horde. Local khans staged several bloody invasions of Moscow back in the days of Ivan the Terrible. However, every year it became more and more difficult for them to resist Russia alone.
Therefore, the Crimean Khanate became a vassal of Turkey. The Ottoman Empire at this time reached the peak of its development. It stretched across three continents at once. War with this state was inevitable. The first rulers from the Romanov dynasty were eyeing the Crimea.
Hiking background
In the middle of the 17th century, a struggle broke out between Russia and Poland for the Left-Bank Ukraine. The dispute over this important region escalated into a long war. Eventually, in 1686, a peace treaty was signed. According to it, Russia received vast territories along with Kyiv. At the same time, the Romanovs agreed to join the so-called Holy League of European Powers against the Ottoman Empire.
It was created by the efforts of Pope Innocent XI. Most of it was made up of Catholic states. The Venetian Republic, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Commonwe alth joined the league. It was to this union that Russia joined. Christian countries agreed to actunited against the Muslim threat.
Russia in the Holy League
So, in 1683 the Great Turkish War began. The main fighting took place in Hungary and Austria without the participation of Russia. The Romanovs, for their part, began to develop a plan to attack the Crimean Khan - a vassal of the Sultan. The initiator of the campaign was Queen Sophia, who at that time was the actual ruler of a vast country. The young princes Peter and Ivan were only formal figures who did not decide anything.
The Crimean campaigns began in 1687, when a hundred thousandth army under the command of Prince Vasily Golitsyn went south. He was the head of the Ambassadorial Order, which means he was responsible for the foreign policy of the kingdom. Not only Moscow regular regiments marched under his banner, but also free Cossacks from Zaporozhye and the Don. They were led by ataman Ivan Samoilovich, with whom the Russian troops joined in June 1687 on the banks of the Samara River.
The march was given great importance. Sophia wanted to consolidate her own sole power in the state with the help of military successes. The Crimean campaigns were to be one of the great accomplishments of her reign.
First hike
Russian detachments first encountered the Tatars after crossing the Konka River (a tributary of the Dnieper). However, the opponents prepared for an attack from the north. The Tatars burned the entire steppe in this region, because of which the horses of the Russian army simply had nothing to eat. Terrible conditions led to the fact that in the first two days behindonly 12 miles left. So, the Crimean campaigns began with a failure. The heat and dust led to the fact that Golitsyn convened a council, at which it was decided to return to his homeland.
To somehow explain his failure, the prince began to look for the culprits. At that moment, an anonymous denunciation of Samoylovich was delivered to him. Ataman was accused of the fact that it was he and his Cossacks who set fire to the steppe. Sophia became aware of the denunciation. Samoylovich fell into disgrace and lost his mace - a symbol of his own power. A Rada of Cossacks was convened, where Ivan Mazepa was elected chieftain. This figure was also supported by Vasily Golitsyn, under whose leadership the Crimean campaigns took place.
At the same time, hostilities began on the right flank of the struggle between Turkey and Russia. An army led by General Grigory Kosagov successfully captured Ochakov, an important fortress on the Black Sea coast. The Turks began to worry. The reasons for the Crimean campaigns forced the queen to give an order to organize a new campaign.
Second hike
The second campaign began in February 1689. The date was not chosen by chance. Prince Golitsyn wanted to get to the peninsula by spring to avoid the summer heat and steppe fires. The Russian army included about 110 thousand people. Despite the plans, it progressed rather slowly. The attacks of the Tatars were episodic - there was no general battle.
On May 20, the Russians approached the strategically important fortress - Perekop, which stood on a narrow isthmus leading to the Crimea. A rampart was dug around it. Golitsyn did not dare to risk people and takePerekop by storm. But he explained his act by the fact that there were practically no drinking wells with fresh water in the fortress. The army after a bloody battle could be left without a livelihood. Parliamentarians were sent to the Crimean Khan. Negotiations dragged on. Meanwhile, the loss of horses began in the Russian army. It became clear that the Crimean campaigns of 1687-1689. lead to nothing. Golitsyn decided to turn back the army for the second time.
Thus ended the Crimean campaigns. Years of efforts did not give Russia tangible dividends. Her actions distracted Turkey, making it easier for European allies to fight her on the Western Front.
The overthrow of Sophia
At this time in Moscow, Sophia found herself in a difficult situation. Her failures turned many boyars against her. She tried to pretend that everything was in order: she congratulated Golitsyn on his success. However, in the summer there was a coup d'état. Supporters of young Peter overthrew the queen.
Sofya was tonsured a nun. Golitsyn ended up in exile thanks to the intercession of his cousin. Many supporters of the old government were executed. Crimean campaigns of 1687 and 1689 led to Sophia being isolated.
Further policy of Russia in the south
In the future, Peter the Great also tried to fight with Turkey. His Azov campaigns led to tactical success. Russia got its first navy. True, it was limited to the inner waters of the Sea of Azov.
This caused Peter to convertattention to the B altic, where Sweden ruled. Thus began the Great Northern War, which led to the construction of St. Petersburg and the transformation of Russia into an empire. At the same time, the Turks retook Azov. Russia returned to the southern shores only in the second half of the 18th century.
