Shipbuilding and the fleet of the Crimean Khanate in the 15–18th centuries

Abstract

Abstract. In the article was examines the fleet of the Crimean Khanate and the shipbuilding traditions in the state. Analyzed the role of the main shipbuilding centers on the peninsula and the territories controlled by the Khanate, revealed the military and commercial significance of the fleet for the state. Highlighted the role of the Ottoman Empire in the development of the Crimean Tatar fleet and the influence of Turkish shipbuilding traditions on the maritime affairs of the Khanate. The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the Crimean naval fleet and the maritime traditions of the Khanate. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in domestic historiography an attempt has been made to comprehensively consider the Crimean Tatar fleet – shipbuilding centers, types of ships, their tactical military, logistical and commercial use. Contemporary sources mentioning the fleet of the Crimean Khanate are analyzed. A description of the boats used by the Kirymly is given. Conclusions. The author determined that the Crimean Khanate had its own fleet, but its small size did not allow us to speak of the Khanate as a powerful maritime state. The development of the fleet was not envisaged by the military doctrine and strategy of the khans, whose focus was on the land army, namely mobile light cavalry. The Crimean Tatars used boats mainly for two purposes – trade and transportation of troops. In particular, the Crimean Tatar army was transported by boats during the campaign against the Circassians in 1545, in military campaigns against the Safavids in 1617 and 1638. Due to the fact that the Ottoman Empire after 1475 controlled almost all the key ports of the Crimean peninsula, and the Crimeans did not have boat building specialists and relevant technologies, the Crimean fleet developed under the direct influence of the Porte. The Ottoman Empire was interested in building sea and river vessels in Crimean ports, given the availability of wood and other materials. The Ottoman warships protected the Khanate from attacks by the Cossacks and other opponents. Galleys became a popular type of vessel among the Crimeans, which allowed the transportation of slaves (the slave trade was one of the foundations of the Khanate's economy) and troops. Khans and representatives of the elite (influential murzas and beys) could build their own sea and river vessels.