When Crimea was Russian. Peoples who inhabited Crimea at different times

Just a year ago the Crimean peninsula was integral part state of Ukraine. But after March 16, 2014, he changed his “place of registration” and became part of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the increased interest in how Crimea developed is quite understandable. The history of the peninsula is very turbulent and eventful.

The first inhabitants of the ancient land

The history of the peoples of Crimea goes back several thousand years. On the peninsula, researchers discovered the remains of ancient people who lived back in the Paleolithic era. Near the sites of Kiik-Koba and Staroselye, archaeologists found the bones of people who inhabited this area at that time.

In the first millennium BC, Cimmerians, Taurians and Scythians lived here. By the name of one nationality, this territory, or rather its mountainous and coastal parts, is still called Tavrika, Tavria or Taurida. Ancient people engaged in farming and cattle breeding on this not very fertile land, as well as hunting and fishing. The world was new, fresh and cloudless.

Greeks, Romans and Goths

But for some ancient states, sunny Crimea turned out to be very attractive in terms of location. The history of the peninsula also has Greek echoes. Around the 6th-5th centuries, the Greeks began to actively populate this territory. They founded entire colonies here, after which the first states appeared. The Greeks brought with them the benefits of civilization: they actively built temples and theaters, stadiums and baths. At this time, shipbuilding began to develop here. It is with the Greeks that historians associate the development of viticulture. The Greeks also planted olive trees here and collected oil. We can safely say that with the arrival of the Greeks, the history of the development of Crimea received a new impetus.

But a few centuries later, powerful Rome set its sights on this territory and captured part of the coast. This takeover lasted until the 6th century AD. But the greatest damage to the development of the peninsula was caused by the Gothic tribes, who invaded in the 3rd and 4th centuries and thanks to whom the Greek states collapsed. And although the Goths were soon supplanted by other nationalities, the development of Crimea slowed down very much at that time.

Khazaria and Tmutarakan

Crimea is also called ancient Khazaria, and in some Russian chronicles this territory is called Tmutarakan. And these are not at all figurative names of the area where Crimea was located. The history of the peninsula has left in speech those toponymic names that at one time or another called this section of the earth's land. Starting from the 5th century, the entire Crimea came under strict Byzantine influence. But already in the 7th century the entire territory of the peninsula (except Chersonesus) was powerful and strong. That is why in Western Europe the name “Khazar” appears in many manuscripts. But Rus' and Khazaria compete all the time, and in 960 the Russian history of Crimea begins. The Kaganate was defeated, and all Khazar possessions were subordinated to the Old Russian state. Now this territory is called Tmutarakan.

By the way, right here Kyiv prince Vladimir, who occupied Kherson (Korsun), was officially baptized in 988.

Tatar-Mongol trace

Since the 13th century, the history of the annexation of Crimea again develops according to a military scenario: the Mongol-Tatars invade the peninsula.

Here the Crimean ulus is formed - one of the divisions of the Golden Horde. After the Golden Horde disintegrated, the peninsula emerged in 1443. In 1475, it completely fell under the influence of Turkey. It is from here that numerous raids on Polish, Russian and Ukrainian lands are carried out. Moreover, already at the end of the 15th century, these invasions became widespread and threatened the integrity of both the Moscow state and Poland. The Turks mainly hunted for cheap labor: they captured people and sold them into slavery in the slave markets of Turkey. One of the reasons for the creation of the Zaporozhye Sich in 1554 was to counter these seizures.

Russian history

The history of the transfer of Crimea to Russia continues in 1774, when the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty was concluded. After Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 marked the end of almost 300 years of dominance Ottoman Empire. The Turks abandoned Crimea. It was at this time that the largest cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol appeared on the peninsula. Crimea is developing rapidly, money is being invested here, industry and trade are beginning to flourish.

But Türkiye did not abandon plans to regain this attractive territory and was preparing for a new war. We must pay tribute to the Russian army, which did not allow this to happen. After another war in 1791, the Treaty of Jassy was signed.

The volitional decision of Catherine II

So, in fact, the peninsula has now become part of a powerful empire, whose name is Russia. Crimea, whose history included many changes from hand to hand, needed powerful protection. Purchased southern lands it was necessary to protect, ensuring the security of the borders. Empress Catherine II instructed Prince Potemkin to study all the advantages and weaknesses of the annexation of Crimea. In 1782, Potemkin wrote a letter to the Empress, in which he insisted on accepting important decision. Catherine agrees with his arguments. She understands how important Crimea is both for solving internal government problems and from a foreign policy perspective.

On April 8, 1783, Catherine II issues a Manifesto on the annexation of Crimea. It was a fateful document. It was from this moment, from this date, that Russia, Crimea, the history of the empire and the peninsula were closely intertwined for many centuries. According to the Manifesto, all Crimean residents were promised the protection of this territory from enemies, the preservation of property and faith.

True, the Turks recognized the fact of Crimea’s annexation to Russia only eight months later. All this time, the situation around the peninsula was extremely tense. When the Manifesto was promulgated, at first allegiance Russian Empire The clergy took the oath and only then did the entire population. On the peninsula, ceremonial celebrations, feasts were held, games and horse races were held, and cannon salutes were fired into the air. As contemporaries noted, all of Crimea passed into the Russian Empire with joy and jubilation.

Since then, Crimea, the history of the peninsula and the way of life of its population have been inextricably linked with all the events that took place in the Russian Empire.

A powerful impetus to development

The brief history of Crimea after its annexation to the Russian Empire can be described in one word - “heyday”. Industry and agriculture, winemaking and viticulture are beginning to develop rapidly here. Fishing and salt industries appear in the cities, and people are actively developing trade relations.

Since Crimea is located in a very warm and favorable climate, many rich people wanted to get land here. Nobles, members of the royal family, and industrialists considered it an honor to establish a family estate on the territory of the peninsula. In the 19th - early 20th centuries, a rapid flowering of architecture began here. Industrial magnates, royalty, and the Russian elite build entire palaces here and create beautiful parks that have survived on the territory of Crimea to this day. And following the nobility, people of art, actors, singers, painters, and theatergoers flocked to the peninsula. Crimea becomes the cultural Mecca of the Russian Empire.

Don’t forget about the healing climate of the peninsula. Since doctors proved that the air of Crimea is extremely favorable for the treatment of tuberculosis, a mass pilgrimage began here for those wishing to be cured of this disease. fatal disease. Crimea is becoming attractive not only for bohemian holidays, but also for health tourism.

Together with the whole country

At the beginning of the 20th century, the peninsula developed along with the entire country. Didn't pass him by October Revolution, and the subsequent Civil War. It was from Crimea (Yalta, Sevastopol, Feodosia) that the last vessels and ships on which the Russian intelligentsia left Russia left. It was in this place that a mass exodus of White Guards was observed. The country was creating a new system, and Crimea did not lag behind.

It was in the 20s of the last century that Crimea was transformed into an all-Union health resort. In 1919, the Bolsheviks adopted the “Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars on healing areas of national importance.” Crimea is included in it with a red line. A year later, another important document was signed - the decree “On the use of Crimea for the treatment of workers.”

Until the war, the territory of the peninsula was used as a resort for tuberculosis patients. In Yalta in 1922, a specialized Institute of Tuberculosis was even opened. Funding was at the proper level, and soon this research institute became the country's main center for pulmonary surgery.

Epochal Crimean Conference

During the Great Patriotic War The peninsula became the scene of massive military operations. Here they fought on land and at sea, in the air and in the mountains. Two cities - Kerch and Sevastopol - received the title of hero cities for their significant contribution to the victory over fascism.

True, not all the peoples inhabiting the multinational Crimea fought on the side Soviet army. Some representatives openly supported the invaders. That is why in 1944 Stalin issued a decree on the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people outside the Crimea. Hundreds of trains were transported in one day whole people to Central Asia.

Crimea entered world history due to the fact that in February 1945 a Yalta Conference. The leaders of the three superpowers - Stalin (USSR), Roosevelt (USA) and Churchill (Great Britain) - signed important international documents in Crimea, according to which the world order was determined for the long post-war decades.

Crimea - Ukrainian

In 1954 a new milestone comes. The Soviet leadership decides to transfer Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR. The history of the peninsula begins to develop according to a new scenario. The initiative came personally from the then head of the CPSU Nikita Khrushchev.

This was done on a special occasion: that year the country celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Rada. To commemorate this historical date and demonstrate that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are united, Crimea was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. And now the pair “Ukraine - Crimea” has begun to be considered as both a whole and a part of the whole. The history of the peninsula is beginning to be described in modern chronicles from scratch.

Whether this decision was economically justified, whether it was worth taking such a step then - such questions did not even arise at that time. Since the Soviet Union was united, no one attached much importance to whether Crimea would be part of the RSFSR or the Ukrainian SSR.

Autonomy within Ukraine

When the independent Ukrainian state was formed, Crimea received autonomy status. In September 1991, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic was adopted. And on December 1, 1991, a referendum was held in which 54% of Crimean residents supported the independence of Ukraine. In May of the following year, the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea was adopted, and in February 1994, Crimeans elected the first President of the Republic of Crimea. It was Yuri Meshkov.

It was during the years of perestroika that disputes began to arise more and more often that Khrushchev illegally gave Crimea to Ukraine. Pro-Russian sentiment on the peninsula was very strong. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity arose, Crimea returned to Russia again.

Fateful March 2014

While a large-scale state crisis began to grow in Ukraine at the end of 2013 - beginning of 2014, in Crimea voices were increasingly heard that the peninsula should be returned to Russia. On the night of February 26-27, unknown people raised the Russian flag over the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea.

The Supreme Council Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopt a declaration of independence of Crimea. At the same time, the idea was voiced to hold an All-Crimean referendum. It was originally scheduled for March 31, but was then moved two weeks earlier to March 16. Results Crimean referendum turned out to be impressive: 96.6% of voters were in favor. General level support for this decision on the peninsula amounted to 81.3%.

The modern history of Crimea continues to take shape before our eyes. Not all countries have yet recognized the status of Crimea. But Crimeans live with faith in a bright future.

Crimea is one of amazing places Earth. Due to its geographical location he was at the junction of habitat different nations, stood in the way of their historical movements. The interests of many countries and entire civilizations collided in such a small territory. The Crimean Peninsula has more than once become the scene of bloody wars and battles, and was part of several states and empires.

Varied natural conditions attracted the most peoples to Crimea different cultures and traditions For nomads there were vast pastures, for cultivators - fertile lands, for hunters - forests with plenty of game, for sailors - convenient bays and bays, a lot of fish. Therefore, many peoples settled here, becoming part of the Crimean ethnic conglomerate and participants in all historical events on the peninsula. In the neighborhood there lived people whose traditions, customs, religions, and way of life were different. This led to misunderstandings and even bloody clashes. Civil strife stopped when there was an understanding that it was possible to live and prosper well only in peace, harmony and mutual respect.

230 years ago, Empress Catherine II issued a manifesto on the annexation of Crimea to Russia. This event was a logical result of Russia’s long struggle with the Crimean Khanate and Turkey, which kept Crimea in vassalage.

The fate of Crimea was decided during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. The Russian army under the command of Vasily Dolgorukov invaded the peninsula. The troops of Khan Selim III were defeated, Bakhchisarai was destroyed, and the peninsula was devastated. Khan Selim III fled to Istanbul. The Crimean nobility agreed and agreed with the accession of Sahib II Giray. Crimea was declared independent from the Ottoman Empire. In 1772, an agreement was signed with the Russian Empire on an alliance, Bakhchisarai received a promise of Russian military and financial assistance. According to the Russian-Turkish Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace of 1774, the Crimean Khanate and the Kuban Tatars gained independence from Turkey, maintaining ties only on religious issues.

However, the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace could not last forever. Russia has only just gained a foothold near the Black Sea, but the Crimean Peninsula, this pearl of the Black Sea region, remains, as it were, no one’s. The power of the Ottomans over it was almost eliminated, and the influence of St. Petersburg had not yet been established. This unstable situation caused conflict situations. Russian troops, for the most part, were withdrawn; the Crimean nobility was inclined to return to the former status of Crimea - to a union with the Ottoman Empire.

Even during the peace negotiations, the Sultan sent Devlet-Girey with a landing force to Crimea. An uprising began, attacks occurred on Russian troops in Alushta, Yalta and other places. Sahib Giray was overthrown. Devlet-Girey was elected khan. He asked Istanbul to terminate the treaty concluded with Russia on the independence of the Crimean Khanate, return the peninsula under its supreme authority and take Crimea under its protection. However, Istanbul was not ready for a new war, and did not dare to take such a radical step.

Naturally, St. Petersburg did not like this. In the fall of 1776, Russian troops, with the support of the Nogais, overcame Perekop and broke into Crimea. They were also supported by the Crimean beys, whom Devlet IV Giray wanted to punish for supporting Sahib II Giray. Shahin Giray was placed on the Crimean throne with the help of Russian bayonets. Devlet Giray left for Istanbul with the Turks.

At the request of Shagin-Girey, Russian troops remained on the peninsula, stationed at the Ak-Mosque. Shahin (Shahin) Giray was a talented and gifted person, he studied in Thessaloniki and Venice, and knew Turkish, Italian and Greek. He tried to carry out reforms in the state and reorganize governance in Crimea according to the European model. He didn't take into account national traditions, which irritated the local nobility and Muslim clergy. They began to call him a traitor and an apostate. The nobility was dissatisfied that they began to remove her from government. Shigin-Girey transformed the possessions of the Tatar nobility, almost independent of the khan, into 6 governorships (kaimakamstvos) - Bakhchisarai, Ak-Mechet, Karasubazar, Gezlev (Evpatoria), Kafin (Feodosia) and Perekop. The governorships were divided into districts. Khan confiscated the waqfs - the lands of the Crimean clergy. It is clear that the clergy and nobility did not forgive the khan for the attack on the basis of their well-being. Even his brothers Bahadir Giray and Arslan Giray spoke out against Shahin Giray’s policies.

The reason for the uprising was the Khan's attempt to create armed forces European style. In the fall of 1777, a riot began. In December 1777, a Turkish landing force led by Khan Selim Giray III, appointed in Istanbul, landed on the peninsula. The uprising spread across the entire peninsula. The civil war began. With the support of Russian troops, the uprising was suppressed.

At the same time, the Russian command strengthened its positions in the south. At the end of November 1777, Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev appointed Alexander Suvorov to command the Kuban Corps. At the beginning of January 1778, he accepted the Kuban Corps and in a short time compiled a complete topographical description of the Kuban region and seriously strengthened the Kuban cordon line, which was actually the border between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. In March, Suvorov was appointed instead of Alexander Prozorovsky as commander of the troops of Crimea and Kuban. In April he arrived in Bakhchisarai. The commander divided the peninsula into four territorial districts and created a chain of posts along the coast at a distance of 3-4 km from each other. Russian garrisons were located in fortresses and several dozen fortifications, reinforced with guns. The first territorial district had a center in Gezlev, the second - in the southwestern part of the peninsula, in Bakhchisarai, the third in the eastern part of Crimea - in the Salgir fortification-retrenchment, the fourth - occupied the Kerch Peninsula with its center in Yenikal. The brigade of Major General Ivan Bagration was stationed behind Perekop.

Alexander Suvorov issued a special order in which he called for “to maintain complete friendship and establish mutual agreement between Russians and ordinary people of different ranks.” The commander began to build fortifications at the exit from Akhtiar Bay, forcing the Turkish warships remaining there to leave. Turkish ships left for Sinop. To weaken the Crimean Khanate and save Christians, who were the first to become victims during riots and the landing of Turkish troops, Suvorov, on the advice of Potemkin, began to facilitate the resettlement of the Christian population from Crimea. They were moved to the coast Sea of ​​Azov and the mouth of the Don. From spring to early autumn 1778, more than 30 thousand people were resettled from Crimea to the Azov region and Novorossiya. This irritated the Crimean nobility.

In July 1778, a Turkish fleet of 170 pennants under the command of Hassan Gazy Pasha appeared off the Crimean coast in Feodosia Bay. The Turks were thinking about landing troops. The Turkish command handed over a letter with an ultimatum demanding a ban on Russian ships sailing along the coast Crimean peninsula. If this requirement was not met, the Russian ships threatened to be sunk. Suvorov was firm and stated that he would ensure the security of the peninsula by all means available to him. The Turks did not dare to land troops. The Ottoman fleet returned home ingloriously. The Turkish fleet held another demonstration in September. But the measures of Suvorov, who strengthened the coast and ordered Bagration's brigade to enter the Crimea, maneuvered his troops in sight of the enemy fleet, corresponding to his movement, again forced the Ottomans to retreat.

On March 10, 1779, the Anayli-Kavak Convention was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. It confirmed the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty. Istanbul recognized Shagin Giray as the Crimean Khan, confirmed the independence of the Crimean Khanate and the right of free passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles for Russian merchant ships. Russian troops, leaving 6 thousand. garrison in Kerch and Yenikal, in mid-June 1779 they left the Crimean peninsula and Kuban. Suvorov received an appointment to Astrakhan.

The Ottomans did not accept the loss of Crimea and the territories of the Northern Black Sea region; in the fall of 1781 they provoked another uprising. The uprising was led by the Shagin-Girey brothers Bakhadyr-Girey and Arslan-Girey. The uprising began in Kuban and quickly spread to the peninsula. By July 1782, the uprising had completely engulfed the entire Crimea, the khan was forced to flee, and the officials of his administration who did not manage to escape were killed. Bahadir II Giray was elected as the new khan. He turned to St. Petersburg and Istanbul with a request for recognition.

However, the Russian Empire refused to recognize the new khan and sent troops to suppress the uprising. Russian Empress Catherine II appointed Grigory Potemkin as commander-in-chief. He had to suppress the uprising and achieve the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula to Russia. Anton Balmain was appointed to lead the troops in Crimea, and Alexander Suvorov was appointed to lead the troops in Kuban. Balmain's corps, which was formed in Nikopol, occupied Karasubazar, defeating the army of the new khan under the command of Prince Halim Girey. Bahadir was captured. His brother Arslan Giray was also arrested. Most of the khan's supporters fled through North Caucasus to Turkey. Potemkin again appointed Alexander Suvorov commander of the troops in the Crimea and Kuban. Shagin Giray returned to Bakhchisarai and was restored to the throne.

Shagin Giray began to carry out repressions against the rebels, which led to a new rebellion. Yes, it was Tsarevich executed Mahmud Giray, who declared himself khan in the Cafe. Shigin Giray also wanted to execute his own brothers - Bakhadyr and Arslan. But Russian government intervened and saved them, the execution was replaced by imprisonment in Kherson. The Russian Empress “advised” Shagin Giray to voluntarily renounce the throne and transfer his possessions to St. Petersburg. In February 1783, Shagin Giray abdicated the throne and moved to live in Russia. Lived in Taman, Voronezh, Kaluga. Then he made a mistake and left for the Ottoman Empire. Shagin was arrested, exiled to Rhodes and executed in 1787.

On April 8 (19), 1783, Empress Catherine II issued a manifesto on the inclusion of the Crimean Khanate, the Taman Peninsula and Kuban into the Russian state. By order of G. Potemkin, troops under the command of Suvorov and Mikhail Potemkin occupied Taman Peninsula and Kuban, and Balmain's forces entered the Crimean peninsula. From the sea, Russian troops supported the ships of the Azov flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Klokachev. Almost at the same time, the Empress sent the frigate “Caution” to the peninsula under the command of captain II rank Ivan Bersenev. He received the task of choosing a harbor for the fleet off the southwestern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. In April, Bersenev inspected the bay near the village of Akhtiar, which was located near the ruins of Chersonese-Tauride. He proposed turning it into a base for the future Black Sea Fleet. On May 2, 1783, five frigates and eight small ships of the Azov military flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Klokachev entered the bay. Already at the beginning of 1784, the port and fortress were founded. It was named by Empress Catherine II Sevastopol - “The Majestic City”.

In May, the Empress sent Mikhail Kutuzov, who had just returned from abroad after treatment, to Crimea, who quickly settled political and diplomatic issues with the remaining Crimean nobility. In June 1783, in Karasubazar, on the top of the Ak-Kaya rock (White Rock), Prince Potemkin took the oath of allegiance to the Russian Empire from the Tatar nobility and representatives of all segments of the Crimean population. The Crimean Khanate finally ceased to exist. The Crimean Zemstvo Government was established. Russian troops stationed in Crimea received Potemkin’s order to treat the residents “friendly, without causing offense at all, which is what superiors and regimental commanders set as an example.”

In August 1783, Balmain was replaced by General Igelstrom. He proved himself to be a good organizer and established the Tauride Regional Board. Almost the entire local Tatar nobility entered it, together with the zemstvo government. On February 2, 1784, by decree of the empress, the Tauride region was established, headed by the president of the military college G. Potemkin. It included Crimea and Taman. In the same month, Empress Catherine II granted the upper Crimean class all the rights and benefits of the Russian nobility. Lists of 334 new Crimean nobles were compiled, who retained their old land ownership.

To attract the population, Sevastopol, Feodosia and Kherson were declared open cities for all nationalities friendly to Russia. Foreigners could freely come to these settlements, live there and accept Russian citizenship. Serfdom was not introduced in Crimea; the Tatars of non-privileged classes were declared state-owned (state) peasants. Relations between the Crimean nobility and those dependent on them social groups have not been changed. The lands and income that belonged to the Crimean “tsar” passed to the imperial treasury. All prisoners, Russian subjects, received freedom. It must be said that at the time of the annexation of Crimea to Russia, there were about 60 thousand people and 1,474 villages on the peninsula. The main occupation of the villagers was raising cows and sheep.

Changes for the better, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, appeared literally before our eyes. Internal trade duties were eliminated, which immediately increased the trade turnover of Crimea. The Crimean cities of Karasubazar, Bakhchisarai, Feodosia, Gezlev (Evpatoria), Ak-Mosque (Simferopol - it became the administrative center of the region) began to grow. The Tauride region was divided into 7 counties: Simferopol, Levkopol (Feodosia), Perekop, Evpatoria, Dnieper, Melitopol and Phanagoria. Russian state peasants, retired soldiers, and immigrants from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Turkey were settled on the peninsula. Potemkin for development Agriculture in Crimea invited foreign specialists in the field of horticulture, viticulture, sericulture and forestry. Salt production was increased. In August 1785, all ports of Crimea were exempted from paying customs duties for 5 years and customs guards were transferred to Perekop. By the end of the centuries, the turnover of Russian trade on the Black Sea increased several thousand times and amounted to 2 million rubles. A special office was created on the peninsula for the management and development of “agriculture and home economics.” Already in 1785, the Vice-Governor of Crimea K.I. Gablitz held the first scientific description peninsula.

Potemkin had enormous energy and ambition. On the shores of the Black Sea he was able to implement many projects. The Empress fully supported him in this matter. Back in 1777, she wrote to Grimm: “I love unplowed countries. Believe me, they are the best." Novorossiya was indeed an “untilled” territory where the most amazing projects could be implemented. Fortunately, Potemkin had the full support of the empress and the enormous human and material resources of Russia. In fact, he became a kind of vice-emperor of the South of Russia, who had full will to realize his plans. Military and political victories were combined with rapid administrative, economic, naval and cultural development of the region.

Entire cities and ports arose in the bare steppe - Sevastopol, Kherson, Melitopol, Odessa. Thousands of peasants and workers were sent to build canals, embankments, fortifications, shipyards, piers, and enterprises. Forests were planted. Streams of immigrants (Russians, Germans, Greeks, Armenians, etc.) rushed to Novorossiya. The population of the Crimean Peninsula by the end of the century increased to 100 thousand people, mainly due to immigrants from Russia and Little Russia. Getting used to it richest lands southern Russian steppes. IN record time The Black Sea Fleet was built, which quickly became the master of the situation in the Black Sea and won a series of brilliant victories over the Turkish fleet. Potemkin planned to build a magnificent, not inferior Northern capital, The southern capital of the empire - Ekaterinoslav on the Dnieper (now Dnepropetrovsk). They were going to build a huge cathedral in it, larger than the Vatican St. Peter's, a theater, a university, museums, a stock exchange, palaces, gardens and parks.

Potemkin’s versatile talents also touched the Russian army. The empress's all-powerful favorite was a supporter of new tactics and strategies for waging war and encouraged the initiative of commanders. Replaced tight uniforms German type for light and comfortable new-style uniforms, more suitable for combat operations. The soldiers were forbidden to wear braids and use powder, which was sheer torture for them.

The transformations proceeded so quickly that when in 1787 the Russian ruler Catherine II traveled to the peninsula through Perekop, visiting Karasubazar, Bakhchisarai, Laspi and Sevastopol, Potemkin had something to brag about. Suffice it to recall the Black Sea Fleet, consisting of three battleships, twelve frigates, twenty small ships, three bombardment ships and two fire ships. It was after this journey that Potemkin received the title of “Tauride” from the Empress.

It is clear that Istanbul has not come to terms with the loss of the Crimean Khanate. The Ottomans, egged on by England, were actively preparing for a new war. In addition, the interests of Russia and Turkey collided in the Caucasus and Balkan Peninsula. It ended with Istanbul, in the form of an ultimatum, demanding the return of the Crimean peninsula, but received a decisive refusal. On August 21, 1787, the Turkish fleet attacked the Russian fleet off the western shores of the Crimean Peninsula, which served as a signal for the beginning new war. In the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. success accompanied Russian weapons. In Moldova, Rumyantsev inflicted a number of heavy defeats on the Turkish troops, Golitsyn occupied Iasi and Khotyn. Potemkin's army captured Ochakov. Suvorov defeated the Turkish army near Rymnik. The “impregnable” Izmail and Anapa were captured. The Black Sea Fleet defeated the Turkish fleet in a series of battles. The Iasi Peace Treaty assigned the entire Northern Black Sea region, including the Crimean Peninsula, to the Russian Empire.

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Yesterday in Moscow an agreement was signed on the inclusion of Crimea into the Russian Federation. Here is a brief illustrated summary of the history of this territory and its peoples

In the first millennium BC. In the Crimea, inhabited by Scythian and Taurian tribes, Greek colonies began to appear. As a result of Greek expansion in the 5th century BC. the territory of the peninsula became part of two states - the Tauride Chersonese and the Bosporan kingdom.
In the 3rd century BC. The Scythians founded the city of Neapolis, or Scythian Naples (next to modern Simferopol).
In the photo: painting of a sarcophagus from the times of the Bosporan Kingdom.

Starting from the 3rd century, Crimea was invaded by various tribes - Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Turks - who destroyed ancient cities. In the 8th century, Crimea became Byzantine, part of the peninsula belonged to the Khazar Khaganate.
In the photo: the ruins of Chersonesus.

Since the 9th century, the Rus penetrated into Crimea, who ultimately defeated the Khazars. In 988, Russian Prince Vladimir was baptized here. The territory of the peninsula, formerly Khazar, became part of the Russian Tmutarakan principality.
In the photo: Fresco by V. Vasnetsov “The Baptism of Holy Prince Vladimir”, St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, 1890.

The end of Russian influence in Crimea is put by the Cumans, who have appeared here since the 12th century. The modern Crimean Tatar language, from which there are many toponyms in Crimea (including Crimea, Ayu-Dag, Artek), is a descendant of the Polovtsian language.
In the photo: painting by V. Vasnetsov “After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy”, 1880.

In the 13th century, the Tatar-Mongols invaded Crimea, making it part of the Golden Horde. Under an agreement with its khans, Genoa received some coastal cities of Crimea, and the Genoese also built new colonies.
In the photo: Genoese fortress in Sudak.

After the collapse of the Golden Horde in 1441, the remnants of the Mongols in Crimea were Turkified. At this moment, Crimea is divided between the steppe Crimean Khanate, the mountainous Byzantine principality of Theodoro and the Genoese colonies on the southern coast.
In the summer of 1475, the Ottoman Turks landed a large force in the Crimea, capturing all the Genoese fortresses and Byzantine cities. In 1478, the Crimean Khanate became a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire.
In the photo: a coin of the Crimean Khanate of the 15th century.

Since the end of the 15th century, the Crimean Khanate made constant raids on the Russian state and Poland. The main purpose of the raids was to capture slaves and resell them in Turkish markets.
In the photo: Map of 1593. Crimea borders on the Moscow Principality in the north, and on the Great Lithuanian Principality in the west. Two Crimean Tatars lead a bear.

Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray waged constant wars with Ivan IV the Terrible, vainly seeking to restore the independence of Kazan and Astrakhan.
In May 1571, at the head of an army of 40 thousand horsemen, the khan burned Moscow, for which he received the nickname Takht Algan (“who took the throne”). During the raid on Moscow State Many historians believe that several hundred thousand people died and 50,000 were captured. Ivan IV, following the example of Poland, pledged to pay annual tribute to the Crimea. Payments continued until the end of the 17th century and finally stopped only during the reign of Peter I.
In the photo: Map of 1630. In addition to the steppe and foothills of Crimea proper, the Khanate occupied the lands between the Danube and the Dnieper, the Azov region and most modern Krasnodar region Russia.

The Russo-Turkish War of 1768-74 put an end to Ottoman rule, and according to the Küçük-Kaynardzhi Peace Treaty of 1774, Crimea gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and came under Russian protectorate. In 1783, Crimea was included in the Russian Empire.
In the photo: Painting by Stefano Torelli “Victory of Catherine II over the Turks.”

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, Russian troops entered its territory, and the city of Sevastopol was founded near the ruins of ancient Chersonesos. The Crimean Khanate was abolished, but its elite (over 300 clans) joined the Russian nobility and took part in local government the newly created Tauride region.
In the photo: Painting by M. Ivanov, “Russian military camp in Crimea”, 1783

In 1787, Empress Catherine made her famous trip to Crimea. In 1796, the region became part of the Novorossiysk province, and in 1802 it was again separated into an independent one. administrative unit. IN early XIX century, viticulture (Magarach) and shipbuilding (Sevastopol) are developing in Crimea, roads are being built. Under Prince Vorontsov, Yalta begins to develop, and the southern coast of Crimea turns into a resort.
In the photo: Fireworks in honor of Catherine’s arrival in Crimea.

In 1853, the Crimean War broke out, in which Russia fought against three empires: French, British and Ottoman. Fighting unfolded not only on the western and southern borders of Russia, but even in the Barents Sea and Kamchatka. Crimea became the hottest spot.
The heroic defense of Sevastopol lasted almost a whole year, but in the end the Russians were forced to abandon the city. During its defense, the famous Russian commanders Kornilov and Nakhimov died.
In the photo: Painting by V. Nesterenko “Defense of Sevastopol”, 1967

The medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol” was established especially for participants in the defense of Sevastopol, which was the first medal in Russian history that was awarded not for capture or victory, but for defense.

Painting by Richard Woodville “Charge of the Light Horse”, 1897
“Balaclava Day” forever became a black date in military history England. As a result of the cavalry attack on the Russian position near Balaklava, almost all of it was killed. Many representatives of the English aristocracy remained on the battlefield, and the phrase “Charge of the Light Horse” became a household word.

Having captured Crimea, the allies began to export local cultural and historical values ​​to their museums.
In the photo: Samples of ancient art taken by the British from Sevastopol.

As a result of the Crimean War, Russia lost influence in the Balkans and temporarily lost its Black Sea Fleet, but Crimea remained Russian.
In the photo: Monument to fallen Russian and French soldiers on the site of their common mass grave. Malakhov Kurgan, Sevastopol.

In 1874, Simferopol was connected to Aleksandrovsk by railway. The resort status of Crimea increased after the summer royal residence of the Livadia Palace appeared in Livadia.
Population of Crimea in 1897:
Russians – 404 thousand
Tatars – 197 thousand
Ukrainians – 61 thousand
Jews – 55 thousand
Greeks – 18 thousand
In the photo: Livadia Palace.

During the Civil War, “white” and “red” governments replaced each other several times on the territory of Crimea, including the Soviet Socialist Republic of Taurida, the Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic, etc.
In the photo: Team of the tank “General Drozdovsky”. September 1919

After the defeat of the White movement in October 1920, Crimea was conquered by the Red Army and incorporated into the RSFSR as the Autonomous Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic. In the captured Crimea, the Bolsheviks carried out mass terror, as a result of which, according to various sources, from 20 to 120 thousand people died.

In the fall of 1941, the German occupation of Crimea began.
“Crimea must be liberated from all strangers and settled by Germans,” Hitler said at a meeting at headquarters on July 19, 1941. According to his proposal, Crimea was transformed into the imperial region of Gotenland (the country of the Goths). The center of the region - Simferopol - was renamed Gottsburg (the city of the Goths), and Sevastopol received the name Theodorichshafen (the harbor of Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, who lived in 493-526). According to Himmler's project, Crimea was annexed directly to Germany.
On the picture: German soldiers monitoring Soviet positions from a trench on the Perekop Isthmus.

The most fierce battles in Crimea took place in the Sevastopol region. The defense of the city lasted about eight months.
In the photo: the ruins of Sevastopol.

Near Sevastopol on the first and last time The super-heavy 800-mm Dora gun was used, which weighed more than 1000 tons. It was secretly delivered from Germany and secretly placed in a special shelter carved into a rock mass in the Bakhchisarai area. The gun entered service in early June and fired a total of fifty-three 7-ton shells.

At the beginning of July 1942, Soviet troops were forced to leave Sevastopol, and then the entire peninsula. Their losses amounted to more than 200 thousand people.
For the capture of Sevastopol, the commander of the 11th Army, E. von Manstein, received the rank of field marshal.
In the photo: German soldiers in the destroyed Sevastopol.

In April 1944, the liberation of Crimea began. The Crimean operation ended with the complete defeat of the 17th German army, only whose irretrievable losses during the battles amounted to more than 120 thousand people.
In the photo: Partisans who participated in the liberation of Crimea. The village of Simeiz on south coast Crimean peninsula. 1944

In May 1944, 183 thousand Tatars were deported from Crimea. Mainly to Uzbekistan. Officially, the reason for the deportation was declared to be the facts of collaboration and cooperation of a large part of the Crimean Tatar population during the German occupation of Crimea. 20 thousand Crimean Tatars (every third of military age) wore the uniform of the Third Reich.
Crimean Armenians, Bulgarians and Greeks were also deported.

1954 – Crimea is transferred from Russia to Ukraine. Despite the fact that Sevastopol was removed from the Crimean region back in 1948, receiving a special status in Russia, due to legal inaccuracies it passed to Ukraine along with Crimea.
Population of Crimea in 1959: Russians - 858 thousand, Ukrainians - 268 thousand, Jews - 26 thousand.

On May 6, 1992, the constitution of the Republic of Crimea was adopted and the post of president was introduced. According to the recollection of Ukrainian President Kravchuk in an interview given to the Ukrainian program, at that time official Kyiv was considering the possibility of war with Crimea.
In March 1995, by decision of the central Ukrainian authorities, the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Crimea was canceled and the presidency in Crimea was abolished.

February 2014 – as a result of the coup d’etat in Kyiv, a sharp increase in pro-Russian activity occurred in Crimea.
On February 27, 2014, the Supreme Council of Crimea appointed Sergei Aksenov as head of the Council of Ministers.
March 11, 2014 Supreme Council Autonomous Republic Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
On March 17, 2014, as a result of the all-Crimean referendum held on March 16, 2014, on the basis of the Declaration of Independence, the sovereign Republic of Crimea was proclaimed, including the city with a special status of Sevastopol.
Population of Crimea according to the 2001 census: Russians - 1450 thousand, Ukrainians - 577 thousand, Tatars - 245 thousand.

On March 18, 2014, an agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to Russia. In accordance with the agreement, new entities are formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city federal significance Sevastopol.
In the photo: Crimeans celebrate the news of reunification with Russia.

On April 8, 1783, the manifesto of Empress Catherine II on the annexation of Crimea to Russia was published

This document stated the fact that, despite the legality of receiving Crimea as war booty, Russia initially gave the Crimean Khanate independence, which the Crimean Tatars could not wisely take advantage of. Thus, peace has come to the southern borders of our country, and they themselves have gained geopolitical completeness.

Rebellions constantly broke out in Crimea, creating unrest on the southern borders of the Russian Empire. This continued from 1774 to 1783. For ten years the Crimean Tatars conducted an experiment on the existence of their khanate as independent state. The experiment failed, showing the complete failure of both the ruling dynasty in Crimea and the Crimean Tatar elite, which was exclusively occupied with internecine struggle and anti-Russian intrigues. The result of this was the liquidation of the failed state and the annexation of its territory to Russia.

Let's look at this process and everything that preceded it. In 1441, the first Khan of Crimea, Hadji Giray, separated his possessions from the Golden Horde and declared himself an independent ruler. The Giray dynasty descended from Genghis Khan and highly valued its nobility and independence. However, the rise of the military and political power of the Ottoman Empire led to the next Khan Mengli Giray recognizing the supreme power Turkish Sultan and from that time on, the Crimean Khanate became an ally and vassal of the Ottoman Empire.

Since the 15th century, the raids of the Crimeans became a real curse for the Russian state.

The economy of Crimea was largely built on income received from raids to the north, into territories inhabited by Russians, which were plundered and enslaved for three centuries. For a long time Russia could do little to counter the Crimean raids. Defensive lines in the south - the “notch line” - created in the middle of the 15th century and renewed throughout the 16th century served only partial protection from raids, especially since during the Time of Troubles the notch line fell into disrepair and was restored only in the late 30s years of the 16th century.

The English envoy D. Fletcher reports that the Tatars’ way of waging war was that they were divided into several detachments and, trying to attract the Russians to one or two places on the border, they themselves attacked some other place left unprotected. When attacking in small units, the Tatars placed stuffed people on horses to make them appear larger. According to J. Margeret, while 20-30 thousand Tatar horsemen diverted the attention of the main Russian forces, other detachments devastated the Russian borders and returned back without high damage. Through sent tongues, the khans tried to convey false information to Moscow about their intentions and forces.

In fact, a special type of economy was established in the Crimean Khanate, which was called the “raid economy.”

The nomadic lifestyle of the majority of the Crimean population made it possible to quickly mobilize very significant forces, fielding more than 100 thousand soldiers. Almost the entire adult male population of Crimea took part in the raids. However, only a minority of them participated in direct combat. Most of the participants in the raid were engaged in robbery and taking prisoners, mostly children. During the first half of the 16th century alone, there were about 40 attacks by the Crimean Tatars on the territory of the Russian state. The raids occurred mainly at a time when Russian peasants were involved in field work and could not quickly take refuge in fortresses: during sowing or harvesting. Captured Russian people were sold in Crimean slave markets. Crimea in the 15th-16th centuries was the largest center of the slave trade, and the Russian state was forced to allocate significant funds for the ransom of Orthodox Christians captured by the Tatars. But still, most of the captives ended up in Turkey and the countries of the Middle East, where they remained slaves for life.

If we look at the chronicle of the Crimean campaigns against Rus', we will see with what consistency the southern lands of the Russian state, the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands of Lithuania and Poland were ravaged. In 1482, the Tatars captured and burned Kiev, in 1517 the Tatar army reached Tula, 1521 - the siege of Moscow, 1527 - the destruction of Moscow lands, 1552 - the Crimeans again reached Tula, 1569 - a campaign against Astrakhan, 1571 - Moscow was taken and burned, 1591 - a new campaign against Moscow, 1622 - Tula lands were devastated, 1633 - Ryazan, Tula, Kolomna, Kaluga were devastated, 1659 - campaign to Kursk and Voronezh , 1717 - Tatar troops reach Tambov. And these are just the most terrible pages of the Crimean raids.

The Khanate's troops carried out military campaigns against Russian lands once every 2-3 years, as soon as the spoils obtained in the previous raid ended.

In 1768, after Turkey declared war on Russia, Crimea immediately supported it. On January 27, 1769, the seventy-thousand-strong Tatar army of Crimea Girey crossed the Russian border. The Crimean Tatars managed to reach only Elisavetgrad (Kirovograd) and Bakhmut, where they were stopped and driven back by the troops of the Governor-General of Little Russia P.A. Rumyantseva. Having captured two thousand prisoners, the Tatars left for the Dniester. This raid turned out to be the last in Russian history. On February 5, 1769, Rumyantsev reported to Catherine II about repelling the Tatar attack. In 1770, negotiations began with the new Khan of Crimea, Selim Giray, who was offered the independence of Crimea following the Russian-Turkish war. So Russia hoped to break off a strong ally from the Ottoman Empire and secure its southern borders. But the khan refused, saying that the Crimeans were satisfied with the power of the Sultan and did not want independence. However, reports from Russian intelligence officers indicated that the Tatars were dissatisfied with the new khan. P.A. Rumyantsev wrote in a letter to Catherine II: “The man who brought the letters says that the new khan is very unloved by the Murzas and Tatars and has almost no communication with anyone, and the Tatars are in great poverty in food and horses... Tatar society, although he wants to submit to Russian protection, he is not able to ask for it due to the fact that the current khan maintains them in considerable severity and is very careful about their suppression.”

In 1771-1772 During military operations on the territory of Crimea, Russian troops under the command of Prince V.V. Dolgoruky defeated the Khan's army, and Selim Giray fled to Turkey. Sahib Giray, a supporter of friendship with Russia, became the new Crimean Khan. As a result, on November 1, 1772, in Karasubazar, the Crimean Khan signed an agreement with Prince Dolgorukov, according to which Crimea was declared an independent khanate under the patronage of Russia. The Black Sea ports of Kerch, Kinburn and Yenikale passed to Russia. Leaving garrisons in the Crimean cities and freeing more than ten thousand Russian prisoners, Dolgorukov’s army went to the Dnieper. The war with Turkey ended with the signing of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace in 1774, according to which the lands from the Bug and the Kinburn fortress at the mouth of the Dnieper to Azov with the Kuban and Azov regions, the fortresses of Kerch and Yenikale, which blocked the exit from Azov to the Black Sea, went to Russia. The Crimean Khanate was declared independent from Turkey. Russian merchant ships received the right to pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles on an equal basis with English and French ones. Türkiye paid Russia an indemnity of four and a half million rubles. The threat to Russian lands from the south was finally eliminated. But the problem of instability in Crimea was not resolved, where contradictions between several of the largest Tatar clans led to constant internal conflicts, which did not contribute to the establishment of a calm and peaceful life on the peninsula.

Friendship with Russia was constantly under threat from part of the pro-Turkish oriented elite.

A series of coups, conspiracies and frequent changes of rulers began. Already in 1774, the pro-Turkish Murzas overthrew Sahib Giray and elected Devlet Giray as khan, who in the summer of 1774, supported by Turkish troops, invaded Crimea by amphibious assault. Until 1776, Devlet Giray was in Crimea, but then he was driven out of there by Russian troops under the command of A.V. Suvorov and fled to Turkey. Russian supporter Shagin Giray became Khan. The new khan began to carry out reforms aimed at Europeanization and modernization of Crimea. But this only led to an increase in internal conflict in the unstable state, and in 1777 a rebellion began against Shagin Giray. Turkey immediately took advantage of this, never giving up the desire to return Crimea to its rule. Shagin Giray was declared an infidel for “sleeping on a bed, sitting on chairs and not praying, as a Muslim should.” In Istanbul, Selim Giray was appointed Crimean Khan, who, with the support of the Turks, landed on the peninsula at the end of 1777. A civil war began in Crimea between supporters of the two khans. Russian troops entered Crimea and began to restore order in the chaos-ridden khanate.

In the summer of 1778, the Turkish fleet of more than 170 ships approached Crimea with a ban on Russian ships sailing along the Crimean coast, threatening to sink them if the ultimatum was not fulfilled. But the firm position of A.V. Suvorov, who prepared Crimea for defense, forced the Turks to take the fleet home. Balancing on the brink of a new war ended on March 10, 1779 with the signing of the Anail-Kavak Convention between Russia and Turkey, where both powers agreed on the withdrawal of troops from Crimea, Turkey recognized the independence of the Crimean Khanate and Shagin Giray as its ruler.

Shagin-Girey, who considered himself, according to Potemkin, the Crimean Peter the Great, brutally dealt with his enemies, which created a considerable number of dissatisfied people.

Turkey's attempts to seize Crimea did not stop. In 1781, the Ottomans inspired a rebellion by the khan’s brother, Batyr Giray, which was suppressed by the Russian army. Then a new rebellion began, proclaiming Mahmut Giray khan, but his army was also defeated. Shagin Giray, having returned to power again, took revenge on his former opponents, which provoked a new rebellion. It became obvious to the Russian government that Shagin Giray was incapable of governing the state; he was asked to abdicate the throne and transfer Crimea to Russia, to which the khan, depressed by the results of his own unsuccessful rule, agreed.

In February 1783, Shagin Giray abdicated the throne, and by the manifesto of Catherine II of April 8, 1783, Crimea became part of the Russian Empire. In June 1783, in Karasubazar, on the top of Mount Ak-Kaya, Prince Potemkin took the oath of allegiance to Russia to the Crimean nobility and representatives of all segments of the Crimean population. The Crimean Khanate ceased to exist. The zemstvo government of Crimea was organized, which included Prince Shirinsky Mehmetsha, Haji-Kyzy-Aga, Kadiasker Musledin Efendi. By decree of Catherine II of February 2, 1784, the Tauride region was established under the control of G.A. Potemkin, consisting of the Crimean Peninsula and Taman. And on February 22, 1784, by decree of Catherine II, the Tatar Murzas were granted Russian nobility, land holdings were preserved, but it was forbidden to own Russian serfs. This measure immediately made most of the Tatar nobility supporters of Russia, while those dissatisfied with the Russian government chose to emigrate to Turkey. Serfdom was not introduced in Crimea, Russian captives were freed. Sevastopol, the “majestic city,” was founded as a base for the Russian fleet in 1784 on the Crimean coast in a convenient bay.

More than a century of prosperity for Crimea as part of the Russian Empire began.

During this time, Crimea from a poor land, whose population lived off agriculture and the robberies of neighbors, turned into a prosperous territory, a resort beloved by Russian emperors, a center of agriculture and winemaking, an industrially developed region, and the largest naval base of the Russian fleet.

An integral part of Russia, inhabited by Russians, it seemed that it would remain one of its most fertile lands, but the fate of Crimea in Once again has changed and is already Soviet period during the voluntarist reforms of N.S. Khrushchev, Crimea was donated to Ukraine under dubious pretext. This still gives rise to a lot of problems, both in inner life Ukraine, and in its relations with Russia.

Special for the Centenary