Crimea in the 17th century message. Crimea: history and modernity

history of Crimea, history of Crimea Wikipedia
Crimean peninsula Due to its geographical location and unique natural conditions, since ancient times it has been a crossroads of maritime transit routes.

From this period, the name Tavrika was assigned to the peninsula, which came from the name of the ancient tribes of the Taurians who inhabited southern part Crimea. Modern name“Crimea” began to be widely used only after the 13th century, presumably from the name of the city “Kyrym”, which, after the capture of the Northern Black Sea region by the Mongols, was the residence of the governor of the Khan of the Golden Horde. It is also possible that the name “Crimea” came from the Perekop Isthmus ( Russian word"perekop" is a translation of the Turkic word "qirim", which means "ditch"). Since the 15th century, the Crimean peninsula began to be called Tavria, and after its annexation to Russia in 1783 - Tavrida. The entire Northern Black Sea region received this name - north coast Black and Azov seas with adjacent steppe territories.

The first people appeared on the Crimean land about one hundred thousand years ago. Short warm winter and long sunny summer, rich plant and animal world Crimea allowed the tribes and peoples who had settled on its lands since ancient times to engage in hunting, beekeeping and fishing, cattle breeding and agriculture. The presence of a large number of iron ore deposits on the peninsula contributed to the development of crafts, metallurgy, and mining. In different historical periods, Crimea was inhabited by Tauris and Cimmerians, Scythians and Greeks, Sarmatians and Romans, Goths, Huns, Avars, Bulgarians, Khazars, Slavs, Pechenegs, Cumans, Karaites, Mongols and Crimean Tatars, Italians and Turks.

From the end of the 15th century, coastal cities and the mountainous part of Crimea became part of the Ottoman Empire. The rest of the peninsula was owned by the Crimean Khanate, a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 ended Ottoman rule over the Crimea, and the Treaty of Küçük-Kaynardzhi of 1774 saw the Ottomans renounce their claims to the peninsula.

In 1783, the Crimean Peninsula was annexed to Russian Empire. During the Russian Civil War (1917-1922), the Crimean Peninsula became the last stronghold of the White movement. Soviet time Crimea was part of the RSFSR; in 1954, by decision of the Soviet leadership, it was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. Since 1992 it has been part of Ukraine. In March 2014, as a result of the all-Crimean referendum, Crimea de facto became part of the Russian Federation.

1 Prehistoric period
- 1.1 Paleolithic and Mesolithic
- 1.2 Neolithic and Chalcolithic
- 1.3 Bronze and early iron age
2 Antiquity
3 Middle Ages
4 Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire
5 XVIII century
6 Joining the Russian Empire
7 Crimean War
8 Crimea at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries
9 Crimea in the Civil War
10 Crimea as part of the USSR
- 10.1 Crimea in the Great Patriotic War
- 10.2 composition of the Ukrainian SSR: 1954-1991
11 composition of independent Ukraine
12 Political crisis of 2014. Joining the Russian Federation
13 Population of Crimea in the 18th-21st centuries
14 Notes
15 Literature
16 Links
17 See also

Prehistoric period

Paleolithic and Mesolithic

The oldest traces of hominid habitation on the territory of Crimea date back to the Middle Paleolithic - this is a Neanderthal site in the Kiik-Koba cave, 100 thousand years old. Much later, during the Mesolithic era, the Cro-Magnons settled in Crimea (Murzak-Koba).

According to the Ryan-Pitman hypothesis, up to the 6th millennium BC. e. the territory of Crimea was not a peninsula, but was a fragment of a larger land mass, which included, in particular, the territory of the modern Sea of Azov. Around 5500 BC e., as a result of the breakthrough of waters from the Mediterranean Sea and the formation of the Bosphorus Strait, for quite short period Large areas were flooded, and the Crimean Peninsula was formed. The flooding of the Black Sea roughly coincides with the end of the Mesolithic cultures and the onset of the Neolithic.

Neolithic and Chalcolithic

Unlike most of Ukraine, Crimea was not affected by the wave of Neolithic cultures that came from Anatolia through the Balkans during the Neolithic era. The local Neolithic was of a different origin, associated with the cultures of the Circumpontic zone (steppes and plains between the Black and Caspian seas).

In 4-3 thousand BC. e. Through the territories north of Crimea, migrations to the west of tribes, presumably speakers of Indo-European languages, took place. 3 thousand BC e. The Kemi-Oba culture existed on the territory of Crimea.

Bronze and early Iron Age

The first inhabitants of Crimea, known to us from ancient sources, were the Cimmerians (XII century BC). Their presence in Crimea is confirmed by ancient and medieval historians, as well as by information that has come down to us in the form of toponyms of the eastern part of Crimea: “Cimmerian crossings”, “Cimmeric”.

In the middle of the 7th century. BC e. Some of the Cimmerians were forced out by the Scythians from the steppe part of the peninsula to the foothills and mountains of Crimea, where they created compact settlements.

In the foothills and mountain Crimea, as well as on South Coast lived the Taurians associated with the Kizil-Koba archaeological culture. The possible Caucasian origin of the Taurs is indicated by traces of the influence of the Koban culture. Comes from brands ancient name mountainous and coastal parts of Crimea - Tavrika, Tavria, Tavrida. The remains of fortifications and dwellings of the Taurians, their ring-like fences made of vertically placed stones and Taurian tombs “stone boxes” (see Taurica) have survived and been studied to this day.

A new period in the history of Taurica begins with the capture of Crimea by the Scythians. This period is characterized by qualitative changes in the composition of the population itself. Archaeological data show that after this the basis of the population of northwestern Crimea were peoples who came from the Dnieper region.

Antiquity

Main article: Bosporan Kingdom Territorial division of the Byzantine Empire in 1025

In the VI-V centuries. Before the birth of Christ, when the Scythians dominated the steppes, immigrants from Hellas founded their trading colonies on the Crimean coast. Panticapaeum or Bosporus (the modern city of Kerch) and Theodosia were built by colonists from the ancient Greek city of Miletus; Chersonesus, located within the boundaries of present-day Sevastopol, was built by the Greeks from Heraclea Pontic.

Bosporan Kingdom in the 1st century BC. e.

In the first half of the 5th century. BC e. Two independent Greek states emerge on the shores of the Black Sea. One of them is the democratic slave-owning republic of Chersonese Tauride, which included the lands of western Crimea (Kerkinitida (modern Evpatoria), Kalos-Limeni, Black Sea). Chersonesus was located behind mighty stone walls. It was founded on the site of a Taurus settlement by Greeks from Heraclea Pontus. The other is the Bosporus, an autocratic state whose capital was Panticapaeum. The Acropolis of this city was located on Mount Mithridates, and the Melek-Chesmensky and Tsarsky mounds were excavated not far from it. Stone crypts were found here, unique monuments Bosporan architecture.

Greek colonists brought shipbuilding, viticulture, cultivation of olive trees and other crops to the shores of Cimmeria-Taurica, and built temples, theaters, and stadiums. Hundreds of Greek settlements - policies - appeared in Crimea. The ancient Greeks created great historical and literary monuments about Crimea. Euripides wrote the drama “Iphigenia in Tauris” using Crimean material. The Greeks who lived in the Tauric Chersonese and the Cimmerian Bosporus know the Iliad and the Odyssey, in which Cimmeria is unreasonably characterized as “a sad region covered with ever-damp fog and clouds.” Herodotus in the 5th century BC e. wrote about the religious beliefs of the Scythians, about the Tauri.

Until the end of the 3rd century. BC e. The Scythian state was significantly reduced under the onslaught of the Sarmatians. The Scythians were forced to move their capital to the Salgir River (near Simferopol), where Scythian Naples arose, also known as Neapolis (Greek name).

In the 1st century, the Romans tried to settle in Crimea. They build the fortress of Charax, which was abandoned in the 3rd century. During the Roman period, Christianity began to spread in Crimea. One of the first Christians in Crimea was the exiled Clement I - the 4th Pope.

Middle Ages

Baptism of Prince Vladimir in Chersonesus (988)

The Scythian state in Crimea existed until the second half of the 3rd century. n. e. and was destroyed by the Goths. The stay of the Goths in the Crimean steppes did not last long. In 370, the Balamber Huns invaded Crimea from the Taman Peninsula. The Goths established themselves in the mountainous Crimea until the 17th century (Crimean Goths). By the end of the 4th century, only one remained in Crimea antique city Chersonese Tauride, which became an outpost of Byzantine influence in the region. Under Emperor Justinian, the fortresses of Aluston, Gurzuf, Simbolon and Sudak were founded in Crimea, and the Bosporus was revived. In the 6th century, the Turks walked through Crimea. In the 7th century, nomadic Bulgarians settled here. At the beginning of the 8th century, Crimea was divided between Byzantium and Khazaria, from the latter what remained on the peninsula government system(khan, beklerbek, kurultai), Crimean Armenians from the former Nestorians - first the Khazars, then the Polovtsians and Cossacks, the Cossacks, first mentioned here, the Crimean ethnic group. Due to the resettlement of the Karaites from Egypt to the Crimea (Chufut-Kale), they adopted the language of the Crimeans. In the 8th century, an iconoclasm movement began in Byzantium; icons and paintings in churches were destroyed. Monks, fleeing persecution, moved to the outskirts of the empire, including Crimea. Here in the mountains they founded cave temples and monasteries: Uspensky, Kachi-Kalyon, Shuldan, Chelter and others.

In the VI-XII centuries in the South-Western Crimea, the development of feudal relations and the formation of fortified settlements on the cuestas of the Inner Ridge - “cave cities” - took place.

In the 9th century, Kirill, the creator of the Glagolitic alphabet, the first common Slavic alphabet, came to Crimea while passing through Sarkel. in the creation of which a significant role was played by his study of Russian letters in the Crimea from a local Rus merchant - “devil and rez”. In honor of Kirill, his letter was called “Cyrillic”. In the same century, the Pechenegs and Russes appeared in Crimea (Bravlin). At the beginning of the 10th century, Crimea became the scene of a battle between the armies of the Rus (Helgu) and the Khazars (Passover). After the murder ruling dynasty Khagans of Khazaria by the Oghuz Turks, power passes to the rightful heir from another branch of the autochthonous dynasty of the South of Rus', possibly dating back to the Massagets, judging by the common aidar between the Khazars and Massagets - to the prince of Kyiv Svyatoslav Igorevich. In 988, in Korsun (Chersonese), Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was baptized and married the sister of the Byzantine emperor. Korsun at this time was in the possession of Rus'. period feudal fragmentation In Rus', the Khazar part of Crimea comes under the rule of the Russian Tmutarakan principality. Korchev became a significant city during this period.

After the weakening of Byzantium in its former Crimean possessions, the Gotalans (Crimean Goths) founded the Orthodox Christian principality of Theodoro with its capital in the largest “cave city”, the city of Mangup.

In the 12th century, the first archaeologically recorded traces of the Karaites, presumably descendants of the Khazars, appeared on the peninsula, whose national religion - Karaimism - originated much earlier in the 8th century in Babylon.

In 1223, Tatar-Mongol troops of Jebe invaded Crimea, but soon abandoned it. The steppe Crimea became the possession of the Golden Horde - the Jochi ulus - no earlier than 1250. Administrative center The peninsula becomes the city of Crimea. To others big city Crimean ulus there was Karasubazar. The first coins issued in Crimea by Khan Mengu-Timur date back to 1267. Thanks to the rapid flourishing of Genoese trade and the nearby Kafa, Crimea is quickly turning into a major trade and craft center.

In the 14th century, part of the territories of Crimea was acquired by the Genoese (Gazaria, Kaffa). By this time, the Polovtsian language was already widespread in Crimea, as evidenced by the Codex Cumanicus. In 1367, Crimea was subordinate to Mamai, whose power also relied on the Genoese colonies.

The first signs of the spread of Islam among the local population, predominantly Turkic, appeared on the peninsula no earlier than the first half XIV century.

In 1397, the Lithuanian prince Vytautas invades Crimea and reaches Kaffa. After the pogrom of Edigei, Chersonesus turns into ruins (1399).

Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire

Main articles: Crimean Khanate, Crimean-Nogai raids on Rus' Crimea in the 17th century

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 mountain principality of Theodoro and the Genoese colonies on the southern coast. The capital of the Principality of Theodoro was Mangup - one of the largest fortresses of medieval Crimea (90 hectares), which, if necessary, took under protection significant masses of the population.

In the summer of 1475, the Ottoman Turks, who had previously captured Constantinople and the territory of the former Byzantine Empire, landed a large landing of Gedik Ahmed Pasha in the Crimea and the Azov region, capturing all the Genoese fortresses (including Tana on the Don) and Greek cities. In July Mangup was besieged. Having burst into the city, the Turks destroyed almost all the inhabitants, plundered and burned buildings. Coastal cities and the mountainous part of Crimea became part of the Ottoman Empire. On the lands of the principality (and also the conquered Genoese colonies of the captaincy of Gothia) a Turkish kadilik (district) was created; The Ottomans maintained their garrisons and bureaucrats there and collected taxes. The Crimean Khanate became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire in 1478. For the next three centuries, the Black Sea became a Turkish “inland lake”.

TO XVI century The Ottoman Empire switched to strategic defense, the main components of which were the construction of fortresses at the mouths of rivers, the creation of a kind of buffer zone - the uninhabited territory of the “Wild Field”, the transfer of armed struggle with its northern neighbors - Poland and Russia - deep into Polish and Russian possessions, using the Crimean Khanate dependent on it.

In the 16th century, the Turks, with the help of Italian specialists, built the Or-Kapu fortress on Perekop. Since that time, the Perekop shaft has another name - Turkish. Since the end of the 15th century, the Tatars in Crimea gradually moved from nomadic forms of farming to settled agriculture. The main occupation of the Crimean Tatars (as they began to be called much later) in the south became gardening, viticulture, and tobacco cultivation. In the steppe regions of Crimea, livestock farming was developed, primarily the breeding of sheep and horses.

Since the end of the 15th century, the Crimean Khanate made constant raids on the Russian state and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The main purpose of the raids was to capture slaves and resell them in Turkish markets. The total number of slaves who passed through the Crimean markets is estimated at three million.

As soon as the Russian state got rid of the yoke of the Golden Horde, it was again faced with the task of access to the Black Sea, which was accomplished in the era Kievan Rus. Having defeated the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, Russia directed its vector of expansion to the south, towards the Turkish-Tatar threat. The serif lines being built on the Russian borders were advancing onto the Wild Field. The reclaimed lands were developed by farmers and built up with cities, which put pressure on the defensive lines of the Ottoman Empire, despite the unsuccessful Crimean campaigns of Russian troops in the 16th and 17th centuries. The failure of these military enterprises made us realize the place and role of Crimea as a key territory ensuring dominance in the Northern Black Sea region. The Azov campaigns of Peter I (1695-1696), which did not solve the Black Sea problem, once again emphasized the importance of the Crimean direction. Taking possession of the Crimean Peninsula became one of the most important foreign policy tasks of the Russian Empire in the 18th century.

XVIII century

Dolgorukovsky obelisk in Simferopol, erected on September 29 (October 11), 1842 in honor of Prince V. M. Dolgorukov, who commanded the Russian troops that captured Crimea in 1771

During the Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739), the Russian Dnieper army, numbering 62 thousand people and under the command of Field Marshal Burchard Christopher Minich, stormed the Ottoman fortifications at Perekop on May 20, 1736, and occupied Bakhchisarai on June 17. However, a lack of food, as well as outbreaks of epidemics in the army, forced Minich to retreat to Russia. In July 1737, an army led by Field Marshal Peter Lassi invaded Crimea, inflicting a number of defeats on the army of the Crimean Khan and capturing Karasubazar. But she too was soon forced to leave Crimea due to lack of supplies. The only result of the invasions of the Russian armies was the devastation of the peninsula, since the gap between the territory of the Wild Field already developed by the Russians and the lands occupied during military expeditions was too great to ensure their economic development and effective defense and thus count on the inclusion of Crimea in the Russian possessions. Such a practical opportunity arose only after the necessary bridgehead had been prepared in the newly developed spaces. Despite the attempts of the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire to prevent the Russian colonization of the Northern Black Sea region by armed force, it actually began even before the army of Chief General V. M. Dolgorukov captured Crimea in 1771, for which he subsequently received a sword with diamonds, diamonds to the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and the title of Crimean. Prince Dolgorukov forced the Crimean Khan Selim to flee to Turkey and installed in his place a Russian supporter, Khan Sahib II Giray, who signed an alliance treaty with Russia, receiving a promise of Russian military and financial assistance.

The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 ended Ottoman rule over the Crimea, and with the Treaty of Küçük-Kaynardzhi of 1774, the Ottomans officially renounced their claims to the peninsula. The fortresses of Kerch and Yenikale, which blocked the exit from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea, went to Russia. Kerch Strait became Russian, which had great importance for southern trade of Russia. The Crimean Khanate was declared independent from Turkey. The former Ottoman possessions on the peninsula (Southern and South-Eastern Crimea) passed to the Crimean Khanate. Historical task Russia's entry into the Black Sea was half resolved.

It took, however, a lot of time, money and effort (both military and diplomatic) before Turkey came to terms with the withdrawal of Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region from its influence. Turkish Sultan, being the Supreme Caliph, retained in his hands religious power and the right to approve new khans, which left him with the possibility of real pressure on the Crimean Khanate. As a result, the Crimean nobility was divided into two groups - Russian and Turkish orientation, clashes between which led to real battles, and attempts by the newly established khans to establish themselves on the Crimean throne led to the intervention of Russian troops on the side of Russian proteges.

Having achieved the declaration of independence of Crimea, Catherine II did not abandon the idea of annexing it to Russia. This was required by the vital interests of Russia, for Crimea had a large military-political and economic importance for the Russian state. Without Crimea it was impossible to have free access to the Black Sea. But Sultan Turkey, in turn, did not think of giving up the Tauride Peninsula. She resorted to various tricks to restore her influence and dominance in Crimea. Thus, despite the existence of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty, the struggle between Russia and Turkey over Crimea did not weaken.

The last Crimean khan was Shahin Giray, who received the throne in 1777 thanks to Russian support. Having studied in Thessaloniki and Venice, and knowing several languages, Shahin Giray ruled without regard for national Tatar customs, tried to carry out reforms in the state and reorganize governance according to the European model, equalize the rights of the Muslim and non-Muslim population of Crimea, and soon turned into a traitor for his people and an apostate.

In March 1778, Alexander Suvorov was appointed commander of the Russian troops of Crimea and Kuban, who radically strengthened the defense of the peninsula from Turkish attack and forced the Turkish fleet to leave Crimean waters.

In 1778, Suvorov, at the direction of Prince Potemkin, who at that time held the post of governor-general of the Novorossiysk, Azov, Astrakhan and Saratov provinces, facilitated the transition to Russian citizenship and the resettlement of the Christian population of Crimea (Armenians, Greeks, Volokhs, Georgians) to new lands on the coast of the Azov Sea and the mouth of the Don (the project was originally proposed to Catherine II in March 1778 by Field Marshal Count Rumyantsev). On the one hand, this was caused by the need to accelerate the settlement of the fertile lands of the Northern Black Sea region (primarily the lands of the liquidated Zaporozhye Sich, empty due to the departure of some of the Zaporozhye Cossacks beyond the Danube and the eviction of the rest to the Kuban). On the other hand, the withdrawal of Armenians and Greeks from Crimea was aimed economic weakening Crimean Khanate and the strengthening of its dependence on Russia. Suvorov's actions aroused the ire of Shahin Giray and the local Tatar nobility, since with the departure of the economically active part of the population, the treasury lost significant sources of income. As compensation “for the loss of subjects,” 100 thousand rubles were paid from the Russian treasury to the khan, his brothers, beys and murzas. From May to September 1778, 31 thousand people were resettled from Crimea to the Azov region and Novorossiya. The Greeks, who inhabited mainly the western and southern coasts of Crimea, were settled by Suvorov on the northern shore of the Sea of Azov, where they founded the city of Mariupol and 20 villages. The Armenians, who inhabited mainly the eastern and southeastern regions of Crimea (Feodosia, Old Crimea, Surkhat, etc.), were settled in the lower reaches of the Don, near the fortress of Dmitry of Rostov, where they founded the city of Nakhichevan-on-Don and 5 villages around him (on the site of modern Rostov-on-Don). With the exodus of Christians, the Khanate was left bloodless and ruined.

On March 10, 1779, Russia and Turkey signed the Ainaly-Kavak Convention, according to which Russia had to withdraw its troops from the Crimean Peninsula and, like Turkey, not interfere in the internal affairs of the Khanate. Turkey recognized Shahin Giray as the Crimean Khan, confirmed the independence of Crimea and the right of free passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles for Russian merchant ships. Russian troops, leaving a garrison of six thousand in Kerch and Yenikal, left Crimea and Kuban in mid-June 1779.

Ottoman Porte, however, did not accept the losses under the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty and sought to return both the Crimean Khanate and the lands of the Northern Black Sea region to its sphere of influence. In the fall of 1781, another uprising, provoked by Turkey, took place in Crimea. In the summer of 1782, Catherine II instructed Prince Potemkin to send Russian troops to help the overthrown Khan Shahin Giray, at the risk of going to open conflict with Turkey. In September, with the help of Russian troops, Khan Shahin Giray regained his throne.

Joining the Russian Empire

Main articles: Tauride region, Tauride province, Annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire Potemkin's grave in Kherson

However, the continuing threat from Turkey (for which Crimea was a possible springboard in the event of an attack on Russia) forced the construction of powerful fortified lines on the southern borders of the country and diverted forces and resources from economic development border provinces. Potemkin as governor of these areas, seeing the complexity and instability political situation in Crimea, came to the final conclusion about the need to annex it to Russia, which would complete territorial expansion empire south to natural borders and created a single economic region - the Northern Black Sea region. In December 1782, returning from Kherson, Potemkin turned to Catherine II with a memorandum in which he expressed his point of view in detail.

The basis for the implementation of this plan, which lay in line with the so-called Greek project, which provided for the restoration of the Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople and a Russian protege on the throne, was prepared by all of Potemkin’s previous work on the settlement of New Russia, the construction of fortresses and economic development. It was to him, therefore, that the main and a vital role in the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.

On December 14, 1782, the Empress sent Potemkin a “most secret” rescript, in which she announced to him her will “to appropriate the peninsula.” In the spring of 1783, it was decided that Potemkin would go south and personally lead the annexation of the Crimean Khanate to Russia. On April 8 (21), the empress signed the manifesto “On the acceptance of the Crimean peninsula, Taman island and the entire Kuban side under the Russian state,” on which she worked together with Potemkin. This document was to be kept secret until the annexation of the Khanate became a fait accompli. That same day, Potemkin went south, but while still on the way he received unexpected news about Shahin Giray’s abdication of the Khanate. The reason for this was the open hatred of his subjects regarding the reforms and policies of Shahin Giray, the actual financial bankruptcy of the state, mutual distrust and misunderstanding with the Russian authorities.

Believing that the greatest difficulties could arise in the Kuban, Potemkin gave orders to Alexander Suvorov and his relative P. S. Potemkin to move troops to the right bank of the Kuban. Having received the prince's orders, Suvorov occupied the fortifications of the former Kuban Line with troops and began to prepare to swear in the Nogais on the day appointed by Potemkin - June 28, the day of Catherine II's accession to the throne. At the same time, the commander of the Caucasian Corps, P. S. Potemkin, was supposed to take the oath in the upper reaches of the Kuban.

Russian troops under the command of Lieutenant General Count De Balmain were also introduced into the territory of Crimea. In June 1783, in Karasubazar, Prince Potemkin took the oath of allegiance to Russia to the Crimean nobility and representatives of all strata Crimean population. The Crimean Khanate ceased to exist, but its elite (over 300 clans) joined the Russian nobility and took part in the local self-government of the newly created Tauride region.

By order of Catherine II, urgent measures were taken to select a harbor for the future Black Sea Fleet on the southwestern coast. Captain II rank I.M. Bersenev on the frigate "Caution" recommended using the bay near the village of Akhtiar, not far from the ruins of Chersonese-Tavrichesky. Catherine II, by her decree of February 10, 1784, ordered the founding here “of a military port with an admiralty, a shipyard, a fortress and to make it a military city.” At the beginning of 1784, a port-fortress was founded, to which Catherine II gave the name Sevastopol.

At first, the development of the Russian Crimea was in charge of Prince Potemkin, who received the title of “Tauride”.

In 1783, the population of Crimea numbered 60 thousand people, mainly engaged in cattle breeding (Crimean Tatars). At the same time, under Russian jurisdiction, the Russian as well as the Greek population from among retired soldiers began to grow. Bulgarians and Germans come to explore new lands.

Fireworks in honor of Catherine II during her trip to Crimea

In 1787, Empress Catherine made her famous journey to Crimea. During the next Russian-Turkish war unrest began in the Crimean Tatar environment, due to which their habitat area was significantly reduced. In 1796, the region became part of the Novorossiysk province, and in 1802 it was again separated into an independent one. administrative unit. At the beginning of the 19th century, viticulture (Magarach) and shipbuilding (Sevastopol) developed in Crimea, roads were laid. Under Prince Vorontsov, Yalta begins to develop, the Vorontsov Palace is founded, and the southern coast of Crimea is turned into a resort.

Crimean War

Main article: Crimean War

In June 1854, the Anglo-French flotilla began shelling Russian coastal fortifications in the Crimea, and already in September the Allies (Great Britain, France, Ottoman Empire) began landing in Yevpatoria. Soon the Battle of Alma took place. In October, the siege of Sevastopol began, during which Kornilov died on Malakhov Kurgan. In February 1855, the Russians unsuccessfully tried to storm Evpatoria. May the Anglo-French fleet captures Kerch. In July 1855, the main inspirer of the defense, Admiral Nakhimov, died in Sevastopol. On September 11, 1855, Sevastopol fell, but was returned to Russia at the end of the war in exchange for certain concessions.

Crimea at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries

In 1874, Simferopol was connected to Aleksandrovsk (present-day Zaporozhye) by railway. The resort status of Crimea increased after the summer royal residence of the Livadia Palace appeared in Livadia.

According to the 1897 census, 546,700 people lived in Crimea. Of these, 35.6% Crimean Tatars, 33.1% Great Russians, 11.8% Little Russians, 5.8% Germans, 4.4% Jews, 3.1% Greeks, 1.5% Armenians, 1.3% Bulgarians , 1.2% Poles, 0.3% Turks.

Crimea in the Civil War

Main articles: Russian Civil War, Defense of Crimea (early 1920), Red terror in Crimea

On the eve of the revolution, 800 thousand people lived in Crimea, including 400 thousand Russians and 200 thousand Tatars, as well as 68 thousand Jews and 40 thousand Germans. After February events In 1917, the Crimean Tatars organized themselves into the Milli Firka party, which tried to seize power on the peninsula.

Banknote of the Crimean Regional Government 1918 Bodies of those executed during the “St. Bartholomew’s Nights” in Evpatoria, washed ashore in the summer of 1918

April 22, 1918 Ukrainian troops under the command of Colonel Bolbochan occupied Evpatoria and Simferopol, followed by German troops General von Kosch. According to an agreement between Kiev and Berlin, on April 27, Ukrainian units left Crimea, renouncing claims to the peninsula. The Crimean Tatars also rebelled, concluding an alliance with the new invaders. By May 1, 1918, German troops occupied the entire Crimean peninsula. May 1 - November 15, 1918 - Crimea de facto under German occupation, de jure under the control of the autonomous Crimean regional government (from June 23) Suleiman Sulkevich

November 15, 1918 - April 11, 1919 - Second Crimean Regional Government (Solomon Crimea) under the patronage of the Allies;
April-June 1919 - Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR;
July 1, 1919 - November 12, 1920 - Governments of the South of Russia: VSYUR A. I. Denikin

In January-March 1920, 4 thousand soldiers of the 3rd army corps The AFSR of General Ya. A. Slashchev successfully defended Crimea from the attacks of two Soviet armies with a total number of 40 thousand soldiers with the help of the ingenious tactics of their commander, over and over again giving Perekop to the Bolsheviks, crushing them already in Crimea, and then expelling them from it back to the steppes . On February 4, the White Guard captain Orlov with 300 fighters rebelled and captured Simferopol, arresting several generals of the Volunteer Army and the governor of the Tauride province. At the end of March, the remnants of the white armies, having surrendered the Don and Kuban, were evacuated to the Crimea. Denikin's headquarters ended up in Feodosia. On April 5, Denikin announced his resignation and transfer of his post to General Wrangel. On May 15, the Wrangel fleet raided Mariupol, during which the city was shelled and some ships were withdrawn to the Crimea. On June 6, Slashchev's units began to quickly move north, occupying the capital of Northern Tavria - Melitopol - on June 10. On June 24, Wrangel’s landing force occupied Berdyansk for two days, and in July, Captain Kochetov’s landing group landed at Ochakov. On August 3, the Whites occupied Aleksandrovsk, but the next day they were forced to leave the city.

On November 12, 1920, the Red Army broke through the defenses at Perekop and broke into Crimea. On November 13, the 2nd Cavalry Army under the command of F.K. Mironov occupied Simferopol. The main Wrangel troops left the peninsula through port cities. In the captured Crimea, the Bolsheviks carried out mass terror, which killed, according to various sources, from 20 to 120 thousand people

At the end of the Civil War, 720 thousand people lived in Crimea.

Crimea within the USSR

Main article: Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

The famine of 1921-1922 claimed the lives of more than 75 thousand Crimeans. The total number of deaths in the spring of 1923 may have exceeded 100 thousand people, of which 75 thousand were Crimean Tatars. The consequences of the famine were eliminated only by the mid-1920s.

Map of Crimea. 1938

Crimea in the Great Patriotic War

Main article: Crimea in the Great Patriotic War

In November 1941, the Red Army was forced to leave Crimea, retreating to Taman Peninsula(see Defense of Sevastopol (1941-1942). Soon a counter-offensive was launched from there, but it did not lead to success and Soviet troops were again driven back across the Kerch Strait. In German-occupied Crimea, a general district of the same name was formed as part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. Headed the occupation administration A. Frauenfeld, however, in fact, power belonged to the military administration. In accordance with Nazi policy, communists and racially unreliable elements (Jews, Gypsies, Krymchaks) were destroyed in the occupied territory, and along with the Krymchaks, the Karaites recognized by Hitler as racially reliable were also killed en masse. April 11, 1944 Soviet army launched an operation to liberate Crimea, Dzhankoy and Kerch were recaptured. By April 13, Simferopol and Feodosia were liberated. May 9 - Sevastopol. The Germans held out for the longest time at Cape Chersonesus, but their evacuation was disrupted by the death of the Patria convoy. The war sharply aggravated interethnic contradictions in Crimea, and in May-June 1944, Crimean Tatars (183 thousand people), Armenians, Greeks and Bulgarians were evicted from the territory of the peninsula. Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR No. 493 of September 5, 1967 “On citizens of Tatar nationality living in Crimea” recognized that “after the liberation of Crimea from fascist occupation facts of active cooperation with the German invaders of a certain part of the Tatars living in Crimea were unreasonably attributed to the whole Tatar population Crimea".

As part of the Ukrainian SSR: 1954-1991

Main article: Transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR Clean artmark 2009 (for the 55th anniversary of the transfer of Crimea) “Mikita Khrushchov” (Ukrainian)

In 1954, due to the difficult economic situation on the peninsula caused by post-war devastation and labor shortage after the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, the Soviet leadership decided to transfer Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR with the following wording: “Taking into account the commonality of the economy, territorial proximity and close economic and cultural connections between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR."

On February 19, 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a Decree “On the transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR.”

January 20, 1991 in the Crimean region of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic An all-Crimean referendum took place. The question was put to a general vote: “Are you in favor of re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a subject of the USSR and a party to the Union Treaty?” The referendum called into question the decisions of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 1954 (on the transfer of the Crimean region to the Ukrainian SSR), and from 1945 (on the abolition of the Krasnodar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and on the creation of the Crimean region in its place). 1 million 441 thousand 19 people took part in the referendum, which is 81.37% of the total number of citizens included in the lists to participate in the referendum. 93.26% of Crimean residents of the total number of those who took part in the vote voted for the re-establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

On February 12, 1991, based on the results of the all-Crimean referendum, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic”, and 4 months later made corresponding changes to the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR. However, the second part of the question put to the referendum - on raising the status of Crimea to the level of a subject of the USSR and a party to the Union Treaty - was not taken into account in this law.

As part of independent Ukraine

On August 24, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Act of Independence of Ukraine, which was subsequently confirmed at an all-Ukrainian referendum on December 1, 1991.

On September 4, 1991, an emergency session of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic, which states the desire to create a legal democratic state within Ukraine.

On December 1, 1991, at the All-Ukrainian referendum, residents of Crimea participated in the vote on the independence of Ukraine. 54% of Crimeans spoke in favor of preserving the independence of Ukraine, a founding state of the UN. However, at the same time, Article 3 of the USSR Law “On the procedure for resolving issues related to the secession of a union republic from the USSR” was violated, according to which a separate (all-Crimean) referendum was to be held in the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on the issue of its stay within the USSR or as part of the secession union republic - Ukrainian SSR.

On May 5, 1992, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted the declaration “Act on the Declaration of State Independence of the Republic of Crimea.”

At the same time, the Russian parliament voted to cancel the 1954 decision to transfer Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR.

On May 6, 1992, the seventh session of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea. These documents contradicted the then legislation of Ukraine; they were canceled by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine only on March 17, 1995. Subsequently, Leonid Kuchma, who became President of Ukraine in July 1994, signed a number of decrees that determined the status of the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Also, on May 6, 1992, by decision of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the post of President of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was introduced

On March 27, 1994, a referendum was held in Crimea simultaneously with elections to the regional parliament and elections to the Ukrainian parliament.

In March 1995, by decision of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the President of Ukraine, the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea was abolished and the presidency in Crimea was abolished.

On October 21, 1998, at the second session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Republic of Crimea, a new Constitution was adopted.

On December 23, 1998, President of Ukraine L. Kuchma signed a law, in the first paragraph of which the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided: “To approve the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”; pro-Russian sentiments intensified in Crimea.

Political crisis of 2014. Joining the Russian Federation

Main articles: Crimean crisis, Annexation of Crimea to Russia (2014), Transition period in Crimea, Republic of Crimea Victory Day, Sevastopol, 2014.

On February 23, 2014, the Ukrainian flag was lowered over the Kerch city council and the state flag of the Russian Federation was raised. The mass removal of Ukrainian flags took place on February 25 in Sevastopol. The Cossacks in Feodosia sharply criticized the new authorities in Kyiv. Residents of Yevpatoria also joined the pro-Russian actions. After the new Ukrainian authorities dissolved Berkut, the head of Sevastopol, Alexei Chaly, issued an order.

On February 27, 2014, the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea was seized by armed people without insignia. The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs officers guarding the building were expelled, and the Russian flag was raised over the building. The captors allowed the deputies of the Supreme Council of Crimea inside, having previously taken away their mobile communications equipment. Deputies voted to appoint Aksenov as head of the new government of Crimea and decided to hold a referendum on the status of Crimea. According to the official statement of the VSK press service, 53 deputies voted for this decision. According to the speaker of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Konstantinov, V.F. Yanukovych (whom parliamentarians consider the President of Ukraine) called him and agreed on Aksenov’s candidacy over the phone. Such approval is required by Article 136 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

On March 6, 2014, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted a resolution on the republic’s entry into the Russian Federation as a subject and scheduled a referendum on this issue.

On March 16, 2014, a referendum was held in Crimea, in which, according to official data, about 82% of voters took part, of which 96% voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation. On March 17, 2014, according to the results of a referendum, the Republic of Crimea, in which the city of Sevastopol has a special status, asked to join Russia.

Order of the President of Russia on the signing of the Treaty on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation

On March 18, 2014, an interstate Agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation. In accordance with the agreement, new entities are formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city federal significance Sevastopol. On March 21, the same name was formed in Crimea federal district with its center in Simferopol. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the question arose about the fate of Ukrainian military units located on the territory of the peninsula. Initially, these units were blocked by local self-defense units, and then taken by storm, for example Belbek and the battalion Marine Corps in Feodosia. During the assaults on units, the Ukrainian military behaved passively and did not use weapons. On March 22, Russian media reported a rush among Crimeans who sought to obtain Russian passports. On March 24, the ruble became the official currency in Crimea (the circulation of the hryvnia was temporarily preserved).

On March 27, 2014, as a result of an open vote at the 80th plenary meeting of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, resolution 68/262 was adopted, according to which the UNGA confirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and does not recognize the legality of any there was no change in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or the city of Sevastopol based on the results of the all-Crimean referendum held on March 16, 2014, since this referendum, according to the resolution, has no legal force.

Population of Crimea in the 18th-21st centuries

Main article: Population of Crimea

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, a census was not carried out; data from Shagin-Girey was used; there were six kaymakams in the territory (Bakhchisaray, Akmechet, Karasubazar, Kozlov, Kefin and Perekop).

Folk clothing of Crimean residents according to Ukrposhta, 2008

Since April 2, 1784, the territory was divided into counties, there were 1,400 populated villages and 7 cities - Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Yevpatoria, Alushta, Feodosia, Kerch.

In 1834, Crimean Tatars dominated everywhere, but after the Crimean War their resettlement began.

By 1853, 43 thousand people were Orthodox; in the Taurida province among the “non-believers” were Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, Armenian Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, Mennonites, Talmudic Jews, Karaites and Muslims.

At the end of the 19th century, according to ESBE, there were 397,239 people living in Crimea. With the exception of the mountainous region, Crimea was sparsely populated. There were 11 cities, 1098 villages, 1400 hamlets and villages. cities have 148,897 inhabitants - about 37% of the total population. The ethnographic composition of the population was diverse: Tatars, Ukrainians, Russians, Armenians, Greeks, Karaites, Crimeans, Germans, Bulgarians, Czechs, Estonians, Jews, Gypsies. The Tatars made up the predominant part of the population (up to 89%) in the mountainous region and about half in the steppe region. The steppe Tatars are direct descendants of the Mongols, and the mountain Tatars, judging by their type, are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the southern coast (Greeks, Italians, etc.), who converted to Islam and Tatar language. this language they introduced so many Turkish and spoiled Greek words that it is often incomprehensible to the steppe Tatars. There are most Russians in Feodosia district; these are either peasants, or soldiers allocated land, or various newcomers who lived with landowners as tithes. Germans and Bulgarians settled in Crimea at the beginning XIX century, having received extensive allotment and fertile lands; later, wealthy colonists began to buy land, mainly in Perekop and Evpatoria districts. Czechs and Estonians arrived in Crimea in the 1860s and took over some of the land left behind by the emigrating Tatars. The Greeks partly remained from the time of the Khanate, partly settled in 1779. Armenians entered Crimea back in the 6th century; in the 14th century there were about 150,000 Armenians in Crimea, which accounted for 35% of the population of the peninsula, including 2/3 of the population of Feodosia. The ethnic group formed as a result of mixing with the Christian Polovtsians managed to preserve the Armenian-Kipchak language and faith. Jews and Karaites, very ancient inhabitants of Crimea, retained their religion, but lost their language and adopted the Tatar costume and way of life. Otatari Jews, the so-called Krymchaks, live mainly in Karasubazar; Karaites lived under the khans in Chufut-Kale (near Bakhchisarai), and are now concentrated in Evpatoria. Some of the gypsies remained from the time of the Khanate (sedentary), some recently moved from Poland (nomadic).

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1 2 3 S. N. Kiselev, N. V. Kiselyova. Geopolitical aspects of the history of Crimea. // Scientific notes of Tavrichesky national university, Geography series 17 (56). 2004, No. 3. P. 74-81.
Alan Fisher "Muscovy and the Black Sea Slave Trade", Canadian American Slavic Studies, 1972, Vol. 6, pp. 575-594.
Bolotina N. Yu. Potemkin. Chapter 9. The Sovereign's Viceroy. M.: Veche, 2014
M. Nersisyan. From the history of Russian-Armenian relations. Book one. A. V. Suvorov and Russian-Armenian relations in 1770-1790. AnArmSSR, Yerevan, 1956
Why were the Greeks expelled from Crimea? How the Crimean Greeks became Donetsk... UArgument, 05/21/2008
Relocation of Armenians from Crimea to the Don. Myasnikovsky district, comp. L. S. Sekizyan. - Rostov-on-Don: MP Book, 1999. - 240 p.
1 2 3 4 5 Bolotina N. Yu. Potemkin. Chapter 10. “A BLOODLESS GIFT...”. M.: Veche, 2014
Petr Bolbochan. Conqueror of Crimea
Blood flowed to the sea... Vladimir Kukovyakin - Red Terror - History of Russia - Russia in colors
70th anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Germans. History of the people
Crimean law
"Khrushchev's gift." How Ukraine caused Crimea / Historical truth
1 2 3 4 The first Soviet plebiscite was the all-Crimean referendum of 1991. Reference. // RIA Novosti (January 20, 2011). Retrieved April 2, 2014.
All-Crimean referendum on January 20, 1991. Unimplemented, and the expression expressed by the people of Crimea was trampled upon!
Law on the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Our Crimea. Part I. Edited by V. E. Potekhin. Simferopol, "Tavria" 1992
About making changes and additions to the Constitution (Basic... | dated 06/19/1991 No. 1213a-XII
Declaration of State Sovereignty of Crimea
Results of Ukrainian independence in the Crimean context
Act on the proclamation of state independence of the Republic of Crimea // Gazette of the Supreme Council of Crimea, 1991-1992, No. 5, P. 243.
The Constitution of the Republic of Crimea, adopted by the seventh session of the Supreme Council of Crimea on May 6, 1992, “Gazette of the Armed Forces of Crimea”, No. 204-1, No. 4, Art. 228.
Constitution of the Republic of Crimea May 6, 1992
The UN General Assembly called for respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine. UN News Centre.
Population of Crimea in late XVIII- late 20th century
Cameral Description of Crimea l. A
Administrative-territorial division of Crimea. Retrieved April 27, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013.
Crimean Peninsula // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.

Literature

Andreev A. R. History of Crimea: Short description of the past of the Crimean peninsula / A. R. Andreev. - M.: Interregional Center for Industry Informatics of Gosatomnadzor of Russia, 1997. - 96 p. - ISBN 5-89477-001-7.
Karpov G. F. Relations of the Moscow state to Crimea and Turkey in 1508-1517 on the Runiverse website
Lvov L. Relations between Zaporozhye and Crimea on the Runiverse website
Abramenko L. M. Preface Belokon, S. I. // The Last Abode. Crimea, 1920-1921. - 1st. - Kyiv: MAUP, 2005. - 480 p. - ISBN 966-608-424-4.

Links

Crimea, history // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
Crimea // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: / Ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
Gusterin P. On the appointment of the first Russian consul in Crimea.
Crimea - History and Economics
World referendum on Crimea / Russian Observer
Ivan Tolstoy, Sergei Magid. Crimea goes to... Germany? (03/21/2014) Radio Liberty
Putin talks about the annexation of Crimea // ZDF, 03/09/2015
Putin: GRU forces and marines were sent to Crimea to disarm the Ukrainian army // RIA Novosti, 03.15.2015

Altai Transbaikal Kamchatka Krasnodar Krasnoyarsk Perm Primorsky Stavropol Khabarovsk

Amur Arkhangelsk Astrakhan Belgorod Bryansk Vladimir Volgograd Vologda Voronezh Ivanovo Irkutsk Kaliningrad Kaluga Kemerovo Kirov Kostroma Kurgan Kursk Leningrad Lipetsk Magadan Moscow Murmansk Nizhny Novgorod Novgorod Novosibirsk Omsk Orenburg Orel Penza Pskov Rostov Ryazan Sam Arskaya Saratovskaya Sakhalinskaya Sverdlovskaya Smolenskaya Tambovskaya Tver Tomskaya Tula Tyumenskaya Ulyanovskaya Chelyabinskaya Yaroslavlskaya

Moscow St. Petersburg Sevastopol

Jewish

Nenets1 Khanty-Mansiysk - Yugra2 Chukotka Yamalo-Nenets2

1 Located on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region 2 Located on the territory of the Tyumen region

History of Ukraine by region
Regions	Vinnytsia Volyn Dnepropetrovsk Donetsk Zhytomyr Transcarpathian Zaporozhye Ivano-Frankivsk Kiev Kirovograd Luhansk Lviv Nikolaev Odessa Poltava Rivne Sumy Ternopil Kharkov Kherson Khmelnytsky Cherkasy Chernihiv Chernivtsi
Autonomous Republic	Crimea 1
Cities of national significance	Kyiv Sevastopol1
Notes: 1is the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine

Turkish conquest

As part of the Russian Empire	Annexation to the Russian Empire Tauride region Novorossiysk province Tauride province Crimean War First defense of Sevastopol
Soviet Crimea	Crimean People's Republic Soviet Socialist Republic of Taurida Crimean SSR Red terror Crimean ASSR Crimea in the Great Patriotic War Second defense of Sevastopol Deportation Crimean peoples Crimean region Transfer to the Ukrainian SSR
Modern Crimea	Autonomous Republic of Crimea Crimean crisis Republic of Crimea (independent state) Referendum on the status of Crimea (2014) Accession to the Russian Federation Transition period Republic of Crimea

history of Crimea, history of Crimea of the 16th century, history of Crimea countryballs, history of Crimea Wikipedia, history of Crimea in 3 minutes, history of Crimea briefly, history of Crimea Ukraine

History of Crimea Information About

Doctor historical sciences Ilya Zaitsev gave a lecture at the Library of Foreign Literature on the history of relations between Russia and the Crimean Khanate from 1772 to 1783, when Crimea declared independence, and 10 years later became part of the Russian Empire. Lenta.ru recorded the main points of the lecture.

On November 1, 1772, in the city of Karasubazar, the Russian Ambassador to the Crimean Khanate Evdokim Shcherbinin and Khan Sahib-Girey signed a peace treaty; On January 29, 1773, in St. Petersburg, this treaty was ratified by the Russian side. It began with the proclamation of “alliance, friendship and trust between Russia and the Crimean Khanate” and guaranteed the independence of the Khanate from both the Russian and Ottoman Empires. However, 10 years later, on April 8, 1783, Crimea became part of the Russian Empire.

This event is the first experience in Russian history of annexing not just an Islamic territory, but a highly developed Islamic state. Conquests of Islamic kingdoms took place in the history of Russia before (textbook examples of Kazan and Astrakhan can be cited), but before the annexation of Crimea there were no cases of appeal to the Muslim socio-political doctrine at the state-legal level.

"Ideal" Islamic order

This doctrine does not presuppose any boundaries between the sacred and the secular, secular and religious, which is a very important difference from the European understanding of the state. Perfect islamic state is a community of believers that follows Sharia. From the point of view of fiqh, (the Muslim doctrine of the rules of conduct - approx. "Tapes.ru") the state is not a legal entity and a participant in any disputes, and God himself becomes the only source of sovereignty.

Here we cannot do without the figure of the caliph, who will be key to understanding the situation in Crimea that developed by the 18th century. The caliph is not a state official, as European researchers often believe; the caliph is a guarantor of adherence to Sharia in the community. When a person pays taxes or serves in the army, he does not fulfill obligations to the state, but demonstrates his attitude towards God. This is the “ideal” Islamic system that the Russian Empire faced when it approached the solution to the Crimean issue.

Karasubazar world

There were many agreements between Russia and the Crimean Khanate, but they were signed with modern point vision not between countries, but between individuals- for example, between the Crimean Khan and the Moscow Tsar. These were interpersonal agreements that, after the death of one of the counterparties, ceased to be valid and had to be signed again.

The Karasubazar Treaty of November 1, 1772 became the first interstate agreement signed in accordance with all European secular rules. On the Russian side, he was assured by Evdokim Shcherbinin, who had previously ruled Sloboda Ukraine, and on the Khanate side by the newly elected Khan Sahib-Girey. It was a peace treaty on good neighborly relations. It declared that “neither the Russian Empire, nor the Ottoman Porte and other outsiders, no one and no one has any right to interfere in anything, but, upon the election and decree of the khan, it will be reported to the highest Russian court.”

The eternal dilemma between the choice of a khan and his appointment by the Porte in in this case was rejected. The Russian side insisted that the khan should under no circumstances be approved by the Ottoman Empire - this should only be reported to St. Petersburg in person.

The Crimeans did not fully understand and did not realize what kind of document they were signing, since it was a purely European category, inaccessible to their understanding and in no way connected with Sharia norms. Russia operated with European legal concepts and spoke a secular language, while Crimea spoke from the point of view of religious law. When signing the document, the parties obviously meant completely different things.

This agreement, in addition to the already mentioned independence, had several important consequences: it confirmed the citizenship of Greater and Lesser Kabarda (vassals of the Crimean Khanate), which was then the subject of a dispute between the Ottoman Empire and Russia; in addition, the Crimean Khanate pledged not to help Russia’s opponents with its troops.

Kerch and Yeni-Kale (a fortress founded at the very beginning of the 18th century near Kerch) should have remained with the Russian Empire, since at the time of signing the treaty there were Russian troops on the Crimean peninsula under the leadership of Vasily Dolgorukov - they were imposed on the Crimean side by force. This agreement nullified all the achievements of Crimean diplomacy.

The peace treaty included another important point: guarantees of the khan’s former possessions on the Kuban side and beyond Perekop (part of the Kherson region and land closer to Odessa). There was no economic activity there, but this land was important for Crimea as pasture for the Nogais - subjects of the Crimean Khan. The treaty also allowed free trade for citizens of both countries; a separate article stipulated the presence of the Russian consul and guarantees of his safety from the khans.

Since the 60s of the 18th century, Russia sought the presence of a permanent representative of the Russian Empire under the khan, but the Crimeans did not see the need to send their consul to St. Petersburg and did not understand why a Russian consul was needed in Crimea. In addition, the Crimean Khan quite reasonably suspected that this Russian mission could turn into a source of disintegration of the state. To some extent, this is what happened.

Ahead of its time

A key role in the events of that time was played by Khan Shahin-Girey, brother of Sahib-Girey, who signed an agreement with the Russians. He held the position of kalgi (the second most important person after the khan in the hierarchy of the Crimean Khanate).

Portrait of I. B. Lampi the Elder

To resolve issues related to the future status of Crimea, Shahin-Girey was sent to St. Petersburg, where he spent more than a year. Upon arrival, he refused for a long time to go to Nikita Panin (Russian diplomat, chief adviser on foreign policy under Catherine II - approx. "Tapes.ru") and demanded that he come to him first, and then refused to take off his hat at the audience. At first, Catherine treated the future khan well and even mentioned him in her correspondence with Voltaire, calling him “the Crimean Dauphin” (this title was borne by the heirs of the French throne - approx. "Tapes.ru"), a “nice fellow” with whom “things will probably work out.”

Having become khan, Shahin-Girey began to carry out reforms that played a cruel joke on him and turned him against him most population of Crimea. But if you look at Shahin-Girey’s transformations through the prism European society, we are faced with the image of a not entirely lost man - the creator of a program that was clearly ahead of its time.

He unified the tax system, tried to establish classes of the Crimean nobility, built on the Russian model (which was obviously impossible), carried out reforms in the army, focusing on Russian experience, and began to mint coins in a new way.

Before Shahin-Girey, the Crimean army was a feudal militia led by a bey (the highest military rank - approx. "Tapes.ru"), which was joined by the Nogai nomads. The Ottomans loved to throw the Crimean army into the thick of things in their campaigns (both to the West and to Persia). Shahin introduced a regular army and conscription, slightly different from the Russian one: he took one person from five households.

To create a regular army, he used Russian advisers, who, naturally, worked for money, and among them there were many crooks. When the khan decided to dress the entire army in Russian uniform, the army rebelled.

Shahin-Girey tried to change the tax system. Before the reform, it was simple: one poll tax was taken from non-Muslims, the other from jamaats, free Muslim community members, that is, non-serf peasants who worked the land common use. Both non-Muslims and the jamaat paid a fixed tax to their bey, under whose administrative subordination they were. Shahin, following the European model, introduced the same capitation tax for everyone, and also streamlined fees for weddings, wine production, and so on. This was an attempt to reform the traditional Crimean way of life to European standards.

The new khan also carried out an administrative reform: in the newly acquired southern lands Khanate he made about 40 kaymakanstvos (an administrative-judicial unit, which in turn was divided into kadylyks - districts headed by judges). Shahin-Girey first introduced a tax farming system, which everyone did not like either. Areas of activity that brought in a certain income, such as customs, drinking establishments or any production, were given to a person who was able to contribute money to the treasury in advance. Of course, the ransom amount was less than the timely payment, but the advantage of this scheme was the rapid replenishment of the treasury.

The reforms also affected the khan himself. He was not afraid to shave his beard, ate his meals sitting on a chair, used cutlery, and, which was absolutely fantastic, rode out in a carriage. His activities, contrary to Islamic law, caused strong discontent among the population.

"Salvation" of Christians

A convenient moment for the overthrow of Shahin Giray arose when the Russian government removed almost all Christians (Russians, Armenians and Greeks) from Crimea. This was intended as a good thing, but it turned into a tragedy. In Russia, for a long time it was believed that Christians should not live under Islamic rule, so Russian diplomats first tried to include a clause on the eviction of Christians from Crimea in the Karasubazar Treaty, but the Khan opposed, and this clause remained only in the draft agreement. Then it was decided to evict Christians from Crimea on their own to lands newly acquired by Russia in the Mariupol region. This operation was organized and commanded by Count Alexander Suvorov; representatives of the Greek clergy agitated for leaving Crimea.

Image: public domain

The mobilization of Christians was carried out successfully, but when people arrived at the new place, it turned out that there was not enough money to build housing, and the lands that were allocated to them were unsuitable for gardening and growing grapes - people were evicted to the bare steppe. As a result of crop failure and poor weather conditions in the winter of 1778-1779 people died from hunger and frost. The exact number of deaths is unknown, but a plausible figure is about 50 thousand people. This operation undermined the number of Crimean Christians, who succumbed to the propaganda.

By 1781-1782, a crisis erupted on the peninsula: the khan’s reforms caused discontent among almost all residents of Crimea, they refused to obey his orders and went to the mountains. Initially, the rebels even turned to the Russian government with a request to remove the khan, but the Russian Empire did not want to support anyone other than representatives of the official authorities. All this time, complex issues of interaction between Crimea, Russia and the Ottoman Empire were resolved by Count Nikita Panin, who led the foreign policy of the Russian Empire, but in 1781 he resigned, and Alexander Bezborodko, who replaced him, had a completely different idea about the fate of Crimea.

In 1782, it became clear that the khan could not cope with the unrest, and Bezborodko decided that it was necessary to act harshly: Russian troops were brought into the peninsula. At the same time, the first written references that it would be good to include Crimea into the Russian Empire, so as not to bother with dummy khans, who, moreover, cannot control the situation on the peninsula. By the spring of 1783, a manifesto was prepared on the inclusion of Crimea into Russia. The more than three-hundred-year history of the Crimean Khanate ended here. Who is to blame for this - Shahin Giray or international politics? It is very difficult to answer this question unambiguously.

Death in Rhodes

The fate of the reformer Shahin-Girey was tragic. After the publication of Catherine’s April manifesto in 1783, it became clear that he would never return to Crimea. The Russians thought for a long time what to do with it. After the annexation of Crimea, he lived in Russia for four years - in Voronezh, Kaluga and Kyiv, and then he himself asked to leave.

First he went to the Bulgarian city of Karnabad, from there the Ottomans exiled him to the island of Rhodes, where many khans spent their last days. Shahin-Girey lived on the island for some time, and then he was reminded of the oppression of Muslims in Crimea and an attempt to go over to the side of Russia, and in 1787 he was executed. According to legend, in the 20s of the 19th century in Rhodes they were digging a pit to build barracks for the Janissaries, and they came across an old cesspool in which they found the head of the former khan.

The first raid of the Crimean Tatars for slaves on the lands of Moscow Rus' took place in 1507. Before that, the lands of Muscovy and the Crimean Khanate separated the Russian and Ukrainian territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, so the Muscovites and Crimeans even sometimes united against the Litvins, who dominated the entire 15th century in Eastern Europe.

In 1511-1512, the “Crimeans,” as Russian chronicles called them, twice ravaged the Ryazan land, and the next year, Bryansk. Two years later, two new devastations of the outskirts of Kasimov and Ryazan were carried out with the mass removal of the population into slavery. In 1517 - a raid on Tula, and in 1521 - the first Tatar raid on Moscow, devastation of the surrounding area and the taking of many thousands into slavery. Six years later - the next big raid on Moscow. The crowning achievement of the Crimean raids on Russia was 1571, when Khan Giray burned Moscow, plundered more than 30 Russian cities and took about 60 thousand people into slavery.

Russia launched a counteroffensive with late XVII century, when the first Crimean campaigns of Prince Golitsyn followed. The archers and the Cossacks reached the Crimea on the second attempt, but did not overcome Perekop. For the first time, the Russians took revenge for the burning of Moscow only in 1736, when the troops of Field Marshal Minich broke through Perekop and captured Bakhchisarai. But then the Russians were unable to stay in Crimea due to epidemics and Turkey’s opposition.

By the beginning of the reign of Catherine II, the Crimean Khanate did not pose a military threat, but remained a problematic neighbor as an autonomous part of the powerful Ottoman Empire. It is no coincidence that the first report on Crimean issues for Catherine was prepared exactly a week after she ascended the throne as a result of a successful coup.

On July 6, 1762, Chancellor Mikhail Vorontsov presented a report “On Little Tataria.” The following was said about the Crimean Tatars: “They are very prone to kidnapping and atrocities... caused Russia significant harm and insults with frequent raids, captivity of many thousands of inhabitants, driving away livestock and robbery.” And the key importance of Crimea was emphasized: “The peninsula is so important due to its location that it can really be considered the key to Russian and Turkish possessions; As long as he remains in Turkish citizenship, he will always be terrible for Russia.”

“Serif. Southern Frontier" by Maximilian Presnyakov. Source:

Discussion of the Crimean issue continued at the height of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. At that time, the actual government of the Russian Empire was the so-called Council at the Highest Court. On March 15, 1770, at a meeting of the Council, the issue of annexing Crimea was considered. Companions of Empress Catherine reasoned that “the Crimean Tatars, by their nature and position, will never be useful subjects,” moreover, “no decent taxes can be collected from them.”

But the Council ultimately made a cautious decision not to annex Crimea to Russia, but to try to isolate it from Turkey. “With such direct citizenship, Russia will arouse against itself general and not unfounded envy and suspicion of the unlimited intention of multiplying its regions,” the Council’s decision on a possible international reaction said.

France was Turkey's main ally - it was its actions that were feared in St. Petersburg.

In her letter to General Peter Panin dated April 2, 1770, Empress Catherine summarized: “We have absolutely no intention of having this peninsula and the Tatar hordes belonging to it under our citizenship, but it is only desirable that they break away from Turkish citizenship and remain forever independent ... The Tatars will never be useful to our empire.”

In addition to the independence of Crimea from the Ottoman Empire, Catherine’s government planned to obtain from the Crimean Khan consent to grant Russia the right to have military bases in Crimea. At the same time, the government of Catherine II took into account the subtlety that all the main fortresses and the best harbors on the southern coast of Crimea belonged not to the Tatars, but to the Turks - and if something happened, the Tatars were not too sorry to give the Turkish possessions to the Russians.

For a year, Russian diplomats tried to persuade the Crimean Khan and his diwan (government) to declare independence from Istanbul. During the negotiations, the Tatars tried to say neither yes nor no. As a result, the Imperial Council in St. Petersburg, at a meeting on November 11, 1770, decided to “apply strong pressure on the Crimea if the Tatars living on this peninsula still remain stubborn and do not stick to those who have already left the Ottoman Porte.”

Fulfilling this decision of St. Petersburg, in the summer of 1771, troops under the command of Prince Dolgorukov entered Crimea and inflicted two defeats on the troops of Khan Selim III.

Equestrian warrior of the Crimean Khanate.

Regarding the occupation of Kafa (Feodosia) and the cessation of the largest slave market in Europe, Catherine II wrote to Voltaire in Paris on July 22, 1771: “If we have taken Kafa, the costs of the war are covered.” Regarding the policy of the French government, which actively supported the Turks and Polish rebels who fought with Russia, Catherine, in a letter to Voltaire, deigned to joke to the whole of Europe: “In Constantinople they are very sad about the loss of Crimea. We should send them a comic opera to dispel their sadness, and a puppet comedy to the Polish rebels; this would be more useful to them than the large number of officers that France sends to them.”

"The most kind Tatar"

Under these conditions, the nobility of the Crimean Tatars chose to temporarily forget about their Turkish patrons and quickly make peace with the Russians. On June 25, 1771, an assembly of beys, local officials and clergy signed a preliminary act committing to declare the Khanate independent of Turkey, as well as enter into an alliance with Russia, electing kalgi (the khan's heir-deputy) as khan and kalgi. loyal to Russia descendants of Genghis Khan - Sahib-Girey and Shagin-Girey. The former khan fled to Turkey.

In the summer of 1772, the Ottomans began peace talks, at which Russia demanded to recognize the independence of the Crimean Khanate. As an objection, Turkish representatives expressed themselves in the spirit that, having gained independence, the Tatars would begin to “do stupid things.”

After Catherine II’s manifesto on the annexation of Crimea to Russia, there were no acts of open resistance by the Crimean Tatars for more than half a century, until the appearance of the Anglo-French landing on the peninsula in 1854.

Text:

“Crimea and Sevastopol: their historical significance for Russia”

Lesson objectives:

Show the historical, geographical and geopolitical role of Crimea in the history of our country, emphasizing the validity of its reunification with Russia.

To create conditions for the formation in schoolchildren of the values of a culture of peace, tolerance and human rights, to orient them towards an in-depth study of the history of our country, the ability to openly and consistently defend their position.

Materials for conducting the lesson.

In the middle of the 7th century. BC. Some of the Cimmerians were forced out by the Scythians from the steppe part of the peninsula to the foothills and mountains of Crimea, where they created compact settlements.

In the foothills and mountains of Crimea, as well as on the southern coast, there lived Tauris associated with the Kizil Koba archaeological culture. The possible Caucasian origin of the Taurs is indicated by traces of the influence of the Koban culture. From the Taurians comes the ancient name of the mountainous and coastal part of Crimea - Tavrika, Tavria, Tavrida. The remains of the fortifications and dwellings of the Tauri, their ring-like fences made of vertically placed stones and Taurus tombs “stone boxes” have been preserved and studied to this day.

Antique period

Bosporan Kingdom

Bosporan Kingdom in the 1st century BC.

In the first half of the 5th century. BC. Two independent Greek states emerge on the shores of the Black Sea. One of them is the democratic slave-owning republic of Chersonese Tauride, which included the lands of western Crimea (Kerkinitida (modern Evpatoria), Kalos-Limeni, Black Sea). Chersonesus was located behind mighty stone walls. It was founded on the site of a Taurus settlement by Greeks from Heraclea Pontus. The other is the Bosporus, an autocratic state whose capital was Panticapaeum. The Acropolis of this city was located on Mount Mithridates, and the Melek-Chesmensky and Tsarsky mounds were excavated not far from it. Stone crypts, unique monuments of Bosporan architecture, were found here.

Greek colonists brought shipbuilding, viticulture, cultivation of olive trees and other crops to the shores of Chimeria-Taurica, and built temples, theaters, and stadiums. Hundreds of Greek settlements - policies - appeared in Crimea. The ancient Greeks created great historical and literary monuments about Crimea. Euripides wrote the drama “Iphigenia in Tauris” using Crimean material. The Greeks who lived in the Tauric Chersonese and the Cimmerian Bosporus know the Iliad and the Odyssey, in which Cimmeria is unreasonably characterized as “a sad region covered with ever-damp fog and clouds.” Herodotus in the 5th century BC. wrote about the religious beliefs of the Scythians, about the Tauri.

Until the end of the 3rd century. BC. The Scythian state was significantly reduced under the onslaught of the Sarmatians. The Scythians were forced to move their capital to the Salgir River (near Simferopol), where Scythian Naples arose, also known as Neapolis (Greek name).

The period of the Middle Ages.

The Scythian state in Crimea existed until the second half of the 3rd century. AD and was destroyed by the Goths. The stay of the Goths in the Crimean steppes did not last long. In 370, the Balamber Huns invaded Crimea from the Taman Peninsula. The Goths established themselves in the mountainous Crimea until the 17th century (Crimean Goths). By the end of the 4th century, only one ancient city of Tauride Chersonesos remained in Crimea, which became an outpost of Byzantine influence in the region. Under Emperor Justinian, the fortresses of Aluston, Gurzuf, Simbolon and Sudak were founded in Crimea, and the Bosporus was also revived. In the 6th century, the Turks swept through the Crimea like a tornado. In the 7th century, nomadic Bulgarians settled here. At the beginning of the 8th century, Crimea was divided between Byzantium and Khazaria, from the latter the relict ethnic groups of Krymchaks and Karaites (Chufut-Kale) remained on the peninsula.

Baptism of Prince Vladimir in Chersonesos (988)

In the 9th century, Kirill, the creator of the Cyrillic alphabet, came to Crimea. In the same century, the Pechenegs and Russes appeared in Crimea (Bravlin). At the beginning of the 10th century, Crimea became the scene of a battle between the armies of the Rus (Helgu) and the Khazars (Passover). In 988, Russian Prince Vladimir was baptized here. After the defeat of Khazaria by Svyatoslav, the Khazar part of Crimea came under the rule of the Russian Tmutarakan principality. Korchev became a significant city during this period.

The end to Russian influence in Crimea is put by the Polovtsians, 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.

After the weakening of Byzantium, the Orthodox principality of Theodoro was founded in its former Crimean possessions with its capital in the city of Mangup. The first Turkish landing in Sudak dates back to 1222, which defeated the Russian-Polovtsian army. Literally the next year, the Tatar-Mongols Jebe invade Crimea. Steppe Crimea becomes an ulus of the Golden Horde. The administrative center of the peninsula becomes the city of Crimea. The first coins issued in Crimea by Khan Mengu-Timur date back to 1267. Thanks to the rapid flourishing of Genoese trade and the nearby Kafa, Crimea quickly turned into a large trade and craft center. Karasubazar becomes another large city in the Crimean ulus. The Islamization of Crimea began in the 13th century.

In the 14th century, part of the territories of Crimea was acquired by the Genoese (Gazaria, Caffa). By this time, the Polovtsian language was already widespread in Crimea, as evidenced by the Codex Cumanicus. In 1367

Crimea was subordinate to Mamai, whose power also relied on the Genoese colonies. In 1397, the Lithuanian prince Vytautas invades Crimea and reaches Kaffa. After the pogrom of Edigei, Chersonesus turns into ruins (1399).

Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire

Crimea in the 17th century

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 principality of Theodoro and the Genoese colonies on the southern coast. The capital of the Principality of Theodoro is Mangup - one of the largest fortresses of medieval Crimea (90 hectares) and, if necessary, takes under protection significant masses of the population.

In the summer of 1475, the Ottoman Turks, who had captured the territories of the former Byzantine Empire, landed a large force of Gedik Ahmed Pasha in the Crimea and the Azov region, capturing all the Genoese fortresses (including Tana on the Don) and Greek cities. In July, Mangup was besieged. Having burst into the city, the Turks destroyed almost all the inhabitants, plundered and burned buildings. On the lands of the principality (and also the conquered Genoese colonies of the captaincy of Gothia), a Turkish kadilik (district) was created; The Ottomans maintained their garrisons and bureaucrats there and strictly collected taxes. In 1478, the Crimean Khanate became a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire.

In the 15th century, the Turks, with the help of Italian specialists, built the Or-Kapu fortress on Perekop. Since that time, the Perekop shaft has another name - Turkish. Since the end of the 15th century, the Tatars in Crimea gradually moved from nomadic forms of farming to settled agriculture. The main occupation of the Crimean Tatars (as they began to be called much later) in the south became gardening, viticulture, and tobacco cultivation. In the steppe regions of Crimea, livestock farming was developed, primarily the breeding of sheep and horses.

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.

The Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774 put an end to Ottoman rule and, according to the Kuchuk-Kaynardzhi Peace Treaty of 1774, the Ottomans renounced their claims to Crimea.

Russian empire.

On April 8, 1783, Catherine II issued a manifesto on the acceptance of the “Crimean Peninsula”, as well as the Kuban side, into Russia. Russian troops of Suvorov entered the territory of Crimea, 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 the local self-government of the newly created Tauride region. At first, the development of the Russian Crimea was in charge of Prince Potemkin, who received the title of “Tauride”. In 1783, the population of Crimea numbered 60 thousand people, mainly engaged in cattle breeding (Crimean Tatars). At the same time, under Russian jurisdiction, the Russian as well as the Greek population from among retired soldiers began to grow. Bulgarians and Germans come to explore new lands. In 1787, Empress Catherine made her famous trip to Crimea. During the next Russian-Turkish war, unrest began among the Crimean Tatars, due to which their habitat was significantly reduced. In 1796, the region became part of the Novorossiysk province, and in 1802 it was again allocated as an independent administrative unit. At the beginning of the 19th century, viticulture (Magarach) and shipbuilding (Sevastopol) developed in Crimea, and roads were laid. Under Prince Vorontsov, Yalta begins to settle down, the Vorontsov Palace is founded, and the southern coast of Crimea turns into a resort.

Crimean War

In June 1854, the Anglo-French flotilla began shelling Russian coastal fortifications in the Crimea, and already in September the Allies (Great Britain, France, Ottoman Empire) began landing in Yevpatoria. Soon the Battle of Alma took place. In October, the siege of Sevastopol began, during which Kornilov died on Malakhov Kurgan. In February 1855, the Russians unsuccessfully tried to storm Evpatoria. In May, the Anglo-French fleet captured Kerch. In July, Nakhimov died in Sevastopol. On September 11, 1855, Sevastopol fell, but was returned to Russia at the end of the war in exchange for certain concessions.

Crimea at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries

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. TO end of the 19th century century, the population of Crimea was 500 thousand people, of which less than 200 thousand were Crimean Tatars.

Crimea in the Civil War

On the eve of the revolution, 800 thousand people lived in Crimea, including 400 thousand Russians and 200 thousand Tatars, as well as 68 thousand Jews and 40 thousand Germans. After the February events of 1917, the Crimean Tatars organized themselves into the Milli Firka party, which tried to seize power on the peninsula.

On December 16, 1917, the Bolshevik Military Revolutionary Committee was established in Sevastopol, which took power into its own hands. On January 4, 1918, the Bolsheviks took power in Feodosia, knocking out the Crimean Tatar units from there, and on January 6 - in Kerch. On the night of January 8-9, the Red Guard entered Yalta. On the night of January 14, Simferopol was taken. On March 7-10, 1918, the 1st Constituent Congress of Soviets, land and revolutionary committees of the Taurida province was held in Simferopol, which proclaimed creation of the USSR Taurida as part of the RSFSR.

On April 22, 1918, Ukrainian troops under the command of Colonel Bolbochan occupied Yevpatoria and Simferopol, followed by the German troops of General von Kosch. According to an agreement between Kiev and Berlin, on April 27, Ukrainian units left Crimea, renouncing claims to the peninsula. The Crimean Tatars also rebelled, concluding an alliance with the new invaders. By May 1, 1918, German troops occupied the entire Crimean peninsula. May 1 - November 15, 1918 - Crimea de facto under German occupation, de jure under the control of the autonomous Crimean regional government (from June 23) Suleiman Sulkevich

November 15, 1918 - April 11, 1919 - Second Crimean Regional Government (Solomon Crimea) under the patronage of the Allies;

April-June 1919 - Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR;

In January-March 1920, 4 thousand soldiers of the 3rd Army Corps of the AFSR, General Ya.A. Slashchev, successfully defended the Crimea from attacks by two Soviet armies with a total number of 40 thousand soldiers, using the ingenious tactics of their commander, giving Perekop to the Bolsheviks over and over again , crushing them already in Crimea, and then expelling them from it back to the steppes. On February 4, the White Guard captain Orlov with 300 soldiers rebelled and captured Simferopol, arresting several generals of the Volunteer Army and the governor of the Tauride province. At the end of March, the remnants of the white armies, having surrendered the Don and Kuban, were evacuated to the Crimea. Denikin's headquarters ended up in Feodosia. On April 5, Denikin announced his resignation and transfer of his post to General Wrangel. On May 15, the Wrangel fleet raided Mariupol, during which the city was shelled and some ships were withdrawn to the Crimea. On June 6, units of Slashchov began to quickly move north, occupying the capital of Northern Tavria - Melitopol - on June 10. On June 24, Wrangel’s landing force occupied Berdyansk for two days, and in July, Captain Kochetov’s landing group landed at Ochakov. On August 3, the Whites occupied Alexandrovsk, but the next day they were forced to leave the city.

On November 12, 1920, the Red Army broke through the defenses at Perekop and broke into Crimea. On November 13, the 2nd Cavalry Army under the command of F.K. Mironov occupied Simferopol. The main Wrangel troops left the peninsula through port cities. At the end of the Civil War, 720 thousand people lived in Crimea.

Crimea within the USSR

A fundamentally important question is what character the Crimean autonomy had - national or territorial? Lenin's Council of People's Commissars first created both types of autonomies, but over time only national ones remained. The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic became a unique autonomous entity, which subsequently retained its territorial character. At the same time, flirting with Kemalist Turkey, the Kremlin nominated mainly people of Crimean Tatar origin to leading positions in this republic.

According to the All-Union Census of 1939, Russians made up 49.6 percent of the population of Crimea, Crimean Tatars - 19.4, Ukrainians - 13.7, Jews - 5.8, Germans - 4.6 percent. During the war, the total population declined sharply, and its ethnic composition has undergone fundamental changes. In November 1941, the Red Army was forced to leave Crimea, retreating to the Taman Peninsula. Soon a counter-offensive was launched from there, but it did not lead to success and Soviet troops were again driven back across the Kerch Strait. In German-occupied Crimea, a general district of the same name was formed as part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine. The occupation administration was headed by A. Frauenfeld, but in fact the power belonged to the military administration. In accordance with Nazi policy, communists and racially unreliable elements (Jews, Gypsies) were destroyed in the occupied territory.

During the occupation, the Nazis killed 25 thousand Jews. Almost everyone who could not or did not want to evacuate died. Together with the Jews, people of a unique small nationality - the Krymchaks - were exterminated. The Nazis considered them to be part of the “Jewish race” because they had practiced Judaism since ancient times.

On April 11, 1944, the Soviet army began an operation to liberate Crimea, and Dzhankoy and Kerch were recaptured. By April 13, Simferopol and Feodosia were liberated. May 9 - Sevastopol. The Germans held out for the longest time at Cape Chersonese, but their evacuation was disrupted by the death of the Patria Convoy. The war sharply aggravated interethnic contradictions in Crimea, and in May-June 1944, Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Greeks and Bulgarians were evicted from the territory of the peninsula for active cooperation with the German invaders. The total number of people deported to a special settlement in Uzbekistan was 228 thousand people.

Russians and Ukrainians began to dominate the population. If previously there were objective prerequisites for the territorial autonomy of Crimea, they have disappeared.

In 1945, the Crimean ASSR was turned into a region within the RSFSR.

The national economy of Crimea after the war found itself in an extremely deplorable state. This fact, as well as the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine and Russia, formed the basis for the fact that in 1954, in violation of the Constitution of the RSFSR and the legislative procedure, the Crimean region and Sevastopol were transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR with the following wording: “Taking into account common economics, territorial proximity and close economic and cultural ties between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR.” As he wrote in the early 90s. 20th century Russian writer A.I. Solzhenitsyn regarding this act, initiated by Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, “ The whole region was “gifted” without any laws by the whim of a rogue sultan!».

In 1954-1991, the Crimean region was part of the Ukrainian SSR. Over the years, Crimea has become an “All-Union health resort”, receiving hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Winemaking is receiving a new impetus - the wines of Massandra, Koktebel and Inkerman have become widely known outside the USSR. Manufacturing industry and transport were well developed. The commonality of the laws of the Ukrainian SSR and the RSFSR within the framework single state, as well as the official bilingualism of the region with the actual predominance of the Russian language did not create serious preconditions for discontent among the residents of Crimea.

However, on January 20, 1991, a referendum was held in Crimea on the issue of re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a separate subject of the USSR, in which 1.4 million citizens (81.37% of voters) took part. 93.26% voted for the restoration of the autonomous republic. However, in violation of the results of the referendum in Crimea, the Supreme Council of Ukraine adopted on February 12, 1991 the law “On the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic” as part of the Ukrainian SSR, and 4 months later introduced corresponding changes to the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR.

On September 4, 1991, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic and began preparing for a referendum on joining the Russian Federation. On May 21, 1992, the Supreme Council of the RSFSR adopted Resolution No. 2809-1, which recognized the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of February 5, 1954 “On the transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR” as “not having legal force from the moment of adoption” due to the fact that it was adopted “in violation of the Constitution (Basic Law) of the RSFSR and legislative procedure.” However, as a result of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides, as well as pressure from Western countries, the Russian leadership of that time, led by President B.N. Yeltsin refused to support Crimea.

However, pro-Russian sentiments were very strong on the peninsula. In the spring of 1995, the new Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma persuaded the Supreme Council of Ukraine to liquidate provided by law the post of President of Crimea and the abolition of the Crimean Constitution. As a result decisions taken in Kyiv, the government of the Crimean Autonomy was completely subordinate to the President of Ukraine. Crimean President Yuri Meshkov, fearing physical liquidation by Ukrainian special forces who arrived on the peninsula, was forced to flee to Russia. On October 21, 1998, the Crimean parliament, under pressure from Kyiv, adopted new constitution Crimea, which spoke of the peninsula’s belonging to Ukraine as its integral part and its subordination to its legal acts. Obviously, when making this decision, the results of the Crimean referendum of 1991 were not taken into account.

From that time on, artificial Ukrainization proceeded at an accelerated pace in Crimea, infringing on the rights of both the Russian majority and other peoples of the peninsula. At the same time, Kyiv actively cooperated with a number of Crimean Tatar organizations that were anti-Russian and with Turkey, which seeks to prevent Russia from strengthening in the Black Sea region.

At the end of 2013 - beginning of 2014, a deep political and economic crisis broke out in Ukraine, which led to an armed rebellion and the forceful removal of the current President of Ukraine from power. At the same time, right-wing radical and Russophobic elements supported by NATO countries seized power in the country. This made it significantly more difficult geopolitical situation Russia and infringed our national interests in the region. This dangerous moment was felt with even greater acuteness in Crimea and Sevastopol, where the overwhelming majority of the Russian-speaking population lives and where the Russian cultural tradition is strong.

On February 23, 2014, the Ukrainian flag was lowered over the Kerch city council and the Russian one was raised. The mass removal of Ukrainian flags took place on February 25 in Sevastopol. The Cossacks in Feodosia sharply criticized the new authorities in Kyiv. Residents of Yevpatoria also joined the pro-Russian actions. After the new authorities in Kyiv dissolved Berkut, the head of Sevastopol, Alexei Chaly, refused to implement this decree.

Early in the morning of February 27, 2014 groups armed people occupied the buildings of the parliament and government of Crimea in Simferopol, as well as checkpoints on the Perekop Isthmus and the Chongar Peninsula. On the same day, the Supreme Council of Crimea appointed Sergei Aksenov as head of the Council of Ministers.

On March 6, 2014, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted a resolution on the republic’s entry into the Russian Federation as a subject and scheduled a referendum on this issue.

Crimea is back in Russia

On March 11, 2014, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. On March 16, 2014, a referendum was held in Crimea, in which about 82% of voters took part, of which 96.77% voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation.

On March 17, 2014, according to the results of a referendum, the Republic of Crimea, in which the city of Sevastopol has a special status, asked to join Russia.

On March 18, 2014, in the Georgievsky Palace of the Kremlin, an Agreement was signed between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on admission to the Russian Federation. In accordance with the agreement, new entities are formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. On March 21, 2014, the Federal Constitutional Law “On the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol” was ratified. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the question arose about the fate of Ukrainian military units located on the territory of the peninsula. Initially, these units were blocked by local self-defense units, and then taken by storm, for example Belbek and the marine battalion in Feodosia. During the assaults on units, the Ukrainian military behaved passively and did not use weapons. On March 24, 2014, the ruble became the official currency in Crimea (the circulation of the hryvnia was temporarily preserved).

Thus, the Crimean peninsula and the city of Sevastopol, abundantly watered with Russian blood and covered with military and labor glory, once again found themselves with their Motherland - Russia!