Qazaq-Qalmaq Relations in the 16th Century

Abstract

The article deals with the Qazaq-Qalmaq relations in the 16th century and is based on the data of medieval Muslim sources. The author concludes that the history of relations between these two big nomadic peoples of the late medieval Central Asia began in the 1520s, and during the next eighty years, until the end of the 16th century, the character of these relations was complicated. Mostly the relations were hostile, but sometimes several Qalmaq groups would make alliances with Qazaqs and opposed the outer powers together. Sometimes this or that part of Qalmaqs was not only a political ally of the Qazaqs but also was a subject of the rulers of the Qazaq state, particularly Tauekel Khan