The Military Co-operation of the Crimean Khanate with the Ottoman Empire in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Abstract

This chapter discusses various aspects of the military cooperation between the Ottomans and Tatars, the political and economic background, and the diplomatic consequences of the campaigns to make clear that the Crimean Khanate, as a marginal state in the sphere of interest of the Ottoman Empire, enjoyed a relatively significant independence in its military activities during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and also had a great deal of space to maneuver in the sphere of foreign policy. The permanent contacts of the Tatars with the Habsburgs, the arch-enemy of the Ottomans, served to counterbalance the often incalculable power relations and intrigues at the Sublime Porte. Keywords:Crimean Khanate; diplomatic contacts; East Central European Politics; economic goals; military cooperation; Ottoman Empire; Tatars