TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Event · 1783
The Russian Empire formally annexed the Crimean Khanate on 19 April [O.S. 8 April] 1783, following a decade-long campaign of intervention in the Crimean Peninsula. Russia aimed to control the Black Sea and end raids by Crimean slavers into its territory. To accomplish this, the Russians waged a series of wars against the Ottoman Empire and its Crimean vassal state, culminating in victory in the 1768–1774 Russo-Turkish War. The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, signed in 1774, granted the Crimean Khanate nominal independence from the Ottomans under Russian influence. In subsequent years, Russia would intervene widely in Crimean affairs, provoking a series of revolts by the Crimean Tatars, while the Ottomans watched in ambivalence.
| Date | 19 April 1783 |
|---|---|
| Location | Crimean Khanate |
The annexation brought an end to the Crimean slave trade, and marked the beginning of Russian-imposed de-Tatarisation of Crimea. Following his appointment as governor of the region, Potemkin moved to expropriate Tatar land and assign it to Russian nobles, sparking another wave of Tatar emigration. In 1787, Potemkin even urged of the need to curb the Tatar flight due to the negative economic impact it was having on the region, but this proved unfruitful. The Ottomans would attempt to reclaim Crimea in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792, but were defeated and forced to again acknowledge Russian rule in the Treaty of Jassy.
Took place during the reign of Abdulhamid I (1774–1789). Abdulhamid I
Open the reign of Abdulhamid I on the mapText: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), adapted for the atlas.