TRENDEFRARAtlas of the Sultans · Wars, battles and treaties
Campaign · 1569
After Tsar Ivan IV of Moscow took Kazan (1552) and Astrakhan (1556) and gained control of the Volga basin, the Ottomans planned to cut a canal between the Don and the Volga and take Astrakhan. According to the TDV article on Crimea, the aim was to drive the Russians from the North Caucasus and the lower Volga, strengthen Ottoman influence on the Kipchak steppe and open a convenient route for sending armies against Iran. In 1569 an army of 15,000 under Kasım Pasha, governor-general of Kefe, came with the forces of the Crimean khan Devlet Giray to the point where the two rivers come closest, but the canal could not be dug. The army went south and besieged the Russian-held fortress of Astrakhan, but as winter approached first the khan's troops and then the Ottoman army broke up and returned to Azov with heavy losses. According to the TDV, Devlet Giray backed the campaign half-heartedly, fearing that Astrakhan would come under direct Ottoman rule. The canal project of Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who directed the campaign from the capital, was never realised.
| Date | 1569 |
|---|---|
| Location | Between the Don and the Volga, and Astrakhan |
| Result | The canal was not dug and the siege of Astrakhan was raised; the army returned to Azov with heavy losses |
| Belligerents | Ottoman Empire | Tsardom of Russia |
|---|---|---|
| Commanders | Kasım Pasha Devlet Giray | Ivan IV |
Took place during the reign of Selim II (1566–1574). Selim II
The atlas records this territorial change for the year:
By the atlas's calculation the Ottoman lands covered about 5,287,000 km² in 1569; at the start of Selim II's reign they measured 5,124,000 km², at its end 5,296,000 km².
During Selim II (1566–1574) the atlas records 3 regions gained and 0 regions lost.
Regions gained: Cyclades (Naxos) (1566), Tunis (1569), Cyprus (1571).
The first sultan not to lead campaigns; he left government to his grand vizier. Cyprus was won and a heavy naval loss at Lepanto was quickly made good — counted as proof of the empire's institutional strength.
Areas are land area computed from the atlas's region data; see Method and sources.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “KIRIM” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.
Cite as: Atlas of the Sultans, “Astrakhan Expedition (1569): Date, Commanders and Outcome”, https://padisahlaratlasi.com/en/events/astrakhan-expedition-1569/ (last updated 12 November 2026). Corrections