Peoples living on the territory of Crimea. History of Crimea

Crimea is unique historical and cultural reserve, striking in its antiquity and diversity.

Its numerous cultural monuments reflect historical events, culture and religion of different eras and different peoples. The history of Crimea is an interweaving of East and West, the history of the Greeks and the Golden Horde, the churches of the first Christians and mosques. Here, for many centuries, different peoples lived, fought, made peace and traded, cities were built and destroyed, civilizations arose and disappeared. It seems that the very air here is filled with legends about the lives of the Olympian gods, Amazons, Cimmerians, Taurians, Greeks...

50-40 thousand years ago - the appearance and residence on the territory of the peninsula of a man of the Cro-Magnon type - the ancestor of modern man. Scientists have discovered three sites of this period: Syuren, near the village of Tankovoe, Kachinsky canopy near the village of Predushchelnoye in the Bakhchisarai region, Adzhi-Koba on the slope of Karabi-Yayla.

If before the first millennium BC. e. While historical data allows us to talk only about different periods of human development, later it becomes possible to talk about specific tribes and cultures of Crimea.

In the 5th century BC, the ancient Greek historian Herodotus visited the Northern Black Sea region and described in his works the lands and peoples living on them. It is believed that one of the first peoples who lived in the steppe part of Crimea in the 15th-7th centuries BC. there were Cimmerians. These warlike tribes left Crimea in IV - III centuries BC due to the no less aggressive Scythians and were lost in the vast expanses of the Asian steppes. Perhaps only ancient toponyms remind us of the Cimmerians: Cimmerian Walls, Cimmerian Bosporus, Cimmeric...

They lived in the mountainous and foothill regions of the peninsula. Ancient authors described the Tauri as cruel, bloodthirsty people. Skilled sailors, they engaged in piracy, robbing ships sailing along the coast. Captives were sacrificed to the goddess Virgo (the Greeks associated her with Artemis), throwing them into the sea from a high cliff where the temple was located. However, modern scientists have established that the Tauri led a pastoral and agricultural lifestyle, were engaged in hunting, fishing, and collecting shellfish. They lived in caves or huts, and in case of an enemy attack they built fortified shelters. Archaeologists have discovered Taurus fortifications on the mountains Uch-Bash, Koshka, Ayu-Dag, Kastel, on Cape Ai-Todor, as well as numerous burials in the so-called stone boxes - dolmens. They consisted of four flat slabs placed on edge, the fifth covering the dolmen from above.

The myth about the evil sea robbers Taurus has already been debunked, and today they are trying to find the place where the temple of the cruel goddess of the Virgin stood, where bloody sacrifices were performed.

In the 7th century BC. e. Scythian tribes appeared in the steppe part of the peninsula. Under pressure from the Sarmatians in the 4th century BC. e. The Scythians concentrate in the Crimea and the lower Dnieper. Here, at the turn of the IV-III centuries BC. e. A Scythian state is formed with the capital Naples of Scythia (on the territory of modern Simferopol).

In the 7th century BC, Greek colonization of the Northern Black Sea region and Crimea began. In Crimea, in places convenient for navigation and living, the Greek “polises” arose: the city-state of Tauric Chersonesus (on the outskirts of modern Sevastopol), Feodosia and Panticapaeum-Bosporus (modern Kerch), Nymphaeum, Myrmekiy, Tiritaka.

The emergence of Greek colonies in the Northern Black Sea region strengthened trade, cultural and political ties between the Greeks and the local population; local farmers learned new forms of cultivation, growing grapes and olives. Greek culture had a huge influence on the spiritual world of the Tauri, Scythians, Sarmatians and other tribes. But the relationship between different peoples was not easy. Peaceful periods gave way to hostile ones, wars often broke out, which is why Greek cities were protected by strong walls.

In the 4th century. BC e. Several settlements were founded on the western coast of Crimea. The largest of them are Kerkinitida (Evpatoria) and Kalos-Limen (Black Sea). In the last quarter of the 5th century BC. e. people from Greek city Heraclea founded the city of Chersonesos. Now this is the territory of Sevastopol. By the beginning of the 3rd century. BC e. Chersonesos became a city-state independent from the Greek metropolis. It becomes one of the largest policies in the Northern Black Sea region. Chersonesos in its heyday - a large port city, surrounded by powerful walls, trade, craft and Cultural Center the entire southwestern coast of Crimea.

Around 480 BC e. The Bosporan Kingdom was formed from the unification of initially independent Greek cities. Panticapaeum became the capital of the kingdom. Later, Theodosia was annexed to the kingdom.

In the 4th century BC, the Scythian tribes united under the rule of King Atey into a strong state that occupied a vast territory from the Southern Bug and the Dniester to the Don. Already at the end of the 4th century. and especially from the first half of the 3rd century. BC e. The Scythians and, probably, the Tauri, under their influence, exert strong military pressure on the "polises". In the 3rd century BC, Scythian fortifications, villages and cities appeared in the Crimea. The capital of the Scythian state - Naples - was built on the southeastern outskirts of modern Simferopol.

In the last decade of the 2nd century. BC e. Chersonesos, in a critical situation when Scythian troops besieged the city, turned to the Pontic Kingdom (located on the southern shore of the Black Sea) for help. Ponta's troops arrived in Chersonesos and lifted the siege. At the same time, Pontus' troops took Panticapaeum and Feodosia by storm. After this, both Bosporus and Chersonesus were included in the Pontic kingdom.

From approximately the middle of the 1st to the beginning of the 4th century AD, the sphere of interests of the Roman Empire included the entire Black Sea region and Taurica as well. Chersonesus became a stronghold of the Romans in Taurica. In the 1st century, Roman legionaries built the Charax fortress on Cape Ai-Todor, laid roads connecting it with Chersonesos, where the garrison was located, and a Roman squadron was stationed in the Chersonesos harbor. In 370, hordes of Huns fell on the lands of Tauris. Under their blows, the Scythian state and the Bosporan kingdom perished; Naples, Panticapaeum, Chersonesos and many cities and villages lay in ruins. And the Huns rushed further to Europe, where they caused the death of the great Roman Empire.

In the 4th century, after the division of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern (Byzantine), the latter’s sphere of interests also included the southern part of Taurica. Chersonesus (it became known as Kherson) became the main base of the Byzantines on the peninsula.

Christianity came to Crimea from the Byzantine Empire. According to church tradition, Andrew the First-Called was the first to bring the good news to the peninsula; the third bishop of Rome, Saint Clement, who was exiled to Chersonesos in 94, carried out great preaching activities. 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 the Crimea. Here in the mountains they founded cave temples and monasteries: Uspensky, Kachi-Kalyon, Shuldan, Chelter and others.

At the end of the 6th century, a new wave of conquerors appeared in Crimea - these were the Khazars, whose descendants were considered to be the Karaites. They occupied the entire peninsula, with the exception of Cherson (as Chersonesos is called in Byzantine documents). From this time on, the city began to play a significant role in the history of the empire. In 705, Kherson separated from Byzantium and recognized the Khazar protectorate. To which Byzantium sent a punitive fleet with a landing party in 710. The fall of Kherson was accompanied by unprecedented cruelty, but before the troops had time to leave the city, it rose again. Having united with the punitive troops that had betrayed Byzantium and the allies of the Khazars, the troops of Cherson entered Constantinople and installed their own emperor.

In the 9th century he actively intervened in the course of Crimean history new power- Slavs. At the same time, the decline of the Khazar power occurred, which was finally defeated in the 60s of the 10th century by the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav Igorevich. In 988-989, the Kiev prince Vladimir took Kherson (Korsun), where he accepted the Christian faith.

During the 13th century, the Golden Horde (Tatar-Mongols) invaded Taurica several times, plundering its cities. Then they began to settle on the territory of the peninsula. In the middle of the 13th century, they captured Solkhat, which became the center of the Crimean yurt of the Golden Horde and was named Kyrym (like the entire peninsula subsequently).

In the 13th century (1270), first the Venetians and then the Genoese penetrated the southern coast. Having ousted their competitors, the Genoese created a number of fortified trading posts on the coast. Their main stronghold in Crimea becomes Kafa (Feodosia), they captured Sudak (Soldaya), as well as Cherchio (Kerch). In the middle of the 14th century, they settled in the immediate vicinity of Kherson - in the Bay of Symbols, founding the Chembalo (Balaklava) fortress there.

During the same period, the Orthodox principality of Theodoro was formed in the mountainous Crimea with its center in Mangup.

In the spring of 1475, a Turkish fleet appeared off the coast of Kafa. The well-fortified city was able to hold out under siege for only three days and surrendered to the mercy of the winner. Having captured coastal fortresses one after another, the Turks put an end to Genoese rule in the Crimea. The Turkish army met worthy resistance at the walls of the capital Theodoro. Having captured the city after a six-month siege, they ravaged it, killing the inhabitants or taking them into slavery. The Crimean Khan became a vassal of the Turkish Sultan.

The Crimean Khanate became the conductor of Turkey's aggressive policy towards the Moscow state. Constant Tatar raids on southern lands Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania and Poland.

Russia, which sought to secure its southern borders and gain access to the Black Sea, fought with Turkey more than once. In the war of 1768-1774. The Turkish army and navy were defeated, and in 1774 the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty was concluded, according to which the Crimean Khanate gained independence. Kerch with the fortress of Yoni-Kale, the fortresses of Azov and Kin-burn in the Crimea passed to Russia, Russian merchant ships could freely sail in the Black Sea.

In 1783, after the Russian-Turkish War (1768-1774), Crimea was annexed to Russian Empire. This contributed to the strengthening of Russia, its southern borders ensured the safety of transport routes on the Black Sea.

The majority of the Muslim population left Crimea, moving to Turkey, the region became depopulated and fell into desolation. In order to revive the peninsula, Prince G. Potemkin, appointed governor of Taurida, began to resettle serfs and retired soldiers from neighboring areas. This is how the new villages of Mazanka, Izyumovka, Chistenkoye appeared on the Crimean land... The works of His Serene Highness were not in vain, the economy of Crimea began to develop rapidly, orchards, vineyards, and tobacco plantations were laid out on the southern coast and in the mountainous part. On the shores of an excellent natural harbor, the city of Sevastopol was founded as a base for the Black Sea Fleet. Near the small town of Ak-Mosque, Simferopol is being built, which became the center of the Tauride province.

In January 1787, Empress Catherine II, accompanied by the Austrian Emperor Joseph I, traveling under the name of Count Fankelstein, ambassadors of the powerful countries of England, France and Austria and a large retinue, went to the Crimea to inspect new lands to demonstrate to her allies the power and greatness of Russia: The Empress stopped at travel palaces built especially for her. During lunch in Inkerman, the curtains on the window were suddenly parted, and the travelers saw Sevastopol under construction, warships greeting the empresses with volleys. The effect was amazing!

In 1854-1855 The main events of the Eastern War (1853-1856), better known as the Crimean War, took place in Crimea. In September 1854, the united armies of England, France and Turkey landed north of Sevastopol and besieged the city. The defense of the city continued for 349 days under the command of Vice Admirals V.A. Kornilov and P.S. Nakhimov. The war destroyed the city to the ground, but also glorified it throughout the world. Russia was defeated. In 1856, a peace treaty was concluded in Paris, prohibiting Russia and Turkey from having military fleets in the Black Sea.

Having been defeated in the Crimean War, Russia experienced an economic crisis. The abolition of serfdom in 1861 allowed industry to develop faster; enterprises engaged in the processing of grain, tobacco, grapes, and fruits appeared in Crimea. At the same time, the resort development of the South Coast began. On the recommendation of doctor Botkin royal family acquires the Livadia estate. From this moment on, palaces, estates, and villas were built along the entire coast, which belonged to members of the Romanov family, court nobility, wealthy industrialists and landowners. In a matter of years, Yalta turned from a village into a famous aristocratic resort.

The construction of railways connecting Sevastopol, Feodosia, Kerch and Evpatoria with Russian cities had a great influence on the development of the region's economy. Crimea also became increasingly important as a resort.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Crimea belonged to the Tauride province; economically, it was an agricultural region with a small number of industrial cities. The main ones were Simferopol and the port cities of Sevastopol, Kerch, Feodosia.

Soviet power won in Crimea later than in the center of Russia. The Bolsheviks' stronghold in Crimea was Sevastopol. On January 28-30, 1918, the Extraordinary Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies of the Tauride Province took place in Sevastopol. Crimea was proclaimed the Soviet Socialist Republic of Taurida. It lasted a little over a month. At the end of April, German troops captured Crimea, and in November 1918 they were replaced by the British and French. In April 1919, the Red Army of the Bolsheviks occupied the entire Crimea, except for the Kerch Peninsula, where the troops of General Denikin fortified themselves. On May 6, 1919, the Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed. In the summer of 1919, Denikin’s army occupied the entire Crimea. However, in the fall of 1920, the Red Army led by M.V. Frunze again restored Soviet power. In the fall of 1921, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed as part of the RSFSR.

Socialist construction began in Crimea. According to the decree signed by Lenin “On the use of Crimea for the treatment of workers,” all palaces, villas, and dachas were given over to sanatoriums where workers and collective farmers from all the union republics rested and were treated. Crimea has turned into an All-Union health resort.

During the Great Patriotic War Crimeans bravely fought the enemy. The second heroic defense of Sevastopol, which lasted 250 days, the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation, the Tierra del Fuego of Eltigen, the feat of underground fighters and partisans became pages of the military chronicle. For the steadfastness and courage of the defenders, two Crimean cities - Sevastopol and Kerch - were awarded the title of hero city.

In February 1945, a conference of the heads of three powers - the USSR, the USA and Great Britain - took place at the Livadia Palace. At the Crimean (Yalta) Conference, decisions were made related to the end of the war with Germany and Japan, and the establishment of a post-war world order.

After the liberation of Crimea from the fascist occupiers in the spring of 1944, the restoration of its economy began: industrial enterprises, sanatoriums, rest homes, agriculture, and the revival of destroyed cities and villages. The expulsion of many peoples became a black page in the history of Crimea. The fate befell the Tatars, Greeks, and Armenians.

On February 19, 1954, a decree was issued on the transfer of the Crimean region to Ukraine. Today, many believe that Khrushchev made a royal gift to Ukraine on behalf of Russia. Nevertheless, the decree was signed by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Voroshilov, and Khrushchev’s signature is not present at all in the documents relating to the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine.

During the period of Soviet power, especially in the 60s - 80s of the last century, there was a noticeable growth in Crimean industry and agriculture, the development of resorts and tourism on the peninsula. Crimea, in fact, was known as an all-Union health resort. Every year, 8-9 million people from all over the vast Union vacationed in Crimea.

1991 - “putsch” in Moscow and the arrest of M. Gorbachev at his dacha in Foros. Camber Soviet Union, Crimea becomes an Autonomous Republic within Ukraine, and Greater Yalta becomes the summer political capital of Ukraine and the countries of the Black Sea region.

Crimea was like a long-awaited reward for those who, moving from the depths of Russia, managed to overcome the steppes scorched by the heat. Steppes, mountains and subtropics of the South Coast - such natural conditions are not found anywhere else in Russia. However, in the world too...

The ethnic history of Crimea is also unusual and unique. Crimea was inhabited by primitive people thousands of years ago, and throughout its history it has constantly received new settlers. But since on this small peninsula there are mountains that more or less could protect the inhabitants of Crimea, and there is also a sea from which new settlers, goods and ideas could arrive, and coastal cities could also provide protection to the Crimeans, it is not surprising that Some historical ethnic groups were able to survive here. Mixings of peoples have always taken place here, and it is no coincidence that historians talk about the “Tavro-Scythians” and “Goto-Alans” living here.

In 1783, Crimea (along with a small territory outside the peninsula) became part of Russia. By this time, there were 1,474 settlements in Crimea, most of them very small. Moreover, most Crimean settlements were multinational. But since 1783, the ethnic history of Crimea has changed radically.

Crimean Greeks

The first Greek settlers arrived on the land of Crimea 27 centuries ago. And it was in Crimea that the small Greek ethnic group, the only one of all Greek ethnic groups outside Greece, managed to survive. Actually, two Greek ethnic groups lived in Crimea - the Crimean Greeks and the descendants of the “real” Greeks from Greece who moved to Crimea at the end of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Of course, the Crimean Greeks, in addition to the descendants of ancient colonists, absorbed many ethnic elements. Under the influence and charm of Greek culture, many Tauris became Hellenized. Thus, the tombstone of a certain Tikhon, originally from Taurus, dating back to the 5th century BC, has been preserved. Many Scythians also Hellenized. In particular, some royal dynasties in the Bosporan kingdom were clearly of Scythian origin. The Goths and Alans experienced the strongest cultural influence of the Greeks.

Already from the 1st century, Christianity began to spread in Taurida, finding many adherents. Christianity was adopted not only by the Greeks, but also by the descendants of the Scythians, Goths and Alans. Already in 325, at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, Cadmus, bishop of Bosporus, and Theophilus, bishop of Gothia, were present. In the future, it was Orthodox Christianity that would unite the diverse population of Crimea into a single ethnic group.

The Byzantine Greeks and the Orthodox Greek-speaking population of Crimea called themselves “Romeans” (literally Romans), emphasizing their belonging to the official religion of the Byzantine Empire. As you know, the Byzantine Greeks called themselves Romans for several centuries after the fall of Byzantium. Only in the 19th century, under the influence of Western European travelers, did the Greeks in Greece return to the self-name “Hellenes”. Outside Greece, the ethnonym "Romei" (or, in Turkish pronunciation, "Urum") persisted until the twentieth century. In our time, the name “Pontic” (Black Sea) Greeks (or “Ponti”) has been established for all the various Greek ethnic groups in the Crimea and throughout New Russia.

The Goths and Alans who lived in the southwestern part of Crimea, which was called the “country of Dori,” although they retained their languages ​​in everyday life for many centuries, their written language remained Greek. Common religion, similar way of life and culture, distribution Greek language led to the fact that over time the Goths and Alans, as well as the Orthodox descendants of the “Tavro-Scythians,” joined the Crimean Greeks. Of course, this did not happen right away. Back in the 13th century, Bishop Theodore and the Western missionary G. Rubruk met Alans in Crimea. Apparently, only by the 16th century did the Alans finally merge with the Greeks and Tatars.

Around the same time, the Crimean Goths disappeared. Since the 9th century, the Goths ceased to be mentioned in historical documents. However, the Goths still continued to exist as a small Orthodox ethnic group. In 1253, Rubruk, along with the Alans, also met the Goths in Crimea, who lived in fortified castles and whose language was Germanic. Rubruk himself, who was of Flemish origin, could, of course, distinguish Germanic languages ​​from others. The Goths remained faithful to Orthodoxy, as Pope John XXII wrote with regret in 1333.

It is interesting that the first hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Crimea was officially called Metropolitan of Gotha (in Church Slavonic - Gotthean) and Kafaysky (Kafiansky, that is, Feodosia).

It was probably the Hellenized Goths, Alans and other ethnic groups of Crimea that made up the population of the Principality of Theodoro, which existed until 1475. Probably, the Crimean Greeks also included fellow Russians from the former Tmutarakan principality.

However, from the end of the 15th and especially in the 16th century, after the fall of Theodoro, when the Crimean Tatars began to intensively convert their subjects to Islam, the Goths and Alans completely forgot their languages, switching partly to Greek, which was already familiar to them all, and partly to Tatar , which has become the prestigious language of the dominant people.

IN XIII-XV centuries in Rus' the “Surozhans” were well known - merchants from the city of Surozh (now Sudak). They brought special Sourozh goods to Rus' - silk products. It is interesting that even in V. I. Dahl’s “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language” there are concepts that survived until the 19th century, such as “Surovsky” (i.e., Surozh) goods, and “Surozhsky series”. Most of the Surozhan merchants were Greeks, some were Armenians and Italians, who lived under the rule of the Genoese in the cities of the southern coast of Crimea. Many of the Surozhans eventually moved to Moscow. The famous merchant dynasties of Moscow Rus' - the Khovrins, Salarevs, Troparevs, Shikhovs - came from the descendants of the Surozhans. Many of the descendants of the Surozhans became rich and influential people in Moscow. The Khovrin family, whose ancestors came from the Mangup principality, even received boyarhood. The names of villages near Moscow - Khovrino, Salarevo, Sofrino, Troparevo - are associated with the merchant names of the descendants of the Surozhans.

But the Crimean Greeks themselves did not disappear, despite the emigration of Surozhans to Russia, the conversion of some of them to Islam (which turned converts into Tatars), as well as the increasingly increasing eastern influence in the cultural and linguistic spheres. In the Crimean Khanate, the majority of farmers, fishermen, and winegrowers were Greeks.

The Greeks were an oppressed part of the population. Gradually, the Tatar language and oriental customs spread more and more among them. The clothing of the Crimean Greeks differed little from the clothing of Crimeans of any other origin and religion.

Gradually, an ethnic group of “Urums” (that is, “Romans” in Turkic) emerged in Crimea, denoting Turkic-speaking Greeks who retained the Orthodox faith and Greek identity. The Greeks, who retained the local dialect of the Greek language, retained the name “Romei”. They continued to speak 5 dialects of the local Greek language. By the end of the 18th century, Greeks lived in 80 villages in the mountains and on the southern coast, approximately 1/4 of the Greeks lived in the cities of the Khanate. About half of the Greeks spoke the Rat-Tatar language, the rest spoke local dialects that differed both from the language Ancient Hellas, and from the spoken languages ​​of Greece proper.

In 1778, by order of Catherine II, in order to undermine the economy Crimean Khanate Christians living in Crimea - Greeks and Armenians - were evicted from the peninsula to the Azov region. As A.V. Suvorov, who carried out the resettlement, reported, only 18,395 Greeks left Crimea. The settlers founded the city of Mariupol and 18 villages on the shores of the Azov Sea. Some of the evicted Greeks subsequently returned to Crimea, but the majority remained in their new homeland on the northern shore of the Sea of ​​Azov. Scientists usually called them Mariupol Greeks. Now it's Donetsk region Ukraine.

Today there are 77 thousand Crimean Greeks (according to the 2001 Ukrainian census), most of whom live in the Azov region. From among them came many outstanding figures Russian politics, culture and economy. Artist A. Kuindzhi, historian F. A. Hartakhai, scientist K. F. Chelpanov, philosopher and psychologist G. I. Chelpanov, art critic D. V. Ainalov, tractor driver P. N. Angelina, test pilot G. Ya. Bakhchivandzhi , polar explorer I. D. Papanin, politician, mayor of Moscow in 1991-92. G. Kh. Popov - all these are Mariupol (in the past - Crimean) Greeks. Thus, the history of the most ancient ethnic group in Europe continues.

"New" Crimean Greeks

Although a significant part of the Crimean Greeks left the peninsula, in Crimea already in 1774-75. new, “Greek” Greeks from Greece appeared. We are talking about those natives greek islands in the Mediterranean Sea, which during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-74. helped the Russian fleet. After the end of the war, many of them moved to Russia. Of these, Potemkin formed the Balaklava battalion, which guarded the coast from Sevastopol to Feodosia with the center in Balaklava. Already in 1792, new Greek settlers numbered 1.8 thousand people. Soon the number of Greeks began to grow rapidly due to the widespread immigration of Greeks from the Ottoman Empire. Many Greeks settled in Crimea. At the same time, Greeks came from various regions of the Ottoman Empire, speaking different dialects, having their own characteristics of life and culture, differing from each other, and from the Balaklava Greeks, and from the “old” Crimean Greeks.

Balaklava Greeks fought bravely in the wars with the Turks and during the Crimean War. Many Greeks served in the Black Sea Fleet.

In particular, from among the Greek refugees came such outstanding military and political Russian figures as the Russian admirals of the Black Sea Fleet, the Alexiano brothers, the hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-91. Admiral F.P. Lally, General A.I. Bella, who fell in 1812 near Smolensk, General Vlastov, one of the main heroes of the victory of Russian troops on the Berezina River, Count A.D. Kuruta, commander of Russian troops in the Polish war of 1830-31.

In general, the Greeks served diligently, and it is no coincidence that there is an abundance of Greek surnames in the lists of Russian diplomacy, military and naval activities. Many Greeks were mayors, leaders of the nobility, and mayors. The Greeks were engaged in business and were abundantly represented in the business world of the southern provinces.

In 1859, the Balaklava battalion was abolished, and now most Greeks began to engage in peaceful pursuits - viticulture, tobacco growing, and fishing. The Greeks owned shops, hotels, taverns and coffee shops in all corners of Crimea.

After the establishment of Soviet power in Crimea, the Greeks experienced many social and cultural changes. In 1921, 23,868 Greeks lived in Crimea (3.3% of the population). At the same time, 65% of Greeks lived in cities. There were 47.2% of the total number of literate Greeks. In Crimea there were 5 Greek village councils, in which office work was conducted in Greek, there were 25 Greek schools with 1,500 students, and several Greek newspapers and magazines were published. At the end of the 30s, many Greeks became victims of repression.

The language problem of the Greeks was very complex. As already mentioned, some of the “old” Greeks of Crimea spoke the Crimean Tatar language (until the end of the 30s, there was even the term “Greco-Tatars” to designate them). The rest of the Greeks spoke various mutually incomprehensible dialects, far removed from modern literary Greek. It is clear that the Greeks, mainly urban residents, by the end of the 30s. switched to the Russian language, maintaining their ethnic identity.

In 1939, 20.6 thousand Greeks (1.8%) lived in Crimea. The decrease in their numbers is explained mainly by assimilation.

During the Great Patriotic War, many Greeks died at the hands of the Nazis and their accomplices from among the Crimean Tatars. In particular, Tatar punitive forces destroyed the entire population of the Greek village of Laki. By the time of the liberation of Crimea, about 15 thousand Greeks remained there. However, despite the loyalty to the Motherland, which was demonstrated by the vast majority of Crimean Greeks, in May-June 1944 they were deported along with the Tatars and Armenians. A certain number of people of Greek origin, who were considered to be persons of another nationality according to their personal data, remained in Crimea, but it is clear that they tried to get rid of everything Greek.

After the removal of restrictions on the legal status of Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians and members of their families in special settlements, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 27, 1956, the special settlers gained some freedom. But the same decree deprived them of the opportunity to receive back the confiscated property and the right to return to Crimea. All these years the Greeks were deprived of the opportunity to study the Greek language. Education took place in schools in Russian, which led to the loss of the native language among young people. Since 1956, Greeks have gradually returned to Crimea. Most of those who arrived were on native land separated from each other, and lived in separate families throughout Crimea. In 1989, 2,684 Greeks lived in Crimea. The total number of Greeks from Crimea and their descendants in the USSR was 20 thousand people.

In the 90s, the return of Greeks to Crimea continued. In 1994, there were already about 4 thousand of them. Despite their small numbers, Greeks actively participate in the economic, cultural and political life of Crimea, occupying a number of prominent positions in the administration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, great success) entrepreneurial activity.

Crimean Armenians

Another ethnic group has lived in Crimea for more than a millennium - the Armenians. One of the brightest and most original centers of Armenian culture has developed here. Armenians appeared on the peninsula a very long time ago. In any case, back in 711, a certain Armenian Vardan was declared the Byzantine emperor in Crimea. Mass immigration of Armenians to Crimea began in the 11th century, after the Seljuk Turks defeated the Armenian kingdom, which caused a mass exodus of the population. In the XIII-XIV centuries, there were especially many Armenians. Crimea is even called “maritime Armenia” in some Genoese documents. In a number of cities, including the largest city of the peninsula at that time, Kafe (Feodosia), Armenians made up the majority of the population. Hundreds of Armenian churches with schools were built on the peninsula. At the same time, some Crimean Armenians moved to the southern lands of Rus'. In particular, a very large Armenian community has developed in Lviv. In Crimea there are still numerous Armenian churches, monasteries, outbuildings.

Armenians lived throughout Crimea, but until 1475 the majority of Armenians lived in the Genoese colonies. Under pressure from the Catholic Church, some Armenians joined the union. Most Armenians, however, remained faithful to the traditional Armenian Gregorian Church. The religious life of the Armenians was very intense. There were 45 Armenian churches in one cafe. The Armenians were governed by their community elders. The Armenians were judged according to their own laws, according to their own code of justice.

The Armenians were engaged in trade and financial activities, among them there were many skilled artisans and builders. In general, the Armenian community flourished in the 13th-15th centuries.

In 1475, Crimea became dependent on the Ottoman Empire, with the cities of the southern coast, where the majority of Armenians lived, coming under the direct control of the Turks. The conquest of Crimea by the Turks was accompanied by the death of many Armenians and the removal of part of the population into slavery. The Armenian population declined sharply. Only in the 17th century did their numbers begin to increase.

During three centuries of Turkish rule, many Armenians converted to Islam, which led to their assimilation by the Tatars. Among the Armenians who retained the Christian faith, the Tatar language and oriental customs became widespread. Nevertheless, the Crimean Armenians as an ethnic group did not disappear. The vast majority of Armenians (up to 90%) lived in cities, engaged in trade and crafts.

In 1778, the Armenians, together with the Greeks, were evicted to the Azov region, to the lower reaches of the Don. In total, according to the reports of A.V. Suvorov, 12,600 Armenians were evicted. They founded the city of Nakhichevan (now part of Rostov-on-Don), as well as 5 villages. Only 300 Armenians remained in Crimea.

However, many Armenians soon returned to Crimea, and in 1811 they were officially allowed to return to their former place of residence. About a third of Armenians took advantage of this permission. Temples, lands, city blocks were returned to them; Urban national self-governing communities were created in Old Crimea and Karasubazar, and a special Armenian court operated until the 1870s.

The result of these government measures, along with the entrepreneurial spirit characteristic of Armenians, was the prosperity of this Crimean ethnic group. The 19th century in the life of the Crimean Armenians was marked by remarkable achievements, especially in the field of education and culture, associated with the names of the artist I. Aivazovsky, composer A. Spendiarov, artist V. Surenyants, etc. Admiral of the Russian fleet Lazar Serebryakov (Artsatagortsyan) distinguished himself in the military field ), who founded the port city of Novorossiysk in 1838. Crimean Armenians are also represented quite significantly among bankers, ship owners, and entrepreneurs.

The Crimean Armenian population was constantly replenished due to the influx of Armenians from the Ottoman Empire. By the time of the October Revolution, there were 17 thousand Armenians on the peninsula. 70% of them lived in cities.

The years of civil war took a heavy toll on the Armenians. Although some prominent Bolsheviks emerged from the Crimean Armenians (for example, Nikolai Babakhan, Laura Bagaturyants, etc.), who played a large role in the victory of their party, still a significant part of the Armenians of the peninsula belonged, in Bolshevik terminology, to “bourgeois and petty-bourgeois elements” . The war, repressions of all Crimean governments, the famine of 1921, the emigration of Armenians, among whom there were indeed representatives of the bourgeoisie, led to the fact that by the beginning of the 20s the Armenian population had decreased by a third. In 1926, there were 11.5 thousand Armenians in Crimea. By 1939, their number reached 12.9 thousand (1.1%).

In 1944, the Armenians were deported. After 1956, the return to Crimea began. At the end of the twentieth century, there were about 5 thousand Armenians in Crimea. However, the name of the Crimean city of Armyansk will forever remain a monument to the Crimean Armenians.

Karaites

Crimea is the homeland of one of the small ethnic groups - the Karaites. They belong to the Turkic peoples, but differ in their religion. Karaites are Judaists, and they belong to a special branch of Judaism, whose representatives are called Karaites (literally “readers”). The origin of the Karaites is mysterious. The first mention of the Karaites dates back only to 1278, but they lived in Crimea several centuries earlier. The Karaites are probably descendants of the Khazars.

The Turkic origin of the Crimean Karaites has been proven anthropological research. The blood groups of the Karaites and their anthropological appearance are more characteristic of Turkic ethnic groups (for example, the Chuvash) than of Semites. According to anthropologist Academician V.P. Alekseev, who studied in detail the craniology (structure of the skulls) of the Karaites, this ethnic group actually arose from the mixing of the Khazars with the local population of Crimea.

Let us recall that the Khazars ruled Crimea in the 8th-10th centuries. By religion, the Khazars were Jews, without being ethnic Jews. It is quite possible that some Khazars who settled in the mountainous Crimea retained the Jewish faith. True, the only problem with the Khazar theory of the origin of the Karaites is the fundamental fact that the Khazars accepted Orthodox Talmudic Judaism, and the Karaites even have the name of a different direction in Judaism. But the Crimean Khazars, after the fall of Khazaria, could well have moved away from Talmudic Judaism, if only because the Talmudic Jews had not previously recognized the Khazars, like other Jews of non-Jewish origin, as their coreligionists. When the Khazars adopted Judaism, the teachings of the Karaites were just emerging among the Jews in Baghdad. It is clear that those Khazars who retained their faith after the fall of Khazaria could take a direction in religion that emphasized their difference from the Jews. Enmity between the “Talmudists” (that is, the bulk of the Jews) and the “readers” (Karaites) has always been characteristic of the Jews of Crimea. The Crimean Tatars called the Karaites “Jews without sidelocks.”

After the defeat of Khazaria by Svyatoslav in 966, the Karaites maintained independence within the boundaries of the historical territory of Kyrk Yera - a district between the Alma and Kachi rivers and gained their own statehood within a small principality with its capital in the fortified city of Kale (now Chufut-Kale). Here was their prince - sar, or biy, in whose hands was the administrative, civil and military power, and the spiritual head - kagan, or gakhan - of all the Karaites of Crimea (and not just the principality). His competence also included judicial and legal activities. The duality of power, expressed in the presence of both secular and spiritual heads, inherited by the Karaites from the Khazars.

In 1246, the Crimean Karaites partially moved to Galicia, and in 1397-1398, part of the Karaite warriors (383 families) ended up in Lithuania. Since then, in addition to their historical homeland, Karaites have constantly lived in Galicia and Lithuania. In their places of residence, the Karaites enjoyed the kind attitude of the surrounding authorities, preserved their national identity, and had certain benefits and advantages.

At the beginning of the 15th century, Prince Eliazar voluntarily submitted to the Crimean Khan. In gratitude, the khan gave the Karaites autonomy in religious affairs,

The Karaites lived in Crimea, not particularly standing out among local residents. They made up most the population of the cave city of Chufut-Kale, inhabited neighborhoods in Old Crimea, Gezlev (Evpatoria), Cafe (Feodosia).

The annexation of Crimea to Russia became the finest hour for this people. The Karaites were exempt from many taxes, they were allowed to acquire land, which turned out to be very profitable when many lands were empty after the eviction of the Greeks, Armenians and the emigration of many Tatars. Karaites were exempt from conscription, although their voluntary participation in military service was welcomed. Many Karaites actually chose military professions. Quite a few of them distinguished themselves in battles in defense of the Fatherland. Among them, for example, are the heroes of the Russian-Japanese War, Lieutenant M. Tapsachar, General Y. Kefeli. 500 career officers and 200 volunteers of Karaite origin took part in the First World War. Many became Knights of St. George, and a certain Gammal, a brave ordinary soldier, promoted to officer on the battlefield, earned a full set of soldier's St. George's Crosses and at the same time also an officer's St. George's Cross.

The small Karaite people became one of the most educated and wealthy peoples of the Russian Empire. The Karaites almost monopolized the tobacco trade in the country. By 1913, there were 11 millionaires among the Karaites. The Karaites were experiencing a demographic explosion. By 1914, their number reached 16 thousand, of which 8 thousand lived in Crimea (at the end of the 18th century there were about 2 thousand).

Prosperity ended in 1914. Wars and revolution led to the loss of the Karaites' previous economic position. In general, the Karaites as a whole did not accept the revolution. Most of the officers and 18 generals from among the Karaites fought in the White army. Solomon Crimea was the Minister of Finance in the Wrangel government.

As a result of wars, famine, emigration and repression, the number sharply decreased, primarily due to the military and civilian elite. In 1926, 4,213 Karaites remained in Crimea.

More than 600 Karaites took part in the Great Patriotic War, most were awarded military awards, more than half died or went missing. Artilleryman D. Pasha, naval officer E. Efet and many others became famous among the Karaites in the Soviet army. The most famous of the Soviet Karaite military leaders was Colonel General V.Ya. Kolpakchi, participant in the First World War and the Civil War, military adviser in Spain during the war of 1936-39, commander of armies during the Great Patriotic War. It should be noted that Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky (1898-1967), twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Minister of Defense of the USSR in 1957-67, is often considered a Karaite, although his Karaite origin has not been proven.

In other areas the Karaites also gave a large number outstanding people. The famous intelligence officer, diplomat and at the same time writer I. R. Grigulevich, composer S. M. Maikapar, actor S. Tongur, and many others - all these are Karaites.

Mixed marriages, linguistic and cultural assimilation, low birth rates and emigration mean that the number of Karaites is declining. In the Soviet Union, according to the 1979 and 1989 censuses, there were 3,341 and 2,803 Karaites living respectively, including 1,200 and 898 Karaites in Crimea. In the 21st century, there are about 800 Karaites left in Crimea.

Krymchaks

Crimea is also the homeland of another Jewish ethnic group - the Krymchaks. Actually, Krymchaks, like Karaites, are not Jews. At the same time, they profess Talmudic Judaism, like most Jews in the world, their language is close to Crimean Tatar.

Jews appeared in Crimea even BC, as evidenced by Jewish burials, remains of synagogues, and inscriptions in Hebrew. One of these inscriptions dates back to the 1st century BC. In the Middle Ages, Jews lived in the cities of the peninsula, engaging in trade and crafts. Back in the 7th century, the Byzantine Theophanes the Confessor wrote about the large number of Jews living in Phanagoria (on Taman) and other cities on the northern shore of the Black Sea. In 1309, a synagogue was built in Feodosia, which testified to the large number of Crimean Jews.

It should be noted that mainly Crimean Jews came from the descendants of local residents who converted to Judaism, and not from the Jews of Palestine who emigrated here. Documents dating back to the 1st century have reached our time on the emancipation of slaves subject to their conversion to Judaism by their Jewish owners.

Conducted in the 20s. studies of the blood groups of the Krymchaks conducted by V. Zabolotny confirmed that the Krymchaks did not belong to the Semitic peoples. Nevertheless, Jewish religion contributed to the Jewish self-identification of the Crimeans, who considered themselves Jews.

The Turkic language (close to the Crimean Tatar), eastern customs and way of life, which distinguished the Crimean Jews from their fellow tribesmen in Europe, spread among them. Their self-name became the word “Krymchak”, meaning in Turkic a resident of Crimea. By the end of the 18th century, about 800 Jews lived in Crimea.

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the Krymchaks remained a poor and small religious community. Unlike the Karaites, the Krymchaks did not show themselves in any way in commerce and politics. True, their numbers began to increase rapidly due to high natural growth. By 1912 there were 7.5 thousand people. The civil war, accompanied by numerous anti-Jewish massacres carried out by all the changing authorities in Crimea, famine and emigration led to a sharp reduction in the number of Crimeans. In 1926 there were 6 thousand of them.

During the Great Patriotic War, most Crimeans were exterminated by the German occupiers. After the war, no more than 1.5 thousand Crimeans remained in the USSR.

Nowadays, emigration, assimilation (leading to the fact that Crimeans associate themselves more with Jews), emigration to Israel and the USA, and depopulation finally put an end to the fate of this small Crimean ethnic group.

And yet, let us hope that the small ancient ethnic group that gave Russia the poet I. Selvinsky, the partisan commander, Hero of the Soviet Union Ya. I. Chapichev, the great Leningrad engineer M. A. Trevgoda, State Prize laureate, and a number of other prominent scientists, art, politics and economics will not disappear.

Jews

Jews speaking Yiddish were incomparably more numerous in Crimea. Since Crimea was part of the Pale of Settlement, quite a lot of Jews from the right bank of Ukraine began to settle in this fertile land. In 1897, 24.2 thousand Jews lived in Crimea. By the revolution their numbers had doubled. As a result, Jews became one of the largest and most visible ethnic groups on the peninsula.

Despite the reduction in the number of Jews during the civil war, they still remained the third (after Russians and Tatars) ethnic group of Crimea. In 1926 there were 40 thousand (5.5%). By 1939, their number had increased to 65 thousand (6% of the population).

The reason was simple - Crimea in 20-40. was considered not only and so much by Soviet as by world Zionist leaders as a “national home” for Jews around the world. It is no coincidence that the resettlement of Jews to Crimea took on significant proportions. It is significant that while urbanization was taking place throughout Crimea, as well as throughout the country as a whole, the opposite process was taking place among Crimean Jews.

The project for the resettlement of Jews to Crimea and the creation of Jewish autonomy there was developed back in 1923 by the prominent Bolshevik Yu. Larin (Lurie), and in the spring of the following year was approved by the Bolshevik leaders L. D. Trotsky, L. B. Kamenev, N. I. Bukharin . It was planned to resettle 96 thousand Jewish families (about 500 thousand people) to Crimea. However, there were more optimistic figures - 700 thousand by 1936. Larin openly spoke about the need to create a Jewish republic in Crimea.

On December 16, 1924, even a document was signed with such an intriguing title: “On Crimean California” between the “Joint” (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, as the American Jewish organization that represented the United States in the early years of Soviet power was called) and Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR. Under this agreement, the Joint allocated $1.5 million per year to the USSR for the needs of Jewish agricultural communes. The fact that most Jews in Crimea did not engage in agriculture did not matter.

In 1926, the head of the Joint, James N. Rosenberg, came to the USSR; as a result of meetings with the country’s leaders, an agreement was reached on D. Rosenberg’s financing of activities for the resettlement of Jews from Ukraine and Belarus to the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Help was also provided by the French Jewish Society, American society assistance to Jewish colonization in Soviet Russia and other organizations of a similar type. On January 31, 1927, a new agreement was concluded with Agro-Joint (a subsidiary of the Joint itself). According to it, the organization allocated 20 million rubles. To organize the resettlement, the Soviet government allocated 5 million rubles for these purposes.

The planned resettlement of Jews began already in 1924. The reality turned out to be not so optimistic.

Over 10 years, 22 thousand people settled in Crimea. They were provided with 21 thousand hectares of land, 4,534 apartments were built. The Crimean Republican Representative Office of the Committee on the Land Question of Working Jews under the Presidium of the Council of Nationalities of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (KomZet) dealt with the issues of resettlement of Jews. Note that for every Jew there was almost 1 thousand hectares of land. Almost every Jewish family received an apartment. (This is in the context of a housing crisis, which in the resort Crimea was even more acute than in the country as a whole).

Most of the settlers did not cultivate the land and mostly dispersed to cities. By 1933, only 20% of the settlers from 1924 remained on the collective farms of the Freidorf MTS, and 11% on the Larindorf MTS. On some collective farms the turnover rate reached 70%. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, only 17 thousand Jews in Crimea lived in rural areas. The project failed. In 1938, the resettlement of Jews was stopped, and KomZet was dissolved. The Joint branch in the USSR was liquidated by the Decree of the Politburo of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of May 4, 1938.

The massive outflow of immigrants meant that the Jewish population did not grow as significantly as might have been expected. By 1941, 70 thousand Jews lived in Crimea (excluding Krymchaks).

During the Great Patriotic War, more than 100 thousand Crimeans, including many Jews, were evacuated from the peninsula. Those who remained in Crimea had to experience all the features of Hitler's “new order” when the occupiers began the final solution to the Jewish question. And already on April 26, 1942, the peninsula was declared “cleared of Jews.” Almost everyone who did not have time to evacuate died, including most of the Crimeans.

However, the idea of ​​Jewish autonomy not only did not disappear, but also acquired a new breath.

The idea of ​​creating a Jewish Autonomous Republic in Crimea arose again in the late spring of 1943, when the Red Army, having defeated the enemy at Stalingrad and in the North Caucasus, liberated Rostov-on-Don and entered the territory of Ukraine. In 1941, about 5-6 million people fled or were evacuated in a more organized manner from these territories. Among them, more than a million were Jews.

In practical terms, the question of creating a Jewish Crimean autonomy arose in preparation for the propaganda and business trip of two prominent Soviet Jews - the actor S. Mikhoels and the poet I. Fefer - to the USA in the summer of 1943. It was assumed that American Jews would be enthusiastic about the idea and would agree to finance all the costs associated with it. Therefore, the two-person delegation traveling to the United States received permission to discuss this project in Zionist organizations.

Among Jewish circles in the United States, the creation of a Jewish republic in Crimea did indeed seem quite possible. Stalin did not seem to mind. Members of the JAC (Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee) created during the war years, during visits to the United States, spoke openly about the creation of a republic in Crimea, as if it were something a foregone conclusion.

Of course, Stalin had no intention of creating Israel in Crimea. He wanted to make maximum use of the influential Jewish community in the United States for Soviet interests. As I wrote Soviet intelligence officer P. Sudoplatov, head of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD, responsible for special operations, “immediately after the formation of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, Soviet intelligence decided to use the connections of the Jewish intelligentsia to find out the possibility of obtaining additional economic assistance through Zionist circles... For this purpose, Mikhoels and Fefer , our trusted agent, was assigned to probe the reaction of influential Zionist organizations to the creation of a Jewish republic in Crimea. This task of special reconnaissance sounding was successfully completed.”

In January 1944, some Jewish leaders of the USSR drafted a memorandum to Stalin, the text of which was approved by Lozovsky and Mikhoels. The “Note,” in particular, said: “With the goal of normalizing economic growth and the development of Jewish Soviet culture, with the goal of maximizing the mobilization of all the forces of the Jewish population for the benefit of the Soviet Motherland, with the goal of completely equalizing the position of the Jewish masses among fraternal peoples, we consider it timely and appropriate, in order to solve post-war problems, to raise the question of creating a Jewish Soviet socialist republic... It seems to us that one of the most suitable areas would be the territory of Crimea, which best meets the requirements both in terms of capacity for resettlement , and due to the existing successful experience in the development of Jewish national regions there... In the construction of a Jewish Soviet republic, Jewish masses all countries of the world, wherever they are."

Even before the liberation of Crimea, the Joint insisted on the transfer of Crimea to the Jews, the eviction of the Crimean Tatars, the withdrawal of the Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol, and the formation of an INDEPENDENT Jewish state in Crimea. Moreover, the opening of the 2nd front in 1943. the Jewish lobby linked it with Stalin's fulfillment of his debt obligations to the Joint.

The deportation of Tatars and representatives of other Crimean ethnic groups from Crimea led to the desolation of the peninsula. It seemed that there would now be plenty of room for the arriving Jews.

According to the famous Yugoslav figure M. Djilas, when asked about the reasons for the expulsion of half the population from Crimea, Stalin referred to the obligations given to Roosevelt to clear Crimea for Jews, for which the Americans promised a preferential 10 billion loan.

However Crimean project was not implemented. Stalin, having made maximum use of financial assistance from Jewish organizations, did not create Jewish autonomy in Crimea. Moreover, even the return to Crimea of ​​those Jews who were evacuated during the war turned out to be difficult. However, in 1959 there were 26 thousand Jews in Crimea. Subsequently, emigration to Israel led to a significant reduction in the number of Crimean Jews.

Crimean Tatars

Since the time of the Huns and the Khazar Kaganate, Turkic peoples began to penetrate into Crimea, inhabiting only the steppe part of the peninsula. In 1223, the Mongol-Tatars attacked Crimea for the first time. But it was only a raid. In 1239, Crimea was conquered by the Mongols and became part of the Golden Horde. The southern coast of Crimea was under the rule of the Genoese; in the mountainous Crimea there was a small principality of Theodoro and an even smaller principality of the Karaites.

Gradually, a new Turkic ethnic group began to emerge from the mixture of many peoples. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Byzantine historian George Pachymer (1242-1310) wrote: “Over time, the peoples who lived inside those countries mixed with them (Tatars - ed.), I mean: Alans, Zikkhs (Caucasian Circassians who lived on the coast Taman Peninsula - ed.), Goths, Russians and other peoples different from them, learn their customs, along with their customs they acquire language and clothing and become their allies.” The unifying principles for the emerging ethnic group were Islam and the Turkic language. Gradually, the Tatars of Crimea (who, however, did not call themselves Tatars at that time) became very numerous and powerful. It is no coincidence that it was the Horde governor in Crimea, Mamai, who managed to temporarily seize power in the entire Golden Horde. The capital of the Horde governor was the city of Kyrym - “Crimea” (now the city of Old Crimea), built by the Golden Horde in the valley of the Churuk-Su river in the southeast of the Crimean peninsula. In the 14th century, the name of the city of Crimea gradually passed to the entire peninsula. Residents of the peninsula began to call themselves “kyrymly” - Crimeans. The Russians called them Tatars, like all eastern Muslim peoples. The Crimeans began to call themselves Tatars only when they were already part of Russia. But for convenience, we will still call them Crimean Tatars, even when talking about earlier eras.

In 1441, the Tatars of Crimea created their own khanate under the rule of the Girey dynasty.

Initially, the Tatars were inhabitants of the steppe Crimea; the mountains and the southern coast were still inhabited by various Christian peoples, and they outnumbered the Tatars. However, as Islam spread, converts from the indigenous population began to join the ranks of the Tatars. In 1475, the Ottoman Turks defeated the colonies of the Genoese and Theodoro, which led to the subjugation of the entire Crimea to the Muslims.

At the very beginning of the 16th century, Khan Mengli-Girey, having defeated the Great Horde, brought entire uluses of Tatars from the Volga to the Crimea. Their descendants were subsequently called the Yavolga (that is, Trans-Volga) Tatars. Finally, already in the 17th century, many Nogais settled in the steppes near Crimea. All this led to the strongest Turkization of Crimea, including part of the Christian population.

A significant part of the population of the mountains became Tatars, forming a special group of Tatars known as “Tats”. Racially, the Tats belong to the Central European race, that is, they are externally similar to representatives of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe. Also, many residents of the southern coast, descendants of the Greeks, Tauro-Scythians, Italians and other inhabitants of the region, who converted to Islam, gradually joined the ranks of the Tatars. Until the deportation of 1944, the residents of many Tatar villages on the South Bank retained elements of the Christian rituals they inherited from their Greek ancestors. Racially, the South Coast residents belong to the South European (Mediterranean) race and are similar in appearance to the Turks, Greeks, and Italians. They formed a special group of Crimean Tatars - the Yalyboylu. Only the steppe Nogai retained elements of traditional nomadic culture and retained some Mongoloid features in their physical appearance.

The descendants of captives and female captives also joined the Crimean Tatars, mainly from Eastern Slavs remaining on the peninsula. Slaves who became wives of the Tatars, as well as some men from among the captives who converted to Islam and, thanks to their knowledge of some useful crafts, also became Tatars. “Tumas,” as the children of Russian captives born in Crimea were called, made up a very large part of the Crimean Tatar population. The following historical fact is indicative: In 1675, the Zaporozhye ataman Ivan Sirko, during a successful raid into Crimea, freed 7 thousand Russian slaves. However, on the way back, approximately 3 thousand of them asked Sirko to let them go back to Crimea. Most of these slaves were Muslims or Thums. Sirko let them go, but then ordered his Cossacks to catch up and kill them all. This order was carried out. Sirko drove up to the place of the massacre and said: “Forgive us, brothers, but you yourself sleep here until the Last Judgment of God, instead of multiplying in the Crimea, among the infidels, on our brave Christian heads and on your eternal death without forgiveness.”

Of course, despite such ethnic cleansing, the number of Tums and Otatar Slavs in Crimea remained significant.

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, some Tatars left their homeland, moving to the Ottoman Empire. By the beginning of 1785, 43.5 thousand male souls were counted in Crimea. Crimean Tatars made up 84.1% of all residents (39.1 thousand people). Despite the high natural increase, the share of Tatars was constantly decreasing due to the influx of new Russian settlers and foreign colonists to the peninsula. Nevertheless, the Tatars made up the vast majority of the population of Crimea.

After the Crimean War of 1853-56. under the influence of Turkish agitation, a movement for emigration to Turkey began among the Tatars. Military actions devastated Crimea, Tatar peasants did not receive any compensation for their material losses, so additional reasons for emigration appeared.

Already in 1859, the Nogais of the Azov region began leaving for Turkey. In 1860, a mass exodus of Tatars began from the peninsula itself. By 1864, the number of Tatars in Crimea had decreased by 138.8 thousand people. (from 241.7 to 102.9 thousand people). The scale of emigration frightened the provincial authorities. Already in 1862, cancellations of previously issued foreign passports and refusals to issue new ones began. However, the main factor in stopping emigration was the news of what awaited the Tatars in Turkey of the same religion. A lot of Tatars died on the way on overloaded feluccas in the Black Sea. The Turkish authorities simply threw the settlers on the shore without providing them with any food. Up to a third of the Tatars died in the first year of life in a country of the same faith. And now re-emigration to Crimea has already begun. But neither the Turkish authorities, who understood that the return of Muslims from under the rule of the caliph again to the rule of the Russian Tsar would make an extremely unfavorable impression on the Muslims of the world, nor the Russian authorities, who also feared the return of embittered people who had lost everything, were not going to help the return to Crimea.

Smaller scale Tatar exoduses to the Ottoman Empire occurred in 1874-75, in the early 1890s, and in 1902-03. As a result, most of the Crimean Tatars found themselves outside of Crimea.

So the Tatars of their own free will became an ethnic minority in their land. Thanks to high natural growth, their number reached 216 thousand people by 1917, which accounted for 26% of the population of Crimea. In general, during the civil war the Tatars were politically split, fighting in the ranks of all the fighting forces.

The fact that the Tatars made up a little more than a quarter of the population of Crimea did not bother the Bolsheviks. Guided by their national policy, they went to create an autonomous republic. On October 18, 1921, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR issued a decree on the formation of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the RSFSR. On November 7, the 1st All-Crimean Constituent Congress of Soviets in Simferopol proclaimed the formation of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, elected the leadership of the republic and adopted its Constitution.

This republic was not, strictly speaking, purely national. Note that it was not called Tatar. But the “indigenization of personnel” was consistently carried out here too. Most of the leading personnel were also Tatars. The Tatar language was, along with Russian, the language of office work and school education. In 1936, there were 386 Tatar schools in Crimea.

During the Great Patriotic War, the fate of the Crimean Tatars developed dramatically. Some Tatars fought honestly in the ranks of the Soviet army. Among them were 4 generals, 85 colonels and several hundred officers. 2 Crimean Tatars became full holders of the Order of Glory, 5 - Heroes of the Soviet Union, pilot Amet Khan Sultan - twice a Hero.

In their native Crimea, some Tatars fought in partisan detachments. Thus, as of January 15, 1944, there were 3,733 partisans in Crimea, of which 1,944 were Russians, 348 Ukrainians, 598 Crimean Tatars. In retaliation for the actions of the partisans, the Nazis burned 134 settlements in the foothills and mountainous areas of Crimea, 132 of which were predominantly Crimean Tatar.

However, you can’t erase the words from the song. During the occupation of Crimea, many Tatars found themselves on the side of the Nazis. 20 thousand Tatars (that is, 1/10 of the entire Tatar population) served in the ranks of volunteer formations. They were involved in the fight against partisans, and were especially active in the reprisals against civilians.

In May 1944, literally immediately after the liberation of Crimea, the Crimean Tatars were deported. The total number of deportees was 191 thousand people. Family members of Soviet army fighters, participants in the underground and partisan struggle, as well as Tatar women who married representatives of another nationality were exempt from deportation.

Beginning in 1989, the Tatars began returning to Crimea. The repatriation was actively promoted by the Ukrainian authorities, hoping that the Tatars would weaken Russian movement for the annexation of Crimea to Russia. In part, these expectations of the Ukrainian authorities were confirmed. In the elections to the Ukrainian parliament, Tatars en masse voted for Rukh and other independent parties.

In 2001, Tatars already made up 12% of the peninsula's population - 243,433 people.

Other ethnic groups of Crimea

Since its annexation to Russia, representatives of several small ethnic groups have also lived on the peninsula, who also became Crimeans. We are talking about Crimean Bulgarians, Poles, Germans, Czechs. Living far from your main home ethnic territory, these Crimeans became independent ethnic groups.

Bulgarians appeared in Crimea at the end of the 18th century, immediately after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia. The first Bulgarian settlement in Crimea appeared in 1801. The Russian authorities appreciated the hard work of the Bulgarians, as well as their ability to farm in subtropical conditions. Therefore, Bulgarian settlers received from the treasury a daily allowance of 10 kopecks per capita; each Bulgarian family was allocated up to 60 acres of state land. Each Bulgarian immigrant was given benefits in taxes and other financial obligations for 10 years. After their expiration, they were largely maintained for the next 10 years: the Bulgarians were subject to only a tax of 15-20 kopecks per tithe. Only after twenty years had passed after their arrival in Crimea, immigrants from Turkey were equalized in taxation with the Tatars, immigrants from Ukraine and Russia.

The second wave of resettlement of Bulgarians to Crimea occurred during the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829. About 1000 people arrived. Finally, in the 60s. In the 19th century, the third wave of Bulgarian settlers arrived in Crimea. In 1897, 7,528 Bulgarians lived in Crimea. It should be noted that the religious and linguistic closeness of the Bulgarians and Russians led to the assimilation of part of the Crimean Bulgarians.

Wars and revolutions had a hard impact on the Bulgarians of Crimea. Their numbers grew rather slowly due to assimilation. In 1939, 17.9 thousand Bulgarians lived in Crimea (or 1.4% of the total population of the peninsula).

In 1944, the Bulgarians were deported from the peninsula, although, unlike the Crimean Tatars, there was no evidence of Bulgarian cooperation with the German occupiers. Nevertheless, the entire Crimean-Bulgarian ethnic group was deported. After rehabilitation, the slow process of repatriation of Bulgarians to Crimea began. At the beginning of the 21st century, slightly more than 2 thousand Bulgarians lived in Crimea.

Czechs appeared in Crimea a century and a half ago. In the 60s of the 19th century, 4 Czech colonies appeared. The Czechs had a high level of education, which paradoxically contributed to their rapid assimilation. In 1930, there were 1,400 Czechs and Slovaks in Crimea. At the beginning of the 21st century, only 1 thousand people of Czech origin lived on the peninsula.

Another Slavic ethnic group of Crimea is represented Poles. The first settlers were able to arrive in Crimea already in 1798, although the mass migration of Poles to Crimea began only in the 60s of the 19th century. It should be noted that since the Poles did not inspire confidence, especially after the uprising of 1863, they were not only not given any benefits like colonists of other nationalities, but were even forbidden to settle in separate settlements. As a result, “purely” Polish villages did not arise in Crimea, and the Poles lived together with the Russians. In all large villages, along with the church, there was also a church. There were also churches in all major cities - Yalta, Feodosia, Simferopol, Sevastopol. As religion lost its former influence on ordinary Poles, the Polish population of Crimea rapidly assimilated. At the end of the 20th century, about 7 thousand Poles (0.3% of the population) lived in Crimea.

Germans appeared in Crimea already in 1787. Since 1805, German colonies began to emerge on the peninsula with their own internal self-government, schools and churches. The Germans came from a wide variety of German lands, as well as from Switzerland, Austria and Alsace. In 1865, there were already 45 settlements with a German population in Crimea.

The benefits provided to the colonists, the favorable natural conditions of Crimea, and the hard work and organization of the Germans led the colonies to rapid economic prosperity. In turn, news of the economic successes of the colonies contributed to the further influx of Germans to Crimea. The colonists were characterized by a high birth rate, so the German population of Crimea grew rapidly. According to the first All-Russian census of 1897, 31,590 Germans lived in Crimea (5.8% of the total population), of which 30,027 were rural residents.

Among the Germans, almost everyone was literate, and the standard of living was significantly above average. These circumstances were reflected in the behavior of the Crimean Germans during the Civil War.

Most of the Germans tried to be “above the fray” without participating in civil strife. But some Germans fought for Soviet power. In 1918, the First Yekaterinoslav Communist Cavalry Regiment was formed, which fought against the German occupiers in Ukraine and Crimea. In 1919, the First German Cavalry Regiment as part of Budyonny's army led an armed struggle in the south of Ukraine against Wrangel and Makhno. Some Germans fought on the side of the whites. Thus, the German Jaeger Rifle Brigade fought in Denikin’s army. A special regiment of Mennonites fought in Wrangel's army.

In November 1920, Soviet power was finally established in Crimea. The Germans who recognized it continued to live in their colonies and their farms, practically without changing their way of life: the farms were still strong; children went to their own schools with teaching in German; all issues were resolved jointly within the colonies. Two German districts were officially formed on the peninsula - Biyuk-Onlarsky (now Oktyabrsky) and Telmanovsky (now Krasnogvardeysky). Although many Germans lived in other places in Crimea. 6% of the German population produced 20% of the gross income from all agricultural products of the Crimean ASSR. Demonstrating complete loyalty to the Soviet government, the Germans tried to “stay out of politics.” It is significant that during the 20s, only 10 Crimean Germans joined the Bolshevik Party.

The standard of living of the German population continued to be much higher than in other national groups, so the outbreak of collectivization, followed by mass dispossession, affected primarily German farms. Despite losses in the Civil War, repression and emigration, the German population of Crimea continued to increase. In 1921, there were 42,547 Crimean Germans. (5.9% of the total population), in 1926 - 43,631 people. (6.1%), 1939 - 51,299 people. (4.5%), 1941 - 53,000 people. (4.7%).

The Great Patriotic War became the greatest tragedy for the Crimean-German ethnic group. In August-September 1941, more than 61 thousand people were deported (including approximately 11 thousand people of other nationalities associated with the Germans family ties). The final rehabilitation of all Soviet Germans, including Crimean ones, followed only in 1972. From that time on, the Germans began to return to Crimea. In 1989, 2,356 Germans lived in Crimea. Alas, some of the deported Crimean Germans emigrate to Germany, and not to their peninsula.

East Slavs

The majority of the inhabitants of Crimea are Eastern Slavs (we will call them that politically correctly, taking into account the Ukrainian identity of some Russians in Crimea).

As already mentioned, the Slavs have lived in Crimea since ancient times. IN X-XIII centuries in the eastern part of Crimea there was the Tmutarakan principality. And during the era of the Crimean Khanate, some captives from Great and Little Rus', monks, merchants, and diplomats from Russia were constantly on the peninsula. Thus, the Eastern Slavs were part of the permanent indigenous population of Crimea for centuries.

In 1771, when Crimea was occupied by Russian troops, about 9 thousand Russian freed slaves were freed. Most of them remained in Crimea, but as personally free Russian subjects.

With the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 1783, the settlement of the peninsula by settlers from all over the Russian Empire began. Literally immediately after the 1783 manifesto on the annexation of Crimea, by order of G. A. Potemkin, soldiers of the Ekaterinoslav and Phanagorian regiments were left to live in Crimea. Married soldiers were given leave at government expense so that they could take their families to Crimea. In addition, girls and widows were summoned from all over Russia who agreed to marry soldiers and move to Crimea.

Many nobles who received estates in Crimea began to transfer their serfs to Crimea. State peasants also moved to the state-owned lands of the peninsula.

Already in 1783-84, in the Simferopol district alone, settlers formed 8 new villages and, in addition, settled together with the Tatars in three villages. In total, by the beginning of 1785, 1,021 males from among the Russian settlers were counted here. New Russian-Turkish war 1787-91 somewhat slowed down the influx of immigrants to Crimea, but did not stop it. During 1785 - 1793, the number of registered Russian settlers reached 12.6 thousand male souls. In general, Russians (together with Little Russians) already made up approximately 5% of the peninsula’s population over the several years that Crimea was part of Russia. In fact, there were even more Russians, since many fugitive serfs, deserters and Old Believers sought to avoid any contact with representatives of the official authorities. Freed former slaves were not counted. In addition, tens of thousands of military personnel are constantly stationed in the strategically important Crimea.

The constant migration of Eastern Slavs to Crimea continued throughout the 19th century. After the Crimean War and the mass emigration of Tatars to the Ottoman Empire, which led to the emergence of a large amount of “no man’s” fertile land, new thousands of Russian settlers arrived in Crimea.

Gradually, the local Russian residents began to develop special features of their economy and way of life, caused both by the peculiarities of the geography of the peninsula and its multinational character. In a statistical report on the population of the Tauride province for 1851, it was noted that Russians (Great Russians and Little Russians) and Tatars wear clothes and shoes, differing little from each other. The utensils used are both clay, made at home, and copper, made by Tatar craftsmen. The usual Russian carts were soon replaced by Tatar carts upon arrival in Crimea.

Since the second half of the 19th century, the main wealth of Crimea - its nature - has made the peninsula a center of recreation and tourism. Palaces of the imperial family and influential nobles began to appear on the coast, and thousands of tourists began to arrive for rest and treatment. Many Russians began to strive to settle in the fertile Crimea. So the influx of Russians into Crimea continued. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russians became the predominant ethnic group in Crimea. Considering the high degree of Russification of many Crimean ethnic groups, the Russian language and culture (which had largely lost their local characteristics) absolutely prevailed in Crimea.

After the revolution and the Civil War, Crimea, which turned into an “all-Union health resort,” continued to attract Russians. However, Little Russians, who were considered a special people - Ukrainians, also began to arrive. Their share of the population in the 20-30s increased from 8% to 14%.

In 1954 N.S. Khrushchev, in a voluntaristic gesture, annexed Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. The result was the Ukrainization of Crimean schools and offices. In addition, the number of Crimean Ukrainians has increased sharply. Actually, some of the “real” Ukrainians began to arrive in Crimea back in 1950, according to the government’s “Plans for the resettlement and transfer of the population to the collective farms of the Crimean region.” After 1954, new settlers from Western countries began to arrive in Crimea. Ukrainian regions. For the move, the settlers were given entire carriages, which could accommodate all their property (furniture, utensils, decorations, clothing, multi-meter canvases of homespun), livestock, poultry, apiaries, etc. Numerous Ukrainian officials arrived in Crimea, which had the status of an ordinary region within the Ukrainian SSR. . Finally, since it became prestigious to be Ukrainian, some Crimeans also turned into Ukrainians by passport.

In 1989, 2,430,500 people lived in Crimea (67.1% Russians, 25.8% Ukrainians, 1.6% Crimean Tatars, 0.7% Jews, 0.3% Poles, 0.1% Greeks).

The collapse of the USSR and the declaration of independence of Ukraine caused economic and demographic catastrophe in Crimea. In 2001, Crimea had a population of 2,024,056. But in fact, the demographic catastrophe of Crimea is even worse, since the population decline was partially compensated by the Tatars returning to Crimea.

In general, at the beginning of the 21st century, Crimea, despite its centuries-old multi-ethnicity, remains predominantly Russian in population. During its two decades as part of independent Ukraine, Crimea has repeatedly demonstrated its Russianness. Over the years, the number of Ukrainians and returning Crimean Tatars in Crimea has increased, thanks to which official Kyiv was able to gain a certain number of its supporters, but, nevertheless, the existence of Crimea within Ukraine seems problematic.

Crimean SSR (1921-1945). Questions and answers. Simferopol, "Tavria", 1990, p. 20

Sudoplatov P. A. Intelligence and the Kremlin. M., 1996, pp. 339-340

From the secret archives of the CPSU Central Committee. Tasty peninsula. Note about Crimea / Comments by Sergei Kozlov and Gennady Kostyrchenko // Rodina. - 1991.-№11-12. - pp. 16-17

From the Cimmerians to the Crimeans. The peoples of Crimea from ancient times to the end of the 18th century. Simferopol, 2007, p. 232

Shirokorad A. B. Russian-Turkish wars. Minsk, Harvest, 2000, p. 55

Crimea is one of the amazing corners of the Earth. Due to its geographical location it was located at the junction of the habitats of different peoples, standing on the path of their historical movements. The interests of many countries and entire civilizations collided in such a small territory. The Crimean Peninsula has more than once become the scene of bloody wars and battles, and was part of several states and empires.

Diverse natural conditions attracted peoples of various cultures and traditions to the Crimea. For nomads there were vast pastures, for cultivators - fertile lands, for hunters - forests with a lot of game, for sailors - convenient bays and bays, a lot of fish. Therefore, many peoples settled here, becoming part of the Crimean ethnic conglomerate and participants in all historical events on the peninsula. In the neighborhood there lived people whose traditions, customs, religions, and way of life were different. This led to misunderstandings and even bloody clashes. Civil strife stopped when there was an understanding that it was possible to live and prosper well only in peace, harmony and mutual respect.

Participants in the conference: Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich

On March 16, a referendum on the status of autonomy was held in Crimea. Thanks to 96.77% of the votes, he, along with Sevastopol, became a subject Russian Federation. History of the peninsula with its historical monuments And architectural masterpieces contains a lot of interesting and complex moments. The destinies of many peoples, states and civilizations are intertwined here.

Who owned the peninsula and when? Who fought for it and how? What is Crimea today? We talked about this and much more with the candidate of historical sciences, head of the department of regional history and local history of the Institute of History and Archives of the Russian State University for the Humanities Vladimir Kozlov.

Question: Igor Konstantinovich Ragozin 10:45 02/04/2014

Please tell me what peoples lived in Crimea historically? When did the Russians appear there?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 15:33 11/04/2014

Crimea is by far the most multinational region of Russia. For thousands of years, many peoples lived here, replacing each other. The first people appeared in Crimea about 150 thousand years ago, these were Neanderthals. Archaeologists have discovered ancient sites in the Kiik-Koba cave, Volchye and Chokurcha grottoes. Modern people appeared on the peninsula about 35 thousand years ago. Thanks to the Greeks we know about some ancient peoples Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region - the Cimmerians (X-VII centuries BC), their neighbors the Taurus (X-I centuries BC), the Scythians (VII - III centuries AD) Crimea - one from centers ancient Greek civilization, here in the 6th century. BC. appeared Greek colonies- Chersonesos, Paitikapei, Kerkinitida, etc. In the 1st century. BC. - III century AD Roman troops were also present in Crimea, conquering the Bosporus and fortifying themselves in other places on the peninsula. From the beginning of our era, various tribes began to invade Crimea and sometimes stay for a long time: Iranian-speaking Sarmatians (1st - 4th centuries AD), Germanic tribes of the Goths (from the 3rd century AD) Simultaneously with the Goths, they entered Crimea from the northern Caucasus Alan tribes migrate. The appearance of different tribes and peoples in Crimea was, as a rule, accompanied by conquest, and sometimes by the destruction or assimilation of other peoples. In the 4th century. AD part of the warlike nomadic tribes of the Huns invaded Crimea. Crimea existed from the 5th to the 15th centuries. part of the Byzantine civilization. The multinational state of Byzantium, which was based on the Greeks, acted as the heir to the Roman Empire in Crimea. In the 7th century AD Most of the Byzantine possessions in Crimea were captured by the nomadic Turkic Khazars (destroyed in the 10th century by the Slavs). In the 9th century. AD Turkic tribes of the Pechenegs appeared in Crimea, who in the 11th century. AD replaced by new nomads - the Polovtsians (Cumans). From the 13th century Crimea, which had largely become Christian, was invaded by nomads - the Mongol-Tatars, who eventually, having separated from the Golden Horde, created in the 15th century. his state - the Crimean Khanate, which quickly lost its independence and became a vassal of the Turkish Empire until the end of its history (1770s). The most important contribution to the history of Crimea was made by the Armenians (on the peninsula from the 13th century) and the Genoese (in the Crimea in the 13th - 15th centuries). Since the 15th century In Crimea, Turks appear on the southern coast - residents of the Turkish Empire. One of the ancient peoples of Crimea were the Karaites - Turks by origin, who appeared here earlier than the Mongol-Tatars. The multiethnic character of the population of Crimea reflected its history of settlement. The Slavs appeared in Crimea a long time ago: from the 10th century. famous hikes Kyiv princes to Byzantium, the baptism of St. Vladimir in Chersonesus, in this and other cities of Crimea there were Russian merchant colonies that existed in the 10th - 11th centuries. Principality of Tmutarakan. Russians as slaves were a constant element in the Middle Ages. Russians are constantly present in significant numbers in Crimea (from 1771 to 1783 - as the Russian army), and from 1783 the settlement of Crimea began by subjects of the Russian Empire, as well as by invited Germans, Bulgarians, Poles, etc.

Question: Ivanov DG 10:55 02/04/2014

What was the era of the Crimean Khanate like? Is it possible to talk about it as an independent state with own culture, or is this just a fragment of the Golden Horde, transformed into part of the Ottoman Empire?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 09:41 11/04/2014

The Crimean Khanate existed from 1443 to 1783. It was formed on the basis of the Crimean ulus, which broke away from the Golden Horde. However, the truly independent period of the Crimean Khanate did not last long - until the invasion of the troops of the Turkish Sultan in 1475, which captured Caffa, the principality of Theodoro (Mangup). A few years after this, the Crimean Khanate became a vassal of Turkey, the Crimean khans were appointed by the Sultan from the Gerai clan, the Crimean Khan did not have the right to start a war and make peace. Part of the peninsula became part of Turkey. The Crimean Khanate became formally sovereign in 1772, when, as a result of an agreement between Russia and the Crimean Khan, Crimea was declared independent from Turkey under the auspices of Russia. According to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty in 1774, Türkiye recognized the independence of Crimea. In February 1783, the last Crimean khan, Shagin-Girey, abdicated the throne and placed himself under the patronage of Catherine II. On April 8, Catherine II announced a Manifesto on the acceptance of the Crimean Peninsula into the Russian Empire.

Question: Sergey Sergeich 11:48 02/04/2014

Is there historical continuity among the various civilizations that inhabited Crimea? Is it possible to say that Chersonesus, Tatar Crimea and Russian Crimea are links in one process or we're talking about about eras isolated from each other?

Question: Irina Tuchkova 12:19 02/04/2014

Will it happen that Crimea will become eternal? pain point in relations between Ukraine and Russia? Will Ukraine be able to come to terms with his loss? (Now in the Ukrainian media we are talking exclusively about the occupation and the need to “liberate” the peninsula)

Question: Pavel Lvov 13:27 02/04/2014

Will Ukraine return Crimea? Are there any prerequisites for this? How will Russia behave if international courts oblige the Russian Federation to withdraw troops from Crimea and return it to Ukraine? Will the residents of Crimea, faced with Russian realities, want to go back? Is a reverse referendum possible? What is the likelihood of an armed confrontation with Ukraine?

Question: Ivan A 14:00 02/04/2014

Crimean Tatars claim their “historical right” to Crimea. Are there any people about whom we can say that they “created Crimea”?

Answers:

Each of the peoples who lived on the peninsula (including those that disappeared) made their contribution to the history of Crimea. It can be argued that today there is no people who “created” Crimea, or have been “indigenous” since its appearance as a people on the territory of the peninsula. Even the most ancient ones, surviving until today peoples - Greeks, Armenians, Karaites, Tatars, etc. were at one time newcomers to the peninsula. Crimea has almost never been the territory of a separate stable independent state. Long time its territory was part of the empires - Byzantine, Turkish and Russian.

Question: Otto 15:45 02/04/2014

Was there a real threat of Crimea being seized from Russia as a result of the Crimean War of 1853-1856?

Question: Vitaly Titov 16:35 02/04/2014

What caused the Crimean War?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 15:34 11/04/2014

The Crimean War (Eastern War 1853-1856) - a war between Russia and the coalition of England, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia and Turkey for dominance in the Middle East. They were the reason for the start of the war. The immediate cause of the war was a dispute over the holy places in Jerusalem. In 1853, Turkey refused the demands of the Russian ambassador to recognize the rights of the Greek (Orthodox) Church regarding holy places; and Emperor Nicholas I ordered Russian troops to occupy the Danube principalities of Moldavia and Volachia, subordinate to Turkey. In October 1853, Turkey declared war on Russia; in February 1854, England and France took the side of Turkey, and in 1855, the Kingdom of Sardinia. According to one of the plans of the allies, Crimea was to be torn away from Russia, but thanks to the decisive operation of the Crimean War - the heroic 349-day defense of Sevastopol, the peninsula with Sevastopol remained with Russia. Russia was prohibited from having a navy, arsenals and fortresses in the Black Sea.

Question: Zizitop 16:54 02/04/2014

Is it true that the Ukrainian history of Crimea began with the site of Neanderthals in the Kiik-Koba cave? In general, is it possible to talk about some kind of “Ukrainian history of Crimea” before 1954?

Question: LARISA A 17:02 02/04/2014

Was it worth returning the CRIMEA at all?

Question: Victor FFadeev 17:07 02/04/2014

In 1954, Crimea was transferred to Ukraine as an internal transfer of territory within one state, i.e., the USSR. This is not some kind of geopolitical operation, but ordinary accounting. And why is there suddenly such a stir now around something that has been put in its place. Question: Ukraine is now wringing its hands over Crimea. What is this, Ukrainian ignorance or their political myopia? (L. Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine, said in his interview that if B. Yeltsin had raised the issue of Crimea with me then, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, I would have returned it without hesitation. But then, apparently, never before that was.)

Question: Shebnem Mammadli 17:25 02/04/2014

what was actually the main reason for the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944? Is the official reason mentioned, the alleged cooperation of the majority of the Crimean Tatar population with the occupiers during the period German occupation Crimea, was so plausible as to unreasonably attribute them to the entire Tatar population of Crimea?

Answers:

Justifying the impending deportation of the Crimean Tatars, L. Beria wrote to Stalin on May 10, 1944: “Taking into account the treacherous actions of the Crimean Tatars against the Soviet people and based on the undesirability of further residence of the Crimean Tatars on the border outskirts of the Soviet Union, the NKVD of the USSR submits for your consideration a draft decision of the State Committee Defense on the eviction of all Tatars from the territory of Crimea...” Since May 18, 1944, over the course of several days, more than 180 thousand Crimean Tatars were evicted from Crimea. The eviction of entire peoples, some of whose representatives collaborated with the occupiers, was quite widely practiced in 1943-1944, when Chechens, Karachais, Ingush, Balkars and others were evicted from their homeland. On April 26, 1991, the Supreme Council of the RSFSR adopted the law “On rehabilitation of repressed peoples."

Question: Gondilov Pavel 17:33 02/04/2014

For whom did the Crimean Tatars fight during the civil war?

Question: Alexander Simonyan 17:51 02/04/2014

What can you say about the contribution of the Armenian people to the history and culture of Crimea?

Answers:

The contribution of Armenians to the history and culture of Crimea is very great. Armenians appeared in Crimea in the 11th-13th centuries. The resettlement came from Constantinople, Sinop, Trebizond. The second wave of resettlement of Armenians to the peninsula occurred in the 14th-15th centuries. Armenians are the oldest Christian people, they brought a high level of crafts to Crimea, they were skilled blacksmiths, builders, stone carvers, jewelers, and traders. Armenians formed a significant stratum in the medieval cities of Kaffa, Karasubazar, and Gezlev. The most ancient monument Armenian culture is the Sudrb-Khach monastery and the city of Old Crimea. Almost all cities of Crimea had Armenian churches and historical necropolises: In Simferopol, Yalta, Old Crimea, Yevpatoria, Belogorsk, Feodosia, etc. The Armenians had a significant influence on the development of Feodosia. The outstanding marine painter I.K. Aivazovsky lived and worked here, who gave the city his home and his creative heritage. Big waves Armenian immigrants from Turkey followed in the 1890s and in 1915 in connection with the genocide unleashed there.

Question: Katerina Deeva 22:42 02/04/2014

Fierce battles and grandiose projects were implemented on the peninsula during the reign of Catherine the Great. What was the role of Grigory Potemkin in the annexation and reconstruction of Crimea. Is the name of Grigory Potemkin-Tauride rightly forgotten?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 15:34 11/04/2014

In modern historiography, the role of the outstanding Russian statesman and military figure G. A. Potemkin (1739 - 1791) in the development of the Black Sea region and the annexation of Crimea to Russia is underestimated. In 1776, he was appointed governor general of the Novorossiysk, Azov and Astrakhan provinces. It was he who was one of the main founders of new cities - Kherson (1778), Nikolaev (1789). Ekaterinoslav (1783), Sevastopol (1783). It was under his leadership that the construction of military and merchant fleets on the Black Sea was carried out. For his services in the annexation of Crimea, he received the title of “His Serene Highness Prince of Tauris.” It was Potemkin who developed and implemented the project of annexing Crimea to Russia, he took the Crimean population’s oath of allegiance to Russia, in fact organized Empress Catherine II’s visit to the newly annexed Crimea in 1787, and actively participated in the exploration and development of the peninsula. About the contribution of G. A. Potemkin to the annexation of Crimea to Russia, read the books by V. S. Lopatin “Potemkin and His Legend”, “The Serene Highness Prince Potemkin” and others.

Question: Rusinov YUT 01:36 03/04/2014

Was the transition of Crimea to Russia in 1783 accompanied by repressions against the Crimean Tatars? What happened to the elite of the former Crimean Khanate?

Question: VKD 01:50 03/04/2014

How many people actually became victims of the “Red Terror” after the defeat of the Whites in Crimea in 1920?

Answers:

Soon after the abandonment of Crimea by the troops of P.N. Wrangel (November 1920), the Bolshevik government began mass arrests and executions of those who did not want to evacuate from Crimea. The “Red Terror” in Crimea was led by Bela Kun and Rosalia Zemlyachka, who arrived from Moscow. As a result of the “Red Terror” in 1920-1921. According to various sources, many tens of thousands of people were shot in Simferopol, Evpatoria, Sevastopol, Yalta, Feodosia, and Kerch. According to official data, 52 thousand people died without trial or investigation, according to Russian emigration - up to 100 thousand (the latest information was collected based on materials from the former doctors' unions of Crimea). The writer I. Shmelev also cited the number of victims at 120 thousand, he wrote: “I testify that in a rare Russian family in Crimea there was not one or more executed.” Monumental monuments victims of the “Red Terror” were installed in the vicinity of Yalta (in Bagreevka), in Feodosia, memorial signs and foundation stones were installed in the vicinity of Sevastopol (Maksimova Dacha), in Evpatoria.

Question: Zotiev 14:42 03/04/2014

Is it true that the historical baptism of Prince Vladimir Yasnoye Solnyshko took place in Crimea? How deep a mark did the Russian Tmutarakan principality leave in Crimea?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 09:40 11/04/2014

According to most modern historians, the baptism of Prince Vladimir took place in Kherson (Chersonese) between 988 and 990. Nowadays it is generally accepted to consider 988 as the date of baptism. There are versions that Vladimir was baptized not in Kherson, but in Kyiv or somewhere else. Some historians even suggested that the prince was baptized more than once, and last time in Kherson. In the 19th century, on the site of a medieval temple discovered by archaeologists in Kherson, where, according to some historians, baptism took place, the grandiose Cathedral of St. Vladimir was built. The ancient Russian principality of Tmutarakan did not exist for long (X-XI centuries). Its center was the city of Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula (near the modern Taman station). The city with the cathedral was surrounded by a powerful wall. In the 60s of the 11th century, the principality belonged to the possessions of the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav. In the 12th century. under the blows of the Polovtsians it loses its independence. The Tmutarakan principality included the city of Korchev (modern Kerch), located on the Crimean Peninsula.

Question: Best regards, Anton 16:50 03/04/2014

Good afternoon What was the point of transferring Crimea to Ukraine in 1954? Was this decision purely political or did it have some economic reasons?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 10:24 11/04/2014

By decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of February 19, 1954, the Crimean region of the RSFSR was transferred to the union republic - Soviet Ukraine. The official reasons for the “gift” were: “common economics, territorial proximity, close economic and cultural ties, anniversary - the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine and Russia.” In fact, these reasons were of secondary importance - Crimea existed safely as part of the RSFSR and was even quickly restored from ruins after the Great Patriotic War. Khrushchev’s voluntarism in donating Crimea to Ukraine was caused by the need to politically strengthen Khrushchev’s personal power and gain the trust of the Ukrainian party organization. At the shameful meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on February 19, 1954, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR D. Korotchenko expressed Ukraine’s “heartfelt gratitude to the great Russian people for an exceptionally wonderful act of fraternal assistance.” Unfortunately, the opinions of the “Russian people” of Russia and Crimea were not asked about this.

Question: Misailidi Evgeniya 19:00 03/04/2014

Good afternoon Please tell me, is the resettlement of the Greeks from Crimea to the Azov region connected with Catherine’s decision to weaken the economy of the Crimean Khanate, as the Greeks believe, or with the salvation of Christians, as they wrote in history textbooks? Also: in Kerch, a Russian fortress has been preserved from the time of Tsar Alexander II (I could be wrong) on ​​Cape Ak-Burun (not Yenikale, which everyone knows), occupying a huge territory. Officially, it's not even a museum. What do you think is the future prospect of its existence?

Answers:

Kozlov Vladimir Fotievich 10:23 11/04/2014

The resettlement of Crimean Christians (about 19 thousand Greeks, more than 12 thousand Armenians), carried out by A. V. Suvorov from May to November 1778 outside the peninsula, pursued several political and economic goals: weakening the economy of the Crimean Khanate (Greeks and Armenians were important trade and craft element on the peninsula), preserving the lives of Christians in the event of unrest and hostilities in the Crimea, settling the desert regions of New Russia (Azov region) by evicted Crimeans. It is unlikely that Russia would have undertaken this action if it had plans for the immediate conquest of Crimea. On the outskirts of Kerch near Cape Ak-Burun on the seashore on a vast territory (more than 400 hectares) there are numerous fortifications (underground and above ground) created in the second half of the 19th century, which are known as Fort “Totleben” (famous engineer E.I. Totleben built a fortress in the 1860s) or the Kerch fortress. Since the beginning of the 2000s. The fortress ensemble was liberated from the military units located there and transferred to the jurisdiction of the Kerch Historical and Cultural Reserve. Nowadays the museum conducts excursions around part of the fortress territory. The unique fortification structure has enormous excursion and tourism potential.

Sites discovered by archaeologists on the Crimean Peninsula primitive people(Kiik-Koba, Staroselye, Chokurcha, Volchiy Grotto) indicate human settlement of the region already in the Stone Age.

The most ancient population of the Black Sea region and Crimea consisted of those who lived here at the turn of the 2nd-1st millennium BC. e. semi-sedentary and nomadic tribes, known under the general name of Cimmerians. The memory of them was preserved in local toponyms mentioned in ancient Greek sources: Cimmerian Bosporus, Cimmeric, Cimmerium. The Cimmerians apparently inhabited all the Black Sea steppes, but in Eastern Crimea, as on the Taman Peninsula, they lived longer.

In the 7th century BC e. The Cimmerians acted in alliance with the Scythians. There is information about a defeat in 652 BC. the Lydian capital Sardis by the Cimmerians and Scythians. The Cimmerian culture discovered by archaeologists is close to the Scythian and dates back to the end of the Bronze Age. This is evidenced by excavations on the Kerch and Taman peninsulas, where burials of the 8th-7th centuries were discovered. BC e., associated with the Cimmerians. According to the story of Herodotus, the Cimmerians were driven out of the Northern Black Sea region by the Scythians, who dominated here already in the 7th century. BC e.

The descendants of the Cimmerians are considered to be the Tauri, who already lived in the Scythian times in the mountains of Crimea. The mountain range on the south coast of the peninsula was also called Taurus. The Greek name of the Crimean Peninsula - Taurica, which was preserved in antiquity and the Middle Ages, is associated with this name.

The bulk of the Scythians were tribes that came in the 8th century. BC e. from Central Asia. Several Scythian tribes of the Northern Black Sea region are known: the royal Scythians, who also lived in the Crimea, the Scythian nomads, the Scythian ploughmen, the Scythian farmers, the Scythian Vonns. The social system of the Scythians in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. characterized by the gradual collapse of tribal lines and the emergence of class relations. Patriarchal slavery was already known among the Scythians. The change from Cimmerian culture to Scythian culture in the 8th-7th centuries. BC e. coincided with the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. By the 4th century. BC e. The Scythian kingdom, which united individual tribes, turned into a strong military power that successfully repelled the Persian invasion. Remarkable monuments of the famous Scythian “animal” style were discovered by archaeologists in the burial mounds and mountainous mountains of Crimea - in the Kulakovsky Kurgans (near Simferopol, Ak-mosque), unique gold items depicting human figures, animals and plants were found in the famous Scythian burial mounds of Kul-Oba, Ak-Mosque Burun, Golden Mound.

In the VIII-VI centuries. BC e. there is an intensive process of Greek colonization of the North Pontic coast, due to economic and social development Ancient Hellas. In the 7th century BC e. the west was colonized, and in the 6th century. BC e. - northern coast of the Black Sea.

First of all in Taurida, probably in the first half of the 6th century. BC e., on the site of modern Kerch on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, the city of Panticapaeum was founded by the Milesians. The city itself was called by the Greeks and simply Bosporus. Around the middle of the 6th century. BC e. Tiritaka, Nymphaeum, and Cimmeric arose in Eastern Crimea. In the VI century. BC e. Theodosius was founded by the Milesian Greeks, as well as Myrmekium, located not far from Panticapaeum.

Around 480 BC e. In the Eastern Crimea, the previously independent Greek city-states (polises) are united into a single Bosporan state under the rule of the Archeanactids, immigrants from Miletus. In 438 BC. e. power in the Bosporus passes to the Spartokids, a dynasty possibly of Thracian origin.

Crafts, agriculture, trade, coin circulation of Panticapaeum, where from the middle of the 6th century. their own silver coins were minted and were at a relatively high level of development. There was an expansion of the external expansion of the Bosporan state. However, in the III-II centuries. BC e. The onslaught of the Scythians intensifies from the west, and the Sarmatians penetrate from the Kuban region.

The creation of a Scythian state in Crimea and the aggravation of social contradictions in the Bosporan kingdom contributed to the weakening of the latter.

In the western part of Crimea important role played by Chersonese, founded in the 5th century. BC e. immigrants from the southern shore of the Black Sea (from Heraclea Pontic). Initially it was a trading post, which later became a center of agricultural and handicraft production. Trade also grew, the development of which was associated with the issuance of its own coins made of silver and copper. The remains of ancient Chersonesus are preserved on the western outskirts of modern Sevastopol.

Chersonesos probably followed a hostile policy towards the Bosporus. However, by the end of the 2nd century. BC e. The onslaught of the Scythians on Chersonesos intensifies. The Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator provided military assistance to Chersonesos. Eastern Crimea and Chersonesus then came under the rule of the Pontic king. Perisad, the last king of the Bosporus from the Spartokid dynasty, abdicated the throne in favor of Mithridates VI. But this only aggravated the urgent social contradictions in the slave-owning Bosporus. In 107 BC. e. An uprising led by the Scythian Savmak took place here, but it was suppressed by the troops of the Pontic king.

The Pontic kingdom became the main obstacle to further expansion of the Romans to the East. This led to the wars of Mithridates with Rome, which lasted from 89 BC. e. until the death of the Pontic king in 63 BC. e. The death of Mithridates meant the actual loss of political independence by this part of the Black Sea region. By the end of the 1st century. BC e. A portrait of the Roman emperor and members of his family appears on Bosporan coins. True, in 25 BC. e. Rome confirms the independence of Chersonese, but this independence was largely nominal.

City-states of Taurica in the first centuries AD. were developed slave-owning policies. This opinion is supported by their administrative structure, as well as the monuments of material culture discovered by archaeologists.

The dominant force in the steppe zone during this period were the Sarmatians, led by tribal nobility, surrounded by warriors. Several alliances of Sarmatian tribes are known - Roxolani, Aorsi, Siracs. Obviously, from the 2nd century. And. e. Sarmatians receive the general name Alans, probably from the name of one of their tribes. However, in Crimea, the Sarmatians, apparently, were inferior in number to the mass of Scythians who survived here, as well as the descendants of the ancient Tauri. In contrast to the Sarmatians, this old population is called Tauro-Scythians in ancient sources, which perhaps indicates the erasure of the differences between them.

The center of the Scythian tribes in Crimea was Scythian Naples, located on the site of present-day Simferopol. Scythian Naples was founded at the end of the 3rd century. BC e. and existed until the 4th century. n. e.

In the I-II centuries. The Bosporan kingdom is experiencing a new rise; it occupies approximately the same territory as under the Spartokids. Moreover, the Bosporus actually exercises a protectorate over Chersonesus. At the same time, Sarmatization of the population of the Bosporan cities occurs. In foreign policy The Bosporan kings showed a certain independence, including in relations with Rome.

In the 3rd century. In the Crimea, the Christian religion spread here, probably from Asia Minor. In the 4th century. an independent Christian bishopric already existed in Bosporus.

Chersonesos at this time continued to develop as a slave-owning republic, but the previous democratic system (within the framework, of course, of the slave-owning formation) was now replaced by an aristocratic one. At the same time, the Romanization of the ruling city elite took place. Chersonesus becomes the main stronghold of the Romans in the Northern Black Sea region. It housed a Roman garrison and supplied food to the center of the empire.

In the middle of the 3rd century. n. e. The Bosporan state was experiencing economic and political decline, reflecting the general crisis of the ancient slave system. Starting from the 50-70s. in Crimea, the onslaught of the Borans, Ostrogoths, Heruls and other tribes that were part of
to the Gothic League. The Goths defeated the Scythians and destroyed their settlements in the Crimea. Having captured almost the entire peninsula, with the exception of Chersonesos, they established their dominance over the Bosporus. The Gothic invasion led to the decline of the Bosporan kingdom, but it was dealt a mortal blow in the 70s. IV century tribes of the Huns who appeared in Eastern Crimea. The Bosporus, destroyed by them, lost its former significance and gradually disappeared from the historical arena.

From the collection “Crimea: past and present", Institute of History of the USSR, USSR Academy of Sciences, 1988