SIMFEROPOL, April 19 - RIA Novosti Crimea. The accession of the Crimean peninsula to Russia was determined by the course of the bloody Russian-Turkish wars of the 17th-19th centuries. After the numerous defeats of Turkey, the abdication of the last Crimean Khan Shagin Giray, on April 8 (19), 1783, Empress Catherine II issued a manifesto on the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Taman and Kuban to the Russian Empire. RIA Novosti (Crimea) cites a number of known and unknown facts of that period.

Slowly but surely reaching the goal

During the war in 1768-1774, which was unleashed by Turkey, the peninsula was an important object of Russian strategic plans. The troops of the Russian Empire achieved victory in the Danube direction. Despite numerous defeats, Turkey tried to return the left bank of the Danube. Then the Second Russian Army under the command of General-in-Chief V. M. Dolgorukov dealt a crushing blow to the enemy on the left flank, at Perekop, and broke into the Crimea.

While Russia and Turkey are holding fruitless peace talks, Russian diplomacy is working. Through her efforts, an agreement was concluded between Russia and the Crimean Khan Sahib Giray, under the terms of which the peninsula became independent from Turkey and is under the protection of Turkey.

In the spring of 1773 hostilities begin again. And this time, after crushing defeats, Turkey goes to peace negotiations, culminating in the signing of the Kyuchuk-Kaynardzhi Treaty in July. The document stated that Russia was withdrawing two cities of Crimea: Kerch and Yenikale. Otherwise, everything in the Crimea remained the same: the former khanate power, the former administration, orders and customs.

In 1782, the entire population of the khanate rose up against the last Crimean khan Shahin-Giray. He had to abdicate and flee under the protection of the Russian troops.

Two hundred thirty-five years ago, on April 8 (19), 1783, Empress Catherine II signed a historical document - the Manifesto on the acceptance of the island of Taman, the Crimean peninsula and the entire territory of the Kuban into the Russian Empire.

"... and in exchange for and satisfaction of our losses, we decided to take the Crimean Peninsula, the island of Taman and the entire Kuban side under our power. By returning to the inhabitants of those places, by the power of this our Imperial Manifesto, such a change of being, we promise holy and unshakable for ourselves and the successors of our throne, keep them on a par with the natural principles of subjects "

Manifesto its time

A special role in the history of Crimea was played by the statesman, His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky, who, together with the Empress, worked on the creation of the manifesto and personally supervised the annexation of the Crimean Khanate.
Since Catherine was worried that the manifesto would provoke new hostilities with Turkey and lead to European intervention, the document was decided not to be made public until the annexation of the khanate was a fait accompli. The manifesto was placed in a wooden box lined with iron.

In order for the annexation of Crimea to be legitimate, Potemkin distributed "sworn sheets" throughout the peninsula. The documents said that the inhabitants of such and such a settlement swear allegiance to Russia. They were sealed and signed. After Potemkin collected such sheets from most of the Crimea, the manifesto of the empress was made public. "Sworn lists" have partially survived to this day and are stored in the state archive in Moscow.

The manifesto was made public only on June 28, 1783, during the solemn oath of the Crimean nobility on the top of the Ak-Kaya rock near present-day Belogorsk (then Karasubazar).

Six months after the release of the manifesto of Catherine II, Turkey had to accept and sign the "Act on the annexation of the Crimea, Taman and Kuban to the Russian Empire." A couple of months later, the Empress established the Tauride Region, the management of which was entrusted to Potemkin. The new region consisted not only of the Crimean peninsula, but the adjacent regions of the Northern Black Sea region and Taman.

Potemkin changes

By the end of 1783, internal trade duties were abolished in Crimea, and the mint in Feodosia was restored. A year and a half later, the ports of the peninsula were exempted from paying customs duties, and the customs guards were relocated beyond Perekop. Such indulgences led to the development of agriculture in the region, industry and trade, and the expansion of Crimean cities. Potemkin soon began the reconstruction of old cities and the construction of new ones.

It was then that according to the "Greek project" such names of cities as Sevastopol, Simferopol appeared, the ancient Greek names of Feodosia and Evpatoria were returned.

Large-scale construction unfolded in many settlements - public buildings were erected at the expense of the treasury. In addition, Crimeans were given loans to build their own houses. The population of the young Russian region grew rapidly.

Taurida voyage

The six-month journey of the Empress across Novorossiya, completed four years after the annexation of the peninsula to Russia, was especially noted in the Crimea with special "road signs". Each verst overcome by Catherine was marked with a special triangular obelisk, and every ten versts a stone "mile" was erected - "a round proportionally hewn column with an ornament like an octagonal capital."

After a five-day stay in Kherson, the empress set off for the Crimea via Kizikerman and Perekop. Constructing this path, Potemkin prescribed: "To make the road from Kizikerman to Perekop with a rich hand so that it does not yield to the Roman ones; I will call it: Catherine's path."

For the annexation of the Crimea, Catherine had to have a good reason, and a purely economic one. Not for the inhabitants of the Empire, of course, the serfs were destined for a story about the liberation of Christians from the Tatar yoke. True, during the punitive campaigns of Minikh (1735), Lassi (1738) and Dolgorukiy (1776), Christians who were languishing as slaves to the Crimean Tatars could not be found, but this, apparently, because they did not search well .

However, this excuse was not suitable for the heads of European powers. There must have been a reason that would suit them, especially since it was not only about the Crimea. According to the Kyuchuk-Kainarji Treaty of 1774, Russia undertook "to leave the Tatar nation ... all cities, fortresses, villages, lands and marinas in the Crimea and Kuban, the land lying between the rivers Berda and Horse Waters and the Dnieper, also all the land up to the Polish border lying between the rivers Bug and Dniester".

Under this treaty, Russia retained Kerch and the Yenikale fortress, that is, access to the Black Sea was open. The matter remained to create the Black Sea Fleet, but there were problems with this. As academician Petr Pallas noted, "the sea worm eating a ship's tree is found in large numbers in the Black Sea along the entire coast of the Crimean peninsula, to Kafa and Kerch, it eats through the ship's plating in less than two years."

The only tree that could resist the worm was the oak. This tree grew in the Crimea in large numbers, and reached enormous sizes.

How many trees were required for the construction of the Black Sea Fleet? Let's count. In Spain, for example, for the construction of the "Invincible Armada", more than 500 thousand ancient oaks were cut down, that is, at the rate of four thousand trees for each ship. It is possible that the construction of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet required less wood, but not by much. Peter Pallas, talking about the Baydarsky valley of Crimea 20 years after its annexation to Russia, carefully noted: “Rich, covered with forests and cultivated fields, this valley is abundant in all varieties of black forest, among which are beautiful oaks; but the best timber was cut down for the construction of ships in the Black Sea during the last Turkish war".

What happened to Crimea after its age-old oaks were cut down? Crimea was killed, just as the Iberian Peninsula was killed two centuries before. Previously a flowering garden, it turned into a plateau scorched by the sun and open to all winds.
In fact, if new ones were planted in the place of the cut down oaks in Crimea, then after some 200-250 years, that is, exactly by now, Crimea might have become the former oasis, but this did not even come to the occupiers of that time. head. As a result, almost every oak tree in Crimea, even the most unsightly one, has now become a local landmark, as evidenced by the posts of Crimean bloggers. For example, this one: Three oak trees. First spring trip to the mountains.

By the way, the statements of representatives of the current Crimean authorities look very funny: "The inhabitants of the peninsula lived for centuries without Dnieper water, and we will live!" They lived, of course, but then the Salgir River, along the banks of which ancient oaks grew, was clean and full-flowing, and now it has turned into a sewer. Something tells me that if Catherine II had found Crimea the way it is now, she would not have found reasonable arguments for annexing it to Russia.

As an independent state unit, the Crimean Khanate arose in the middle of the 15th century - after the collapse of the Golden Horde. However, the declared independence lasted a little more than three decades: already in 1478, the khanate fell into vassal dependence on, and the Black Sea became the Turkish “inland lake” for three centuries.

The Crimean Khanate was of interest to the Ottomans primarily from a strategic point of view: it was a stronghold for the fight against the Russian state and the Commonwealth, as well as a major trade hub of the Black Sea area. The slave trade flourished on the territory of the peninsula, and the subjects of the khan often “visited” the border lands for new “resources” for this market. As a result of numerous raids, about 4 million Russians and Poles were captured and then sold on the slave market of the Ottoman Empire.

“Turkey was a powerful Muslim state, so the Crimean Khanate felt quite confident in foreign policy. Relations with Russia were very difficult, since the Crimean Khanate constantly carried out raids on Russian lands and on Moscow, the last of them in the 16th century was carried out by Khan Kazy Giray under Tsar Fedor Ioannovich. But until the end of the 17th century, Russian sovereigns paid the Crimean khans “commemoration” - a kind of ransom for the fact that the Crimeans did not attack Russian lands, ”Yevgeny Pchelov, head of the department of auxiliary and special historical disciplines of the Historical and Archival Institute of the Russian State Humanitarian University, said in an interview with RT.

• The unsuccessful campaign of V.V. Golitsyn against the Crimean Khanate. Miniature from the manuscript of the 1st half. 18th century "History of Peter I", Op. P. Krekshina.
• Wikimedia Commons

In the 16th-17th centuries, the foreign policy of the Moscow sovereigns in the southern direction was undergoing a radical change: realizing the strategic importance of the Northern Black Sea region, as well as the importance of sea trade routes, Russia moved from defense to offensive. However, the advantage for a long time remains on the side of the Ottomans. The first Russo-Turkish war of the 16th century ended with the Bakhchisaray peace treaty. During the second war with the Ottoman Empire, both campaigns of Prince Vasily Golitsyn ended in failure. And only at the beginning of the reign of Peter I, the situation begins to change.

“Under Princess Sophia, two campaigns in the Crimea were unsuccessfully undertaken, commanded by her favorite Vasily Golitsyn. The Azov campaigns of Peter the Great allowed him to capture the fortress of Azov - thus Russia approached the Black Sea. The Prut campaign of Peter ended unsuccessfully, Azov had to be returned to Turkey. Then there was the Russian-Turkish war under Anna Ioannovna, which did not end very successfully for Russia, and only the Russian-Turkish wars under Catherine II finally decided the issue of Russia's access to the Black Sea, ”Pchelov noted.

Path to dominance

In the second half of the 18th century, the struggle for the Crimean peninsula and access to the Black Sea became one of the priorities in the foreign policy of the Russian Empire.

“Before the accession to the throne of Catherine II, the issue of merchant shipping on the Black Sea did not advance a single step. However, the foreign maritime trade of Russia at that time did not flourish at all, the fleet was in the saddest position, to which the empress paid special attention. One of her first government actions was to send sailors and craftsmen from abroad to build ships and to train Russians in seafaring. Already at the very beginning of her reign, the issue of achieving freedom of Russian navigation in the Black Sea was one of the main concerns, ”wrote Vladimir Teplov, a historian of the late 19th century, in the essay“ Russian Representatives in Constantinople ”.

The Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty, signed in 1774, marked the victory of the Russian Empire in the First Russo-Turkish War. As a result, Russia lost the first lands on the peninsula - Kerch and Yenikale. Also, our country received the right to trade and have a navy on the Black Sea. The Crimean Khanate was proclaimed independent and received a protectorate from the Russian Empire. As historians note, from that moment on, the annexation of the peninsula was only a matter of time.

• Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tavrichesky and Catherine II
• Wikimedia Commons

Nevertheless, despite the peace treaty, the threat of an attack from Turkey still remained - this was well understood by the governor of Catherine II in the southern territories of the empire, Prince Grigory Potemkin. In 1782, he addressed the Empress with a memorandum stating that “the acquisition of the Crimea will only bring peace. With Crimea, dominance will also be obtained. It will depend on you whether to block the Turks and feed them or starve them.”

Catherine listened to Potemkin's arguments: in December 1782, she approved his plan, and on April 19, 1783, the empress signed the corresponding manifesto.

The process of joining the peninsula to the empire was personally led by Grigory Potemkin. After the principled consent of Catherine, the most serene prince assessed the situation in the territory entrusted to him and came to the conclusion that the khan's power would clearly not contribute to political stability in the Crimea. In June 1783, troops under the command of Alexander Suvorov entered the Crimean Khanate. The local dynasty of khans lost their throne, but the nobility retained their status by swearing allegiance to the Russian empress.

• “Meeting A.V. Suvorov and F.F. Ushakov in Sevastopol"
• V.D. Ilyukhin

“Such a change, with God's blessing, will bring countless usefulness... Prospects for service in a powerful empire opened up for the Tatar nobility. Potemkin prepared an unprecedented celebration: the Tatar nobility swore allegiance on the Ak-Kaya rock, fireworks thundered, refreshments were put up everywhere. The entire Crimean region willingly resorted to the power of Your Imperial Majesty, ”the general-in-chief of His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Potemkin reported to Catherine II about the entry of Crimea into the Russian Empire.

In 1784, the Empress allowed foreigners to settle in the Crimea, and in 1787 Catherine II herself made a trip to the peninsula, which later became part of the Taurida province.

“Catherine II wanted to rule Russia without conspiracies and coups. To do this, she wanted to show herself the most Russian in the Russian Empire. She, a German by birth, really needed foreign policy successes so that the state elite and the common people saw that the country was ruled by a Russian monarch who continued the work of Peter the Great to establish Russia in the Black and Azov Seas, ”said the doctor of historical sciences in an interview with RT. Professor of St. Petersburg State University Pavel Krotov.

According to Krotov, by that historical moment, all the prerequisites for annexing the peninsula had developed: Crimea was a weak province of the Ottoman Empire, which was opposed by the formidable military machine of the Russian Empire.

The annexation of Crimea to Russia was an important event for Catherine II for ideological reasons, the expert believes, since Vladimir I the Saint was baptized in Chersonese in 988. For the Orthodox, the return of “that same” land was very great importance.

On April 8, 1783, Catherine II issued a manifesto on the annexation of Crimea to Russia. The manifesto prepared by Prince Potemkin, who later received the title of His Serene Highness Prince of Tauride for his work in the Crimea for the benefit of the Russian state, put an end to the long struggle between Russia and Turkey, from which the Crimean Khanate was in vassal dependence.

KYUCUK-KAYNARJI PEACE TREATY

The fate of the Crimea was practically decided during the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, which ended with the signing of the Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace treaty. Crimea gained independence from Turkey, and Russia was assigned the lands between the Dnieper and the Southern Bug, Kerch and the right to unhindered navigation of merchant ships in the Azov and Black Seas, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles. Turkey had to pay Russia an indemnity of 4.5 million rubles. Although the Kyuchuk-Kainarji Treaty turned Russia into a Black Sea power and significantly strengthened its position in the south, in the Transcaucasus and in the Balkans, instability remained on the peninsula, the influence of St. union of the Ottoman Empire.

BOARD OF SHAHIN GIREY

In 1776, Shahin-Giray, the last Crimean khan before the Crimea was annexed to the Russian Empire, became the Crimean Khan with the help of Russia. Shahin Giray tried to carry out rather radical reforms on the peninsula, reorganize the administration and modernize the Crimean Khanate according to the Russian model. The new khan transformed the possessions of the nobility into six governorships, or kaymakams - Bakhchisaray, Ak-Mechet, Karasubazar, Gezlev (Evpatoria), Kafa (Feodosia) and Perekop. The governorates were divided into districts. In addition, vaqfs, the lands of the Crimean clergy, were confiscated. Innovations, of course, caused discontent among the local nobility and the Muslim clergy. The last straw was the Khan's attempt to create a European-style armed force. Shahin-Giray was considered a traitor and apostate, and in 1777 an uprising broke out in the Crimea, resulting in a civil war. Turkish troops arrived on the peninsula from Istanbul, more than 170 Turkish ships approached the Crimea, but Russia sent troops to Crimea to help the khan, led by Alexander Suvorov. The confrontation ended in 1779 with the signing of the Anayly-Kavak Convention, according to which Russia and Turkey agreed on the withdrawal of troops from the Crimea, Turkey recognized the independence of the Crimean Khanate and Shahin Giray as its ruler.

CRIMEAN UPRISINGS

After the signing of the Anayly-Kavak Convention, Shahin-Giray returned to Bakhchisaray, which was the Crimean capital at that time, and began to carry out repressions, which caused even greater discontent. In 1781, the Crimean nobility even sent a delegation to St. Petersburg complaining about the cruelty and oppression on the part of Shahin Giray. In 1782, another uprising broke out against the Khan: Tsarevich Halim-Girey gathered a three thousandth army, which he led against Shahin-Girey. The Khan's guard went over to the side of the rebels, and Shahin Giray himself was forced to flee to Kerch under the protection of the Russian garrison. Bahadir-Girey, the elder brother of Shahin-Girey, was proclaimed the new khan. Bahadir Giray appealed to St. Petersburg and Istanbul with a request for recognition. Russia refused to recognize the new khan and sent troops to the Crimea to suppress the uprising. Bahadir-Girey and his brother were arrested, and Shahin-Girey returned to Bakhchisarai and was restored to the throne. His brothers managed to avoid death only thanks to the intervention of the Russian government, the execution was replaced by imprisonment in Kherson.

MANIFESTO OF CATHERINE II

In February 1783, Shahin Giray abdicated and transferred his possessions to Russia, and on April 8, Catherine II issued a manifesto on the inclusion of the Crimean Khanate, the Taman Peninsula and the Kuban into the Russian state. In June 1783, in Karasubazar, on the top of Mount Ak-Kaya (White Rock), Prince Potemkin took an oath of allegiance to Russia to the Crimean nobility and representatives of all segments of the Crimean population. Zemstvo government of the Crimea was created. And on February 22, 1784, the decree of Catherine II granted the Russian nobility to the Crimean Murzas. Land holdings were retained for the nobility, but it was forbidden to own Russian serfs. This decree immediately made most of the Tatar nobility supporters of Russia, while those dissatisfied with Russian innovations emigrated to Turkey. The lands and incomes that belonged to the Crimean Khan were transferred to the imperial treasury. Serfdom was not introduced in the Crimea, all captives of Russian citizenship were released.

In 1784, Sevastopol, the “majestic city”, was founded as the base of the Russian fleet. Kherson was also founded, where the first ships of the Black Sea Fleet were built, and Nikolaev. To attract the population, Sevastopol, Feodosia and Kherson were declared open cities, where foreigners could freely come, live there and even take Russian citizenship. In 1785, all the ports of Crimea were exempted from paying customs duties for five years, as a result, the turnover of Russian trade on the Black Sea increased several thousand times and amounted to 2 million rubles. Crimea turned from a poor land into a prosperous territory, a center of agriculture and winemaking and the largest naval base of the Russian fleet. The population of Crimea has increased dramatically. In 1785, the first scientific description of the Crimean peninsula was carried out.

RUSSIAN-TURKISH WAR 1787–1791

In 1787, Turkey, with the support of Great Britain, France and Prussia, demanded the restoration of the vassalage of the Crimea, as well as the right to inspect ships passing through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. Having been refused, Turkey declared war on Russia. In the summer of 1787, the Turkish fleet attacked the Russian near the Crimean peninsula, but, despite the numerical superiority, was defeated. The Russian army was successful: Izmail and Anapa were taken, Potemkin's army captured Ochakov, and Suvorov's troops defeated the Turkish army near Rymnik. Turkey was forced to sign the Iasi Peace Treaty, which finally secured the entire Northern Black Sea region, including the Crimean Peninsula, for the Russian Empire.

On April 8 (19), 1783, Empress Catherine the Great signed the Manifesto on the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian state and the formation of the Tauride region under the control of Prince G. A. Potemkin, who received the title of Tauride for his labors. The manifesto was a logical result of the centuries-old struggle of Russia for the return of primordially Russian lands and reliable outlets to the Black Sea.

After the victories of Field Marshal Count P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky in the second Russian-Turkish war of 1768–1774. between Russia and Turkey, the Kyuchuk-Kaynarji peace was concluded, as a result of which the territory between the Bug and the Dnieper, as well as the fortresses of Kerch, Yenikale and Kinburn, were included in Russia. Russia was able to get access to the Black Sea, as well as confirm its rights to the territory of Kabarda, Azov and the Azov lands, conquered by Peter I. The Crimean Khanate separated from the Ottoman Empire and was proclaimed independent. However, Turkey, agreeing to the recognition of its independence, was preparing for a new war for these territories.

The task of ensuring the security of the southern borders of Russia and the development of newly acquired lands was entrusted by the Empress G. A. Potemkin. At the end of 1782, assessing the advantages of joining the Crimea to Russia, Potemkin expressed his opinion in a letter to Catherine II : "Crimea is tearing our borders with its position ... You are obliged to elevate the glory of Russia ... The acquisition of Crimea cannot strengthen or enrich you, but only bring peace." Shortly after that, Catherine II issued a manifesto on the annexation of Crimea, according to which the Crimean inhabitants were promised “holy and unshakably for themselves and the successors of our throne to support them on an equal footing with our natural subjects, to protect and protect their faces, property, temples and their natural faith. ..".

With the advent of the Russian administration in 1783, the slave trade was abolished in the Crimea, and the state administration of the European type began to develop. The government resettled here from the central and Ukrainian provinces of state peasants. Gradually, large landed estates also concentrated in the North-Western Crimea. Through the efforts of G. A. Potemkin, specialists were sent from England and France to arrange gardens and parks, and the prince himself wrote a special instruction for the work of the Office of Agriculture and Home Economics in the Crimea. On the basis of the “Institution on the Provinces” operating in the Russian Empire since 1775, G. A. Potemkin created a kind of management system with the involvement of the local multinational population, which contributed to the government policy for the settlement and economic development of the Crimean peninsula.

The accession of Crimea to Russia was of great progressive importance: the economy and culture, trade began to develop rapidly, the development of a huge array of fertile Crimean territories began. In a short time, new ports and cities sprang up in the Black Sea steppe. The Russian fleet has firmly established itself in the Black Sea.

Lit .: Andreev A. R. History of Crimea. M., 2002;Vodarsky Ya.E., etc. The population of the Crimea at the end XVIII - late XX centuries (Number, location, ethnic composition). M., 2003; Catherine II and G.A. Potemkin. Personal correspondence (1769-1791). M., 1997; Lopatin AT. S. Suvorov and Potemkin. Accession of the Crimean Khanate to Russia. 1782-1783gg. [Electronic resource] // Adjutant. 2003. URL : http://history. scps. ru / suvorov / lopatin 06. htm.

See also in the Presidential Library:

Berezhkov M. N. The plan for the conquest of the Crimea, drawn up in the reign of Sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich by the learned Slav Yuri Krizhanich. SPb., 1891 ;

Bronevsky V. B. Survey of the Southern coast of Taurida. In 1815. Tula, 1822 ;

Views of Crimea = Vues de Crimée: [photo album]. Stockholm,;

History of the Russian state: territories and borders: a multimedia project. SPb., 2010 ;

Kondaraki V. Kh. In memory of the centenary of the Crimea. 1. Genoese in the Crimea; 2. Isai, sovereign prince of Mangup; 3. Mengli Girey Khan. M., 1883 ;

Kraven E. Journey to the Crimea and Constantinople in 1786, Milady Craven. M., 1795 ;

Crimean Peninsula // Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. prof. I. E. Andreevsky. T. 16a. SPb., 1895. S. 872-877 ;

Lashkov S. S. Monuments of the diplomatic relations of the Crimean Khanate with the Moscow State in the 16th and 17th centuries, stored in the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Simferopol, 1891 ;

Lashkov S.S. Shagin-Girey, the last Crimean Khan: Historical essay. Kyiv, 1886 ; ;

Siryakov M. N., Korablev N. P. Crimea, with Sevastopol, Balaklava and its other cities: with a description of rivers, lakes, mountains and valleys; with its history, inhabitants, their customs and way of life. SPb., 1855 ;

Sumarokov P. I. Journey throughout the Crimea and Bessarabia in 1799; With a historical and topographical description of all those places .