Crimea

The Crimea (officially Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Russian transliteration: Avtonomnaya Respublika Krym, Russian: ?????????? ?????????? ????, Ukrainian: ????????? ?????????? ????, , pronounced cry-MEE-ah in English) is a peninsula and an autonomous republic of Ukraine on the northern coast of the Black Sea.

History

Early History

The earliest inhabitants of whom we have any authentic traces were the Cimmerians, who were expelled by the Scythians during the 7th century BC. A remnant that took refuge in the mountains became known subsequently as the Tauri. In that same century, Greek colonists began to settle on the coasts, e.g. Dorians from Heraclea at Chersonesus, and Ionians from Miletus at Theodosia and Panticapaeum (also called Bosporus).

Related Topics:
Cimmerians - Scythians - 7th century BC - Greek - Heraclea - Chersonesus - Ionians - Miletus - Theodosia - Panticapaeum - Bosporus

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Two centuries later (438 BC) the archon, or ruler, of the last-named assumed the title King of Bosporus, a state that maintained close relations with Athens, supplying that city with wheat and other commodities. The last of these kings, Paerisades V, being hard pressed by the Scythians, put himself under the protection of Mithridates VI, king of Pontus, in 114 BC. After the death of this latter sovereign, his son Pharnaces II, as a reward for assistance rendered to the Romans in their war against his father, was in 63 BC invested by Pompey with the kingdom of Bosporus. In 15 BC it was once more restored to the king of Pontus, but henceforward ranked as a tributary state of Rome.

Related Topics:
438 BC - Bosporus - Athens - Scythians - Mithridates VI - Pontus - 114 BC - Pharnaces II - Romans - 63 BC - Pompey - 15 BC - Rome

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During the succeeding centuries the Crimea was overrun or occupied successively by the Goths (AD. 250), the Huns (376), the Bulgars (5th century), the Khazars (8th century), Kievan Rus (10th-11th centuries), the Byzantine Greeks (1016), the Kipchaks (1050), and the Mongols (1237).

Related Topics:
Goths - 250 - Huns - 376 - Bulgars - 5th century - Khazars - 8th century - Kievan Rus - Byzantine - 1016 - Kipchaks - 1050 - Mongols - 1237

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In the mid 10th century eastern Crimea was conqured by Sviatoslav I of Kiev and became part of Kievan Russian Tmutarakan. In 988 Vladimir I of Kiev also captured the Byzantine town of Chersones and later converted to Christianity there.

Related Topics:
Sviatoslav I of Kiev - Tmutarakan - Vladimir I of Kiev - Chersones

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In the 13th century the Genoese seized the settlements which their rivals the Venetians had made on the Crimean coasts and established themselves at Eupatoria, Cembalo, Soldaia, and Caffa.

Related Topics:
13th century - Genoese - Venetians - Eupatoria - Cembalo - Soldaia - Caffa

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Crimean Khanate

: Main article Crimean Khanate

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Meanwhile the Turkic peoples, now known as Crimean Tatars, had been living around the peninsula since the Huns. A small enclave of the Karaites dwelled among the Crimean Tatars, principally in Chufut Kale. After the destruction of the Golden Horde by Timur, they founded an independent Crimean Khanate in 1441 under Haci Giray, a descendant of Genghis Khan. He and his successors reigned first at Solkhat (Eski-Q?r?m), and from the beginning of the 15th century, at Bakhchisaray.

Related Topics:
Turkic - Crimean Tatars - Huns - Karaites - Chufut Kale - Golden Horde - Timur - Crimean Khanate - 1441 - Haci Giray - Genghis Khan - Solkhat - 15th century - Bakhchisaray

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The trading towns in the Genoese hold were conquered by the Ottoman Turkish general Gedik Ahmet Pasha in 1475. After 1475, the Crimean Khans ruled as tributary princes of the Ottoman Empire until 1774 when they fell under Russian influence. Later in 1783, the whole of the Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire.

Related Topics:
Genoese - Ottoman Turkish - Gedik Ahmet Pasha - 1475 - Ottoman Empire - 1774 - 1783

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Russian Empire

The Crimean War, which took place between 1854 and 1856, devastated the economic and social structure of Crimea. Crimean Tatars had to leave their homeland en masse, forced by the conditions created by the war, persecution and land confiscation. Those who survived the trip, famine and disease resettled in Dobrogea, Anatolia, and other parts of the Ottoman Empire. For the first time in history, Crimean Tatars became a minority in their own land, with the majority living in the diaspora. Finally, the Russian government decided to stop the process, as the agriculture began to suffer due to deserted fertile lands.

Related Topics:
Crimean War - 1854 - 1856 - Crimean Tatars - Dobrogea - Anatolia - Ottoman Empire - Diaspora

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During the Russian Civil War Crimea was a stronghold of the anti-Bolshevik White Army, and in Crimea the Russian Whites led by General Wrangel made their last stand against the Red army in 1920.

Related Topics:
Russian Civil War - White Army - General Wrangel - Red army - 1920

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Soviet Union

In 1921 the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of Russian SFSR.

Related Topics:
1921 - Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic - Russian SFSR

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Crimea was the scene of some of the most bloody battles in World War II. The Germans suffered heavy casualties as they tried to advance through the isthmus linking Crimea to the Ukrainian mainland at Perekop in the summer of 1941. Once the Germans broke through, they occupied most of Crimea, with the exception of the city of Sevastopol (given the title of Hero City later). Sevastopol held out from October 1941 until July 4, 1942, when the Germans finally captured the city. In 1944 Sevastopol was liberated by Soviet troops.

Related Topics:
World War II - Perekop - 1941 - Sevastopol - Hero City - July 4 - 1942

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On 18 May 1944 the entire population of the Crimean Tatars were forcibly deported by Stalin's Soviet government as a form of collective punishment. On 21 May 1944, the ethnic cleansing of the Crimea was complete. An estimated 46% of deportees died from hunger and disease. In 1967, the Crimean Tatars were rehabilitated, but they were banned from legally returning to their homeland until the last days of the Soviet Union.

Related Topics:
18 May - 1944 - Crimean Tatars - Stalin - Soviet - Collective punishment - 21 May - Ethnic cleansing - 1967

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The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished in 1945 and transformed into Crimean Oblast (province) of the Russian SFSR. In 1954, it was transferred by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to the Ukrainian SSR as a gesture to mark the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav between Ukrainian Cossacks and Russia.

Related Topics:
1945 - Crimean Oblast - Province - Russian SFSR - 1954 - Nikita Khrushchev - Ukrainian SSR - Treaty of Pereyaslav - Ukrainian Cossacks - Russia

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Post-Soviet Crimea

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Crimea became part of the newly independent Ukraine, a situation resented by a large part of its mainly Russian population and a cause of tensions between Russia and Ukraine. With the Black Sea Fleet based on the peninsula, there were worries of armed conflict.

Related Topics:
Collapse of the Soviet Union - Black Sea Fleet

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With the electoral defeat of the more radical nationalist political forces in Ukraine tension slowly eased.

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The Crimea proclaimed self-rule on May 5, 1992, but later agreed to remain within Ukraine as an autonomous Republic.

Related Topics:
May 5 - 1992 - Republic

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The city of Sevastopol is located within the republic, but it has a special municipality status in Ukraine.

Related Topics:
Sevastopol - Ukraine

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The official languages of Crimea are Russian and Ukrainian. The Crimean Tatar language is not officially recognized. Other languages spoken are Hungarian, Polish, and Romanian.

Related Topics:
Russian - Ukrainian - Crimean Tatar language - Hungarian - Polish - Romanian

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