Meñli I Giray
[ Crimean Tatar, ]Ottoman Turkish
Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...
and (1445–1515) was thrice the
khan of the Crimean Khanate (1466, 1469–1475, 1478–1515) and the sixth son of
Hacı I Giray.
Biography
Struggle for power (1466–1478)
It took Mengli twelve years to establish himself as khan. When Haji Girai died power went to his eldest son
Nur Devlet. Mengli revolted. He was supported by the Crimean nobility while Nur Devlet was supported by the
Great Horde. In 1467 Mengli occupied the capital of Kyrk-Er (
Chufut-Kale) but was soon driven out by Nur Devlet and fled to the Genoese at
Kaffa. In June 1468 a delegation of nobles elected him khan at Kaffa. He, the nobles and a Genoese detachment marched on the capital. After six months Nur Devlet was expelled and fled to the North Caucasus, but was captured and imprisoned in the Genoese fortress at
Sudak.
Second reign 1469–1475
He made an anti-Turkish alliance with
Principality of Theodoro. In the summer of 1469 a Turkish fleet burned some villages near Kaffa. From late 1473 Eminek made himself head of the Shirin clan which held the eastern peninsula of Crimea. He became the second most powerful man in the country and was often hostile to Mengli.
In March 1475 the nobles replaced Mengli with his elder brother
Hayder of Crimea. Mengli fled to Kaffa. In May 1475 a large Turkish fleet arrived at Kaffa seeking to subordinate the Genoese. They took Kaffa and other Genoese forts and the Principality of Theodoro. Mengli, who had supported the Genoese, was captured and taken to Constantinople. Nur Devlet was released from prison and restored as a Turkish vassal. Nur Devlet's third reign (1475–78) was unsuccessful. In the winter of 1477–78 Crimea was briefly conquered by Janibeg, a nephew of
Akhmed Khan of the Great Horde. Eminek wrote to the sultan asking that Mengli be restored. In the spring of 1478 Mengli was released and arrived at Crimea with a Turkish fleet and Turkish soldiers. He was joined by Eminek's troops, Nur Devlet was driven out and Mengli became khan as a Turkish vassal.
Third reign (1478–1515)
He made a great contribution to the development of
Crimean Tatar statehood. He founded the fortress of
Özü.
In 1480, Meñli entered into a treaty of alliance with
Ivan III, the
grand prince of Moscow
The Grand Prince of Moscow (), known as the Prince of Moscow until 1389, was the ruler of the Grand Principality of Moscow. The Moscow principality was initially established in the 13th century as an appanage within the Vladimir-Suzdal grand prin ...
. The alliance was directed against Poland-Lithuania, the Great Horde and the
Khanate of Astrakhan. This was an important factor in the
Great stand on the Ugra River which led to Russian independence from the Great Horde.
In September 1482, Meñli managed to ravage
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, in which
Ivan Chodkiewicz
Ivan Chodkiewicz (; 1420 – 1484) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was a son of Chodko Jurewicz and ancestor of the Chodkiewicz family. Ivan married Jawnuta (Agnieszka) Belska, first cousin of Casim ...
and his family were taken hostage. From 1489 to 1500, Crimean Tatars repeatedly devastated
Podolia
Podolia or Podillia is a historic region in Eastern Europe located in the west-central and southwestern parts of Ukraine and northeastern Moldova (i.e. northern Transnistria).
Podolia is bordered by the Dniester River and Boh River. It features ...
and
Volyn.
In 1502, Meñli defeated the last ''khan'' of the
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...
and took control over its capital,
Saray. He proclaimed himself ''
Khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:; or ''Khagan''; ) or zh, c=大汗, p=Dàhán; ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan, Khaqan, Xagahn, Qaghan, Chagan, Қан, or Kha'an is a title of empire, im ...
'' (
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
), claiming legitimacy as the successor of the Golden Horde's authority over the Tatar khaganates in the Caspian-Volga region.
Meñli was buried in the ''Dürbe'' (or
türbe
''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...
) of Salaçıq in
Bakhchysarai. In that city, he commissioned ''Zıncırlı Medrese'' (
medrese
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
with chains) in Salaçıq (1500), ''Dürbe'' in Salaçıq (1501), and "Demir Qapı" (Iron Gate) portal in the
Bakhchisaray Palace by
Aloisio the New (1503).
Meñli often depended on troops from the Crimea's numerous Italian trading cities, and Genoese mercenaries formed a significant part of his army.
For his raids on Lithuania see
Crimean-Nogai Raids for 1480–1511.
Family
Meñli was a father of
Mehmed I Giray
Mehmed I Giray Crimean Tatar, Ottoman Turkish and (1465–1523, reigned 1515–1523) was khan of the Crimean Khanate. He was preceded by his father Meñli I Giray (r. 1478–1515) and followed by his son Ğazı I Giray (1523–1524). He gained ...
and
Sahib I Giray. One of his wives was
Nur Sultan, who are one of only three women known to have played a political role in the Crimean Khanate.
Consorts
Meñli's known consorts were:
*
Nur Sultan, daughter of Prince Timur ibn Mansur, bey of the
Manghits;
[Ilya V. Zaytsev, ''The Structure of the Giray Dynasty (15th-16th centuries): Matrimonial and Kinship Relations of the Crimean Khans'' in Elena Vladimirovna Boĭkova, R. B. Rybakov (ed.), ''Kinship in the Altaic World: Proceedings of the 48th Permanent International Altaistic Conference'', Moscow 10–15 July 2005, p.341-2]
*Zayan Sultan, probably a daughter of Giray Seyid, a
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...
;
* ''Fülane'' Sultan, a daughter of Yadigar, bey of Sedjiuts;
Sons
Meñli's sons were:
*Fetih Giray, married to Djalal Sultana, daughter of Musake ibn Hadjike, bey of
Manghits;
*
Mehmed I Giray
Mehmed I Giray Crimean Tatar, Ottoman Turkish and (1465–1523, reigned 1515–1523) was khan of the Crimean Khanate. He was preceded by his father Meñli I Giray (r. 1478–1515) and followed by his son Ğazı I Giray (1523–1524). He gained ...
, married to a daughter of Hasan ibn Timur of Manghits;
*
Saadet I Giray, probably married to a daughter of Shaman of Manghits in 1526;
*
Sahib I Giray, married to Fatima Sultan and Khanbike Sultan, sister of the Circassian Prince Mashuk Kanukov.
*Mubarek Giray also spelled Mubarak. His son was
Devlet I Giray (1551–1577).
*Ahmed Giray, married to a daughter of Barash, brother of Devletek, head of Shirin clan;
Daughters
Meñli's daughters were:
*A daughter, married to Tinish bin Yankuvat of Manghits;
*Makhdum Shah, married to head of Shirin clan, Devletek bin Eminek;
*A daughter, married to Suleyman, bey of
Kungrats
The Khongirad (; ; ; ) was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Their homeland was located in the vicinity of Lake Hulun in Inner Mongolia and Khalkha River in Mongolia,M. Sanjdorj, History of the Mongolian People's Republic, Volum ...
in 1492 or 1493;
*
Ayşe Hatun, married firstly
Şehzade Mehmed, son of Sultan
Bayezid II
Bayezid II (; ; 3 December 1447 – 26 May 1512) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1481 to 1512. During his reign, Bayezid consolidated the Ottoman Empire, thwarted a pro-Safavid dynasty, Safavid rebellion and finally abdicated his throne ...
, and after his half-brother Sultan
Selim I
Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...
.
Meñli I Giray was once thought to be the maternal grandfather of
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
through his putative daughter
Hafsa Sultan (mistakenly confused with Ayşe Hatun), but this has been disproved.
Encyclopedia of Islam
The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is a reference work that facilitates the academic study of Islam. It is published by Brill and provides information on various aspects of Islam and the Islamic world. It is considered to be the standard ...
vol. IX (1997), s.v. ''Suleyman'' p.833
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menli Giray, 1
Giray, Menli
Giray, Menli
15th-century Crimean khans
Writers from the Crimean Khanate
16th-century Crimean khans
Polish–Ottoman War (1485–1503)