Mehmed II Giray

Mehmed II Giray, the fat, (lived 1532-84, reigned 1577-84) was khan of the Crimean Khanate. During his reign he made four campaigns against Persia in the service of Turkey. He was overthrown by the Turks for refusing a fifth campaign. Five of his brothers were later Khans.

He was called Semiz or 'the fat'. Because of his weight he avoided riding horseback and preferred to travel in a wagon drawn by six or eight horses. His use of a wagon contributed to his death. When he came to the throne he had no living uncles and six living brothers: Adil, Alp, Gazi, Fetkh, Mubarak and Selyamet. Three brothers, Haji, Akhmed and Sherdan ^[1], died before he came to the throne. Saadet was his son. His many brothers, each of whom was a potential khan, caused trouble during his reign and after.

He was the son of khan Devlet I Giray (1551-77). After the death of his elder brother Akhmed in 1555 he held the rank of Kalga or deputy khan and designated successor until his father’s death. For his early campaigns against Russia see under Devlet. In 1555 he rescued his father at Subishchi. In the 1560s it is said that he fought in Hungary in the Turkish service.^[2] Toward the end of his father’s life relations between Mehmed and his younger brother Adil grew strained. Adil moved to the steppe, built the town of Bola-Serai on the Kalmius River and gathered Nogai supporters. Just before his death Devlet was able to reconcile his surviving elder sons.

Devlet died on 29 June 1577 and was followed by his 45-year-old son. Since he was the eldest son and Kalga and since Devlet had no living brothers, Mehmed's accession was not a problem. Adil became Mehmed’s Kalga.

In 1577 he raided Vohynia In Polish territory until the Polish king paid a ransom. The Crimeans and Nogais returned with 35,000 captives, 40,000 horses and 500,000 cattle and sheep in addition to the ransom. (?^[3])

1578 First Persia: In the summer of 1578 sultan Murad III ordered the Crimeans to fight the Persians near the southwest corner of the Caspian Sea. (See Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–90)) In 1551 his predecessor, Sahib I Giray, was overthrown by the Turks for refusing a similar order. Mehmed claimed illness and declined. Instead he sent 20000 men under his brothers Adil, Mubarak and Gazi. Mehmed may have intended to get Adil out of the way. He also sent his son Saadet and then called him back. After a 3-month march along the north side of the Caucasus and down the Caspian coast in November they reached Shirvan (approximately modern Azjerbaijan) and joined Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha. They completely defeated 25000 Persians under Shirvan Beylerbey Aras Khan Rumlu who were besieging Shamakhi. They moved south to the Mugan plain where they defeated the Rumlu tribe of Qazilbash nomads. An Iranian army arrived and on 28 November they were completely defeated at Mollakhasan. All their booty was captured as was Adil Geray. (The battle was fought in heavy rain which made their horses slip and weakened their bows. Adil was unhorsed by a spear and saved his life by identifying himself as a valuable captive.) Adil was executed in July 1579 during the next campaign, partly as a result of a palace intrigue involving the Shah's wife. Thus their first campaign was a complete failure.

1579 Second Persia: In the summer of 1579 Mehmed led 100000 men against Persia. They met Osman Pasha at Derbent, Gazi Giray defeated the Iranians at Baku and the Tatars occupied all of Shirvan. They spread out taking loot and captives. Iranian troops were defeated and their commander, Mukhammed-Khalif, was killed. Mehmed claimed that he was avenging his murdered brother Adil. In fall they returned to Crimea taking a huge amount of loot and thousands of captives to sell into slavery. Gazi Giray remained with a small detachment. The Sultan was not happy with their withdrawal. After they left Shirvan was reoccupied by the Kazilbashi.

Conflict with Alp Giray: After the death of Adil Giray Mehmed appointed his son Saadet as Kalga. Mehmed’s brother Alp Giray thought that he should be Kalga. He was supported by several major beys and at least one of Mehmed’s sons. Mehmed ordered Alp to lead an army against Persia, Alp refused and Mehmed planned to kill him. Alp and Selyamet fled to the steppe and were captured by the Cossacks. Mehmed sent ambassadors offering 70,000 gold coins for their return. The ambassadors had orders to kill them once they were away form the Cossacks. ^[4] Ali-Bey of the Shirins supported Alp and Mehmed was forced to bring Alp back and make him Kalga. Saadet was given the new rank of Nureddin or second successor after the Kalga. The Kalga Alp held the eastern part of the peninsula dominated by the Shirin clan while the Nureddin Saadet held the western steppe-like part dominated by the Mansur clan and linked to the Nogais. This balancing of power was a potential source of conflict.

1580 Third Persia: ^[5] In 1580 a Crimean army under Gazi and Safa Geray again invaded Shirvan and defeated a Kazilbash army under Salman Khan, beylerbey of Shirvan. They helped Osman Pasha move from Derbent to capture Baku. They fought the main kazilbash army at Mallakhasan and withdrew to Dagestan. When a large Iranian army approached Osman Pasha pulled back to Derbent.

1581 Fourth Persia: In the spring of 1581 the Crimeans under Gazi and Safa Geray again invaded Shirvan. Between the towns of Shemakhi and Şabran they were defeated by an Iranian army under Peyker Khan, the beylerbey of Shirvan. Gazi Geray was captured.

1582-84 Overthrow: In the summer of 1582 Turkish troops arrived at Kaffa with orders for the Crimeans to join them on a fifth campaign against Persia. Mehmed called a council of his nobles and it was decided to refuse the command. The Turks marched to Persia without them. It is not clear why Mehmed risked this dangerous insult to his overlord. At the end of 1583 Osman Pasha arrived at Kaffa after an autumn march from Shirvan. He had secret orders to arrest Mehmed and take him to Istanbul. Mehmed invited him to talks at Stary Krym, and when Osman refused Mehmed's suspicions were confirmed. He collected 40,000 troops and besieged Kaffa. Neither side dared to attack the other. Alp Giray secretly left the khan's camp, went to Osman and had Osman propose him as the new khan, something that he had no legal power to do. Most of the beys remained loyal but the Mufti of Kaffa supported the Turks. In May 1584 a Trukish fleet arrived at Kaffa. On board was Mehmed's brother Islyam Giray with a document from the sultan declaring him the new khan. Most of the nobles went over to Islyam. Mehmed, his sons Saadet and Safa, brother Murad and the Mansur Beg fled toward the steppe. Alp, Selyamet and Mubarak went after him. Near Perekop Alp caught up with Mehmed's wagon and strangled him. He was buried at Bakhchiserai. This was the year that Ivan the Terrible died.

Islyam II Giray (1584-88) became khan. Islyam was supported by Alp, Selyamet and Mubarak and opposed by Saadet, Murad and Safa Giray.

• Crimean-Nogai Raids, years 1555-1584
• Crimea#Geography

• Oleksa Gaivoronsky «Повелители двух материков», Kiev-Bakhchisarai, second edition, 2010, ISBN 978-966-2260-02-1, volume 1, pages 299-317
• Henry Hoyle Howorth, History of the Mongols, 1880, Part 2, pp 512-518