The Crimean Khanate's Burning of Moscow

The Burning of Moscow by the Crimean Khanate was a major destruction and fire event that occurred during a campaign launched in May 1571 by the Crimean Tatar army under the command of Khan Devlet I Giray against Russia. This historical event is regarded as one of the most effective military successes achieved by the Crimean Khanate against the Russian Tsardom.

Representative Image Depicting the Event (Generated by Artificial Intelligence)

Historical Background

The Crimean Khanate, one of the successor states that emerged after the dissolution of the Golden Horde, ruled semi-independently under the protection of the Ottoman Empire. Meanwhile, the Principality of Moscow had eliminated the Khanates of Kazan (1552) and Astrakhan (1556), thereby ending Muslim Turkic presence along the Volga River.

In 1569 the Ottoman Empire had launched a military campaign against Astrakhan but failed due to various factors including supply shortages, adverse climatic conditions, and lack of Tatar cooperation. In response to this failure, Khan Devlet Giray decided on his own initiative to launch a campaign against Moscow in 1571.

The 1571 Moscow Campaign

Devlet Giray marched on Moscow in May 1571 with a large Tatar army. The Russian Tsar Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) was unable to field a strong army at the time and the frontier defenses were weak, which increased the chances of success for the campaign.

On 24 May 1571 the Crimean forces reached the outskirts of Moscow and set fire to its suburbs. Fueled by strong winds the fire spread rapidly and nearly the entire city was consumed.

The area around the Kremlin suffered extensive damage; the city’s infrastructure collapsed, thousands of buildings were reduced to ashes, and a large portion of the population was killed or taken captive. According to accounts the number of dead in Moscow and its vicinity alone approached 100,000.^【1】 During the 18 days of fire and plunder Devlet Giray destroyed the Kremlin; Tsar Ivan IV escaped the palace and saved his life.

Military Victory Political Failure

The campaign was a decisive military victory. Devlet Giray gained significant prestige within the Ottoman sphere and was granted the title “Taht Algan.” Ottoman Sultan Selim II expressed his satisfaction with this success by sending Devlet Giray a letter of praise. However this major military triumph did not translate into political gain. In 1572 Devlet Giray launched another campaign against Moscow but was decisively defeated by the now-prepared Russian army. As a result the 1571 campaign is remembered in history as the last major victory achieved by the Crimean Khanate against Russia.

The 1571 Moscow Campaign holds three key historical significance:

1. Military Success: Russia suffered a severe blow as the entire city was devastated by fire.

2. Ottoman-Crimean Alliance: The Ottoman Empire’s strategy of using the Crimean Khanate as its proxy rather than intervening directly reflected a classic Ottoman foreign policy approach.

3. Strengthening of Russian Centralism: The destruction and chaos provided Tsar Ivan IV with justification to establish a more authoritarian centralized administration.

The burning of Moscow by the Crimean Khanate has secured its place in history as a military and symbolic act within the context of Ottoman-Crimean-Russian relations in the 16th century. Devlet Giray’s campaign in Moscow is interpreted as the final major resistance against Russia’s process of assimilating Turkic-Islamic presence in Central Asia and the Volga-Ural region.