The Cossack raids on Istanbul (

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

: ''Козацькі рейди на Стамбул'',

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

: ''İstanbul'a Kazak baskınları''; 9 July – 8 September, 1624) was a raids on the capital of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

by the

Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

under the command of

Mykhailo Doroshenko Mykhailo Doroshenko ( uk, Михайло Дорошенко; died 1628) was the Hetman of the registered Ukrainian Cossacks from 1623 to 1628. Brief biography He was elevated to the rank of Cossack colonel in 1616, and he was active in Petro K ...

and Hryhoriy Chornyi as a part of the Cossack Naval Campaigns.

Background

For centuries, beginning with the rule of

Casimir the Great Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He w ...

since the 14th century, Poland had vied for expansion in the Ruthenian lands Halyč and

Podolia Podolia or Podilia ( uk, Поділля, Podillia, ; russian: Подолье, Podolye; ro, Podolia; pl, Podole; german: Podolien; be, Падолле, Padollie; lt, Podolė), is a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in the west-central ...

against rivals

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, resulting in the formation of the

Jagiellonian dynasty The Jagiellonian dynasty (, pl, dynastia jagiellońska), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty ( pl, dynastia Jagiellonów), the House of Jagiellon ( pl, Dom Jagiellonów), or simply the Jagiellons ( pl, Jagiellonowie), was the name assumed by a cad ...

, known as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1569. Increased Polish influence and autonomy over southwestern Ruthenia brought conflict with the Giray Khans whose raids in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

region had intensified. Against this backdrop, the

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

organization

Zaporozhian Host Zaporozhian Host (or Zaporizhian Sich) is a term for a military force inhabiting or originating from Zaporizhzhia, the territory beyond the rapids of the Dnieper River in what is Central Ukraine today, from the 15th to the 18th centuries. These in ...

had organized as a political-military fraternity who began to raid the Crimean Khanate and

as their military strength increased, penetrating into the Empire as far as Istanbul's suburbs, which they pillaged in the early 17th century.

First raid

In summer of 1624, Turkish admiral

Recep Pasha Recep Pasha (also transliterated in the past as Rajab Pasha or Ragab Pasha or Receb Pasha, or Rajab Bacha or even Rajab Basha; died 1726) was an Ottoman statesman. Recep Pasha became a vizier in September 1707 and served as the Ottoman governor o ...

raided Kafa to subdue

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

vassals. The Cossacks decided to use this moment to attack Istanbul. Despite rumors and warnings about the possibility of a terrible attack, admiral ignored them and went to

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

. The capital was left without defenses. At that time

Zaporozhians The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossack Army, Zaporozhian Host, (, or uk, Військо Запорізьке, translit=Viisko Zaporizke, translit-std=ungegn, label=none) or simply Zaporozhians ( uk, Запорожці, translit=Zaporoz ...

on 70-80 Chaikas (Cossack boats) appeared on two sides of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

. On the night of July 9, the Cossacks attacked the city, plundering and burning residential and administrative buildings.

Beylerbeyi Beylerbeyi is a neighborhood in the Üsküdar municipality of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located on the Asian shore of the Bosporus, to the north of the Bosphorus Bridge. It is bordered on the northeast by the neighborhood of Çengelköy, on the eas ...

, Vaniköy was destroyed on the European coast. During six hours Cossacks destroyed the rows of magnificent villas and homes, after which (at about 9 o'clock in the morning) they returned to the sea. Sultan

Murad IV Murad IV ( ota, مراد رابع, ''Murād-ı Rābiʿ''; tr, IV. Murad, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods. Murad IV was born in Cons ...

, despite the lack of a fleet, decided to punish the Cossacks for the crime. He compensated for his lack of

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

s using various civilian boats. Hoping to scare Cossacks with the size of his force, he sent several hundred vessels under the control of

Damat Halil Pasha Damat Halil Pasha (died 1629, Istanbul), also known as Khalil Pasha, was an Ottoman Armenian statesman. He was grand vizier of the Ottoman Empire in 1616–1619 and 1626–1628.İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı, Türkiye Yayın ...

. Seeing this improvised armada, the Cossacks waited in the middle of the Strait, set their boats in a semicircle and waited. The wind gave the Cossacks the opportunity to attack the Turks. The Turks pushed on, but the Cossacks did not react. Damat Halil Pasha thought that if the Turks were unsuccessful, the Cossacks would make an even more significant blow to Istanbul. By evening the Cossacks were in the coastal waters of Istanbul, and then they returned to their homeland.

Second raid

After two weeks, the Ottoman capital faced at least 150 chaikas, each with a 50-man crew. Turkish sources reported reserves who swam behind. 102 Cossack chaikas came to the Ottoman fleet under the command of Pasha, consisting of 25 large

s, assisted by 300 smaller boats (25-50 people likely in each). The battle lasted several days; In the end, the Cossacks smashed the Turkish fleet, and then attacked Istanbul.

Aftermath

The sofa, worried by the actions of the Cossacks, sent messengers to Rejb-Pasha telling him to ignore Crimean affairs and return to Istanbul. Cossack prisoners said that they acted as if they were committing these attacks in agreement with the

Tatars The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

. This further damaged the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate.

References

Sources