The siege of Cherkasy or siege of Cherkassy was conducted by the Crimean Tatar army of

Saadet I Giray Saadet I Giray Crimean Tatar, Ottoman Turkish and (1492–1538) was Khan of the Crimean Khanate (reigned 1524–1532). He was pro- Ottoman and a competent ruler. He followed Ğazı I Giray (1523–24) and was followed by İslâm I Giray (1532) ...

in cooperation with Ottoman Janissaries as part of the attack in response to raids of

Ostap Dashkevych Ostaphii "Ostap" Dashkevych ( Ukrainian: Остафій Дашкевич; born in Ovruch 1470 – died after 1535) is one of the earliest recorded leaders of an organized Cossack defense force. Dashkevych held a position of starosta in Cherkasy ...

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

, on March 1532.

Prelude

During the period of Crimean-Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe, Cherkassy played an important role as a defense from Tatar raiders.

intended to establish relations with Grand Duke Sigismund I. The Cossack

Kosh Otaman Kosh may refer to: Ukrainian culture * Kosh otaman (16–18th centuries), an officer of the Zaporozhian Host * Kosh or Kish, a military society of Zaporozhian Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also kn ...

occasionally cooperated with the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

, but more often raided Tatars. Dashkevych's raids eventually provoked the Crimean Khan to attack Cherkasy. Crimean attack turned into a 30-day siege of the Cherkasy castle. The date of the siege is unclear, either taking place from late February to early April or during March.

Siege

Dashkevych was informed of the incoming Tatar army, reacting quickly. Cossacks and townspeople gathered in the Cherkasy castle before the settlement was destroyed in a Tatar attack, as was the bridge connecting castle with the town. Dashkevych organised a defense and requested assistance, but the Lithuanian army wasn't going to arrive until the end of the month. The condition of Cherkasy fortress during the siege was poor. However, the castle's favourable position made it possible to resist the attackers. It made it deadly for the Khan to use Tatar cavalry in this battle. Ataman Dashkevych had 400-600 people under his command, while Khan Saadet led 10,000 troops, including 1,500

Janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

. Khan Saadet with thousands of troops and support of artillery encircled the Cherkasy castle. Tatar forces first tried to take the castle by storm, but were repelled. Khan then changed the strategy to starving out the defenders and then shelling them from cannons. In response, Dashkevych carried out successful sorties on the besiegers. The strategy of attrition on the besieged proved to be ineffective and Khan Saadet was unable to defeat the castle's garrison.

Aftermath

Dashkevych's forces withstood the siege and repelled the attacks. Khan Saadet lifted the siege when the Lithuanian naval forces approached. Khan didn't want to risk heavy losses among elite troops, which contributed to the decision to retreat. At the same time, the failure to capture Cherkasy castle undermined Saadet's position as Khan, renouncing his position on May 1532. Saadet was replaced by

Sahib I Giray Sahib I Giray Crimean Tatar, Ottoman Turkish and (1501–1551) was Khan of Kazan for three years and Khan of Crimea for nineteen years. His father was the Crimean Khan Meñli I Giray. Sahib was placed on the throne of Kazan by his ambitious br ...

as Khan.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Cite web , first=Valerii , last=Lastovskyi , title=До питання про облогу Черкас у 1532 р. , language=uk , location=

Kyiv 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, ...

, publisher= Київський національний університет культури і мистецтв, year=2021, url=https://shron1.chtyvo.org.ua/Lastovskyi_Valerii/Do_pytannia_pro_oblohu_Cherkas_u_1532_rotsi_rosiiskyi_pohliad_na_ukrainsku_podiiu.pdf?, website=shron1.chtyvo.org.ua 1532 in Europe Conflicts in 1532 Battles involving the Crimean Khanate Sieges involving the Ottoman Empire Military history of Zaporizhzhia Military history of Ukraine Cherkasy

Prelude

Siege

Aftermath

See also

References

Bibliography