Khan Temir

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Khan Temir (Polish: Kantymir Murza, nicknamed Bloody Sword; 16th century-1637) was a powerful khan of the Budjak Nogais (Budjak Horde); around 1603, he formed and subsequently led the Nogai Khanate.

[edit] Biography

A skilled military commander and politician, he served the Ottoman Empire and was a dedicated enemy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was the leader of the hordes in Akkerman, Budjak, and Dobruja. He raided Commonwealth territory and often clashed with Polish-Lithuanian forces during the Moldavian Magnate Wars.

In 1612, Khan Temir defeated the troops of Polish commander Stefan Potocki and Moldavian Price Constantin Movilă at the Battle of Sasowy Róg. In 1620 he took part in the Battle of Ţuţora, where he vastly contributed to the crushing victory of the Ottomans over the Poles-Lithuanians. In 1621 he fought at the Battle of Khotyn.

On April 20, 1624, he was defeated by hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski during the Battle of Martynów. After 1630 he aimed to take control of the Crimean Khanate, where, in 1635, he took part in the Crimean Civil War. Defeated in 1637, he was exectued on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV.