Devlet I Giray

Devlet I Giray, Dolat Girai (Crimean Tatar: I Devlet Geray, ۱دولت كراى‎; Taht Alğan Devlet Geray, تخت آلغان دولت كراى‎) (1512–1577) was a khan of the Crimean Khanate during whose long reign (1551–1577) the khanate rose to the pinnacle of its power.

Reign

During the reign of his predecessor Sahib I Giray, Devlet Giray lived in Constantinople, where he won the favor of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. With the help of the Ottoman Turks, Devlet Giray was installed as the ruler of the Crimean Khanate in 1551. He is known to have been a skillful politician, who could always take advantage of auspicious conditions. Thus, Devlet Giray managed to secure his de facto independence from the Porte.

He successfully interfered with the Ottoman government's plans to construct a canal between the Volga and the Don Rivers, which would certainly strengthen the Turkish influence over Crimea. With an army of considerable size at his disposal, Devlet Giray constantly fought with his neighbors, mostly with Russia. His raids of 1555 and 1571 were especially devastating for Muscovy (he even managed to burn down Moscow during the 1571 campaign) but he suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Molodi in 1572.

The main purpose of his military campaigns was to annex Kazan and Astrakhan, lost by the Muslim world to the Russians in the previous years. Devlet Giray's attempts were unsuccessful, but still he managed to impose annual monetary and fur tributes on some of the Russians and Ukrainians living in the south.

v t e Khans of Crimea 15th century Hacı I Giray Hayder Nur Devlet Meñli I Giray 16th century Mehmed I Giray Ğazı I Giray Saadet I Giray İslâm I Giray Sahib I Giray Devlet I Giray Mehmed II Giray İslâm II Giray Saadet II Giray Ğazı II Giray Fetih I Giray 17th century Toqtamış Giray Selâmet I Giray Canibek Giray Mehmed III Giray İnayet Giray Bahadır I Giray Mehmed IV Giray İslâm III Giray Adil Giray Selim I Giray Murad Giray Hacı II Giray Saadet III Giray Safa Giray Devlet II Giray 18th century Ğazı III Giray Qaplan I Giray Devlet III Giray Saadet IV Giray Meñli II Giray Fetih II Giray Selâmet II Giray Selim II Giray Arslan Giray Halim Giray Qırım Giray Selim III Giray Maqsud Giray Devlet IV Giray Qaplan II Giray Sahib II Giray Şahin Giray Bahadır II Giray Khan topics Crimean Khanate Giray dynasty