Overview
Maqsud Giray ruled the Crimean Khanate briefly in 1767–1768, on the eve of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1768–1774, the war that ended Ottoman sovereignty over Crimea. He was one of a rapid series of khans in these years, as the Ottomans changed rulers in search of a leader who could hold the peninsula against growing Russian pressure.
Rise to Power
Maqsud Giray took the throne in 1767, following the short final reign of Arslan Giray. Within a year the Ottomans, preparing for war with Russia, replaced him with the experienced and aggressive Qırım Giray, who led the Crimean army against Russian-held territory in 1768–1769.
Rule and Achievements
- Held the throne for about a year in 1767–1768, during the final months of peace before the Russo-Ottoman War
- Was replaced by Qırım Giray when the Ottomans wanted a proven war leader at the head of the Crimean army
- Was named khan by the Ottomans again in 1771, after Russian forces had overrun Crimea, but never reached the peninsula and did not rule; most lists of khans therefore record a single reign
Legacy
Maqsud Giray's career shows how little room a Crimean khan had in the khanate's final decades. He was appointed in peacetime and removed as soon as war approached, and his second appointment was a title without a country, issued for territory the Ottomans no longer controlled. Within three years of that appointment Crimea was independent in name and under Russian protection in practice, and within sixteen it was annexed.