Mengli II Giray

Born: c. 1678 Died: c. 1739 Reigned: 1724-1730, 1737-1739 Khanate: Crimean Khanate Title: Khan

Overview

Mengli II Giray ruled the Crimean Khanate twice across the 1720s and 1730s, his two reigns separated by Qaplan I Giray's long third tenure. His second reign from 1737 to 1739 coincided with the closing stages of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1735 to 1739, a conflict that produced Russian military penetration of Crimea itself — the first time Russian forces had entered the peninsula — and ended with the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739, which partially reversed Russian gains but left the strategic trajectory unmistakable.

The Russo-Ottoman War of 1735 to 1739 was a watershed in Crimean history. Russian forces under Field Marshal Münnich actually reached and occupied portions of Crimea in 1736 and 1737, sacking the Giray capital of Bakhchisaray. This was an unprecedented event — no foreign army had successfully invaded the Crimean peninsula within living memory — and it demonstrated graphically that the strategic protection the khanate had long enjoyed from its peninsular geography and Ottoman backing was no longer absolute.

Mengli II Giray's second reign thus began under conditions of acute military pressure and ended with the Treaty of Belgrade, which compelled Russia to return most of its gains but allowed Crimea to recover its position as an Ottoman vassal. His navigation of this crisis, though ultimately dependent on Ottoman diplomatic achievement rather than Crimean military success, kept the khanate intact.

Rise to Power

Mengli II Giray first came to power in 1724 following Sa'adat III Giray's departure, governing until 1730 when Qaplan I Giray returned for his third reign. He was restored in 1737 during the military crisis of the Russo-Ottoman war.

Rule and Achievements

• Governed twice for a combined tenure of approximately eight years
• His second reign coincided with the first successful Russian military incursion into Crimea
• Navigated the khanate through the military crisis of 1737 to 1739 and survived to see the Treaty of Belgrade partially restore the status quo
• Faced the sacking of Bakhchisaray by Russian forces during his second reign
• Managed the diplomatic and military aftermath of unprecedented Russian military penetration of the peninsula

Legacy

Mengli II Giray's second reign is historically significant as the period when Crimean vulnerability to Russian military power became undeniable. The sacking of Bakhchisaray was a profound psychological shock as well as a military humiliation. While the Treaty of Belgrade allowed the khanate to recover formally, no thoughtful observer could ignore what the campaign had demonstrated. Mengli II Giray presided over this moment of crisis and survived it, but the strategic lesson of his era — that Crimea could not defend itself against sustained Russian military pressure without Ottoman help, and that even Ottoman help might not always be sufficient — would define the final decades of the khanate's existence.