📜 Crimea — Bulgarian?

However, it is particularly strange to hear claims that the Tatars allegedly “occupied” Crimea recently, that the Ukrainian peninsula was originally “Greek, and then immediately became Russian.” This is far from the truth.

Crimea entered the Turkic sphere of influence as early as the 7th century, when most of the peninsula became part of Great Bulgaria, a powerful Turkic state founded by Khan Kubrat (c. 605–665 AD).

🛡 How the Bulgars Split

After Kubrat’s death, his state could not withstand the pressure from the Khazars. In 668 AD, his sons Batbayan, Asparukh, Kotrag, Alcek, and Kuber led different Bulgar groups in various directions:

✔ Batbayan remained under Khazar rule (Black Sea steppes and Crimea).
✔ Asparukh crossed the Danube and founded the First Bulgarian Empire (681 AD).
✔ Kotrag led part of the Bulgars to the Volga, where they later established Volga Bulgaria (9th century).

Thus, the Danube Bulgars became modern Bulgarians, while the Volga Bulgars eventually became the ancestors of the Tatars.

🏛 Crimea, Great Bulgaria, and Poltava Region

Interestingly, the territory of Great Bulgaria stretched far to the north — to present-day Poltava region of Ukraine, where, according to some theories, Khan Kubrat’s tomb is located.

🌍 What Happened Next?

⚡ Before Crimea’s annexation by the Russian Empire in 1783, the entire Black Sea region was a succession of Turkic states and peoples:

✔ Khazar Khaganate (7th–10th centuries)
✔ Pechenegs (9th–11th centuries)
✔ Cumans (Kipchaks) (11th–13th centuries)
✔ Golden Horde (13th–15th centuries)
✔ Crimean Czardom (15th–18th centuries)
✔ Ottoman Empire (1475–1774)

🏛 Crimea Before the Mongols: The Venetian-Genoese Conflict

Between the 13th and 15th centuries, Crimea became the battleground of a trade war between the Venetian and Genoese republics (oligarchies), both fighting for control over Black Sea ports and the Silk Road trade routes.

⚔ Major Battles and Events

📍 1204 AD — After the Crusaders capture Constantinople, Venice gains exclusive trading privileges in the Byzantine Empire, including in Crimea.
📍 1261 AD — Treaty of Nymphaeum: Byzantium hands control of Crimea to Genoa, sparking conflict with Venice. It is very likely that the Mongols indirectly aided Genoa’s victory, as after their arrival, Venice lost control of Constantinople. Additionally, Genoa consistently paid lower tribute to the Mongols than Venice did.
📍 1350–1355 AD — Venetian-Genoese War, clashes in Crimea.
📍 1380 AD — Genoese forces defeat the Venetians near Soldaia (Sudak), securing their dominance on the peninsula.

🏰 Genoese and Venetian Colonies in Crimea

✔ Soldaia (Sudak) — Initially a Venetian colony, later taken over by Genoa.
✔ Caffa (Feodosia) — The main Genoese stronghold, founded in 1266 AD, fell to the Ottomans in 1475 AD.
✔ Cembalo (Bakhchisaray) — Built by Genoese in 1357 AD, later besieged by the Tatars and Ottomans.
✔ Vosporo (Kerch) — A key Black Sea trading hub.

☠ The Black Death: Crimea as the Epicenter of the Plague

In 1347 AD, during the Mongol siege of Genoese Caffa, the Black Death outbreak began. According to one account, the Mongols catapulted plague-infected corpses into the city, which led to an epidemic among traders. Fleeing Genoese merchants brought the plague to Europe, causing the pandemic of the “Black Death” (1347–1351), which wiped out up to 60% of Europe’s population.

⚡ The Mongol Invasion and the Foundation of Sarai

The Mongol expansion in the 13th century was largely driven by their desire to control trade routes between Europe and China, many of which passed through Crimea. This is why the Golden Horde established its capital in Sarai (c. 1250 AD), near the Volga trade routes.

⚠ Crimea Was Part of the Turkic World for 1,200 Years

For over 1,200 years (6th–18th centuries), Crimea was a part of the Turkic world, until it was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783. However, despite centuries of brutal oppression, deportations, and ethnic cleansing by the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars still remain on the peninsula today.