CRITICISM AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

If anybody of historians makes so-called comparative table, which show a number and variety of historical sources and researches on any separate region, certainly, Crimea would have a key place in this table. Due to its geographical location, the Crimea played, for a long time, a particular role in history of many peoples of West and East, North and South. Crimea is located within a peculiar corridor, which was passed over by great migration flows. Some of those people’s flows sometimes stayed in Crimea, mixing with those who lived already in peninsula. The Crimean Tatar ethnos has been formed in fusion of various cultures and languages, which afterwards established one of the powerful states of Europe—the Crimean Khanate.

Currently, it is unlikely that one can find any history on region and its settlement by peoples, which was so subjective, and in last years so ideological, as history of Crimea. Already, the first independent steps of the Crimean Khanate, which declared its independence in 1433, have testified its intention to pursue an active policy in relations with neighbourhood. Thus, in 1461 one signed the Agreement with the Polish King Sigizmund on joint actions against Moscow. At the same time, the Crimean Khanate had to determine its efforts for resistance the attempts of the Ottoman Porte to conquer the Crimea completely, and provide a protection from the Golden Horde as well. The Russian and latter a Soviet historiography lighted the activity of the Crimean Khanate only as a guide of the Ottoman Porte’s will. Similar interpretation of a role and place of the Crimean Khanate has allowed to the Russian historical school to turn a history of development for Russian advantage, at the same time, masking ably a foreign policy of grab towards its neighbourhood.

For a long time, one lighted the Ukrainian-Crimean relationship according to the official Russian historiography. One understands that using such approach to evaluate those relations was not sufficient and very one-sided. In this case, one pursued an apparent aim: on the one hand, to demonstrate a lack of the independent foreign political activity of the Ukrainian people that means “the consistent pattern of its occupation by Moscow”, on the other hand—to reduce a significance of the Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar relationship and hyperbolize its tragic chapters.

In the beginning of XXI century, new historical realities, in which Ukraine enters as independent state, are required a new understanding of all these phases its development, including relations with its neighbourhood, in particular, the Crimean Khanate.

A necessity to analyze these relations is caused by entering Crimea into composition of Ukraine. State is to find a form of new relationship with the Crimean Tatar people, who coming back to Motherland after half-century exile.

Currently, the Ukrainian scientists have already published in Kyiv two researches, the main value of which is a bringing into scientific turn a lot of historical documents, which allow significantly to extend our knowledge of the past of Ukraine and its neighbourhood. We give below short information on the said works and their authors.

Valentin Krisachenko
The history of Crimea. The Crimean Khanate. The schoolbook. - Kyiv 2000. 336 p.

The history of the Crimean Khanate is first, which is opened on the wide key base from beginning XIII and till the end of XVIII centuries. One analyzed its position, establishment as independent state being under a protectorate of the Ottoman Porte, including start and collapse in XVII century. One described a history of the Crimean Khanate, its territory, population, state system and social structure. One paid special attention to complexity of the Ukrainian-Crimean relations. The international agreements and treaties conclude a book, which describes a political status of the Crimean Khanate on different phases of its existence.

There is a chronology and list of (periods of government) Khans of the Crimean Khanate in schoolbook.

The source was translated into Ukrainian (except special defined papers) and was commented by author of the schoolbook. The every source is preceded by scientific research on author, time and circumstances of writing the recollections and their historical meaning, including an understanding of history of the Crimean Khanate. Thus, any source and document can be considered as system and every one as self-sufficient text.

The Ministry of Education of Ukraine recommended the schoolbook for pupils of grammar-school, teachers, and students of historical faculties of academies.

The author—Krisachenko Valentin Semenovitch is a philosopher, historian, and Ukrainian scholar, doctor of philosophical sciences, professor, leading worker of the Institute of Philosophy of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Ferhad Turanli

The annals by M.Sena and G.Sultan as historical sources. Scientific publication. —Kyiv. The Institute of the Ukrainian archaeology and linguistics by M.S.Grushevskyi, 2000 - 312 p.

In monograph one first substantially studies the Ukrainian-Polish-Crimean-Ottoman diplomatic relations in the middle of XVII century according to the Turkish historical sources. One gives a careful interpretation on mentioned sources with using a domestic and European literature. Author gives reasons of staying Bogdan Khmelnitskyi in capital of the Crimean Khanate—Bakhchisaray, talks with Islam Giray III relating to creation of the Ukrainian-Crimean Alliance in 1648, including a process of establishment of relations between the Ottoman Porte under period of governing of sultan Mehmed IV and Poland.

On the eve of establishment of official relations, the Crimean army crusaded triumphant against Moscow, after that the diplomatic relations between Hetman and Khan have been strengthened. Development of political ties promoted to realization of joint crusades, including a nationalistic struggle of the Ukrainians.

One traces a history of cooperation of culture of both nations. Moreover, one recalls that Roksalana (Gaseki Gurrem) had been a beloved wife of sultan Suleyman Kanuni (legislator).

A historical significance of events is the establishment of Ukrainian - Cossack state and change of geopolitical order in the West Europe.

This book is recommended for historians, orientalists, and specialist on Turkology, specialist on ethnology, geographers, and specialist on religion, teachers and students of the humanitarian faculties of the academy.

The author is—Turanli Ferhad Gardashkin—the Ukrainian historian—orientalist of new generation. He graduated from Prikarpatskyi University by V.Stefanik (1992), studied in graduate school, including Istanbul International University (1993-1996) and protected dissertation on specialty “The world history”. He is as well the author of numerous scientific articles in Ukrainian and foreign publications.