2026. no 1. Hammer-Purgstall J. von
The History of the Khans of Crimea under Ottoman Rule, Compiled from Turkish Sources,
with a Ghazal by Shahin Giray, as a Supplement to the History of the Ottoman Empire (1)*
Hammer-Purgstall J. von
Abstract.This article presents a translation of the first three chapters of the work by the Austrian orientalist Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall, including the preface and the complete list of sources used by the author. In addition to Hammer-Purgstall’s own notes, the publication is supplemented with notes by the translators and the editor. The article is preceded by an introductory essay written by one of the translators, O.N. Kurova, which contains a brief biography of Hammer-Purgstall, a list of his principal works, and a description of the study presented here. The History of the Khans of Crimea under Ottoman Rule constitutes a fundamental study of the Crimean Khanate during the period of its political dependence on the Ottoman Empire. To trace the political development, dynastic conflicts, external relations, and cultural life of the Khanate from the late fifteenth to the late eighteenth century, Hammer-Purgstall relies on a wide range of Turkish sources, including manuscript and printed histories, anthologies, and collections of state documents. The work is distinguished by academic rigor, profound knowledge of the Eastern historical tradition, and a commitment to an objective presentation of events that unfolded at the crossroads of Eastern and Western civilizations. In the present translation, the names of the Crimean khans have been standardized in accordance with contemporary Russian orthographic norms and follow the forms established in Russian historiographical tradition. The selection of personal name forms was based on the name index in The History of the Crimean Tatars, vol. 3: The Crimean Khanate (15th – 18th centuries).
Keywords: Crimean Khanate; Ottoman Empire; khans; Ottoman history; Hammer-Purgstall; Turkic states; 15th – 18th centuries; diplomacy; history of Crimea
For citation: Hammer-Purgstall J. von. The History of the Khans of Crimea under Ottoman Rule, Compiled from Turkish Sources, with a Ghazal by Shahin Giray, as a Supplement to the History of the Ottoman Empire (1). Translated from German Kurova O.N., Aliyeva A.Yu. Krymskoe istoricheskoe obozrenie=Crimean Historical Review. 2026, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 156–173. https://doi.org/10.22378/kio.2026.1.156-173 (In Russian)
REFERENCES
1. Kurova O.N. Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall as Historian and Osmanist (with Reference to the Collection of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences). Izvestia. Ural Federal University Journal. Series 2. Humanities and Arts. 2018, vol. 20, no. 1 (172), pp. 142–150. (In Russian)
2. Hammer-Purgstall J. von. Memories of my life. 1774–1852. Vienna and Leipzig: Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, 1940. 592 p. (In German)
3. Hammer-Purgstall J. von. The History of the Khans of Crimea under Ottoman Rule. Compiled from Turkish Sources, with a Ghazal by Shahin Giray. As a Supplement to the History of the Ottoman Empire. Vienna: K. K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 263 p. (In German)
4. Hammer-Purgstall J. von. The History of the Ottoman Empire, vol. 9. Pest: C.A.Hartleben’s Verlag, 1833. 694 p. (In German)
5. Höflechner W., Wagner A. (pub.). Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall. 1774–1856. The Life of an Austrian Scholar. An Approach, vol. 2. Graz-Austria: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt, 2021. 879–1877 p. (In German)
INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (1774–1856) was an Austrian orientalist, historian, translator of Eastern literatures, diplomat and poet.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS
Olga N. Kurova – Junior Research Fellow, Department of Oriental Languages Publications, Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1, Birzhevaya Line, St. Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0001-5372-3622. E-mail: olga_kurova@rambler.ru
Arzy Yu. Alieva – Freelance employee of the Crimean Scientific Center, Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (7, Baturin Str., Kazan 420111, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0009-0008-6391-1377. E-mail: arzy.aliyeva.1985@mail.ru
Received 15.12.2025
Accepted 12.03.2026
* Translated from German by Kurova O.N., Alieva A.Yu. The translation was made according to the publication: Hammer-Purgstall J. von. Geschichte der Chane der Krim unter Osmanischer Herrschaft. Aus Türkischen Quellen zusammengetragen mit der Zugabe eines Gasels Schahingerai’s. Als Anhang zur Geschichte des Osmanischen Reichs. Wien: aus der K.K. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1856. 263 S.
