The Role of the Crimean Tatars in the Ottoman-Safavi Wars / Osmanlı-Safevi Savaşlarında Kırım Tatarlarının Rolü

Öz

From the beginning of the XVI century until the beginning of the XIII century, The Ottoman-Safavid struggle, which continued for about two centuries, took place in this buffer geography along the North-South directional Caucasus-Iraq-Arab line, which is the natural borders of both powers. These conflicts, which took place in the Southern Caucasus, Tabriz-centered Southern Azerbaijan and the Iraqi-Arab geography, were largely carried out by the coalition elements of both states. In this context, the Crimean Tatars stand out as the most important coalition element in the Eastern Campaigns of the Ottomans. In this study, the role of the Crimean Tatars, who had an autonomous status in the Ottoman political and administrative system, and the military elements acting with them, in the Ottoman expeditions to the East will be clarified.