Apparently, the southern part of Crimea was under Byzantine rule from AD 526, at the beginning of Justinian's reign, until the sacking of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1204 by the Crusaders during their fourth crusade, which originally was supposed to go to the Holy Land via Egypt, but instead were diverted to Constantinople.Not a WI, just a general question. A lot of the maps of the Byzantine Empire that I see have the Crimea (most likely part of) coloured in as part of its territory. When did it "annex" the Crimea, and how long did they hold onto it?
Apparently, the southern part of Crimea was under Byzantine rule from AD 526, at the beginning of Justinian's reign, until the sacking of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1204 by the Crusaders during their fourth crusade, which originally was supposed to go to the Holy Land via Egypt, but instead were diverted to Constantinople.
Abdul, that's pretty interesting. Do you know of any good resources on that?
There was something near modern Sevastopol's site - Kherson, capital of Byzantine Crimea and main naval base in the peninsula.This is a useful little thread, better than starting my own one to a similar end
I'm trying to find out/work out what cities the Byzantine empire had in the Crimea, specifically what was the main naval base or port (cos I don't think there was anything at Sevastopol ?) and what was the main city of the interior
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Kherson, alias Sevastopol has best harbour of the Black Sea. However, that harbour is open to the steppes; at the same time, Feodosia (Theodosia, Kafa, Kefe) is defended by kilometer-high Crimean mountains, despite having somewhat worse harbour.This map shows Kaffa as Genoan
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/byzantine_empire_1355.jpg
With a note that it was Feodosia
So, when it was in Byzantine hands was it Feodosia or Kherson which was the major port ? Which one is best-suited to being a naval base in more modern times ?
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Feodosia before 13th century was Byzantine territory, while Kherson was inKherson, iirc. Feodosia was a Byzantine vassal but not actual Byzantine territory. And the Genoans held parts of the Crimea for a period around 1200-1400 iirc, I think taken during the sack of Constantinople.
This is a useful little thread, better than starting my own one to a similar end
I'm trying to find out/work out what cities the Byzantine empire had in the Crimea, specifically what was the main naval base or port (cos I don't think there was anything at Sevastopol ?) and what was the main city of the interior
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
You don't need to get hung up on that. The obvious choice is Sevastopol, since it's a fantastic port. If the Byzantines planned a major naval base in the Crimea, they'd put it there. A lot of ports that work in antiquity can't operate deep draught vessels - hence Zeyla and Suakin being largely abandoned for Berbera and Port Sudan, etc.
There were "unfriendly savages" in the middle - Pechenegs, Kipchaks, Tatars. Byzantines could not defend city relatively far from the sea, but amidst nomads' summer pastures (famous Crimean Yayla, literally "summer pastures", is situated some 30 kilometers to the south of Simferopol). Simferopol was built on the site of Tatar town, which was in turn built on the ruins of Scythian royal city of Neapolis. Scythians, as well as Tatars, consisted of sedentary populations as well as nomads. Consequently, they (unlike Greeks) could have cities in the middle of the Crimea.Thank you very much for the repliesI see from your examples, and from what maps I have been able to locate, that all of the Byzantine era cities are on the coast (including Eupatoria). Was there nothing much in the middle, no cause or purpose for there to be anything there ? Such as at Simferopol, which I know was founded in the 18th century, but was it built on the remains of an earlier trading post or fortress ?
Thanks again !
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
There were "unfriendly savages" in the middle - Pechenegs, Kipchaks, Tatars. Byzantines could not defend city relatively far from the sea, but amidst nomads' summer pastures (famous Crimean Yayla, literally "summer pastures", is situated some 30 kilometers to the south of Simferopol). Simferopol was built on the site of Tatar town, which was in turn built on the ruins of Scythian royal city of Neapolis. Scythians, as well as Tatars, consisted of sedentary populations as well as nomads. Consequently, they (unlike Greeks) could have cities in the middle of the Crimea.