Would Kaffa be able to survive as an independent republic some time in the 13th or 14th century? Let's say Genoa loses a war pretty badly and the local government of Kaffa declares independence. What would be the goals of this new merchant republic? Would the self governing city be more able to defend itself? Perhaps it would make a goal of securing the Crimean Peninsula, building a wall or dike at the Isthus of Perekop to keep out wandering nomads similar to the Hexamillion wall or Dannevirke. This multicultural republic would consist of Genoese colonists, Greeks, Goths, Crimean Tatars, and perhaps later on Slavs would start moving in. How long could this republic last assuming it spans across the entire Crimean Peninsula?
Republic of Kaffa
- Thread starter Megas Valens
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- 13th century crimea genoa
They'll need a significant navy to keep the straits of Marmara open, as well as maintain relationships with whoever controls the Aegean Islands. Then they'll probably need to make deals with either Trebizond and/or whoever controls the Pontic Steppe to ensure that they get a slice of both the Northern and Southern Silk Roads.
I think Galata would also be required, not sure if the Danube trade routes would be a sufficient alternative to the Mediterranean markets back then.
Easiest thing would be to make deals with Venetians, who'd be eager to get a proxy against the Genoese in the Black Sea.
The “wandering nomads” in the 13th, 14th centuries happen to be the Golden Horde: Crimea (or rather its Eastern and Central part) was a part of it since 1230th. So it would be too late for securing the peninsula but with some luck your republic can include the coastal Genoese areas along the OTL lines: the Mongols had been interested in the profits from slave (and other) trade.
As far as the Perekop fortifications are involved, some kind of the earthworks existed there since the antiquity but neither Subutai nor other invading Mongolian forces had any noticeable problems with getting into the peninsula. Now, here are the technicalities. The OTL fortification is 10 km long and was built by the Ottomans. As was demonstrated during the later history even the Crimean Horde did not have adequate resources for manning that perimeter and the Genoese colonies would not have the needed resources either, not to mention that they had been on the wrong side of the peninsula and, a trifle (😂) their unification of the Crimea implies the absence of the Mongols in the region.
I think it'd be pretty interesting to cultivate a wealthy Genophone leadership in the nation, such that 'Kaffan' becomes a unique language isolate with aspects of italian, slavic, turkic & gothic
Also interesting would be how this small state goes about surviving, if the Crimeans are knocked out early they can take the remainder of the peninsula.
Also interesting would be how this small state goes about surviving, if the Crimeans are knocked out early they can take the remainder of the peninsula.
I meant more for keeping more nomads from arriving after pushing out the Golden Horde out. Pehaps this mindset of expansion would come about from successfully repelling a siege from the Golden Horde and wanting to avoid another siege in the future by increasing the buffer between aggressors and their capital. Maybe the Republic embraces a more passive-aggressive policy of founding settlements further inland and expanding control over the peninsula slowly. Do you think there's any way the Golden Horde might look the other way and let this happen? Maybe Kaffa agrees to become a tributary and ally of the Golden Horde or slowly purchases plots of land to expand inland? I'm not really an expert on how the Golden Horde functioned and the kind of diplomacy they used against their neighbors so I'm not sure what Kaffa could get away with.
If by the “Crimeans” you mean the Crimean Khanate, it became an independent state only in 1441 and before this it was a part of the GH so the attempts to kick it out earlier would be extremely unhealthy. Actually, Kaffa (Feodosia) had been purchased by Genoa from the GH in the late 13th century and prior to this it was just a minor settlement with a mixed population. Having the Genoese trade posts on the coast was convenient to both sides and Kaffa became one of Europe’s greatest slave markets.
A rather fantastic scenario (“kicking” the Tatars out of their ulus located so close to the center of the GH would be quite a military fit) that you mentioned implies an economic destruction of the “Republic of Kaffa”: it existed on the transit trade and having GH as an enemy would mean cessation of the trade.
Ability of a state to survive economically exclusively within the peninsula (Crimean Khanate in OTL had a much greater territory) is an interesting question but the answer is probably negative. In OTL the CH was producing some export items besides the slaves (knives, carpets, salt, etc.) but, even with the reasonably well developed garden-based agriculture, it could not feed itself and relied upon the grain supplies from the Ottomans. Without money from the slave trade there are no funds available. The “whole peninsula” looks good on a map but it’s central part is rather dry and not very hospitable: you may notice that most of the cities are in a coastal area. So to change the OTL agriculture into something self-sufficient would be a formidable task during the Middle Ages.
Ability of a state to survive militarily is even more problematic. To start with, the GH would be trying to crush the rebellion and defending the isthmus of Perekop with the forces realistically available in the Peninsula is not realistic, especially keeping in mind possibility of invasion through the Kerch Straight and a relative ease with which the peninsula can be accessed through the Syvash.
And if by whatever reason the GH fails to do this, here come the Ottomans with their fleet, superb infantry and powerful artillery.
Kaffa was purchased by the Genovese from the GH to serve as a trade outpost. Kicking the GH out would be both military impossibility and economic suicide. The Genovese colonies in the Crimea existed predominantly on the slave trade and the slaves, as well as most of other trade items were coming from the GH. These colonies could resist, with various degrees for success, the attempts to take the fortified cities (Kaffa withstood two sieges by Jani Beg) but, judging the the later history of the Crimea, the Tatars were just trying to install their administration and get more profits. But repelling a siege is afar cry from defeating enemy in a field and reconquering territory ill-suited for the medieval infantry operations against the cavalry. In OTL, notwithstanding the military conflicts, the Mongols remained supreme lords of the territory allowing a complete self-rule in the cities and appointing a special administrator for its rural areas.
They could not create a meaningful “buffer” with the Mongols controlling the central steppe part of the peninsula and, as I mention, there was no realistic scenario under which the colonies could kick out the Mongols from the peninsula. So the realistic, and OTL, scenario was to negotiate (as was done with Jani Beg’s successor who had noticeably more brains). After all, both sides had been interested in maintaining the profitable relations.
Probably some chance for a similar schema is for Genoa to create (no matter how) an all-peninsula state well before the 1230s and then (after or without being invaded) to negotiate a vassal status within the Mongolian Empire: ruler’s confirmation by the Khan, regular tribute. etc. Pretty much the same schema as worked in Russia, Georgia and other places. The trade would go as in OTL. How this state is going to deal with the Ottomans I have no idea.
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This is why I put foward ideas of Kaffa expanding peacefully. Obviously they wouldn't be able to beat them in the field, it's why I never proposed that. The thing about steppe territories is that they were mostly uninhatibited, so I don't see why the Golden Horde wouldn't be willing to sell land to Kaffa. Kaffa would almost certainly become a tributary state of the Golden Horde if it were independent so they don't have to be enemies. Assuming Kaffa is still a wealthy city it could buy land and slowly spread across the peninsula, if not for economic reasons then for security. As the power of the Golden Horde wanes as it did OTL Kaffa will buy more and more of Crimea and found more and more settlements until they dominate the region. Maybe they don't build any fortifications at the Perekop, idk, it just seemed like a cool idea.
With Kaffa in a more secure position than OTL the Ottomans may be willing to let it exist. Maybe it could be a vassal state constantly changing hands between the major powers of the region. For example it could go from a vassal of Polish-Lithuania to a vassal of the Ottomans to a vassal of Russia. It will probably be annexed by Russia in the end but it still would've had a cool little history and impact on Crimea.
If I'm not mistaken, when the 1st railroad was built to Crimea, it didn't pass through the Perekop, but instead came down from Melitopol through an easier route, just inland from the Syvash and across a short bridge...
So yeah, defense of the Perekop wouldn't be sufficient... just too many ways in
Yes, and you can see it on the maps showing the railroads. It goes through Chongar peninsula. You could also easily walk to the Arabat Split at tye entry into Syvash from where now Genichesk is located. The Hyrlo is artificially deepened but the rest of a distance you can walk on foot so in the 13th century the whole distance should not be a problem.It definitely was not in the XVIII century because this is how Lacy and his army got into the Peninsula. And in 1920 the Reds crossed Syvash by a frozen dirt when the western wind pushed water out of it.
And even at Perekop itself, how many troops do you need to defend the earthworks 10km long?So yeah, defense of the Perekop wouldn't be sufficient... just too many ways in
I'm not an expert by any means here, but I'm pretty sure that they were still being used for pasture - use it one season, move on to the next pastures, return when the grass is green again here.
It's not being used for settled agriculture, but that doesn't mean it's not being used.
Not only the steppes inside the peninsula had been used for the pastures but the inland slopes of the coastal mountains had been used by the Tatars quite early. Contrary to the popular stereotype the Mongols/Tatars started building the cities almost immediately after Genghis death. Ogedei started building Karakoram, Batu built his capital on Volga.
While the Crimean Tatars did not have too much use for the ports (hence the arrangement with the Genovese), the inland slopes of the mountains provided a nice weather and good conditions for a garden-based agriculture.
Then, it should be kept in mind that the Crimea was ulus of the GH and weakening of the GH meant strengthening and eventual independence of the local rulers so they would have no reason for selling their land (including their own capital).
OTOH, while I rather like an idea of a sneaky expansion, from economic and military perspective it would not make too much sense for the Genovese because resulting ROI is highly questionable while the problems are obvious. Defending a few strongly fortified coastal cities (providing that the communications with Genoa are not interrupted) is one thing but defending the whole peninsula was something completely different and pretty much hopeless with the realistically available resources. Besides, it would not noticeably improve the main business, slave trade.
Edit: It also should be kept in mind that the peninsula had a multi-ethnic/multi-religion population and the OTL rulers with the religious tolerance prescribed by Genghis would be more preferable for many of them comparing to the Catholic Genovese.
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