The Great Kazakhstan Empire in 16 century

After death of Kerey and Dzhanibek the khan of Kazakhs became the Burunduk. It suffered a number of the defeats from Mohammed -Sheybani, consequence of which became actual “resignation” from the khan throne.
To it inherited cousin brother Kasym- sultan. Kasym it was one of the creators of the first “constitution” for the Kazakhs (“the column way of the Kasym- khan”) and generally, he was considered as the most great ruler in the history of Kazakhstan. He has died in 1521. With Kasym Kazakh khanate reached the highest might, it held its people in the rigid obedience and according to the evidence of Mirza-Khaydar “acquired this reputation and might, such as still no one had after the Dzhuchi- khan, the number his troops exceeded thousands of thousands” (according to the more real estimations - about 300 000, that already - huge force).
After death Of Kasym the khan became his son of mothers, who soon perished in the civil wars.
The problem of Kasym, IMHO, was precise in the fact that it did not surmise to leave the clear system of succession to the throne, and it decided not to change “steppe democracy”, with which the khan selected from “most worthy” the representatives of all large numbers. What there were there intrigues - to one god it is known.
Thus, the bifurcation: Kasym of gives authority and powerful state to its other son - Khaknazar (in Real History scratched out authority to 1537, when the White Horde was already fairly worn). Khaknazar begins external expansion.
I will refine that then the Kazakhs, as ethnos fresh and young, were on the rise. And Khaknazar, according to the evidence was most talented by general and by the diplomat (as the minimum, it was not inferior to the father, who had destroyed the Sheibani's Empire).
 
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Where could the Kazakhs expand though? Even if they attack Khiva, Bukhara, or the Turkmenistan area, I can't see them holding it for very long. There is also the problem of the expansionist Safavids who may have had designs for Khwarezm.

And in any case, it's only a century until the Kazahs get smashed by the Kalmyks...
 
Where could the Kazakhs expand though? Even if they attack Khiva, Bukhara, or the Turkmenistan area, I can't see them holding it for very long. There is also the problem of the expansionist Safavids who may have had designs for Khwarezm.

And in any case, it's only a century until the Kazahs get smashed by the Kalmyks...

I'm not sure a Kazakh empire controlling all of Turkestan and perhaps beyond is likely to be smashed by Kalmyks or anyone else. It's all a matter of what direction state-building goes.

They certainly have the potential to conquer Persia themselves, and Westward expansion would put them in communication with the Ottomans, which could have some important impact on them.

Conquest of Persia would expose them to classical Islamic governance which could lead to the building of a centralized bureaucratic state, etc.
 
I'm not sure a Kazakh empire controlling all of Turkestan and perhaps beyond is likely to be smashed by Kalmyks or anyone else. It's all a matter of what direction state-building goes.

IIRC, the initial Kalmyk invasion army was at least 300,000 horsemen, so they should be at least be a match for the Kazakhs. They ravaged the Mangyshlak Peninsula in OTL, so at least the Kazakhs would be slightly weakened by the Kalmyks.
 
IIRC, the initial Kalmyk invasion army was at least 300,000 horsemen, so they should be at least be a match for the Kazakhs. They ravaged the Mangyshlak Peninsula in OTL, so at least the Kazakhs would be slightly weakened by the Kalmyks.

The Kalmyk "invasion" was really a migration, the total population of which was probably lower than 300,000. If there had been a powerful Kazakh state, the Kalmyks would likely have politically gravitated toward it instead of Russia and either been absorbed by the Kazakhs or pushed to expand in the direction of Russia.
 
I'm not sure a Kazakh empire controlling all of Turkestan and perhaps beyond is likely to be smashed by Kalmyks or anyone else. It's all a matter of what direction state-building goes.

They certainly have the potential to conquer Persia themselves, and Westward expansion would put them in communication with the Ottomans, which could have some important impact on them.

Conquest of Persia would expose them to classical Islamic governance which could lead to the building of a centralized bureaucratic state, etc.

Hm. Might a unified "central Asia" deflect Russian ambitions eastward, so they get more involved in China at an earlier date? A Russian Manchuria, before the Japanese can forestall them? (OTOH, there is the issue of securing transportation accross Siberia: it's a thin line of communications, and easily interfered with by a strong central Asian power occupying most of OTL Kazakhistan).

Bruce
 
Hm. Might a unified "central Asia" deflect Russian ambitions eastward, so they get more involved in China at an earlier date? A Russian Manchuria, before the Japanese can forestall them? (OTOH, there is the issue of securing transportation accross Siberia: it's a thin line of communications, and easily interfered with by a strong central Asian power occupying most of OTL Kazakhistan).

Bruce

Russia squeezed between the Ottomans and the Kazakh Empire might have bigger problems to worry about than expanding its influence into Manchuria.
 
Might a unified "central Asia" deflect Russian ambitions eastward, so they get more involved in China at an earlier date?

A Muslim state in control of both Transoxiana and the Kazakh steppe will at least try to help Kazan, Astrakhan and Sibir resist Russian expansion. As Abdul said, Russia's going to have trouble.
 
The Kalmyk "invasion" was really a migration, the total population of which was probably lower than 300,000. If there had been a powerful Kazakh state, the Kalmyks would likely have politically gravitated toward it instead of Russia and either been absorbed by the Kazakhs or pushed to expand in the direction of Russia.
I was assuming the population was over 300,000 because in the 18th century around two thirds of the Kalmyk population (or 200,000 people) migrated back to the Oirat homeland. So one third remained.
 
I was assuming the population was over 300,000 because in the 18th century around two thirds of the Kalmyk population (or 200,000 people) migrated back to the Oirat homeland. So one third remained.

But note that that's "population" not military numbers. Also, one would assume that by the 18th c the population would have increased.
 
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