The Crimean Khanate: A Waste of Time, or Something More Sinister?

This is a guide regarding the Crimean Khanate, particularly for Ottoman, Russian, Polish, Austrian, or (if you're playing ETF or Darthmod) Crimean faction players. Its starting position, military, and economy are focuses.

Why the Crimea?

Personally, I have always been deeply interested in the Crimean Khanate, a nation hidden in the obscurity of history, particularly by the time of the events of Empire Total War, and yet deeply significant as the last Genghisid dynasty in Europe, the last Tatar state, and the final flimsy obstruction to Russian dominance of ancient Sarmatia.

A little squabbling hermit kingdom lost in a time of philosophical and scientific revolution, there is something tragic about the Crimean Khanate.

My excuse for claiming sufficient knowledge of the faction to write this guide is my recent ETF campaign as Crimea in which I conquered Russia, Venice, Georgia, Dagestan, and the Italian States.

Crimea, the roof of the Black Sea

The Crimean Khanate starts with a single territory, Crimea, anachronistically large, that makes up the southern half of the modern Ukraine. Its capital is Bakhchisaray, a single-building slot city, on the nation's eponymous peninsula. Its starting population is a mere 109,670 souls, split between a 60% majority Muslims and a 40% minority Orthodox Christians. It has two farmlands, Nemyriv and Donetsk, as well as an iron mine at Rog and a trading port at Sevastopol. Its starting wealth is 1850. Early in the game, the town of Czerkasy will develop, which for a European conqueror can give an early opportunity to spread Christianity.

The territory is particularly significant for Sevastopol, a trading port that must pique the allure of Poland-Lithuania and Russia. This can be the first warm-water port for either nation, much easier a capture than those ports held by Prussia and Sweden.

Strategically, the region is great for defense, considering that there is only one land route to the capital of Bakhchisaray, and thus can be considered a worthy foothold in Eastern Europe for one of the Western European powers (assuming that Russia doesn't capture it first).

Sounds like a nice vacation spot. Time to invade!

It most indeed is a nice vacation spot; just ask the tsars or Alexander Pushkin! Now, if you're Russia or Poland-Lithuania, you need to find some troops to free up to go and subjugate these backward borscht-guzzlers.

If you're a Russian player, you'll find that you have enough money to build up some troops in Kiev. You can take a moderately leisurely pace, as the AI of Poland-Lithuania won't really race you to Bakhchisaray.

If you're a Polish-Lithuanian player, you will probably have to race Russia. Build and consolidate an army in Warsaw starting in the first turn, but be balanced in case of Austrian or Prussian incursion.

The units that will be needed to fight the khan's hordes should be run-of-the-mill line infantry and much cavalry. Artillery is optional and, if you're Poland-Lithuania, may slow you down and let the Russians get there first (though it's unlikely that it would come to this).

...They sure like Cossacks

Yep. Cossack Infantry is the only infantry unit available to the Crimean Khanate at all. They will use these as the staple of their army.

Cossack Infantry never get access to bayonets or fire by rank, so they'll always be vulnerable to cavalry attack and sustained gunfights, hence my earlier suggestion. Use basic flanking maneuvres and you can put those Cossacks into flight.

The cavalry unit most readily available to the khanate is either Tatars or Kalmuks (they are exactly identical besides their names). These horsemen can be effective due to their bows, however they are relatively easily dispatched in most situations. As is already tacit among experienced players, it's best to pin these guys down before hitting the flanks of the infantry. Cossacks, a melee cavalry unit, will also be available to them early on. Since they are devoid of firearms, they're to be seen as minimally threatening.

Due to being mostly farmland, the Crimea will have battlefields which will typically spawn a good many rock walls. Since you'll be on the offensive, you'll find that the Crimeans like hiding their Cossack Infantry along these walls. Simply hit from a flank with cavalry and they'll be devastated; it goes without saying that you should avoid facing them head-on with volleys when they're behind a wall.

No! I'm an Ottoman, I have to defend those little chumps!

Well, then, very simply put, get some ships in Thessaloniki (Rumelia's port), plop some troops from Istanbul on, and shuttle them over to the Crimea. Any army will do; the Russians may not attack with particular power. Camp them next to Bakhchisaray until you can either work out a settlement with the Russians or, if you get bold, attack Kiev (the Russians are unlikely to attack from Don Voisko, which is anyway a poor province and not worth your time).

Am not a "little chump"!

So you've downloaded Darthmod or ETF and decided to play as the dear old Khanate. You're in for a hell of a ride for a while: the Russians are probably coming for you immediately.

Your position is the epitome of "conquer or be conquered". You have to raise up an army (focus on cavalry) and charge Kiev as soon as possible. The Russians will be disoriented. If you're lucky, you'll have distracted the tsar enough that Sweden will be able to sneak in and grab Moscow.

DO NOT TAKE DON VOISKO. Both Dagestan and Georgia will declare war on you, and that will be an unwinnable quagmire in the early game. Once you've taken Kiev and Moscow, then you can consider the Don, though I'd advise snaking around and taking Astrakhan first, as only Dagestan will declare war on you, allowing you to eliminate them first.

My conquests as the Crimean Khanate went as follows: Kiev, Moscow, Kazan, Komi, Astrakhan, Cherkassk, Tbilisi, Tarki.

Later on I finished Russia up, taking out Arkhangelsk and Karelia. I'd won an alliance with Sweden at some point around the Kiev/Moscow campaign, so we kept peace in the north. I then went on sea escapades to capture Patras and Rome, at which point I felt that I'd succeeded.

Other tips:

Build a madrassa in Muscovy, both to get an imam eventually and also to quell dissent in the long run.

Don't panic if Warsaw gets bellicose; they'll seldom puncture too far east.

If you ever wish to assert your freedom from the Ottomans once and for all, use Sevastopol as a jumping point for a naval invasion of Rumelia.

To conclude

The Crimean Khanate is a nation on the brink of destruction in 1700; it is just another backwater waiting for the glory of an imperial army to march through its gates and assert its subordination.

Though many players struggle to find much importance in the country and its region, I strongly encourage any Polish-Lithuanian or Russian player to capture it first and therefore give itself a trading port and access to the sea, an access terminus both easily defended and good for setting up naval invasions of other pointless nations of the Mediterranean (*cough* *cough* Knights of St. John).

If you're much into history, I also recommend you look into the khanate. If you're into architecture, look up the Hansaray, the khan's garden palace in Bakhchisaray. If you want a good soap box, look into the Sürgünlik, the tragic deportation of the great Crimean Tatar people, long-time rulers of an old land, and look into their modern pushes for autonomy and return to their homeland.

If you're ever in the vicinity of the Ukraine, I suggest you go to the Crimea. Go visit Mangup Kale, the ruins of the old Gothic fortress of Doros, the Hansaray, the aforementioned palace of the khan, Yalta, site of the Yalta Conference and nice vacation spot, and Sevastopol, a city of beautiful Grecian marble converted in neo-Baroque styles that, like the acropolises of old, gently regresses into the calm Black Sea.

[adcdysart5]

I will try it om Empire 2 mod ; its been fun so far

[Alfred Thayer]

2013: "I suggest you go to the Crimea."
Putin: "Good idea!"

[hyatt.brian]

Mabye you need to say,'' I KNOW HOW TO BE THE KOREAN CRIMATE.'' then i'll like it.

[Scottyland87]

@person You can get it on Modb but you need to install it in multiple parts

[person‽]

Where do you get Darthmod from?

[King Graham]

Building off what Mateeq said, in my experience it's actually far more lucrative to defend the Khanate from the initial Russian attack than to mount a real offensive in the Balkans or in Persia. Often, even on Very Hard, I find the Russians are afterward incapable of mounting another viable attack. Plus, once you beat that initial attack, you have free rein to attack Russia. Getting Kiev and Moscow early is the fastest way to any victory condition as the Ottomans in my experience.

[Medic 1-37]

Thank you for sharing.

[Lord_Hubner]

In my game Crimea has taken Kiev and is on it´s way to Moscow, looks like the Russians have paid a lot of efforts against Sweden, i´m playing as Ottomans in Darthmod.

[tomasz.magierowski]

and sadly for the worst

[tomasz.magierowski]

Zombiekiller, times have changed :(