Battle of Kaffa (1616)

The Battle of Kaffa^[a] (modern Feodosia) in 1616, was a Cossack naval raid on Crimea against the Ottoman garrison, during which Petro Sahaidachny led Zaporizhian Cossacks to victory.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Battle of Kaffa
Part of the Cossack raids and Cossack naval campaigns
Contemporary woodcut depicting the attack of Cossack flotilla on Kaffa
Date 1616 Location Kaffa, Crimea Result Cossack victory
Belligerents
Zaporozhian Cossacks	Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate
Commanders and leaders
Petro Sahaidachny	Unknown
Strength
2,000–4,000 120–150 boats	14,000[1] Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Entire garrison killed[1]

Background

In July 1616, Sahaidachny, together with 6,000 Cossacks on 120–150 Chaikas, set off on a sea voyage. At the exit from the Dnieper, in the Dnieper–Bug estuary, the Cossacks met a squadron of Ottoman galleys. The Cossacks defeated the Turkish flotilla and captured about half of its ships. In order to mislead the Turks about his further actions, Sahaidachny ordered part of the army to defiantly return to the Sich with the captured booty. With the rest of the troops, Sahaidachny remained near Ochakov for about a week. Sahaidachny then split his fleet so 2,000 Cossacks would go home. This would ultimately trick the Ottomans to think that all the Cossacks had left^[7][8][9]

Raid

Sahaidachny, together with 4,000 Cossacks, arrived in the city. At night, the Cossacks landed on the shore and approached the gates of Kaffa. Some of the Cossacks, who spoke Turkish, distracted the guards by pointing out that they were a Turkish unit that was heading to war with Persia. Meanwhile, others threw ladders onto the walls of the fortress. Having climbed over the wall, the Cossacks cut out the sentries and opened the gates. The Cossacks captured the city citadel in a surprise attack and began to plunder the city and free Christian slaves. In order to accept more prisoners into their gulls, the Cossacks threw away most of the captured goods, thereby confirming their vow to free Christians from captivity, which they made before their campaigns.^{[10][11][12][13]}

A post stamp of Ukraine showing Petro Sahaidachny and his raid on Kaffa

In foreign, and especially Turkish literature, the campaign is depicted without details, but the fact of the raid on Kaffa under the leadership of Sahaidachny is still there.^[14]

See also

• Crimean Campaign (1575)
• Crimean Campaign (1667)
• Crimean Campaign (1675)

Notes

1. Turkish: Kefe Muharebesi
   Crimean Tatar: Kefe Cenkı
   Ukrainian: Битва при Каффі