Khan Temir

Khan Temir or Kantemir (Polish: Kantymir Murza, nicknamed Bloody Sword; 16th century-1637) was a powerful khan of the Budjak Nogais (Budzhak Horde); around 1603, he formed and subsequently led the Lesser Nogai Horde.

Biography

A skilled military commander and politician, he served the Ottoman Empire and was a dedicated enemy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was the leader of the hordes in Akkerman, Budjak, and Dobruja. He raided Commonwealth territory and often clashed with Polish-Lithuanian forces during the Moldavian Magnate Wars.

In 1612, Khan Temir defeated the troops of Polish commander Stefan Potocki and Moldavian ruler Constantin Movilă at the Battle of Sasowy Róg. In 1620 he took part in the Battle of Ţuţora, where he vastly contributed to the crushing victory of the Ottomans over the Poles-Lithuanians. In 1621 he fought at the Battle of Khotyn after which he was appointed beylerbey of the Silistra Eyalet.

On April 20, 1624, he was defeated by hetman Stanisław Koniecpolski during the Battle of Martynów. In 1628 Khan Temir played key role in the Crimean civil war between Çanibek and Mehmed III. The same year Khan Temir razed the small hamlet Kharkiv that is predecessor of the Kharkiv city. After 1630 he aimed to take control of the Crimean Khanate, where, in 1635, he took part in the Crimean Civil War. Defeated in 1637, he was executed on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV.