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home  /  Relationship/ The emergence of the Principality of Theodoro. Principality of Theodoro: the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire Report on the Principality of Theodoro

The emergence of the Principality of Theodoro. Principality of Theodoro: the last remnant of the Byzantine Empire Report on the Principality of Theodoro

Stories on the history of Crimea Dyulichev Valery Petrovich

PRINCIPALITY OF THEODORO

PRINCIPALITY OF THEODORO

The Principality of Theodoro was formed in late XII century. At the beginning of the 13th century, it became a vassal of the Trebizond (Greek) Komnenos Empire and paid it an annual tribute.

The principality was ruled by princes from the Trebizond family of Komnenos, who came from Armenia. At first, their power extended to the mountainous agricultural region of Crimea, then extended to the sea.

The capital of the principality was the city of Feodoro in the southwestern part of Crimea, it was also known as Mangup. The city has been mentioned in Greek sources since the 8th century. When the Mongol-Tatars appeared in Crimea in the 13th century, the rulers

Theodoro managed to establish peaceful relations with them and retain their possessions. The economy of the principality gradually developed, agriculture, crafts, and trade flourished.

From the second half of the 14th century, large construction began in the city of Theodoro: fortifications of the upper castle, a princely palace, and churches were erected. The heyday of the principality occurred during the reign of Alexei (1420-1456). During his reign, the principality numbered 200 thousand inhabitants - a figure very significant for the Crimea of ​​that time.

During the reign of Alexei, fortresses and ports were built, new cities and towns were founded and old ones were destroyed. In 1427, the capital's fortress was rebuilt again. Alexei not only maintained good relations with the Crimean Khanate, but also intervened in the struggle of the khans for the throne, supporting one or another contender.

The Tatar rulers of Crimea helped trade, also hoping to profit from the competition between the Genoese and the merchants of Theodoro. In turn, Alexey decided to take advantage of the support of the Crimean khans and get his own port on the Crimean coast.

When, at the end of the 14th century, the Genoese captured almost the entire southern coast of Crimea, they monopolized Black Sea trade and cut off the Principality of Theodoro from the sea. In an effort to reach the coast, ruler Theodoro captured a small strip of coast in the area of ​​​​the later Inkerman and founded the port of Kalamita, and in order to protect it from the Genoese and Tatars, he built a fortress there in 1427. Theodoro's troops, leaving the Kalamitsky fortress, captured Cembalo in 1433, but could not hold it - in next year they were driven out of there by the Genoese.

Kalamita became a dangerous rival to Chembalo, Sudak and even Kaffa herself in maritime trade. Many ships from Byzantium and the Mediterranean countries were sent to Kalamita.

The Genoese merchants sought to get rid of competition, and in 1434 an army sent from Caffa burned Calamita. However, the Theodorites quickly rebuilt it. This port remained the sea gate of the principality until the end of its existence.

From the book History of Crimea author Andreev Alexander Radevich

Chapter 6. PECHENEGS IN THE CRIMEA. PRINCIPALITY OF TMUTARAKAN AND FEODORO. POCUTS IN THE CRIMEA. X–XIII centuries. In the middle of the 10th century, the Khazars in Crimea were replaced by the Pechenegs who came from the east. The Pechenegs were the eastern nomadic tribes of the Kengeres, who created south of the Ural mountains between Balkhash and

From the book History of the Middle Ages. Volume 2 [In two volumes. Under general edition S. D. Skazkina] author Skazkin Sergey Danilovich

2. PRINCIPALITY OF TRANSYLVANIA The Principality of Transylvania included the territory of Transylvania proper, as well as the eastern and northeastern counties of Hungary. The population of the Transylvanian principality consisted of Vlachs, Hungarians, Germans and partly Transcarpathian

From the book Great Tataria: the history of the Russian land author Penzev Konstantin Alexandrovich

author Fadeeva Tatyana Mikhailovna

Principality of Theodoro After the conquest of Constantinople by the crusaders, the Byzantine possessions in Taurica recognized the authority of its successor, the Empire of Trebizond, over itself, which was expressed in the payment of tribute. Political dependence was nominal. At this time they are gaining strength

From the book Secrets of the Mountain Crimea author Fadeeva Tatyana Mikhailovna

History of Theodoro - disputes and facts Among them, the primary place is occupied by the restoration of the main milestones in the history of the Principality of Theodoro, the identification of its political and cultural role as the focus of Byzantine-Greek-Christian traditions as opposed to the Catholic West -

From the book Secrets of the Mountain Crimea author Fadeeva Tatyana Mikhailovna

V. THE PRINCIPALITY OF THEODOR AND ITS CAPITAL There is a glow in the sky. The dead night is dark. The forest trees crowd around me, but the rumor of a distant, unknown city is clearly heard. You will discern a heavy row of houses, And towers, and the battlements of its severe battlements, And dark gardens behind the stone fences, And

From the book Secrets of the Mountain Crimea author Fadeeva Tatyana Mikhailovna

The heyday of the Principality of Theodoro in the 15th century. The principality occupied a prominent place in the history of Crimea and its neighboring regions. This period is much better covered written sources and archaeological sites. They testify to Theodoro’s connections with Moscow, other

From the book Secrets of the Mountain Crimea author Fadeeva Tatyana Mikhailovna

The Turkish siege and the fall of Theodoro On the eve of the Turkish invasion, in the first half of 1475, the struggle for the throne of Theodoro unfolded. Having learned about the death of Isaac, his nephew Alexander hastily arrived with a detachment of three hundred soldiers from Moldavia, where he was in exile. He managed to recapture

From the book History of Crimea author Andreev Alexander Radevich

CHAPTER 6. PECHENEGS IN THE CRIMEA. PRINCIPALITY OF TMUTARAKAN AND FEODORO. POCUTS IN THE CRIMEA. X–XIII CENTURIES In the middle of the X century, the Khazars in the Crimea were replaced by the Pechenegs who came from the east. The Pechenegs were the eastern nomadic tribes of the Kengeres, who created south of the Ural mountains between Balkhash and the Aral

From the book A Short Course in the History of Belarus of the 9th-21st Centuries author Taras Anatoly Efimovich

6. Novogorod Principality In chronicles, this city is known as Novogorod, Novgorodok, New Gorodok. In the local dialect, our ancestors called it Navagradak. Archaeologists have established that the settlement appeared here at the end of the 10th century. First, the settlement, where artisans lived and

From the book Satirical History from Rurik to the Revolution author Orsher Joseph Lvovich

The Principality of Moscow From the first day of its foundation, Moscow was a cadet state, because it was founded by one of the leaders of this party, Prince Dolgoruky, on the directive of the Central Committee. But little by little she got better. First she went over to the Octobrists, who greatly belittled its importance. Then Moscow

From the book Khans and Princes. Golden Horde and Russian principalities author Mizun Yuri Gavrilovich

PRINCIPALITY OF NOVGOROD The territory of the Principality of Novgorod increased gradually. The Novgorod principality began with an ancient area of ​​Slavic settlement. It was located in the basin of Lake Ilmen, as well as the rivers Volkhov, Lovat, Msta and Mologa. From North

From the book Muscovite Rus': from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age author Belyaev Leonid Andreevich

Tver Principality The Tver Principality is the main rival of Moscow in the 14th century. One of the states that arose in the post-Mongol era (its history goes back about 250 years, from the 1240s to the 1490s) in North-Eastern Rus'. The Tver land, which was small in territory, played a major role in

From the book Crimea. Great historical guide author Delnov Alexey Alexandrovich

From the book Stories on the History of Crimea author Dyulichev Valery Petrovich

THE DEATH OF THEODORO The Mangup principality played a significant role in the international life of the vast region. It was associated with many states of Eastern Europe And Central Asia. Political relations in the Middle Ages it was customary to consolidate interdynastic marriages.

From the book Fortress Ensemble of Mangup author Herzen Alexander Germanovich

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Descriptions of cave cities appeared in the works of the first Russian travelers, who found ancient cities and settlements already dead; their above-ground buildings had been erased by time by that time.

The middle range of the Crimean Mountains is significantly lower than the Main Range, and the mountains here look like frozen waves: one slope is gentle, the other is steep. This form is called "cuesta". On the flat tops of the cuestas, settlements began to emerge in the 4th-6th centuries, some of which later turned into fortresses. It was at this time that the first fortifications appeared on Mount Mangup. In later times, its majestic outlines gave rise to a second name for the mountain among the Tatars - Baba-dag, translated into Russian - Father of the Mountains. Turkish traveler Evliye Çelebi wrote about Mangup in 1666: “This rock spreads out like a flat plain... and around it there are gaping abysses of a thousand arshins - the real abysses of hell! Allah created this rock so that it would become a fortress..."

In the second half of the 6th century, a powerful Doros fortress grew on Mangup. This border point Byzantine Empire intended to protect borders from steppe nomads. At the end of the 8th century, when most of Crimea was under the rule, the Doros fortress turned into a hotbed of an anti-Khazar uprising - it was led by Archbishop John. However, the uprising was brutally suppressed, as evidenced by the layer of fire discovered by archaeologists.

June 14th, 2017

I have been to Bakhchisarai twice. Couldn't visit both times most interesting place and also the cave city of Chufut-Kale (it’s okay, there will be a reason to come back!). But last time, just a couple of weeks ago I found myself in an equally beautiful and rich in history place near Bakhchisarai.

As a true “plain dweller,” I am always delighted with high observation platforms, but the panorama that opened up to me that time simply shocked me!

Don't think I'm exaggerating, see for yourself...

For those who are too lazy to scroll through the photos, I made a special video for you:

The Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi saw many large and small fortresses. But while studying Crimea, he was fascinated and puzzled by Mangup. In 1661, Celebi said about the main cave city of the peninsula:

“This rock spreads out like a flat plain, overgrown with grass and tulips, and around it there are gaping abysses a thousand arshins deep - the real abysses of hell!.. Allah created this rock so that it would become a fortress... If you shout in those valleys that spread out at the base of the cliffs, the mountain roars for half an hour like thunder, and a person is seized with fear and surprise.”

The height of Mangup is 581 m above sea level. m., area 90 hectares. On three sides the plateau is limited by steep cliffs up to 70 m high. They form a reliable fortress created by nature itself, from which the sea can be seen in clear weather.

Photo 1.

When was Mount Mangup formed? Tens of millions of years have passed since, under the influence of tectonic forces, the Mangup plateau was separated from the Chardakly-Bair mountain range. The Khoja-Sala valley was formed, and behind it - a plateau. Deep gorges cut through the northern slope of the mountain, and four strongly protruding capes formed between them. Some guides say that if you look at Mount Mangup from a helicopter, the shape of these gorges and capes will resemble the four-fingered palm of a petrified giant. For others, the plateau is seen as a beast lying on its side.

The extreme eastern spur of Magup is called Teshkli-Burun - Leaky Cape.

Photo 2.

The second cape is called Elli-Burun - Cape of the Winds, and the gorge between them is Kapu-Dere - Gate Gully. The dilapidated main gate of the fortress remained in this ravine.

The third cape to the west, in the area of ​​which the Karaite community settled, has an even more mysterious name: Chufut-Cheargan-Burun - Cape of the Call of the Jews.

On the plateau there is now a grotto with a pure spring of sedimentary and moisture condensed in limestones. None of the other “cave cities” have such a miracle!

Photo 3.

The largest, steepest western cape of Mount Mangup is densely overgrown with pine trees and is called Chamny-Burun - Cape Sosnovy. The two western capes are separated by the Tabana-Dere gorge - the Tanners' Ravine. The main occupation of the local Karaites was leather tanning, which is why the area where they worked was named so. At the top of the cape, below the water source, a bathtub carved into the rock in which the skins were soaked is still visible. The tanning solution was prepared from the juices of several plants, primarily scumpia, the fluffy bushes of which grow wildly here, on the slopes of Mangup. If a solution for treating leather is prepared from oak, the product will be rough. Mackerel juice was used to treat leather to obtain soft morocco.

Archaeologists found tools made of flint and diorite on Mangup, their age is at least five thousand years.

Photo 4.

People must have inhabited such a protected and suitable place for life since their appearance in Western Crimea. Tools of labor of people of the Copper-Stone and Bronze Ages were discovered on the plateau. They probably cut the first of these caves into the relatively soft limestone, which later became known as cave cities.

Then the Tauri, the people of the first millennium BC, settled here. After them, they managed to find a small collection of fragments of ceramic dishes.

From the era of the great migration of peoples, the Goto-Alans remained in the foothills. They appeared here in the 3rd century, but there were especially many of them by the 5th-7th centuries.

In the second half of the 6th century, Mangup began to belong to the heiress of Rome, Byzantium. Later, this city called Doros is mentioned in Byzantine books and manuscripts of the 7th-9th centuries, being called the main fortress of Crimean Gothia.

Photo 5.

At the end of the 8th century, the Khazars captured the fortress. Under the leadership of Archbishop John of Gotha, it was liberated, but not for long - the Khazar Khaganate again recaptured the fortress, punishing the disobedient with fire and sword. It was then that the city received the name Mangup. By the beginning of the 10th century, Byzantium regained its fortress. In the 14th century, Mangup became the capital of the Principality of Theodoro, as stated in an inscription on a stone discovered during excavations of the large Mangup basilica.

Even in the blessed Crimea, life for the people of that time was difficult and short-lived. It was necessary to work for food, to heat their stone dwellings, to obey all the laws that the prince established, and to endure all the lawlessness from himself and his squad. And most importantly, it was impossible to live a single day calmly, without anxiously looking back at the distant mountains, hills and steppe horizons.

Over time (again, it is not known when) stone and wooden dwellings began to be built over the caves, as over previously dug basements, and the village acquired the appearance we are familiar with. The caves themselves began to be used as cool food pantries, and the concept of “cave city” became conventional.

Photo 6.

The most important and largest of the buildings that have survived on Mangup is a three-story fortress, which could have been a princely residence. On an overgrown wild plateau, it looks like part of a real, almost modern building. The flashy, elegant facade collapsed in the 19th century, leaving only a thick wall with three windows and a doorway with ornaments carved in stone. Apparently nearby, on Cape Teshkli-Burun, there was a small princely church; Part of its foundation has been preserved. In Crimea, this is the only known temple with an octagonal layout.

Not far from the prince’s residence, a 24-meter-deep shaft was drilled into the rock; it leads to a source fresh water to supply the citadel. The entrance to the well, we read from Chelebi. was covered with a stone canopy on top. Now, for the sake of safety, it is sealed with an iron grate.

Photo 7.

At the very tip of the cape there was a watchtower. Collapsed, its western and eastern walls formed a through hole at the tip of Leaky Cape. it is visible from the valley and adds landscape exoticism to Mangup.

By the beginning of the 15th century. The principality of Theodoro was famous as rich and strong. 150 thousand people lived in it, and its borders approached Alushta in the east and the Belbek Valley in the north. Theodorites entered into political alliances with some countries; There were even negotiations about the marriage of the son of Tsar Ivan III to the daughter of the prince of Theodorites.

Photo 8.

One day everything ends. A tragic day came for Crimea - May 31, 1475. The Ottoman Turks landed on the coast. The Genoese fortresses fell, one after another: Kafa, Soldaya, Aluston, Gorzuvits, Chembalo... And only Mangup held out! The Ottoman Empire conquered almost all of Europe. Large and powerful countries submitted to the Sultan - Spain, Gaul, the once great Rome... The Empire also held part of Asia, not to mention the Genoese fortresses on the Crimean coast... And here... “What is the territory there? – the enraged Sultan could well have asked. - What, 90 hectares? And this pitiful fortress has been resisting the best army in the world for six months, forcing new troops and weapons to be drawn to it?”

The Ottomans launched five major assaults. Knowing the Sultan's temperament, the military commander fell into despair. Only after six months of siege, with great luck and cunning, he managed to achieve victory. The Turks pretended to be leaving the city walls. After a six-month defense, the nerves of the Mangup warriors were so tense that caution abandoned them. Prince Alexander and his detachment rushed after the adversaries to take their souls away in a righteous battle. Seeing where the defenders were coming from, another squad of attackers rushed from ambush to the secret gate; Those who were bait immediately returned. After a fierce battle, the Turks broke into the fortress. From that day on, Mangup also became part of the great Ottoman Empire- Sultan's sanjak...

Photo 9.

Having burst into the fortress, the Turks, accustomed to easy victories, destroyed everything there. Remembering how stones flew on their heads and boiling water poured, the Janissaries did not spare anyone. They killed Prince Alexander himself and his family, but his young son, by order of the Sultan, was left alive. As a sign of respect for his worthy opponent, he was even (formally) returned to the powers of the princely heir.

The length of the fortress line of stone crepeds and impregnable cliffs was almost seven kilometers. This external, main line of defense was reconstructed by the Turks in the 16th century. With the advent of heavy artillery, there was less and less sense in stone towers and walls of any thickness: any wall would sooner or later be broken through by cannonballs, of which hundreds were found on Mangup. New, squat fortresses were needed, in which earthworks with embrasures, parapets and trenches would be more useful.

Photo 10.

The Turks kept their garrison here, although, in general, they did not know what to do with Mangup itself - with its houses, gardens, vegetable gardens, pastures, with its springs and stone baths for tanning leather, with its forest and shady glades, with inaccessible possible enemies are cliffs. All beautiful ancient city is not needed by the conquerors. It was important for them only to conquer the inhabitants, break their resistance, and force them to recognize the power of the Sultan.

Below the trees that hide the Christian cemetery, the remains of a palace are visible last princes Theodoro. In 1425 this large two-story building with powerful walls was built; it served not only as the prince’s palace, but also as a command post from which they directed the defense of the central part of the plateau.

The Bakhchisarai Historical and Cultural Museum houses a fragment of a stone slab found at the foot of high tower near the palace. Carved on the slab double headed eagle- the family coat of arms of the Byzantine emperors Palaiologos, from which, as some claim, to the great pride of today's Crimeans, the coat of arms of the Russian state originated.

Photo 11.

The image of the eagle is accompanied by words that explain to historians the purpose of the destroyed buildings: “This tower was built together with the palace in the blessed fortress, which is visible now, in the days of Alexei, ruler of the city of Theodoro and Pomerania...”.

About 100 meters northwest of the palace you can see the collapsed basilica, built here along with the first houses. Its floor is paved with mosaics, and the walls were decorated with frescoes in the past. After the city was captured by the Turks, the defenders of the fortress were buried near this basilica.

From the middle of the 15th century until 1792, Karaites lived on Mangun. At that time, they were forbidden to settle in real cities, so they had to develop the city fortress. They also dismantled the surviving walls of houses and built homes in their own way, for themselves. At the same time, the Karaite kenasa temple appeared in the city.

Photo 12.

The largest, most mysterious of the cave cities of Crimea has gone down in history. Much has been revealed in it for archaeologists and local historians, but many more mysteries and questions remain, which God willing, may we someday answer. The unknown is surrounded by legends.

Only in 1783, when Crimea became Russian, were the last inhabitants of Mangup able to leave their plateau. As a memory of them, there remains one of the tanning baths in the ravine and this sonorous toponym, enchanting with oriental exoticism - Cape of the Call of the Jews. Mount Mangup was completely depopulated. Caves on the rocks gape with empty eye sockets, the wind whistles through them, now from the steppe, now from the sea. Since then, only snakes and lizards have lived in the basements of the houses of the abandoned city, and now there are still crowds of tourists and novices of the renovated rock monastery.

Photo 13.

Among archaeologists, local historians, and journalists there are unconditional admirers of Mangup. They come with their provisions and tents to spend two or three weeks on this plateau. Some try to learn something new about Mangun, ask scientists, listen to tour guides, and draw conclusions from their own observations. There is still so much unexplored here that the possibility of at least small discoveries shines for many. Others simply relax, admiring the scenery and drinking all year round, not chlorinated, not filtered, but real spring water.

Photo 14.

There is still a steep road leading to the plateau dirt road, along which at the end of the 20th century anyone could drive by car. Usually tourists on excursions to Mangup climb along the paths of Vannoy or Kozhevenny ravines, but you can also climb from the south side.

Near Mangup the village of Khoja-Sala with a reservoir dam grew up. A hotel was built on the shore, and a shelter for tourists was built above the lake. It is never empty, because everyone who has visited Mangun at least once is drawn there by what they saw and felt - mountain nature, tangible pictures of the Middle Ages and simply irrepressible curiosity.

Photo 15.

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Photo 17.

Photo 18.

Photo 19.

Photo 20.

Photo 21.

And at the end of the trip, at such a height and such a distance from civilization, we met a cat (or cat). What is he doing here?

Photo 22.

What does he eat here? Isn’t there really such a large flow of tourists here?

Photo 23.

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The Principality of Theodoro was formed at the end of the 12th century. At the beginning of the 13th century. it became a vassal of the Trebizond (Greek) Komnenos Empire and paid it an annual tribute. The principality was ruled by princes from the Trebizond family of Komnenos, who came from Armenia. At first, their power extended to the mountainous agricultural region of Crimea, then extended to the sea. The capital of the principality was the city of Feodoro in the southwestern part of Crimea, it was also known as Mangup. The city has been mentioned in Greek sources since the 8th century. When the Mongol-Tatars appeared in the Crimea in the 13th century, the rulers of Theodoro managed to establish peaceful relations with them and retain their possessions. The economy of the principality gradually developed, agriculture, crafts, and trade flourished. From the second half of the 14th century. In the city of Theodoro, large construction began: fortifications of the upper castle, a princely palace, and churches were erected. The heyday of the principality occurred during the reign of Alexei (1420-1456). During his reign, the principality numbered 200 thousand inhabitants - a figure very significant for the Crimea of ​​that time. During the reign of Alexei, fortresses and ports were built, new cities and towns were founded and old ones were destroyed. In 1427, the capital's fortress was rebuilt again. Alexei not only maintained good relations with the Crimean Khanate, but also intervened in the struggle of the khans for the throne, supporting one or another contender. The Tatar rulers of Crimea helped trade, also hoping to profit from the competition between the Genoese and the merchants of Theodoro. In turn, Alexey decided to take advantage of the support of the Crimean khans and get his own port on the Crimean coast. When at the end of the 14th century. The Genoese captured almost the entire southern coast of Crimea, they monopolized Black Sea trade and cut off the Principality of Theodoro from the sea. In an effort to reach the coast, ruler Theodoro captured a small strip of coast in the area of ​​Inkerman, which arose later, and founded the port of Kalamita, and in order to protect it from the Genoese and Tatars, he built a fortress there in 1427. Theodoro's troops, leaving the Kalamitsky fortress, captured Cembalo in 1433, but could not hold it - the following year they were driven out of there by the Genoese. Kalamita became a dangerous rival of Chembalo, Sudak and then Kafa itself in maritime trade. Many ships from Byzantium and the Mediterranean countries were sent to Kalamita. The Genoese merchants sought to get rid of competition, and in 1434 an army sent from Kafa burned Calamita. However, the Theodorites quickly rebuilt it. This port remained the sea gate of the principality until the end of its existence. 15. Cave cities of Crimea

In medieval Taurica, on the high plateaus of the table mountains, a whole network of cities appeared, surrounded by impregnable rocks and formidable defensive walls with battle towers. Most often in historical literature these cities are referred to as “cave cities”. Having emerged in the early Middle Ages, these cities are of great scientific interest. The vast majority of them are concentrated in the southwestern region of the Inner, or Second, ridge of the Crimean Mountains, separating the mountainous part of the peninsula from the foothills and steppe. This ridge has gentle northwestern slopes falling into a longitudinal valley, and it faces steep rocky cliffs to the southeast. News of some “cave cities” appeared in sources more than a millennium ago. Their descriptions have been preserved, compiled by both famous scientists and all kinds of travelers and lovers of antiquities. The term “cave cities” appears in the 19th century, but already at that time it was called into question by scientific researchers. The study of these cities showed that the caves were only auxiliary buildings that served mainly for economic and defensive purposes. There were also churches among them. There are a number of hypotheses and points of view about the time and circumstances of the origin of “cave cities”. Among them, two main ones stand out. Some researchers see in these monuments the result of the active foreign policy of the Byzantine Empire, which sought to strengthen the borders of its territory with fortresses and fortified lines. Byzantium actually carried out such events in a number of subject territories. Supporters of this view refer to data from literary and epigraphic (inscriptions on stones) sources, as well as to the appearance of the material culture of early medieval Chersonesus, which was an outpost of Byzantine influence in Crimea. Its defense was organized by creating a line of fortifications in the form of “cave cities” in the mountainous southwestern Crimea. The time of this construction is determined by the end of the 5th or the first half of the 6th century. Unfortunately, supporters of this view have to use for proof only a few excerpts from the works of Byzantine authors that have come down to us. At the court of Emperor Justinian I (527 - 665), the historian and military leader Procopius of Caesarea wrote a treatise “On Buildings”. Speaking about the activities carried out in Crimea, Procopius reports the existence there of a certain country of Dori, inhabited by Goths, farmers, former military allies of Byzantium. To protect them from enemy attacks, the emperor ordered the construction of “long walls.” Unfortunately, from the text of the passage it is impossible to accurately determine the area in which the country of Dori was located. There has been controversy on this issue for a long time. Researchers who connect “cave cities” with the activity of the Byzantines see it in the southwestern part of the Crimean Mountains in the space between the Outer and Main ridges. Indeed, if you look at the map, to some extent they resemble a chain of fortifications that closed mountain passes. But this hypothesis has a number of vulnerabilities. Not all “cave cities” were fortresses. Only Mangup, Eski-Kermen and Chufut-Kale turned out to be real fortresses with significant garrisons capable of protecting mountain valleys. The rest either had no fortifications at all, or, due to their size, could only be shelters and castles that provided shelter for the inhabitants of the area. Researchers who put forward a different point of view argue that “cave cities” are cities, villages, castles and monasteries that arose as a result of the development of feudal relations among the Crimean mountain population. This process took place over the course of centuries and was completed by the 10th-12th centuries. For almost half a millennium, centers of craft and trade, residences of the feudal administration, monastic monasteries, and settlements of peaceful farmers were formed. Some researchers locate the country of Dori on the southern coast of Crimea from Sudak to Foros. Back in the 30s of the XIX century. Academician Koeppen saw ruins of structures on the passes of the Main Ridge, which he identified with the “long walls” of the Byzantines. The same point of view is defended in their articles by O. I. Dombrovsky, E. I. Solomonik and a number of other researchers.

16. Crimean ulus of the Golden Horde Crimean ulus - ulus of the Golden Horde, which existed in the first half of the 13th-15th centuries on the territory of the Crimean peninsula. The Tatars occupied the steppe Crimea in 1239, simultaneously with Batyyan’s campaigns, the southern Russian lands, and subjugated the remnants of the living Tampolovites. The Tatars were divided into tribes, tribes and clans. The tribes were headed by 6 senior feudal families - “beys, beks” (Shirins, Baryns, Argyns, Yashlovs, Mansurs and Sajeuts), who each owned huge tracts of land and constituted the senior link of the feudal ladder. Their vassals were the heads of tribes and the heads of individual clans. The ordinary Tatar population, exploited by the feudal lords, came to Crimea in a purely nomadic pastoral system. Only a small amount of barley was sown to feed the horses that the Tatars needed to go after captives. At first, Crimea constituted a special ulus of the Golden Horde; for the first time he temporarily separated from it under Khan Nogai. Re-annexed to the Golden Horde after the death of Nogai (circa 1290), Crimea in the 14th century was usually ruled by khan's governors, whose position gradually began to acquire a hereditary character; the capital was the city of Solkhat (present-day Old Crimea). The final fall of Crimea from the Golden Horde occurred in the 15th century.

There are edges that remain motionless for centuries,
Buried in darkness and moss.
But there are also those where every stone
It buzzes with the voices of eras.
These lines of Ilya Selvinsky came to mind when looking at the Mangup-Kale plateau.
Archaeologists have discovered in the Mangup Mountains the remains of Taurus settlements dating back to the last centuries BC.
In the 3rd-4th centuries, the Scythian-Sarmatians settled on the inaccessible Mangup-Kale plateau.
IN IV-V centuries A settlement of Alans and Goths appeared on the Mangup-Kale plateau, and their catacomb burials were found in the surrounding rocks.

In the second half of the 5th century, the first urban buildings and fortifications of the city of Doros, the capital of the Crimean Gothia - the country of Dori, were built on the Mangup-Kale plateau.
In the 6th century, a monumental basilica was erected on the Mangup-Kale plateau, and the city of Doros became the center of the Gothic diocese in Crimea.
At the end of the 7th century, the Khazar Khaganate subjugated the Gothic capital of Doros, and the city briefly housed a Khazar military garrison. The capture of the city of Doros by the Khazars provoked an anti-Khazar uprising led by Saint John of the Goths.
From the 13th to the mid-15th century, the city became the capital of the late Byzantine principality of Theodoro, which controlled the entire South-Western Crimea and was subordinate and began to be called Theodoro.

The capital of the Principality of Theodoro is a medieval Christian fortress city, which is called Mangup-Kale ("Destroyed Fortress"), located on the impregnable table-shaped "Father's Mountain", in Crimean Tatar "Baba-Dag" ("baba" - father). The rocks of the “Father Mountain” rise above the surrounding valleys of Ai-Todor, Dzhan-Dere and Karalez of the Bakhchisaray region at 583 meters and form a plateau, similar to the open palm of a hand, with an area of ​​about 90 hectares.
On the north side, Fatherland Mountain has four extended protrusions, like long fingers, protruding into the valley. The westernmost "Pine Cape" (Chamny-Burun), followed by the "Cape of the Call of the Jews" (Chufut-Cheargan-Burun), the windiest "Greek Cape" (Ellin-Burun), and the easternmost - "Leaky Cape" (Teshkli -burun), so named because of the artificial cave formed as a result of the collapse in the through grotto.
The capes are separated by three ravines: “Tannery ravine” (Tabana-dere), “Bath ravine” (Gamam-dere) and “Gate ravine” (Kapu-dere).

The total length of the fortifications of the fortified city of Feodoro (Mangup-Kale) is 1.5 kilometers, the length of the defensive walls, together with natural rocky barriers and cliffs, is 6.6 kilometers. Numerous natural sources of clean water - springs - were found on the territory of the Feodoro fortress.
In the 14th century, on the rocky plateau of the “Father’s Mountain,” the capital of the powerful principality of Theodoro (Gothia) was located, in which people from Christian Byzantium lived and ruled by a prince from the Gavras dynasty. Namely, numerous buildings in the rocks of Mangup date back to this era - artificial caves, defensive walls of the city, foundations of basilicas and the ruins of the citadel of the Christian capital Theodoro on the cape "Leaky Cape" (Teshkli-burun).

The Principality of Theodoro got its name from the Christian Saint Theodore Gavras, who ruled Byzantine Trebizond in the second half of the 11th century. Prince Theodore Gavras spared no expense in supporting Christian monasteries in Trebizond. After May 29, 1453 Theodore Gavras led Trebizond against the Seljuk Turks. The Turks pursued Theodore Gavras and he was forced to hide in the mountains; the Turks soon tracked him down and captured him. Theodore Gavras refused to accept Mohammedanism, and
Christians honor the memory of Theodore Gavras, he is canonized under the name Saint Theodore Stratilates(“stratilates” - military leader). Fallen into disgrace under the Byzantine emperor John II Komnenos (1087-1143), who ruled in Constantinople in 1118, the nephew of Theodore Gavras, Constantine Gavras was exiled to Crimea in the 12th century. Descendants of Constantine Gavras settled in the Mangup mountains, united people and lands around their principality of Theodoro.
The medieval principality of Theodoro included vast territories of the mountains and the Black Sea from Alushta to
Princess Maria Gavras became the wife of the Moldovan Tsar Stephen III, and Grand Duke Moscow Ivan III (1462-1505), began negotiations in 1474 with Prince Theodoro about the marriage of his son to the prince’s second daughter. Moscow Prince Ivan III was married in 1472 to Sophia Fominichna Paleolog, niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI for Constantinople
In 1475, the Christian capital of the principality of Theodoro, like the entire principality, was captured by the Ottoman Turks who invaded Tauris. On the site of the capital of the principality of Theodoro, the Ottoman Turks rebuilt the fortress, calling it Mangup-Kale (“Destroyed Fortress”)
The Mangup fortress became the center of the smallest administrative-territorial unit of the Ottoman Empire (Kadylyk), which became part of the province (eyalet) with its center in Kef (Feodosia).
Having been defeated in the Russian-Turkish War, the Turks abandoned the Mangup fortress in 1774, and the Tatars did not take possession of it for long.
After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the Mangup fortress was abandoned by its last inhabitants - the community of Crimean Karaites. In the “Leather Ravine” (Tabana-dere), preserved remains of a Karaite cemetery.

During the Great Patriotic War, during the siege of Sevastopol by German troops On the Mangup-Kale plateau there was an observation post of the fascist General Manstein.