Empire · 1465–1847 · Northern & Central Asia
Kazakh Khanate
Also known as Quazaq Khanate
Around 1465 the Chinggisid princes Kerei and Janibek led their followers away from the Uzbek khan Abu'l-Khayr and settled in the Chu valley; these nomads became known as Kazakhs, roughly meaning free wanderers. Under Kasym Khan in the early 1500s the khanate grew into a powerful steppe confederation stretching from the Syr Darya towards the Irtysh, its herders moving seasonally with sheep, horses and camels.
It later divided into three hordes, or zhuz: the Senior, Middle and Junior. Devastating invasions by the Dzungars in the early 18th century, remembered as the Years of Great Disaster, led the Junior and then the Middle horde to accept Russian protection from 1731. Russia abolished the khans' powers between the 1820s and 1840s, and the last khan, Kenesary, died fighting in 1847.
- Years
- 1465–1847
- Capital
- Turkistan (Yasi), with nomadic seasonal camps
- Greatest extent
- 1520, about 2.00 million km²
- Region
- Northern & Central Asia
Rough estimate under Kasym Khan, when the Kazakhs controlled nearly the whole eastern steppe; steppe borders were fluid and no scholarly area figure was found
Legacy
The khanate is regarded as the foundation of Kazakh nationhood, and independent Kazakhstan celebrated its 550th anniversary in 2015.
Rulers
- Kerei and Janibek c. 1465–c. 1480
Founders who broke away from the Uzbek khanate
- Kasym Khan c. 1511–1521
Made the khanate a major steppe power
- Haqnazar Khan 1538–1580
Reunited the Kazakhs after a period of decline
- Tauke Khan 1680–1718
Remembered for the Zhety Zhargy law code
- Abylai Khan 1771–1781
Led resistance to the Dzungars and balanced Russia and China
- Kenesary Khan 1841–1847
Last khan, who led a rising against Russian rule
Realms on the map
- Kazakh Khanate 1468–1847