Battle of Kaffu

Battle of Kaffu
Part of Cossack naval campaign's
The mark of Peter Sagaidachny during the raid
Date 1616 Location Feodosia Result Cossack victory Liberation of Christian captives
Belligerents
Zaporozhian Cossacks	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny	Unknown
Units involved
Cossacks	Cost Guards
Strength
2,000 men 150 boat	500 men

The Battle of Kaffu (modern Feodosia),was a Cossack naval raid on the Ottoman Empire in which Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny lead Zaporizhian Cossacks to victory.

Background

In July 1616, Sahaidachny, together with six thousand 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 two thousand cossacks would go home. This would ultimately trick the Ottomans to think that all the Cossacks had left

Raid

On July 22, 1616, Sahaidachny, together with 4 thousand Cossacks, arrived in the city. At night, the Cossacks landed on the shore and approached the gates of Kaffu. 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.

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