A History of Crimea

Since the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 – 160 years after the Crimean War – the peninsula has returned to the fore on the global geopolitical stage. This book provides a comprehensive history of the peninsula that was previously lacking, one that stretches from ancient times to the present and explores various aspects and inhabitants through the ages. Kerstin S. Jobst examines the complex history of multi-ethnic and pluri-religious Crimea – not only from a political perspective, but also considering the manifold cultural and historical interdependencies that are central to the territory. The book examines myths and legends about Crimea, as well as the various peoples for whom it has been a settlement and transit area and who have shaped the fate of the peninsula: Greek, Genoese and Venetian colonists, Eurasian nomads, Crimean Tatars, Germans, Russians, Ukrainians and others. A History of Crimea shows the importance of Crimea as a site of