Islam-Girei III
Islam-Girei III
(Islam-Gerai III). Born 1604; died 1654. Crimean khan from 1644 to 1654, son of Khan Seliamet-Girei.
In 1648, Islam-Girei allied himself with Bogdan Khmel’nit-skii, hoping thus to weaken both Poland and the Ukraine. In 1649 he took part in the battle at Zborov and then forced Khmel’nitskii to make peace with the Poles, an act that saved the Poles from complete destruction. At the battles of Bere-stechko (1651) and Zhvanets (1653), Islam’s betrayal of his ally saved the Poles from defeat two more times and placed the Ukrainian national liberation army in an extremely difficult position.