Tatars in Ottoman historical writings: Formulating the question

Research Objectives: The purpose of the study is to analyze information about the Tatars in Ottoman historical writings. Research materials: Ottoman historical writings contain quite original information about the Golden Horde and the Tatar khanates. Their information allows us to reveal previously unknown pages of the history of the Golden Horde period. The relevance of the article is explained by the need to introduce information about the Tatars in Ottoman historical writings into research circulation. Results and scientific novelty: This study is the first example of a systematic analysis of Ottoman historical writings in Russian on the term Tatar. The novelty of the study is the formulation of the question of the use of the term Tatars in Ottoman historical writings. Ottoman authors created extensive historical works on general history and the history of Islamic powers, which included the history of the Chinggisid polities, highlighting separately the history of the Ulus of Jochi and the Tatar khanates, primarily Crimea. Also, Ottoman authors mention Tatars living in Anatolia since the time of the Ilkhans, as well as Tatars living in the Balkans. The concept of Tatars was familiar from the outset to Ottoman authors, who used this definition as a synonym for the name Mongols during the period of Genghis Khan and his immediate descendants. Also, the term Tatars was used in an expanded sense which they used to designate Turkic tribes. In addition to the general Muslim historical tradition that they followed, the Ottomans were well versed in the ethnic definitions of their time and they designated their own subject Tatars only with the term Tatars.