Historical portrait of Shagin Giray, the last Crimean Khan

Introduction. The article examines the role of Shagin Giray’s personality in the social and political situation of the Crimean Khanate, which tried to preserve its independence in the struggle between the Russian and Ottoman states in the last quarter of the XVIII century. The goal of the research is to restore the historical portrait of the last Crimean Khan, Shagin Giray, in the context of the relationship between the independent Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman and Russian Empires.The Materials and Methods. The fate of Shagin Giray and his move to the Russian Empire after his abdication in 1783 have become an important object of the research. Foreign and domestic scientific literature was used as the basis of the research materials. In the course of the research, the following methods were used: source studies, historical and comparative, general scientific (analysis, comparison, generalization, synthesis).The Results. The article is based on the introduction of little-known historiographical materials from foreign literature into scientific circulation. The article comprehensively examines the biography of Shagin Giray, and provides a detailed analysis of his reform activities. Based on published sources, the author describes the period of resettlement to Voronezh, and then to Kaluga. Based on the study of modern foreign historiography, the author describes the least studied period of Shagin Giray’s life after leaving for the Ottoman Empire in early 1787, as well as the representation of the circumstances of his death on the island of Rhodes in Russian historiography.Discussion and Conclusion. In the course of the research, the author has concluded that Shagin Giray played a major role in the reform of the Crimean Khanate in its last years of existence. For the first time, the author has comprehensively analyzed the life path of Shagin Giray; the biographical data of the last Crimean Khan, previously unknown in Russian historiography, have been introduced into scientific circulation.