nomadic confederation · Central Asia and the Steppe

Lesser Nogai Horde

1557 CE – 1637 CE (approx.)

The western branch of the Nogai Horde, which moved to the Kuban steppe and became a client of the Crimean Khanate and the Ottomans.

Origins

In 1557, amid a civil war within the Nogai Horde over relations with Russia, the mirza Kazy broke away with his followers and moved west across the Volga to the steppes of the North Caucasus and the Kuban. The new group became known as Kazy's Ulus or the Lesser Nogai Horde.

Rule and society

The Lesser Nogais were pastoral nomads who raided Muscovite and Caucasian lands, often in alliance with the Crimean Khanate. They were ruled by mirzas of Kazy's line and recognised Crimean and, through it, Ottoman overlordship. Their horses and captives were traded through the Crimean ports.

Decline and legacy

In the early 17th century many Lesser Nogais moved closer to the Crimean Khanate, especially after Kalmyk Khanate pressure in the 1630s. They were absorbed into the Crimean and Kuban Nogai communities, which were later annexed by Russia in 1783.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

Nogai Horde 1440 CE – 1634 CELesser Nogai Horde

Connections (1)

More states of Central Asia and the Steppe →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lesser Nogai Horde. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-nogai-horde
MLA
“Lesser Nogai Horde.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-nogai-horde. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lesser Nogai Horde.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-nogai-horde.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lesser Nogai Horde’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lesser-nogai-horde (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻