Tugay Bey

In this Ottoman Turkish style name, the given name is Tugay, the title is Bey, and there is no family name.

Togay Bey
Toğay Bey, by Jan Matejko
Or Bey
In office 1644 – June 1651
Monarch	İslâm III Giray
Personal details
Born	Arğın Doğan Toğay
Died	June 1651
Nationality	Crimean Tatar
Family	Argyns
Military service
Allegiance	Crimean Khanate
Years of service	? - 1651
Battles/wars	Crimean–Nogai slave raids in Eastern Europe Battle of Ochmatów Khmelnytsky Uprising Battle of Zhovti Vody Battle of Berestechko Battle of Korsuń Battle of Pyliavtsi

Mirza Tughai Bey, Tuhay Bey (Crimean Tatar: Toğay bey; Polish: Tuhaj-bej; Cyrillic: Тугай-бей) sometimes also spelled as Togay Bey (died June 1651) was a notable military leader and politician of the Crimean Tatars.

Biography

Toğay descended from the Arğıns - one of noble Crimean families, and his full name is Arğın Doğan Toğay bey (Arhyn Dohan Tohai bei). "Bey" is actually a title, which he received on becoming the chief of Or Qapı (Perekop) sanjak, an important position in the Crimean Khanate, since the Isthmus of Perekop is the neck to Crimean Peninsula and was crucial to its defense.

Tuhay Bey became the bey of Or Qapı sometime between 1642 and 1644, an important position of the Crimean Khanate who was in charge of Or Qapı fortress - the gateway to the peninsula. By 1644 he had enough authority for the Khan of Crimea to entrust to him leadership of the major Tatar expedition against Poland. However, Tuhay Bey's army was intercepted by the Polish army under hetman Koniecpolski before reaching the densely populated regions of Ukraine and defeated in the First Battle of Okhmativ.

In 1648 he brought an army (estimated 6,000-20,000) to help Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Cossack uprising against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. There he took part in several important battles and was eventually killed during the Battle of Berestechko.

He was portrayed in the Polish novel and film With Fire and Sword. In the film he was played by Daniel Olbrychski. Henryk Sienkiewicz made a character in his third novel "Pan Wołodyjowski" - Tuhay Bey's son - Azja. He was played in the film "Colonel Wolodyjowski" from 1969 by Daniel Olbrychski.

• 
  An imagined painting of " Bohdan Khmelnytsky with Tuhay Bey at Lviv", oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1885.
• 
  Tugai Bey leads the Tatar cavalry.

Bibliography

• Podhorodecki, L. Chanat krymski i jego stosunki z Polską w 15-18 w. Warsaw, 1987.
• Serczyk, W.A. Na płonącej Ukrainie. Dzieje Kozaczyzny 1648-1651. Warsaw, 1998.
• Holobutsky, V. Zaporizhian Cossackdom. "Vyshcha shkola". Kyiv, 1994. ISBN 5-11-003970-4 (http://litopys.org.ua/holob/hol.htm)