Safa-Girei

Born 1510; died 1549. Khan of Kazan from 1524 to 1549. Son of Fatykh Girei, prince of the Crimea; succeeded his uncle Sahib Girei as khan of Kazan.

Safa-Girei’s power was limited by the powerful feudal nobility of Kazan. Safa-Girei maintained close dynastic and political relations with the Crimea and the Nogai Horde and campaigned against Russia in the years 1535–37 and 1541–2. His power was diminished by the popular movements of 1532,’ 1545–46, and 1549, by increasing feudalization, and by the increasing influence of the Crimean feudal lords at the court. He was deposed on two occasions. It was during the reign of Safa-Girei that the peoples of the “mountain part” of the Kazan Khanate—such as the Chuvash and the Mountain Mari—became subjects of Russia.