On 23 January 1711, a treaty was signed between the Crimean State and the Zaporizhian Host, which went down in history as the Treaty of Kair. The document, drafted in Latin, recorded the intention of the parties to establish long-term relations based on mutual friendship, brotherhood, and a joint military alliance.
The agreement was concluded between the Hetmanate, represented by the government-in-exile of Pylyp Orlyk, and the Crimean Khanate. Initially, the treaty took the form of a sworn charter signed by authorised representatives of both parties at an ambassadorial congress near the Kair ford on the Dnipro River; later, the text of the agreement was confirmed by Khan Devlet Giray II.
In terms of its content, the treaty established a defensive and offensive alliance between the Hetmanate and the Crimean State — the parties declared their intention to coordinate foreign policy actions, specifically regarding their positions in negotiations with the Russian State. At the same time, the agreement did not address the issue of the state ownership of the Hetmanate’s territories.
Separately, the right of the Hetmanate’s population to self-determination was recorded, alongside the principle of non-interference by Crimea in internal affairs, as well as guarantees for the inviolability of Cossack property and places of worship. The document also confirmed the preservation of the Cossacks’ privileges regarding trade and industry within the domains of the Crimean Khanate.
As a guarantee of the fulfilment of the treaty’s terms, Hryhorii Orlyk remained in Bakhchysarai.
The Treaty of Kair of 1711 became an important example of interstate relations in Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 18th century and testified to the desire for allied forms of cooperation between the Crimean State and the Ukrainian Cossacks.