For over a century, two nomadic empires fought for control of Central Asian steppes.
The Kazakh–Dzungar Wars were a brutal, decades-long struggle between the Kazakh Khanate and the Dzungar Khanate. Spanning from the 17th to the mid-18th century, this conflict reshaped the map of Central Asia, involving shifting alliances, massive battles, and the eventual rise and fall of the last great nomadic empire.
The Dzungar Khanate emerged in 1635 as a powerful Mongol-speaking state, often described by historian Vasily Bartold as the last great nomadic empire in Central Asia. Its formation followed the unification of Oirat tribes under the Choros clan. The Kazakh Khanate, weakened by internal fragmentation, faced immediate pressure from this new neighbor. The first major clash occurred in 1635, resulting in the capture of Jangir Sultan, who would later become a legendary figure known as Salqam Jangir Khan for his relentless resistance.
Military engagements were frequent and intense, such as the 1643 Battle of Orbulaq, where 600 Kazakh warriors famously held off a 50,000-strong Dzungar army in a mountain pass. Despite such tactical successes, the Dzungars often held the upper hand, expanding their borders to include the upper Irtysh and Lake Balkhash regions by the 1650s. The conflict was not merely a bilateral struggle; it was deeply influenced by the regional ambitions of the Qing dynasty, the Khanate of Bukhara, and the Russian Empire, which viewed the Dzungars as a strategic buffer.
The wars reached a peak under leaders like Galdan Boshugtu Khan and Tsewang Rabtan, who sought to dominate trade centers like Sayram and Tashkent. By the early 18th century, the Kazakhs attempted to form anti-Dzungar alliances with Russia, though St. Petersburg remained hesitant, preferring to maintain the Dzungars as a counterweight to the Qing. The conflict eventually waned as the Dzungar Khanate faced its own internal succession crises, famine, and mounting pressure from the Qing Empire, leading to the eventual collapse of Dzungar power by the mid-18th century.
Source: Kazakh–Dzungar Wars
