GasyEarly edit

Ğazı Giray was born in 1554. Little is known about his youth. It is speculated that while being hanzade (the khan's son) he was sent to the Circassian tribe of Beslenet to receive training in horsemanship and the military arts.[1]

His name is first mentioned in a document detailing a 1575 Tatar raid on Podolia. The raid was sparked by the revolt of Moldavian voivode John III the Terrible who refused to accept the raise in tribute he had to pay to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans requested the Crimean Khanate to aid them in the conflict after realizing that Zaporozhian Cossacks had intervened on John's side. The conflict ended when the Ottomans executed the Cossack commander Ivan Pidkova and unseated John.[2]

Persian campaign: In 1578 khan Mehmed II Giray (Gazi's older brother) entered the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–90) on the Ottoman side. Mehmed sent his brothers Adil (commander), Gazi and Mubarak and son Saadet. The Crimean army under Adil Giray relieved the besieged Shemakha garrison at a critical point, defeating the Safavids. The first rift with the Turks arose when the Ottomans prohibited the Tatars from conducting booty raids and insisted on organizing them into a regular unit of their army. Looting had been the primary objective of all Tatar military campaigns and a major source of wealth for the common soldier as they did not receive pay. The dispute was settled after the Tatars managed to pillage a convoy carrying the treasury of Aras Khan. On 30 November, the Tatars met the main Safavid force on the Menla Hasan river. After a 3-day battle the Tatars were defeated. Adil was captured and executed the following year. In 1579 khan Mehmed II Giray arrived with reinforcements, and departed in the summer after a successful raid on Gence netted him enough booty. Ğazı Giray remained in the Caucasus at the head of a small force. In the winter of 1579, Ğazı Giray distinguished himself during a surprise attack on a Safavid encampment in Gence. The Ottoman sultan rewarded him for this action with 50,000 akçes.

boing edit

Capture, escape and stay in Turkey: In the spring of 1581 his sleeping camp was attacked by the Qizilbashi. He fled on horseback into a forest, fell from his saddle and was captured. After refusing to cooperate with his captors he was imprisoned in the Alamut Castle and later moved to Tabriz. He managed win over or corrupt two of his jailers and reached Turkish lines disguised as a wandering dervish. At Erzurum he met Özdemiroğlu Osman Pasha and worked with him until Osman's death on 30 November 1585. He then traveled to Constantinople where he was granted an estate ('salyane') in Yambol where he seems to have lived as a country gentleman. In March 1588 his brother khan Islyam II Giray died. The Turks chose Gazi to replace him. Upon his arrival his authority was not disputed by the Crimean tribal aristocracy.[3] >>> first reign in work19>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Short and Fat edit

Toward the end of 1596 the Turks decided to replace the disobedient Gazi with his younger brother Fetih. After about 45 days the new vizier decided that this was a mistake. By late summer 1597 Gazi was firmly on the throne and Fetih was dead. For a fuller account see Fetih I Giray.

GassyTooTwo edit

voing edit

Vassals in orange
Silistra Eyalet was along the Black sea coast

Second Hungary (1598-99): Gazi chose not to join the Turks in 1597. To put pressure on him his brother Alp Giray was called to Istanbul. Gazi left for Hungary, travelled via the Danube and met the Turks at Bechkerek on 29 August 1598. The plan was to take the Transylvanian fort at Varad which linked Transylvania to the Hapsburg lands. It was late in the year and there were supply problems. When the Austrians besieged Buda the army returned west, the Janisaries revolted and there was nothing to do but retire to winter quarters. Satırcı Mehmed Pasha, the governor of Silistra ordered the taxes and income of Silistra Eyalet transferred to Gazi. Next year Satirci was executed, which widened the gap between Gazi and the Turks. There is little information on what happened in 1599. At the end of the year Gazi returned to Crimea, alleging lack of supplies and despite Turkish requests. During this period Gazi was in contact with the Austrians and others. [4]

  1. ^ Kortepeter, Carl Max (1966). "Ġāzī Girāy II, Khan of the Crimea, and Ottoman Policy in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, 1588-94". The Slavonic and East European Review. 44 (102): 139–166. JSTOR 4205717.
  2. ^ Türk 2000, pp. 10–11.
  3. ^ Türk 2000, pp. 19–23.
  4. ^ Gaivoronsky, p365 says that Varad was captured which seems to be wrong. For 1598 winter quarters, Gaivoronsky, p 365, has the khan in Silistra and his troops in Sombor. Türk has the khan in Sombor and his troops in Szeged. Silistra tribute sounds strange and is not in Türk.

whap edit

Crimea 1599-1602: He arrived in Crimea in autumn 1599. He sent his nephew Bakht to Hungary where he was involved in the battle of Nagykanisza (September 1600). At some point he became ill, accused one of his wives of witchcraft and had her executed. He established a corps of 500 personal Circassian guards and appointed a Circassian named Akhmed-Aga as Kapa-Agasa, a position similar to the Ottoman vizier. This centralization was unpopular with the clans, especially the Shirins who held the east. Some of the Shirins had been involved with Fetih. They conspired to kill Gazi and replace him with Gazi’s nureddin Devlet Giray, son of Saadet II Giray. Gazi learned of the plot, invited the conspirators to a banquet and killed them (12 June 1601). Devlet’s brothers Mehmed and Shahin got away. (Mehmed later became Mehmed III Giray and Shahin was active until 1641). Selyamet Giray was also suspected and in September he fled to Akkerman and then Istanbul. When Gazi asked for his return he fled to the Celali rebels under Deli-Hasain.

Third hungary (1602-03): Gazi left for Hungary in fall 1602, leaving his 13-year-old son Tokhtamysh as kalga. He defeated some Hungarians in Wallachia, but lost a battle on 23 September. He took the Silistra-Danube route and joined the Turks in mid-October. It was late in the season, so he took winter quarters in Pecs where he had discussions with the future historian İbrahim Peçevi. Next year he is reported as raiding various places, but there seems to be no organized account of the campaign. He then returned to Crimea for reasons that are not clear.

CrimeEnd edit

Crimea 1602-07 Given his disobedience Gazi feared that the Turks might replace him with Selyamet. He began talks with the Poles, which led nowhere. In 1603 sultan Mehmed III died and was followed by his 13-year-old son Ahmed I. This confused Turkish politics enough to remove the threat. To keep on good terms with the Turks he sent his son Tokhtamysh with troops to the Hungarian front.

Relieved of unprofitable wars in the west, Gazi turned his attention east. He built the fort of Gazi-Kerman on the upper Kuban between the Circassians and Kabardians. He sent an ambassador to the Besleney tribe[1] of Circassians who hinted that if he were driven from Crimea he might go the Circassians and then either to the Russians or Persians. In 1603 the Ottoman–Safavid War (1603–1618) broke out. The Persians were afraid that Crimean troops might join in. When they captured Hamdan-Aga, the man who helped overthrow Fetih, they sent him to Gazi. When the Ottomans requested Crimean troops, Gazi refused. In 1605 Crimeans, Kumyks and Turkish jannisaries destroyed Russian forts on rivers leading to the Caspian [2]. In the autumn of 1607 Gazi went to Gazi-Kerman where he negotiated with local rulers. There were plans for a new fort at Majar on the Kuma river. He set out for Crimea, but in November 1607 he died near Temryuk. He was buried at Bakhchisarai next to his father. He was followed by his son Toqtamış Giray (1607-08).

  1. ^ They were near his fort of Gazi-Kerman
  2. ^ Gaivoronsky, p375, without adequate details.This is hard to find in other sources.

temir.07jun15 edit

Before 1922 Buynaksk was known as Temir-Khan-Shurá (Темир-Хан-Шура), that is, the lake or cliff of Tamerlane who is said to have camped here in 1396 after defeating Tokhtamysh during the Tokhtamysh-Timur war. It first appears in Russian annals in the 1590s when Muscovite ambassadors passed nearby on their way to Georgia. It remained a small town ruled by a Bek. In 1830 the Russians destroyed it when it sided with Kazi Mulla. In 1832 a Russian force under Klugenau camped here during Rosen's raid on Gimry. In 1834 Klugenau built a fort on the rock above the lake and it soon became the headquarters of tht Apsheron Regiment and the most important Russian fort in the Degestan interior. During the Murid War it was an important base. In 1849 Hadji Murad led a daring raid into the town. The place was unhealthy and Argutinsky drained the lake in 1858 to prevent the spread of disease[1].

Coon edit

Battle of Khunzakh
Part of the Caucasian War
DateFebruary 1830
Location
Khunzakh, Dagestan
Result Avar Khanate victory
Belligerents
Caucasian Imamate Avar Khanate
Commanders and leaders
Kazi Mulla Pakhu-Bike

The Battle of Khunzakh in 1830 was Kazi Mulla’s failed attempt to capture the Avar Khanate based at Khunzakh during the Caucasian War.

In late 1829 Kazi Mulla began to preach holy war against Russin and declared himself Imam. His attempt to create a religiously-based Imamate naturally clashed with the political Khanate of Avaria. Further, the Khanate was under Russian pressure and received Russian subsidies. Kazi Mulla was based at Gimry 25 kilometers northeast of Khunzakh. On 4 February 1830 (all dates old style, so add 12 days for the modern calendar) Kazi Mulla gathered some 3000 men and marched on Andi, 50 kilometers west of Gimry. He gained their reluctant support and marched to Khunzakh 45 kilometers southeast, arriving on the 14th. Khunzakh at this time had over 700 houses, walls and defensive towers and was ruled by Pakhu-Bike, the widow of the late Khan. Kazi Mulla advanced, leading one column and Shamil the other. Impressed by the large force, the defenders began to give way. Pakhu-Bike, it is said, suddenly appeared before them and said “Avars, you are not worthy to bear arms. If you are afraid, give your swords to us women and take refuge behind our robes.” Stung by this taunt the defenders rallied and drove off the Murids, killing 200, wounding many and leaving 60 prisoners in the hands of the Khansha. Hadji Murad gathered up the banners of the enemy and sent them to Tiflis as proof of Avaria’s loyalty to Russia. Kazi Mulla withdrew and soon made a new base in the forests of Chumkeskent 20 km east of Gimry.

Kazi Mulla was killed in battle two years later and was followed by Hamzat Bek. In 1834 Hamzat captured Khunzakh, beheaded Pakhu-Bike and killed most of the royal family. A month later he was killed by Hadji Murad in revenge for the slaughter of the royal family.

references edit

J. F. Baddeley, The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus, 1908

cromo dun 10jan13 edit

1576:Martin Frobisher at [d[Frobisher Bay]] at the southeast end of Baffin Island. 1578: Frobisher enters Hudson Strait and turns back. 1585 [d[John Davis (English explorer)|John Davis]] at Davis Strait. 1602: [d[George Weymouth]] goes 300 miles up [d[Hudson Strait]]. 1610: [d[Henry Hudson]] passes Hudson Strait and down the east side of [d[Hudson Bay]] to its south end. 1612: [d[Thomas Button]] on west side of Hudson Bay. 1615: [d[Robert Bylot]] blocked by ice at [d[Frozen Strait]]. 1616: [d[William Baffin]] reaches north end of [d[Baffin Bay]] (furtherest north in Canada until 1852). 1619: [d[Jens Munk]] at [d[Churchill, Manitoba]]. 1631: [d[Luke Foxe]] on western shore of Hudson Bay and lower [d[Foxe Basin]]. 1631: [d[Thomas James (sea captain)]] follows west shore of Hudson and James Bays. 1721: [d[James Knight (explorer)]] dies near Marble Island. 1742: [d[Christopher Middleton (navigator)]] at [d[Repulse Bay, Nunavut]]. 1747: [d[William Moor]] finds [d[Chesterfield Inlet]] and examines [d[Rankin Inlet]] and [d[Wager Bay]]. 1762 William Christopher reaches head of Chesterfield Inlet. 1771: [d[Samuel Hearne]] reaches the Arctic Ocean overland at the mouth of the [d[Coppermine River]] (115W). 1776: Richard Pickersgill 68°N in Baffin Bay. 1777: Walter Young 72°N in Baffin Bay. 1778: [d[James Cook]] passes Bering Strait (169W) and goes northeast to [d[Icy Cape]] (162W). 1818 [d[John Ross (Arctic explorer)]] enters [d[Lancaster Sound]] and turns back. 1819: [d[William Edward Parry]] goes 600 miles west from Lancaster Sound through the [d[Parry Channel]] to Melville Island. 1820: [d[Gleb Shishmaryov]] a little beyond Icy Cape. 1821: [d[Coppermine Expedition of 1819–1822|Franklin by canoe]] from the Coppermine (115W) to the [d[Kent Peninsula]] (108W); [d[William Edward Parry]] on the west coast of Foxe Basin and overland to the [d[Gulf of Boothia]] (85W). 1824: [d[George Francis Lyon]] near wrecked at Roes Welcome Sound. 1825: Parry loses ship in [d[Prince Regent Inlet]]. 1826: [d[Frederick William Beechy]] to [d[Point Barrow]] 156W; Franklin about 150W and [d[John Richardson (naturalist)]] 115W at the mouth of the Copperming, both from the mouth of the Mackenzie (134W). 1829: [d[John Ross (Arctic explorer)]] reaches the [d[Gulf of Boothia]] and is frozen in for four years before being rescued. 1829: [d[James Clark Ross]] reaches [d[King William Island]] overland (98W). 1834: [d[George Back]] at [d[Chantry Inlet]] (95W). 1836: [d[George Back]] frozen in east of Frozen Strait. 1837: [d[Thomas Simpson (explorer)]] from the Mackenzie to Point Barrow, closing the last gap west of the Mackenzie. 1838: Kasheverov from Bering Strait to Dease Inlet (155W). 1839: Simpson from the Coppermine to [d[Chantry Inlet]]. (mapping of north coast now complete to CHantry Inlet). 1847: Rae Rupulse Bay and up east side of Melville Peninsula. 1848: Richardson and Rae Mackenzie to Coppermine. 1848: James Ross at frozen Peel Sound. 1849: [d[William Pullen]] by boat from Kotzebue Sound to the Mackenzie. 1850: Pullen from the Mackenzie to Bathurst Peninsula. 1851:Rae on south shore of Victoria Island. 1852: Bellot Strait found proving Somerset Island an island. 1852: [d[Edward Augustus Inglefield]] in northern Baffin Bay. 1852:[dddd[Richard Collinson]] at [d[Cambridge Bay]] from Bering Strait. 1852: [d[Edward Belcher]] in 5 ships at Wellington Channel and Melville Island, much sledge work, rescues McClure, 4 ships abandoned. 1853: [d[Breadalbane (ship)]] crushed by ice. 1853: [d[Second Grinnell Expedition]] in northwest Greenland. 1854: [d[John Rae (explorer)]] at Repulse Bay learns from Inuit that Franklin was on King William Island. 1855: Anderson and Stewart down the Back River. 1857: [d[Francis Leopold McClintock]] to King William Island. 1869:[d[Charles Francis Hall]] at King William Island. 1875: [d[Allen Young]] to Peel Sound. 1878:[d[Frederick Schwatka]] at King William Island. 1903-06:[d[Roald Amundsen]] crosses the Northwest Passage. 1921: [d[Knud Rasmussen]] crosses the passage by dog sled.

kronk dun01jan13 edit

hud:1578: Frobisher enters Hudson Strait and turns back.1602: [d[George Weymouth]] goes 300 miles up [d[Hudson Strait]]. 1610: [d[Henry Hudson]] down east side of the bay. 1612: [d[Thomas Button]] on west side of the bay. 1615: [d[Robert Bylot]] at [d[Frozen Strait]]. 1619: [d[Jens Munk]] at d[d[Churchill, Manitoba]]. 1631: [d[Luke Foxe]] on western shore of Hudson Bay and lower [d[Foxe Basin]]. 1631: [d[Thomas James (sea captain)]] follows west shore of Hudson and James Bays. 1670: Hudson's Bay Company founded. 1672: [d[Charles Albanel]] reaches the bay from the Saint Lawrence. 1721: [d[James Knight (explorer)]] dies near Marble Island. 1742: [d[Christopher Middleton (navigator)]] at [d[Repulse Bay, Nunavut]]. 1747: [d[William Moor]] finds [d[Chesterfield Inlet]] and examines [d[Rankin Inlet]] and [d[Wager Bay]]. 1762 William Christopher reaches head of Chesterfield Inlet. 1771: [d[Samuel Hearne]] overland from Hudson Bay to mouth of the [d[Coppermine River]] proving no western exit from the Bay. 1774: Hudson's Bay Company [d[Asleep by the frozen sea|begins inland expansion]]. 1821:[d[William Edward Parry]] charts west coast of Foxe Basin and finds [d[Fury and Hecla Strait]]. 1824: [d[George Francis Lyon]] frozen in near Roes Welcome Sound. 1854: [d[John Rae (explorer)]] by dogsled from the bay to the Arctic coast.

-> removed from northwest passage by Bazonka on 03jan13 <-

  • East: 1576: [d[Martin Frobisher]] at east end of Baffin Island. 1578: Frobisher enters Hudson Strait. (for more see [d[Hudson Bay]]) 1586: [d[John Davis (English explorer)]] to [d[Davis Strait]]. 1616: [d[William Baffin]] reaches north end of [d[Baffin Bay]] (furtherest north in Canada until 1852). 1776: Richard Pickersgill 68°N in Baffin Bay. 1777: Walter Young 72°N in Baffin Bay.1818 [d[John Ross (Arctic explorer)]] enters [d[Lancaster Sound]] and turns back. 1819: [d[William Edward Parry]] goes 600 miles west from Lancaster Sound through the [d[Parry Channel]] to Melville Island.1824: Parry loses one ship in [d[Prince Regent Inlet]]. 1829: John Ross frozen for 4 years at the [d[Gulf of Boothia]]. 1845: [d[John Franklin]] enters Arctic and disappears. 1848-57: many ships search for [d[Franklin's lost expedition]]. Much of central area explored by [d[manhauling|manhauled]] sleds while ships are frozen in for winter. 1852: Bellot Strait found proving Somerset Island an island. 1852: [d[Edward Augustus Inglefield]] in northern Baffin Bay. 1854: [d[John Rae (explorer)]] by land from Hudson Bay. 1857: [d[Francis Leopold McClintock]] to King William Island. 1903-06:[d[Roald Amundsen]] crosses the Northwest Passage. 1921: [d[Knud Rasmussen]] crosses the passage by dog sled. 1944: [d[Henry Larsen (explorer)]] makes second east-west crossing. Many scientific expeditions after this.



  • West: The east-west mainland coast extends from Bering Strait (169W) to Chantry Inlet (95W)
    • 1648:(169W) [d[Semyon Dezhnev]] passes Bering Strait
    • 1771: (115W) [d[Samuel Hearne]] reaches the Arctic Ocean overland at the mouth of the [de[Coppermine River]].
    • 1778: (169-162W) [d[James Cook]] passes Bering Strait and goes northeast to [d[Icy Cape]]
    • 1789:( (134W) dAlexander Mackenzie (explorer) to mouth of the Mackenzie River.
    • 1820: (169-161W) [d[Gleb Shishmaryov]] a little beyond Icy Cape.
    • 1821: (115-108W) [d[Coppermine Expedition of 1819–1822|Franklin by canoe]] from the Coppermine to the [d[Kent Peninsula]];
    • 1826: (169-156W) [d[Frederick William Beechy]] to [d[Point Barrow]];
    • 1826: (134-150W) Franklin Mackenzie River almost to Point Barrow.
    • 1826: (134-115W) [d[John Richardson (naturalist)]] Mackenzie to the Coppermine.
    • 1829: (98W) [d[James Clark Ross]] reaches [d[King William Island]] overland.
    • 1834: (95W)[d[George Back]] at [d[Chantry Inlet]].
    • 1837: (134-156W)[d[Thomas Simpson (explorer)]] from the Mackenzie to Point Barrow, closing the last gap west of the Mackenzie.
    • 1838: (169-155W) Kasheverov from Bering Strait to Dease Inlet.
    • 1839: (108-95W) Simpson from the Coppermine to [d[Chantry Inlet]]. (mapping of north coast now complete to Chantry Inlet).
    • 1848-1857: area north of the coast and south of [d[Parry Channel]] explored by people looking for [d[Franklin's lost expedition]].
    • 1848: (134-115W) Richardson and Rae Mackenzie to Coppermine.
    • 1849: (169-134W) [d[William Pullen]] by boat from Kotzebue Sound to the Mackenzie; first passing of Point Barrow.
    • 1850: (134-128W) Pullen from the Mackenzie to Bathurst Peninsula.
    • 1850: (169-116W) [d[Robert McClure]] to Prince of Wales Strait. When rescued from the east becomes the first to cross the northwest passage.
    • 1850:(169-105W) [d[Richard Collinson]] Bering Strait to [d[Cambridge Bay]]; furthest east by ship.
    • 1851: Rae on south shore of Victoria Island.
    • 1855: Anderson and Stewart down the Back River.
    • 1940: (169-78W) [d[Henry Larsen (explorer)]] first west-east crossing.
    • many scientific expeditions after this

lust dun01jan13 edit

  • 1848:
    • east: [e[James Clark Ross]], ([e[HMS Enterprise (1848)]], [e[HMS Investigator (1848)]]) only to Somerset Island because of ice.
    • center: [e[Rae-Richardson Arctic Expedition]] Mackenzie River and along the coast.
    • west: HMS Plover-HMS Herald to Bering Strait; [e[William Pullen]] reaches Mackenzie by whaleboat.
  • 1850:
    • west:[e[Richard Collinson]] (HMS Enterprise), [e[Robert McClure]] (HMS Investigator) to Bering Strait. McClure frozen in at Banks Island, when rescued becomes first man to cross the northwest passage. Collinson reaches Coronation Gulf, furthest east of any ship.
    • east:[e[Horatio Austin]] ([e[HMS Resolute (1850)]]), [e[Erasmus Ommanney]] ([e[HMS Assistance (1850)]]), plus 2 steam tenders Pioneer and Intrepid. Ommanney finds Franklin's Beechey Island camp. Austin's four and the below ships gather around Beechey Island, are frozen in and in spring send out sledge expeditions in all directions. They leave the Arctic before winter in 1851.
    • east:Charles Forsyth (Prince Albert) financed by Lady Franklin; sledge on Somerset Island to Fury Beach.
    • east:[e[William Penny]] (Lady Franklin and Sophia) .
    • east:[e[John Ross (Arctic explorer)]](schooner Felix)
    • east:[e[Edwin de Haven]] ([e[USS Rescue (1850)]], [e[USS Advance (1850)]]) = [e[First Grinnell Expedition]]
  • 1851: [e[William Kennedy (explorer)]] (Prince Albert again) finds eBellot Strait proving that Somerset Island is an island.
  • 1852:
    • [e[Edward Augustus Inglefield]] in northern Baffin Bay.
    • [e[Edward Belcher]] in five ships;much sledge exploration; rescues McClure; 4 ships abandoned in the ice. [e[Breadalbane (ship)]] crushed by ice.
  • 1854: [e[John Rae (explorer)]] learns where Franklin lost his ship.
  • 1855: Anderson and Stewart descend the [e[Back River]] and find relics in [e[Chantry Inlet]].
  • 1857:[e[Francis Leopold McClintock]] finds relics at King William Island
  • 1869:[e[Charles Francis Hall]] at King William Island
  • 1875:[e[Allen Young]] blocked at Peel Sound
  • 1878:[e[Frederick Schwatka]] at King William Island

Index of Places= edit

Clockwise: Hudson Strait; at its mouth Digges Sound, Digges Islands, Mansel Island and Nottingham Island; at the north end Southampton Island surrounded by northeast: Frozen Strait, north: Repulse Bay, Nunavut, west: Roes Welcome Sound with Wager Bay and Ukkusiksalik National Park. Coats Island is to the southeast; Cape Fullerton, Chesterfield Inlet; Rankin Inlet and Marble Island; Whale Cove, Nunavut; Eskimo Point; Thiewiaza River; Manitoba border; Seal River; Churchill, Manitoba with Prince of Wales Fort, Churchill River; Wapusk National Park and Cape Churchill ,,,,,,,

Other uses edit

The term Andi is extended to:

  • The village of Andi (42°47′02″N 46°15′00″E / 42.784°N 46.250°E / 42.784; 46.250)
  • The Andi Language
  • The Andi Koysu River south of Andi which flows east to meet the Avar Koysu and form the Sulak River
  • The Andi Gates which extend east from Andi up to the Salatau Plateau
  • The Andi Ridge which separates the basin of the Andi Koysu basin from that of the Terek River to the north

screw edit

The right-handed screw edit

Curl the fingers of your right hand around a screw and turn it in the direction of your fingers. If it moves in the direction of your thumb the screw is right-handed. Most screws are right-handed. Control knobs can be either right-handed or left-handed (Think of turning on a radio.). 'Clockwise' can be considered right-handed if your thumb points toward the clock or left-handed if your thumb points away from the clock.

Right-handed and Left-handed Co-ordinates edit

Let the X and Y axes define a horizontal plane with the X-axis pointing toward you. Then the Z-axis can either point up (right-handed) or down (left-handed). If the co-ordinates are right-handed and you place your right fist on the plane then your fingers will curl from the first or X-axis to the second or Y-axis and your thumb will point along the Z-axis. If the co-ordinates were left handed the fingers of your left hand would curl from the first axis to the second and your left thumb would point along the Z-axis.

If any one axis is reversed the handedness changes. To preserve handedness one of the other axes must also reverse which is equivalent to switching the labels on the other two axes. Note that the handedness of co-ordinates has no meaning unless the axes are labled in sequence: 1,2,3 or x,y,z.

  1. ^ John F. Baddeley, "The Rugged Flanks of the Caucasus", 1940, Chapter XIII