Kazakh-Dzungar conflict

Timeline

1. 1541–1545Kazakh steppe · KazakhstanIn the 1540s the Kazakh Khanate, divided among descendants of Qasim such as Taukel and Togim, lacked unified command, leaving the eastern frontier weakly defended and creating opportunities for Oirat infiltration and raiding.
2. 1542–1548Altai–Tarbagatai · AltaiIn the 1540s Oirat (pre-Dzungar) tribes expanded eastward, competing with the Kazakhs over winter pastures in the Altai and Tarbagatai and trade routes to China. Fighting consisted mainly of cavalry raids and small-scale battles, with the frontier repeatedly shifting back and forth.
3. 1548–1550Zhetysu region · KazakhstanBy the late 1540s Kazakhs and Oirats had formed a rough standoff on the eastern steppe: the Kazakhs controlled the core western pastures while the Oirats held firm along the western edge of the Altai–Dzungarian Basin. Though limited in scale, the conflicts of the 1540s foreshadowed the long confrontation between the two steppe powers in the 17th and 18th centuries.