Above, I have already expressed the opinion more than once that one of the most reliable indicators indicating that this or that part of history is falsified, is the difficulty of teaching it to the classroom. If the story is boring and confusing, and is not absorbed by students in the intended volume, then this is a sure sign that the events being studied are fictitious. A simple example: - Schoolchildren study the early history of Rus' with pleasure and easily assimilate the educational material. No, there, too, of course, a lot is turned upside down, but at least it was done in an understandable way.
But when it comes to studying stories of the “House of Romance”, schoolchildren begin to yawn, their attention wanders, and the taught material becomes categorically incomprehensible. Why? Yes, because the “writers” of history have gone too far in trying to explain obvious inconsistencies and contradictions. Multi-layered piles of countless kings, queens and princes and impostors create such a “mess” in the minds of students that it can be difficult even for an experienced teacher to dot all the i’s.
And to suspect historical forgery is not so difficult, in fact. It is enough to study the portrait gallery of all representatives of the Romanov dynasty to draw a conclusion that suggests itself. The first of the Romanovs, by external signs, cannot in any way relate to representatives of the Slavic people. This means that power was seized by strangers. When? Most likely, also their ancestors, who are classified as Rurikovichs, but who in fact were no longer such.
Since the wife of Ivan III became baptized into Orthodox Christianity Jewish woman Zoya, which went down in history under the name Sofia Paleolog, something clearly happened to the genetics of Russian monarchs. They could not be Russian based on any of the signs. The “Mongolian” khans had a pronounced Slavic appearance, and the “Russian” kings, for some reason, have external features characteristic of the peoples of the Caucasus or the Middle East.
It gets further it's completely unclear. Starting from Peter I, all “Romanovs” have obvious features of degeneration, genetic degradation. The last such king was Paul I. But his children and further descendants are already known to us as tall, handsome men who inexplicably “recovered.” This can only indicate one thing: - Power again passed to a new dynasty, and the textbooks say nothing about this page of our history.
Another problem for history teachers is the so-called "conquest of Siberia". Even the most successful students often “float” in this matter and show miracles of poor mastery of educational material. Why? The answer is still the same. The truth, most likely, is not only that it was not conquest, in the generally accepted sense. Besides, shamelessly distorted dates of fictitious or falsified events, and their geography. But most importantly, historians distorted the motives, reasons, and the very essence of events.
It is noteworthy that in order to rewrite history, it is not necessary to rewrite it. To understand how this can be done, it’s enough to remember the old joke:
A man returns on a train from a business trip. He takes a place on the bottom shelf of a compartment carriage, and suddenly, a slender female leg hangs from the top shelf. Fellow travelers meet, they begin an affair, and they get off together at a station that is far from the traveler’s destination.
The next morning, the man, having freed himself from the embrace of his mistress, hurries to the post office and sends a telegram to his legal wife: “I was on the train dot my leg turned up dot I’m lying in bed dot dot kiss dot hug.”
Did the man say at least one word of lies? Obviously, no. Did he deceive his wife? Of course - yes. A similar paradox is actively used for historical falsifications. But the germs of truth can be found in the most unexpected places, therefore, I do not hesitate to rummage through the most unpleasant reams of information, in which the answer to a question that has been haunted for years and which could not be obtained from any source may unexpectedly be found. It doesn’t matter whether official or alternative.
So, studying the lecture of the professor Princeton University Stephen Kotkin, it was with great satisfaction that I discovered genuine diamonds among the gigantic array of Russophobic lies about Russia. Among the rabid slander, mixed with the classical Norman theory, diluted with idle fabrications of a famous scientist, in which he automatically extrapolates the actions of his ancestors during the cleansing of the United States from indigenous people, to the actions of our ancestors during the “conquest of Siberia.”
It turns out that for the professor it is not a mystery that some of the authors who wrote about Tartary define the border between Europe and Asia along the Don River, while others consider the Urals to be such a border:
“Peter the Great changed the name of Muscovy and declared Russia an empire in the 1720s (after defeating Sweden). In the 1730s, Vasily Tatishchev moved the border between Europe and Asia from the Don River to the Yaik (Ural) River.”
This statement explains a lot, of course, but it changes little, unlike the following Kotkin clause:
“Unlike the discoverers of New Spain, New England and New France, the Russian Cossacks of the seventeenth century did not seek to dissolve their new world into the old, to rename, destroy or transform it.”
Why did I call this a "disclaimer"? Yes, because the phrase “its new world” directly indicates that Europe called America the New World, and Russia, by analogy with Europe, it turns out, had its own “New World” as the added territories of Siberia. And this, you see, makes you look at this period of history from a completely different angle. It turns out that we do not have a coincidence in time of two events that are independent of each other, but this is a single process of redivision of the world, where North America and Siberia are two theaters of military operations of one global war. A war separated not only geographically, but also artificially spaced in time. The version that the true conquest of America took place simultaneously with the conquest of Siberia unexpectedly finds confirmation. Kotkin’s statement that Omsk was previously called Sparta is also unexpected, because he refers only to certain memories of certain Siberians. The assessment given by a professor of industry of the Russian Empire of the eighteenth century is also interesting:
“In 1747, Akinfiy Demidov received permission from the tsar to open mines and smelt metals at factories in the southern Siberian region called Kolyvan-Voskresensk. By 1800, Kolyvan’s industry had grown more than in England, Holland and several European countries together.”
Many researchers suggest that Kolyvan-Voskresensk is Nizhny Tagil. However, a number of facts indicate that Kolyvan is located thousands of kilometers east of the Urals, in Altai Today it is called Zmeinogorsk, and it was there that the father and son Cherepanovs lived, who created the first steam locomotive. But what is completely bewildering is Kotkin’s recognition of the version about the ownership of individual North American lands by the Great Tartary. I have come across similar statements in the works of our domestic alternative historians, but their attempt to pass off wishful thinking, or more precisely, the past, is not surprising, except perhaps a little ironic. But it is very difficult to suspect the Russophobe Kotkin of pseudo-Slavophilism. It is not known where the American got such information from in 1996, but, as they say, “you can’t erase words from a song”:
"Even for the Russians, at the beginning the eighteenth century was still unclear how far away their eastern lands were. They may have extended deep into the American continent, where their eastern natives were considered "Tartars." Of course, an unfounded statement cannot be accepted as a reliable fact, but if you systematize all the available information that has at least indirect confirmation, then it is impossible not to agree with some of the conclusions made by non-professional scientists.
But let's take it in order. Let's start with the generally accepted version, which undoubtedly contains some points that help shed light on the true events that were masked by the “conquest” of Siberia. From what sources do we know about this grandiose event? Of course, as often happens, the whole era turns out to have only one author. Looking through the rubble of monographs by historians, it is easy to notice that each of the authors refers to each other, and together they consider the one and only works of S.M. Solovyov, who himself considered the most reliable information left by the master N.M. Karamzin.
It turns out that everything we know about “Russia’s bloody war with the powerful Siberian horde” we know from one writer who was born a hundred years after the events he described. What did he rely on? And Dear Ivan Mikhailovich, it turns out, referred to the so-called “Kungur Chronicle”. But don't let the title of the document fool you. This is just the title of an artistic work that was supposedly left behind by one of the participants in the “conquest” of Siberia. And as you probably already guessed, the original was lost, and edition 1880 just a reconstruction.
In fact, these are a kind of comics where explanations are given to the pictures. Basically this is a description of the geography, rivers and cities of the peoples inhabiting Siberia, and their customs. And so, from these comics a version was born, according to which grandiose “historical” films are now being made with battle scenes in which thousands of mummers “Tatars” and “Russian knights” participate. One of hundreds of commercial expeditions, similar to the expeditions of the detachments of chieftains Markov, Khabarov and Dezhnev, which had nothing to do with state policy, resulted in one of the grandest historical myths designed to explain the inexplicable. Namely: - how did Rus' appear on the site of Great Tartary, and how did Turan end up as part of it?:
“Ermak’s Siberian campaign is the invasion of Ermak’s Cossack detachment into the territory of the Siberian Khanate in 1581-1585, which marked the beginning of the Russian development of Siberia.
A detachment of 840 people was formed in the possessions of the Stroganovs, in Orel-gorodok. The Stroganov merchants took an active part in equipping the detachment with everything necessary. Ermak's Cossacks arrived on the Kama at the invitation of the Stroganovs in 1579 to protect their possessions from attacks by the Voguls and Ostyaks. The campaign was carried out without the knowledge of the tsarist authorities, and Karamzin called its participants “a small gang of vagabonds.” The backbone of the conquerors of Siberia was the Volga Cossacks, numbering five hundred, led by such atamans as Ermak Timofeevich, Ivan Koltso, Matvey Meshcheryak, Nikita Pan, Yakov Mikhailov. In addition to them, Tatars, Germans and Lithuania took part in the campaign. The army was loaded into 80 plows." (Wikipedia)
But even this brief explanation, which does not diverge from the official one, already raises a number of questions, sensible answers to which leave no stone unturned from the picture of “conquest” that exists in the minds of our contemporaries. And this prejudice was formed in our consciousness, including thanks to the “Siberian Messenger” by G.I. Spassky.
Ermak here is very different from the image that historians instilled in us, thanks to the efforts of the mass media. And similarities with Spanish conquistadors, this is clearly not a coincidence. This is one of the indirect confirmations of the version of alternative historians that, in fact, the era of geographical discovery and colonization was not as spread out on the time scale as we are told. In fact, the “conquest of America” and the “conquest of Siberia” are a series of the same events that took place at the same time on different continents. And it is no coincidence that the author cites historical parallels:
“... when the passion for travel and conquest - the passion for discovery and news, became the universal spirit of the Western peoples of Europe. “When Columbus, or before them America, then Cortez, Pisar and Albuquerque, with the blessing of the Pope, conquered the New World...”
However, although the entire book is a continuous ode to brave patriots who, according to the author, thought only about the glory of Russia, and not about the reward promised to them by their employers the Stroganovs, there is also interesting details. For example, the death of Ermak himself is shown completely differently. He was not killed in battle, but shot under unclear circumstances, after which his body was found on the banks of the Irtysh 15 versts below the mouth of the Vagai by one of the fishermen. The fisherman reported the find to Kuchum Khan, and he buried Ermak with honors in the cemetery of the Begichev Tatars.
This episode suggests that it is likely We don’t know everything about the relationships within Ermak’s squad, and between the Cossacks and the Tatars. There is also other interesting information. For example, a description of the ruins of an unknown fortress that Ermak’s detachment encountered on the Kozlovka River, 25 versts from Tobolsk. The main thing for us here is that none of the local Tatars could tell Ermak whose fortress it was, when it was built, and when and by whom it was destroyed. That is, the situation is similar to the one when the conquistadors tortured the Mesoamerican Indians about the history of the ruins they discovered in the jungle. The Incas, like the Tatars, said that they did not build this, and all this existed before them.
Next the Cossacks met even more ancient remains of fortifications 29 versts from Tobolsk, between the Aslana and Belkina rivers. At that time, there were preserved ramparts 3 fathoms high and ditches 3 fathoms deep (1 fathom = 1.78 cm). Impressive size, I must say. If only the remains of the rampart were 5 meters high, then what were they originally like, taking into account the fortress walls! And they were built by the Tatars, who were “conquered” by 840 tramps? How did an understaffed regiment, consisting of albeit trained and fearless men, manage to conquer an area of more than 13 million square kilometers? Isn’t it funny for historians themselves?
In general, even to the authors of the nineteenth century it was quite obvious that Ermak’s campaign in Siberia, it was no conquest, despite the fact that, obeying censorship, they wrote specifically about military conquest. But at the same time, ninety percent of the text contains a description of the life and customs of the peoples of Siberia, geography, vegetation, and what is especially noteworthy, a description of many ancient mounds, cities and fortresses, the origin of which the Tatars themselves no longer remembered anything.
Meanwhile, it is striking that Ermak’s Cossacks, essentially were engaged in archaeological research, not conquest. The Vestnik talks about a huge number of finds made on Siberian mounds by the Cossacks. Basically, these were products made of... cast iron! Plates with images and writings, figurines depicting people, animals, birds, etc. Let me remind you that in Europe they learned to produce cast iron only in the nineteenth century. But the hubs of the Scythian carts were already cast iron. Historians claim that cast iron was invented by the Chinese in the eleventh century. However, Ermak’s expedition gives grounds for the assertion that it was not in China that they began to smelt cast iron, but in Cathay. And Katay, this is Siberia, which Ermak “conquered”.
In addition to cast iron products, the Cossacks discovered many products and steel. I have not seen any mention of weapons; they were mainly working tools. There are many sickles for the harvest, which indicates developed agriculture, knives, axes and spades. About the origin of these artifacts, local Tatars said that it was probably done by those miracles who lived in these places before them. Here the author makes a reasonable assumption that the artifacts found do not belong to one period of antiquity, but were accumulated over thousands of years.
So much for the “non-historical land”. I wonder where all these finds went? After all, it is extremely difficult to find anything similar to the described objects in any of the Siberian museums using available means.
Turan is Gardarika
How many people have thought about why the chess piece, which is depicted as a fortress tower, and due to some misunderstanding is called “rook”, has a second incomprehensible name - “tura”?
But the question is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The fact is that in some dialects of the Turkish language group, the word tura means “tower, city.” Now attention! Many Siberians know about the “hill”, which is called Kysym Tura, and that translated into Russian it means “Maiden Tower” (almost like the main attraction of the city of Baku). But thanks to the “Bulletin of Siberia”, we find out that Kysym Tura is the ruins of an ancient city called the Maiden City.
But that's not all. It turns out that many Siberian cities, of which no memories have now been preserved, had a single system of names, in which the first was the proper name, and the second, Tura, common to all. Exactly like Ivangorod, Novgorod, Stargorod, etc. To this day, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory there is a settlement called Tura. Tura means city. And Turan is a country of cities, or otherwise gardarika. And this name is quite appropriate, judging by the map of the monk Fra Mauro, on which Siberia is depicted in the form of virtually one giant metropolis the size of all of Siberia. An extremely entertaining picture opens on the “Tour” page in Wiktionary:
Tura or Turus - siege tower.
Tura is the ancient Russian name for artillery troops.
Tura (Tura) is the Old Russian name for a basket without a bottom, filled with bulk material for protection from the adversary.
Tura is another name for the chess piece “rook”
Tura - a tower for construction work.
Cosimo Tura is an Italian painter.
Tura is the mythical ancestor of the Turans, mentioned in the Avesta.
Tura is a god in the Chuvash traditional religion.
Tura - in Tatar - a city, for example: Kyzym-tura - a maiden city.
Rivers:
Tura is a river in Western Siberia, a tributary of the Tobol.
Tura (tributary of the Ingoda) is a river in the Trans-Baikal Territory.
Tura (tributary of the Churbiga) is a river in the Tomsk region.
Tura (river, flows into Kozhozero) - a river in the Arkhangelsk region, flows into Kozhozero.
Settlements:
Tura is a village in the Evenki district of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Tura is a village in the Krasnogorsk region of Udmurtia.
Tura is a village in Slovakia, in the Levice region.
Tours is a city in France, near which the Cher River flows into the Loire.
Verkhnyaya Tura is a city in the Sverdlovsk region.
Nizhnyaya Tura is a city in the Sverdlovsk region.
Most likely, we should also add to this list the Italian Turin, German Thuringia, and other European place names with the root “ tour».
But there is another strange coincidence. Don't forget that the tour in Rus' the name of the bull and the man-bull was Veles, which in the European tradition is called Jupiter, or Iapetus, i.e. biblical Japheth, who is considered the father of the entire white race of mankind. Now let's look at the coat of arms of the city of Turin:
It appears that it is more correct to say Turin, not Turin. Undoubtedly, the ancient name of Crimea, “Tavrus”, is directly related to Tours:
Now this constellation has been renamed “accidentally” to Taurus, but in fact, it is a bull, or aurochs. So what was Ermak’s geographical expedition looking for in Turan? Here's another hint. "Bulletin of Siberia" about Kolyvan Lake:
“In places, those things where there were not many more obvious than the memorable changes, the world is like a mountain with whatever remains scattered on - traces of the physical endured by the inhabited. These granites were once like this - formerly in a great space, vaguely depicting the terrible action of the elements of water? Doesn't this lake of water represent a small remnant ancient cluster? But the marble is mined in the local area, filled with shells that are unique only to the depths of the sea.”
This is already very serious. In this passage, the author directly asks a question, to which he himself answers: - before us is nothing more than consequences of a global catastrophe.
This is how it looked in the nineteenth century, and the eyewitness seemed to have no doubt that it was man-made. For example, take a look at what it looks like today:
I believe there is no need to explain how fleeting geological processes really are. Quite recently it was ruins, but today no one doubts that the rocks before us are outcrops, “quirks of nature.” There are many more surprises in this book. For example, an illustration depicting Ermak’s squad in Samoyedia, i.e. on Novaya Zemlya.
Most likely, Ermak was never there, however, it is quite possible that once again, historians “forgot” to tell us something important: For example, that Ermak’s expeditions could have been two or more. What about the appearance of the Tungus?
The error is excluded, because representatives of other northern peoples are depicted in the book in full accordance with their true appearance. In addition, the detailing of the costume elements leaves no chance for the assumption that the artist did not know what the Tungus actually look like. It is impossible to take such details out of thin air, which means that the Tungus, like the Yukaghirs, and other peoples of Siberia were representatives of the Caucasian race.
Looking at Irkutsk, it is also impossible not to suspect the presence of deep gaps in our ideas about the “non-historical” Siberia in the recent past:
If it were not for the caption to the illustration, one might think that it depicts some European city. And here is another material evidence of an unknown civilization that previously existed on the territory of Great Tartary:
Today it is a very popular place among tourists, but not a single evidence of the menhirs indicated on the engraving has survived. It can be seen that in the nineteenth century they were already very old and had serious damage. Now nothing remains of them. Well, if only small stones that no one pays attention to. There, in Alatau, in the gorge of the Baskan River, there was an even more impressive structure:
You can't even call it ruins, and today no one remembers their existence in the very recent past. Where did everything go? Why has information about these ruins been preserved in France, but not in our country? But let's return to Spassky's works. In addition to his “Bulletin of Siberia”, an “Album of views, drawings of buildings and ancient inscriptions of Siberia” (1818) was also published:
Ablayket (Ablainkit, Mongolian: Ablayn khid) is a Dzungarian fortified Buddhist monastery of the 17th century. Founded in 1654 by Taishi Ablai. In 1671, during an internecine struggle, it was taken by Galdan and doomed to desolation. The ruins of the monastery are located on the territory of the Ulan district of the East Kazakhstan region. The complex was located in the mountains and had a pentagonal shape in plan. The perimeter was surrounded by a wall up to 2 m high. The walls were protected by two religious buildings, in which manuscripts in the Mongolian language, statues of Buddhas and images of bodhisattvas and dharmapalas with halos were discovered in the 18th century.
God bless, although these ruins have survived to this day, and are not considered a natural formation.
Mausoleum Botagai (Bytygai, Tatagai), Kazakh. Botagay kesenesi is an architectural monument of the 11th-12th centuries. Located on the left bank of the Nura River, Korgalzhyn district, 2 km east of the village of Korgalzhyn, Akmola region, on the territory of the settlement of the same name. Medieval portal-dome mausoleum. In the middle of the nineteenth century. the mausoleum was in relatively good condition, it is now ruined. Judging by the drawings and descriptions of travelers, the Botagai mausoleum is one of the outstanding masterpieces of architectural and construction art.
“Inventory” of Siberian Tartary
Now is the time to sum it up subtotals. Analyzing all of the above facts, as well as keeping in mind a lot of information presented in previous chapters, we can state the presence of a sufficient array of data to voice the following conclusions:
- Not about any “conquest” of Turan a relatively small province - Muscovy, out of the question. There were neither political nor economic opportunities for this. What was later called the "conquest" of Siberia was ordinary commercial enterprise. Just like the East India Company, the Hudson's Bay Company, or the Russian-American Company. Those. Even in the recent past, borders and territories were controlled not by states, but by corporations. And the corporation, whose main shareholders were the Stroganovs, sent its own delegation led by Ermak to Siberian Tartaria.
- The goal of the enterprise was not conquest, and reconnaissance and inventory of what survived in the territory later called Siberia.
- The fact that Great Tartaria existed on maps, including Russian ones, until 1828. indicates that the seizure of part of the northeastern lands by the Holy Roman Empire, with its capital in St. Petersburg, did not mark the end for all of Tartary. Moscow Tartaria was the only legitimate organization that legally claimed the lands devastated by the disaster, stretching east of the Urals.
And Petersburg, although it became a separate province, was forced to consider not only with his overlord in Germany, but also with Muscovy. Let me remind you that until the very end of the existence of the amusing Russian Empire, all emperors “received a label” in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Even despite the fact that in the history of Great Tartaria, it would seem that an end had been put, which went down in history under the name "Patriotic War of 1812".
What really happened?
What did the St. Petersburg generals and the Russian fleet do in America at a time when the wars “With Napoleon” in Europe and “For Independence” in America were going on simultaneously? Why were the uniforms of American, Russian and French soldiers the same? Why were traditional crosses removed from the Tower of London in 1801 and Protestant ones erected? Why did the Russian Imperial Navy replace the Juno Jack with the banner of St. Andrew the First-Called? Why, on the contrary, was Cromwell's British flag replaced by the Union Jack?
Why were the British and Dutch serving in the Russian navy, Prussians serving in the cavalry, artillery and infantry, and the Russian nobility speaking French? Why did the monument to Russian Admiral Nelson become a national hero of Britain, and why was the monument to him erected at the expense of the Russian treasury? Well, the main question: - Why were the lands of Russian America, the Hawaiian Islands, Malaysia, and the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea taken away from the Russian Empire? This is such a tangled ball that we have to unwind.
Warworlds1812. Part 1
Warworlds1812. Part 2
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The development of Siberia is one of the most significant pages in the history of our country. The vast territories that currently make up most of modern Russia were, in fact, a “blank spot” on the geographical map at the beginning of the 16th century. And the feat of Ataman Ermak, who conquered Siberia for Russia, became one of the most significant events in the formation of the state.
Ermak Timofeevich Alenin is one of the most little-studied personalities of this magnitude in Russian history. It is still not known for certain where and when the famous chieftain was born. According to one version, Ermak was from the banks of the Don, according to another - from the outskirts of the Chusovaya River, according to the third - his place of birth was the Arkhangelsk region. The date of birth also remains unknown - historical chronicles indicate the period from 1530 to 1542.
It is almost impossible to reconstruct the biography of Ermak Timofeevich before the start of his Siberian campaign. It is not even known for certain whether the name Ermak is his own or is it still the nickname of the Cossack chieftain. However, from 1581-82, that is, directly from the beginning of the Siberian campaign, the chronology of events has been restored in sufficient detail.
Siberian campaign
The Siberian Khanate, as part of the collapsed Golden Horde, coexisted in peace with the Russian state for a long time. The Tatars paid an annual tribute to the Moscow princes, but when Khan Kuchum came to power, the payments stopped, and Tatar detachments began to attack Russian settlements in the Western Urals.
It is not known for certain who initiated the Siberian campaign. According to one version, Ivan the Terrible instructed the merchants Stroganov to finance the performance of a Cossack detachment into uncharted Siberian territories in order to stop Tatar raids. According to another version of events, the Stroganovs themselves decided to hire Cossacks to protect their property. However, there is another scenario: Ermak and his comrades plundered the Stroganov warehouses and invaded the territory of the Khanate for the purpose of profit.
In 1581, having sailed up the Chusovaya River on plows, the Cossacks dragged their boats to the Zheravlya River in the Ob basin and settled there for the winter. Here the first skirmishes with Tatar detachments took place. As soon as the ice melted, that is, in the spring of 1582, a detachment of Cossacks reached the Tura River, where they again defeated the troops sent to meet them. Finally, Ermak reached the Irtysh River, where a detachment of Cossacks captured the main city of the Khanate - Siberia (now Kashlyk). Remaining in the city, Ermak begins to receive delegations from indigenous peoples - Khanty, Tatars, with promises of peace. The ataman took an oath from all those who arrived, declaring them subjects of Ivan IV the Terrible, and obliged them to pay yasak - tribute - in favor of the Russian state.
The conquest of Siberia continued in the summer of 1583. Having passed along the course of the Irtysh and Ob, Ermak captured settlements - uluses - of the peoples of Siberia, forcing the inhabitants of the towns to take an oath to the Russian Tsar. Until 1585, Ermak and the Cossacks fought with the troops of Khan Kuchum, starting numerous skirmishes along the banks of Siberian rivers.
After the capture of Siberia, Ermak sent an ambassador to Ivan the Terrible with a report on the successful annexation of the lands. In gratitude for the good news, the tsar gave gifts not only to the ambassador, but also to all the Cossacks who participated in the campaign, and to Ermak himself he donated two chain mail of excellent workmanship, one of which, according to the court chronicler, had previously belonged to the famous governor Shuisky.
Death of Ermak
The date August 6, 1585 is noted in the chronicles as the day of the death of Ermak Timofeevich. A small group of Cossacks - about 50 people - led by Ermak stopped for the night on the Irtysh, near the mouth of the Vagai River. Several detachments of the Siberian Khan Kuchum attacked the Cossacks, killing almost all of Ermak’s associates, and the ataman himself, according to the chronicler, drowned in the Irtysh while trying to swim to the plows. According to the chronicler, Ermak drowned because of the royal gift - two chain mails, which with their weight pulled him to the bottom.
The official version of the death of the Cossack chieftain has a continuation, but these facts do not have any historical confirmation, and therefore are considered a legend. Folk tales say that a day later, a Tatar fisherman caught Ermak’s body from the river and reported his discovery to Kuchum. All the Tatar nobility came to personally verify the death of the ataman. Ermak's death caused a great celebration that lasted for several days. The Tatars had fun shooting at the Cossack's body for a week, then, taking the donated chain mail that caused his death, Ermak was buried. At the moment, historians and archaeologists are considering several areas as the supposed burial places of the ataman, but there is still no official confirmation of the authenticity of the burial.
Ermak Timofeevich is not just a historical figure, he is one of the key figures in Russian folk art. Many legends and tales have been created about the ataman’s deeds, and in each of them Ermak is described as a man of exceptional courage and courage. At the same time, very little is reliably known about the personality and activities of the conqueror of Siberia, and such an obvious contradiction forces researchers again and again to turn their attention to the national hero of Russia.
And this is what they sent to Witsen and what he writes further about Ermak:
Regarding the conquest of Siberia, which took place more than 100 years ago, they also wrote me the following short message:
“Ermak Timofeevich, who occupied Tobol, fled from the Volga, where he was robbing, up the Kama, and came to the Chusovaya River. There was Stroganov, famous for its rich lands. Even today this family owns a large amount of land (70 German miles). Ermak came to this Stroganov’s grandfather to ask for help in order to achieve forgiveness from His Tsar’s Majesty. He [Stroganov] extended a helping hand to him, gave him ships, weapons, workers, and so on. So he walked along the Serebryanka River, which flows into Chusovaya. There he transported his ships by land to the Tagil River. Descending along it, he came to Tura and occupied the city of Tyumen. Here he killed all the people and approached Tobol. He captured it. There was ruled by a Tartar prince named Altanai Kuchumovich, otherwise Kuchum, whose son’s son is still alive and is known in Moscow under the name of the Siberian Tsarevich. He is supported very generously, he enjoys benefits and honor. They also say that now there are still small Siberian princes here and there, whom Ermak captured and sent to the court. With this feat, he achieved his goal: he achieved mercy and forgiveness for his robberies. However, he did not survive his victories for long, for during a sortie from Tobol he was pursued by the Tartars so that he did not have time to approach the ships, fell into the water and drowned. This is where the short message sent to me ends.”
And one more thing, the longest and most detailed:
“Other written reports convey the above incident as follows:
“In 1572, after the birth of Christ, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, several free Don Cossacks, under the leadership of their ataman Ermak Timofeevich, left the Don and secretly headed to the Volga River, where they caused a great loss to the state, robbed all sorts of people, and killed some .
They transported all the loot on their ships in such a way that they seemed to be closing the Volga, not allowing anyone from Astrakan with goods through. And although the tsar sent various Russian people with Nizovsky warriors against them, this ataman always defeated and scattered them.
In 1573, His Royal Majesty gathered a large army, land and river, and sent it with all sorts of military supplies against these Cossacks. But when the latter found out about this, they, without waiting for the troops, set off up the large Kama River, 60 miles above the city of Kazan. They conquered the former subjects of the Kazan king Simion - the Cheremis, Mordovians, Votyaks, Bashkirs and other Tartars living along this river and the Vyatka River. Since they are a very backward people who do not know firearms, he [Ermak] easily conquered them. He ordered all these people to obey His Royal Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich. He took hostages from them and tribute in furs for His Majesty. He captured the cities of Rybny, Devil's Town, Alabukha, Sarapul, Osa with the surrounding lands, and subordinated them to his Tsar's Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich. From here, heading along the river, he reached the place where a certain Stroganov lived. This man was from Novgorod ( Others say that he came from Golden Horde) , but several years before, when Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich with a large army went there to punish Novgorodians for the uprising and resistance, this Stroganov, with a good part of his treasures and with his whole family, fled beyond Perm, Ustyug, past Kaygorodok and settled here, since this country abounds in everything - meat, fruits and fur. Although the ataman ( This means, as it were, head, boss) with his Cossacks were not very pleasant to this Stroganov, yet he treated them all wonderfully and plentifully, for he was very rich. Then he told them about the Siberian kingdom, with all the details: that the country abounds in various valuable furs, that the people there are not brave and careless. Main city is located approximately 4000 versts from them [from Stroganov places]. He further said that the borders are only 500 miles away and now is the right time to do a favor for Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich and receive forgiveness from him for the crimes committed. He wants to supply them with cannons, rifles or muskets, gunpowder, lead, ships and military supplies. Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and his comrades really liked this. He promised to try if he, Stroganov, did not leave him. Everything necessary for the campaign was prepared with all seriousness, and Stroganov wonderfully treated the ataman and his comrades. When everything necessary was ready, the chieftain went with his people up the Utka River. This river flows through the wild steppes, or wastelands, and rises from the huge Verkhoturye rocks, or mountains, and flows into the great river Kama.
Lyrical digression about cards
Ermak's campaign. S. PavlovskayaHere is a diagram of what Ermak’s campaign looked like. If in a straight line, then from Solikamsk to Tobolsk is 677 km. But then it was possible to move only along rivers, and rivers meandered. Is it possible that distances between settlements were previously measured along the beds of the rivers connecting them? This is how, for example, the Tura River winds, along which, judging by the descriptions, Ermak traveled from Turinsk to Tyumen:
And without a map, how can you figure out how to get from point A to point B?
If the path only followed one river, but you also have to make transitions from one river to another in order to get exactly where you need to go. And Ermak seemed to be walking quite purposefully - to the main city, the capital. Perhaps he had such a card with him?
This is a map from the “Drawing Book of Siberia” by Semyon Remezov (north at the bottom) Here is what Soviet and Russian history writer Boris Petrovich Polevoy writes about this map:
“Outstanding historian of Siberia, academician. G. F. Miller (1761) wrote: “With this map, a new period begins in land description and the history of land maps in Russia,” since Witsen “was the first to depict on it all the countries lying from the Yenisei to the east, although not in complete authenticity, but much more accurately than all his ancestors."
"We will try to clarify what Russian sources N. K. Witsen used when compiling his sensational map of Tataria “1687”
First of all, N.K. Witsen used various Siberian geographical drawings. “Especially useful,” he wrote, “was a small, wood-carved map of Siberia, made on the orders of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich under the care of the Siberian governor Pyotr Ivanovich Godunov.” The map covers the northern regions from Novaya Zemlya to China" (Witsen, 1692, preface). Obviously, here we were talking about a drawing of Siberia in 1667. But recently we learned that an entire atlas was made for this general primitive drawing, consisting of a series of travel drawings (Polevoy, 1966). So, under numbers 4 and 5 in this collection of drawings - “additions” there were detailed drawings of the river. Iseti. It is not difficult to verify that N. K. Witsen also had these drawings. In his book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” N. K. Witsen (Witsen, 1705, p. 766) expressed regret that when making his map, due to lack of space, he could not show on it many details from the drawing "
Continuation of the interrupted message about Ermak:
“In 1574, Ataman Ermak and his comrades remained near these Verkhoturye Mountains, near the source of the Utka River, until the first winter journey. Here he unloaded his ships, prepared his skis ( These are devices used to move around in winter) and the sledges, crossed these mountains, heading approximately to the sources of the Nitsa River. These rivers - Nitsa, To, Verkhoturka, Tobol, Obdora, Pelym, Iset and others - all come out of the named mountains and flow into the large Ob River. The Ob flows into the ocean or into the Siberian Mangazeya icy sea, from where the city of Mangazeya got its name. This city stands on the Mangazeya River, which flows into the sea there. From the mouth of the Mangazeya River, you can get to Archangel in 2 or 3 weeks past Pust-Ozero or Pechora. From Verkhoturye, heading by water to Siberia, they go down the Nitsa River, and then along the Tobol River, past the city of Tyumen, further to the city of Tobolsk. The Tobol River flows into the large Irtysh River, near the city of Tobolsk. From Tobolsk, down the Irtysh River, they pass by Damyanskoye and the town of Samorovsky Yam. On both banks of all these rivers, near the forests, several peoples of a special faith live in yurts. Somewhat below Samorovsky Yama, the Irtysh River flows into the Ob. From the mouth of the Ob River you can take Siberian ships past Pust-Ozero to Archangel, and this is a distance of 6000 miles. Between Verkhoturye and Tobol, people were tributaries of the Siberian king Kuchum. The ataman and his Cossacks pacified them all and brought them under the citizenship of the Russian Tsar, taking permanent hostages from them. He imposed a tribute on them in the form of furs, warning them to remain steadfast in obedience to His Royal Majesty.
From here he went along the rivers to Verkhoturye, Nitsa, Iset, Pelynkoya, Tavda to the city of Tyumen. This city stands between the Tobol and Tyumen rivers. He bravely stormed the city, occupied it and also subjugated it to the Royal Majesty. When Tsar Kuchum learned that the ataman and his army had occupied his cities: Tyumen, Verkhoturye, Tomskoy, Pelym and others - and subjugated them to His Royal Majesty, he was greatly amazed, for Tyumen is only 180 miles from the main city of Tobolsk. And Kuchum sent his favorite adviser Murza Kanchey with an army to Tyumen in order to prevent the ataman from getting closer, and, if possible, to take away the captured cities. But the ataman put this Murza and his entire army to flight. On the other bank, five miles from Tyumen, he killed many of the guns and captured the wounded Kanchei himself. There were very few people left from this skirmish who could bring him [Kuchum] news.
When Tsar Kuchum heard about this defeat, he was even more frightened, but, after consulting with his entourage, he decided to send messengers throughout the kingdom so that all his subjects, young and old, would come to him without any delay. Instead of letters, he sent them gilded arrows so that they would not wait for another news; all disobedient people will be executed. He ordered to say that a powerful enemy was coming against them (it was unknown who he was or where he came from), causing great damage to the country and intending to conquer the entire kingdom. When his subjects and hordes learned this from their prince, they gathered with great zeal to the city of Tobolsk, or Tobol, with their wives and children, which amounted to large hordes.
Tsar Kuchum gained some courage and gained courage. He sent messengers every day to find out where the chieftain was, and they reported to him that he was coming straight towards him. Hearing this, he sent his wife Simbula with their children on horses and camels deep into the country, into the steppes, to his place of entertainment on Naboalak, where a large village now stands. From Tyumen, the ataman and his army descended along the Tobol River on ships to the main city of Tobolsk. This city stands on the Irtysh River, for the Tobol River flows near the city into the Irtysh River, and on the Kurdyumka River, on a very high mountain, surrounded by a wooden wall ( Now it is made of stone). He [the ataman] settled down at a distance of about 7 versts from the city, in the place where the village of Shishkina is now. Here he wanted to spend the night. The next day, before sunrise, when these people, according to their old custom, were still sleeping (for in the evening they sit for a long time and get up late in the morning), the chieftain left the named place, came with his ships to Tobolsk and settled down in the meadow. In the morning, when the sun rose, Tsar Kuchum saw his enemy in front of the city.
He immediately sent his men against him, armed with arrows and bows. The chieftain, seeing such a crowd of people coming towards him, and even more people at the top of the mountain and in the city, ordered his Cossacks to load cannons, rifles and muskets with empty wads to encourage the enemies. Those who were coming from the city rushed at the Cossacks with the greatest scream. But, keeping in close formation, they retreated in perfect order, firing only wads, as a result of which none of the enemies were killed.
When the Kuchumites saw this, they became braver and boldly attacked the enemies, who returned to their ships. Then the ataman ordered to set sail, and they sailed up the Irtysh, further 2 miles, to the place where the Tobol flows into it. Here he remained for two days, ordering the Cossacks to clean and keep their weapons ready and load them with quadrangular pieces of iron and bullets, such charges as the weapon could withstand. He addressed them with a speech so that they would remember all the evil that they did to His Royal Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich and Christianity, shedding a lot of innocent blood, and so that now they would fight courageously, then they would not only defeat these unfaithful pagans, but also achieve mercy and the king's forgiveness. Hearing this from their chieftain, they answered him with tears in their eyes that they were ready to courageously fight for His Royal Majesty and the Christian faith, they were ready to risk their heads, “and we (they said) humbly obey you and will do everything that you order us "
Then the ataman with his ships and 600 people returned to the city of Tobol and dropped anchor in the same place. Kuchum, seeing his enemy for the second time in front of the city, turned to his people with the following words: “My brave heroes, kind and honest warriors, attack these unclean dogs - the Cossacks, without fear and cowardice. Their weapons cannot harm us, for our gods protect us. Just stand bravely, and I will reward you for your service.” These people are of different tribes and beliefs ( Some of these Siberians were Mohammedans, while others were pagans) Having heard this from the lips of their prince, they rushed out of the city with great joy, calling each other to courage. Only King Kuchum and some advisers remained in the city to watch the battle from above. Then his people attacked the Cossacks with great noise, shouting: “Mohammed is with us!” And everyone walked for their faith. The chieftain ordered his men to have only one half fire their muskets, and while they were reloading, the others were firing their guns. He inspired them to be brave with these words: “Brothers, do not be afraid of this great crowd of infidels, for God is with us.” The battle began at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and continued until the evening. It was May 21, 1574.
Finally, Ataman Ermak Timofeevich won, inflicting a great defeat on his enemies of different tribes and beliefs, capturing many alive. , simultaneously with the retreating enemy, entered the city. Tsar Kuchum, seeing the great defeat of his army, fled with a few people to the place where his wife and children were, who were about 20 miles from the city. In the city of Tobolsk there were two large cast iron cannons, 6 cubits long, firing 40 pound cannonballs. Kuchum ordered them to be loaded during the battle and shot from above at the enemies. But they were unable to shoot at them, so with a terrible curse he ordered them [the guns] to be thrown from a height into the Irtysh River. So Ataman Ermak Timofeevich occupied the city of Tobol, remaining here for 6 weeks. He took the most notable residents hostage. He imposed a tribute on them and the surrounding people, from each hunter 10 sables with tails for His Royal Majesty, and ordered them to live under the protection of the [Russian] Tsar. The chieftain ordered one of these iron cannons with a carriage to be pulled out of the river and brought back to the city, where it stands to this day.
From Tobol, Ataman Ermak Timofeevich sent one of his best Cossacks (together with five others) named Groza Ivanovich, to Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich in Moscow, and with them a collected tribute of 60 sables with navels and tails, 50 beavers, 20 silver foxes and 3 noble captives from Kuchum’s army, with a petition that His Royal Majesty would mercifully forgive Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and his comrades for the crimes committed, in view of their faithful and difficult service. And so that the king would send someone, at his discretion, as a governor to Tobolsk, who could take over the capital, along with other cities and lands, and protect them on behalf of His Royal Majesty. When this ambassador Groza Ivanovich with his comrades and prisoners came to Moscow, he fell at the feet of His Majesty, begging for mercy and forgiveness for the atrocities committed earlier, for the sake of the hard work they had done for His Royal Majesty.
He asked that the king deign to accept the tribute that they collected for His Majesty, and the prisoners that they brought, and deigned to send someone there who could take from them the main city with all the other occupied cities. The king was greatly pleased with this news. He and all the clergy thanked God in the Great Apostolic Council for this victory, distributed a lot of alms to the poor, and forgave Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and all his Cossacks for the crimes they committed for the sake of this service. He ordered the tribute and prisoners brought from them to be accepted and these Cossacks to be treated generously. He allowed them to kiss his hand and ordered them to be provided with a rich daily allowance. Then, releasing them, His Majesty granted Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and all the Cossacks, each especially, several gifts. He sent Ermak a caftan made of silk fabric, embroidered with golden flowers, with velvet decorations, and a double ducat. And for each Cossack a piece of cloth for a caftan and a piece of damask, a piece of velvet for a hat and for each a gold penny*. A silver penny costs 5 cents.
Another letter with a large golden seal, in which the king praised their heroic deeds, forgave their previous atrocities and expressed the desire that they continue their faithful service in the future, for which he will richly reward them, that in the winter he will send a governor there, but for now let him , Ataman Ermak, manages all occupied places and collects tribute. In the same year, in the fall, this Groza Ivanovich arrived from Moscow to Tobol, bringing with him honorary gifts and a letter and forgiveness from His Royal Majesty, which the ataman and the Cossacks were very happy about. They prayed to God for the health and long life of His Majesty.
After receiving this letter with pardon and gifts from His Majesty, the ataman and his Cossacks decided to continue the war with Tsar Kuchum, leaving several loyal Cossacks as a garrison in the occupied cities and towns. In Tobol, he left Groza Ivanovich with sixty Cossacks, and in other places - the ataman with 30 Cossacks, well provided with guns and military supplies. When His Majesty sent the Cossack Groza Ivanovich from Moscow back to Ermak, he gave Groza an open letter with a large hanging seal, which said that everyone who wanted to go with their wives and children to Siberia, Tobol or other conquered cities could freely and go there without any hindrance. It was ordered to give such people a free pass. And in the same year, 1,500 people with Groza voluntarily moved to Siberia with their wives and children. His Majesty ordered the bishop to transport 10 priests with their wives and children from Vologda along with Groza on free carts ( Carts or sleighs), and on top of that [give] everyone 20 rubles of money.
When Ermak Timofeevich established proper order in all cities, he and 6 hundred Cossacks went up the Irtysh to the Sibirka River, which flows into the Irtysh 15 miles from the city. Tsar Kuchum was still there, in great fear and anxiety. Not reaching one and a half miles to this place, Ataman Ermak ordered his boats to be tied to the steep bank and settled down with his army to spend the night in the steppe. He ordered, however, to place a guard around, according to his old custom. At midnight, two Cossacks standing guard were captured by Kuchum’s men who had cautiously crept up. There was turmoil in the camp. The enemy, armed with bows, arrows and spears, attacked them with great noise and plundered their war supplies. The chieftain, who was sleeping in a tent in the middle of the camp, heard the noise, ran out and shouted to his Cossacks: “Brothers, do not be afraid of these infidels, but return to your boats!” When they returned to the boats, Ataman Ermak jumped from the high bank into his boat, but since he made too long a jump over 3 boats, he fell into the water.
Since the river here is very deep, and he was wearing two shells and, in addition, iron armlets, he sank [into the water] like a stone and died untimely. However, in this battle, Kuchum’s brother, Murza Bulat, and 65 ordinary people died. So the Cossacks lost their brave leader Ataman Ermak Timofeevich. They captured 5 people, whom they took into their plows, or boats, and returned to Tobol, without delivering only the two aforementioned prisoners. As soon as the Cossacks left, Kuchum ordered his fishermen and others to look for the body of the drowned Ermak Timofeevich, promising the one who finds him as much silver as the body weighs. “For,” he said, “as soon as I get it, I will order it to be cut into small pieces, and I will eat it myself with my wife and children, as an enemy of mine and my kingdom.” Then the Cossacks, returning back, so as not to be left without a leader, elected Ermak Timofeevich, the aforementioned Groza Ivanovich, as ataman.
In 1575, Ataman Groza, having performed a service in the church, according to his custom, in the same boats as before, set off with 1000 Cossacks up the Irtysh and reached the place of Abalak, where Kuchum was still holding out. He sent his brother-in-law, Iki Irka, against him, but Ataman Groza defeated this Iki Irka and 540 people. Captured 20 people alive. Only 6 of his men were wounded. Tsar Kuchum, seeing that his people seemed to be melting, fled with his wife and children to the Kalmak Khan Abdar Taisha, who was his uncle. This Kuchum had 7 real wives, although one of them was the main one, and 25 concubines. From the first he had 5 sons, and from the last - 12.
After this, Kuchum and his sons often attacked the places conquered [by the Cossacks] in large hordes, hoping to regain their kingdom. But they achieved nothing, and with God's help, they were always defeated."
The above message ends here.
After the death of Ataman Ermak Timofeevich, Ataman Groza Ivanovich with his Cossacks he set off from Tobol along the Irtysh River to the Ob and went down the Ob to Berezov. ( As for the spelling of the proper names of rivers, peoples and cities, I adhered to the text sent, but in our time they have changed somewhat.) This is a fairly large settlement. The ataman imposed a tribute on all the people who lived on both banks of the big river, right up to the ocean, on each person - according to his wealth. He built the city of Berezov and placed hostages in it, taken from the surrounding nations, with the condition that they be replaced every six months if equally influential people were appointed in their place. He took their noblest ones with him to Tobol. He made this trip in one year. He brought into citizenship all these peoples and not only them, but also those who live along the banks of the rivers Obdora), Sosva, Vogulka, Komda, Mrassa and other rivers.”
From these reports it becomes clear that Siberia at that time was densely populated, and these were not just scattered nomadic tribes, but a well-organized state. With a large number of cities, and developed communications between these cities. By the names of rivers and cities one can fully judge what language the inhabitants of this country spoke. It’s not clear who Ermak Timofeevich was? After all, Ermak is a nickname, not a name? And who is Ataman Groza Ivanovich? (By
Siberian territories were not developed until the end of the 16th century. Ermak's expedition became a significant event in the history of the formation of Russian lands - acquisitions along the Ob River expanded the borders of Russia. The annexation of new peoples came with some difficulties, but the Russian government competently assimilated the inhabitants of the Siberian lands.
I really don’t like the word “development” in relation to Siberia. It imposes an attitude towards these lands as if they were empty before the arrival of the Russian Cossacks. In fact, “development” is classic colonization, which, along with the creation of a fundamentally new economic infrastructure, was accompanied by wars and the destruction of the indigenous population.
The route starts at Tobolsk, passes through the settlement of Isker (Tobolsk region), the village of Abalak, Tobolsk region, the village of Suzgun, Tobolsk region, the village of Vagai. Next, there is the opportunity to travel to the Tyumen – Omsk highway (Golyshmanovo village)
The campaign of Ermak’s squad to Siberia is one of the most interesting pages in the history of Russia. The people have created many legends, tales, songs, where the name of Ermak is placed next to the epic heroes - Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets. Over time, historical songs about Ermak began to resemble a heroic epic. In Siberia and the Urals, many rivers, caves and settlements bear the name of the legendary chieftain.
In 1582–1585, a detachment of Cossacks under the command of Ermak made a military campaign along the rivers of the Urals and Siberia. The Cossacks landed on the banks of the Irtysh and 15 km from Tobolsk. In a three-day battle (October 23–25, 1582) on the Irtysh near the Chuvash town of Potchevash, Ermak’s squad completely defeated the army of the Siberian Khan Kuchum, occupying his capital city of Kashlyk. The khan's troops migrated to the steppe. Some local tribes, as well as some Tatar feudal lords, went over to Ermak’s side. For another three years, Ermak’s expedition established Russian Moscow power in the Ob left bank of Siberia. On the rainy night of August 6, 1585, Khan Kuchum unexpectedly attacked the Cossack camp and killed about 20 people, Ermak also died. This was the only and last victory of the khan.
Ermak's legendary campaign in Siberia was of great importance for the history of Russia: the defeat of the kingdom of Kuchum opened the way for the resettlement of Russian people beyond the Ural Mountains.
Tobolsk Kremlin. Tyumen region, Tobolsk, sq. Red, 1
The Tobolsk Kremlin is the only stone Kremlin in Siberia, a unique example of Siberian architecture. It was founded more than 300 years ago. In its ensemble you can see features of Old Russian, Byzantine and Western European architecture. Today it is part of the Tobolsk State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve.
Obelisk to Ermak. Tyumen region, Tobolsk, Ermak garden
The 16-meter, 187-ton obelisk in honor of the conqueror of Siberia was erected in 1839. It is made of light gray marble; the only decoration of the monument is relief palm branches. The order to build the memorial was given personally by Emperor Nicholas I. It took several years to build the obelisk.
Suzgun-tura. Tyumen region, Tobolsk, Irtyshsky microdistrict
During the conquest of Siberia by Ermak's Cossacks, a small fort was located on the mountain. According to legend, the beautiful princess Suzge, the beloved wife (or sister) of the last Siberian Khan Kuchum, lived there. When Ermak's Cossacks besieged the fort, Suzge distributed her valuables to the servants for ransom, and she committed suicide. Suzge Hill is a mound over her grave, which grateful maids placed in their hands with handfuls of earth.
Chuvash Cape (Pottchevash). Tyumen region, Tobolsk, st. Lenin(end of the street, on the bank of the Irtysh River to the left).
It was here in October 1581 that the decisive battle took place between the troops of the Siberian Khanate and the Cossack squad of Ermak. The Tatars waited for the advance of the Russian detachment, hiding behind the trunks of fallen trees. But Ermak’s army, armed with arquebuses, was able to inflict significant damage on the enemy even before the start of hand-to-hand combat, and most importantly, wound the Tatar commander-in-chief Mametkul. This caused panic and chaos in the ranks of the Khan's warriors.
"Kuchumovo settlement". Tyumen region, Tobolsk district, Siberian log, on the bank of the river Irtysh between the village of Sibiryak and the village. Preobrazhenka (17 km from Tobolsk)
The ancient settlement of Isker (Siberia or Kashlyk) is the former capital of the Siberian Khanate. After the defeat of the Siberian army, the city was occupied by Ermak. When the Cossack ataman was killed, the Taibugin dynasty again tried to establish itself in the city in the person of Seyd Akhmed, who was captured in Tobolsk in 1588. Since then, Kashlyk has been deserted and began to fall apart, partly washed away by the river. According to historical sources, Isker was finally abandoned by its inhabitants in 1588.
Excavations at Isker were first carried out in the summer of 1881 by artist M.S. Znamensky. They provided rich material of Tatar life. After the opening of Tomsk University, Znamensky’s materials were purchased for 300 rubles. However, in 1897, after the death of Mikhail Stepanovich, his relatives sold the remains of the collection for 3,000 rubles. to the Finnish National Museum. In 1915, excavations at the site were carried out by the managing secretary of the Tobolsk Provincial Museum V.N. Pignatti.
Until now, the place where the town stood is covered with amateur excavations, pits and pits. And like their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, children from surrounding villages come to Isker to look for the treasures of Khan Kuchum.
Holy Znamensky Abalak Monastery. Tyumen region, Tobolsk district, Abalak village
This is one of the oldest and most revered monasteries in Siberia. Its emergence is associated with the development of the region by Russian settlers in the 17th century. The first building of the monastery was the Znamenskaya Church, which was built in 1636 on the site of the dilapidated wooden Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord.
Village Abalak. Tyumen region, Tobolsk district (30 km from Tobolsk)
Abalak was a fortified Tatar town, where, having learned about Ermak’s approach to the Siberian capital, Khan Kuchum hid his eldest wife Sambula. On December 5, 1584, a decisive battle between the Cossacks and the horde of Tsarevich Mametkul took place near the walls of Abalak, ending in the victory of Ermak’s squad. Now a wooden fortress has been built here, which is a reconstruction of a Siberian fort from the time of the conquest of Siberia.
International Festival of Historical Reconstruction "Abalak field". It takes place annually on the first Saturday of July on the territory of the tourist complex “Abalak” (village of Abalak, Tobolsk district, Tyumen region).
Interregional festival of Cossack culture "Heirs of Ermak". It takes place annually in early August on the territory of the tourist complex “Abalak” (village of Abalak, Tobolsk district, Tyumen region).
Vagay village. Tyumen region (80 km from Tobolsk, on the Irtysh river)
The village of Vagay is considered the place of Ermak’s death. On August 5-6, 1585, the Cossack ataman led a small detachment on plows along the Irtysh. At the mouth of the Vagai River, the squad stopped for the night. The Cossacks had no idea that Kuchum was preparing an ambush and was watching their every move. Under cover of night, the khan attacked the sleeping detachment and destroyed it. Ermak Timofeevich did not escape death either.download dle 12.1
Ermak's journey to Siberia
Ermak's campaign in Siberia
Scientists have still not come to a consensus on the question of Ermak’s personality. Most often he is called a native of the estates of the Stroganov industrialists, who then went to the Volga and became a Cossack. Another opinion is that Ermak is of noble origin, of Turkic blood. Vyacheslav Safronov in his article put forward the assumption that Ermak was a representative of the legitimate dynasty of Siberian khans overthrown by Kuchum: “... One of the chronicles gives a description of Ermak’s appearance - “flat face” and “black hair,” and, you must agree, that a Russian person is characterized by an elongated face and brown hair." It is also believed that famine in his native land forced him, a man of remarkable physical strength, to flee to the Volga. Soon, in battle, he got himself a weapon and from about 1562 he began to master military affairs. Thanks to his talent as an organizer, his justice and courage, he became an ataman. In the Livonian War of 1581 he commanded a Cossack flotilla. It’s hard to believe, but apparently Ermak was the founder of the Marine Corps. He carried his army along the river surface on plows, and, if necessary, threw it ashore - and into battle. The enemy could not resist such an onslaught. “Plow army” - that’s what these fighters were called at that time.
Cossacks, squad organization
The word “Cossack” is of Turkic origin; it was the name given to people who lagged behind the Horde and ran their own household separately. But gradually they began to call dangerous people who traded in robbery that way. And nationality did not play a big role for the Cossacks, the main thing was their way of life. Ivan the Terrible decided to attract the steppe freemen to his side. In 1571, he sent messengers to the atamans, invited them to military service and recognized the Cossacks as a military and political force. Ermak was, of course, a military genius, greatly assisted by his experienced friends and like-minded people - Ivan Koltso and Ivan Groza, Ataman Meshcheryak. His atamans and esauls were distinguished by their courage and bravery. Not one of them flinched in battle and until the last days did not betray their Cossack duty. Apparently, Ermak knew how to understand people, because in a life full of danger you can only trust the best. Ermak also did not tolerate licentiousness, which could ruin the best army; he clearly demanded the fulfillment of all Orthodox rituals and holidays, and the observance of fasts.
In his regiments there were three priests and a defrocked monk. The clear organization of the troops could be the envy of the tsarist commanders. He divided the squad into five regiments led by esauls, by the way - elected ones. The regiments were divided into hundreds, then into fifty and tens. The number of troops at that time was 540 soldiers. Even then, the Cossack army had clerks and trumpeters, as well as drummers, who gave signals at the right moments of the battle. The strictest discipline was established in the squad: desertion and treason were punishable by death. In all matters, Ermak followed the customs of the free Cossacks. All issues were resolved by a general gathering of Cossacks - a circle. By decision of the circle, the campaign to Siberia began. The circle also elected an ataman. The ataman's power was based on the strength of his authority among the Cossacks. And the fact that Ermak remained an ataman until the end of his life convinces us of his popularity among the Cossacks. The squad was united by the spirit of camaraderie. In the Cossack freemen on the Volga, military operations of the Livonian War and in the Urals, Ermak acquired rich military experience, which, combined with his natural intelligence, made him the best military leader of his time. By the way, prominent commanders of later times also used some of his experience. For example, the formation of troops in battle was used by Suvorov.
Service with the Stroganovs. Expedition to Siberia
In 1558, the wealthy landowner and industrialist Grigory Stroganov begged Ivan the Terrible for empty lands along the Kama River in order to build a town here for protection from the barbarian hordes, to call people, to start arable farming, which was all done. Having established themselves on this side of the Ural Mountains, the Stroganovs also turned their attention to the lands beyond the Urals, to Siberia. “Ulus Dzhuchiev” collapsed back in the 13th century. into three hordes: Gold, White and Blue. The Golden Horde, located in the Volga region, collapsed. Remnants of other hordes fought for supremacy over vast territories. In this struggle, local princes hoped for the support of the Russian Tsar. But the tsar, bogged down in the Livonian War, could not pay enough attention to eastern affairs. In 1563, Khan Kuchum came to power in Siberia, who at first agreed to pay tribute to Moscow, but then killed the Moscow ambassador. From that time on, Tatar raids on Russian border lands in the Perm region became a constant occurrence. The owners of these lands, the Stroganovs, who had a letter from the tsar to settle the empty territories, turned to the Cossacks, whose troops multiplied on the borders of the Russian kingdom.
The Cossacks came to the Stroganovs consisting of 540 people. The detachment of Ermak and his atamans received an invitation from the Stroganovs to join their service: “... it was revealed to him that he, Ermak, and his comrades, putting aside any imaginary danger and suspicion from the Stroganovs, would reliably follow them, and with his arrival would frighten their neighbors enemies..." Here the Cossacks lived for two years and helped the Stroganovs defend their towns from attacks by neighboring foreigners. The Cossacks carried out guard duty in the towns and went on campaigns against hostile neighboring tribes. It was during these campaigns that the idea of a military expedition to Siberia matured. Going on a campaign, Ermak and the Cossacks were convinced of the great national significance of their cause. And the Stroganovs could not help but wish success for Ermak and defeat for the Tatars, from which their towns and settlements so often suffered. But disagreements began between them regarding the equipment for the campaign itself. “... The initiative of this campaign, according to the Esipovskaya and Remizovskaya chronicles, belonged to Ermak himself, the participation of the Stroganovs was limited to the forced supply of the Cossacks with supplies and weapons. According to the Stroganov Chronicle (accepted by Karamzin, Solovyov and others), the Stroganovs themselves called the Cossacks from the Volga to Chusovaya and sent them on a campaign...”
Ermak believed that industrialists should bear all the costs of providing weapons, food, clothing and troops, because this campaign also supported their vital interests. When preparing for the campaign, Ermak showed himself to be a good organizer and prudent commander. The plows made under his supervision were light and agile, and best suited the conditions of navigation along small mountain rivers. In mid-August 1581, preparations for the campaign ended. On September 1, 1581, the Stroganovs released the Cossacks against the Siberian Sultan, joining them with military men from their towns. The total number of troops was 850. After serving a prayer service, the army loaded onto the plows and set off. The flotilla consisted of 30 ships, ahead of the plow caravan was a light patrol vessel without cargo. Taking advantage of the opportune moment when Khan Kuchum was busy at war with the Nogai, Ermak invades his lands. In just three months, the detachment made its way from the Chusovaya River to the Irtysh River. Along the Tagil passes, Ermak left Europe and descended from the “Stone” - the Ural Mountains - to Asia. The journey along Tagil was completed without incident. The plows easily rushed along the river and soon entered Tura. Kuchum's possessions began here. Near Turinsk, the Cossacks fight their first battle against Prince Epanchi. The non-warlike Mansi tribe could not withstand the battle and fled. The Cossacks landed on the shore and freely entered the town of Epanchin. As punishment for the attack, Ermak ordered everything valuable to be taken from it and the town itself to be burned. He punished the disobedient to show others how dangerous it was to resist his squad. Sailing along the Tura, the Cossacks did not encounter any resistance for a long time. Coastal villages surrendered without a fight.
But Ermak knew that the main battle awaited him on the banks of the Irtysh, where Kuchum’s headquarters was located and the main forces of the Tatars had gathered, so he was in a hurry. The plows only landed on the shore at night. It seemed that the ataman himself was awake all day long: he himself set up night watches, managed to give orders everywhere and was on time everywhere. Having received the news about Ermak, Kuchum and his entourage lost peace. By order of the khan, the towns on the Tobol and Irtysh were fortified. Kuchum’s army was an ordinary feudal militia, forcibly recruited from “black” people poorly trained in military affairs. The core was the Khan's cavalry. Thus, it had only a numerical superiority over Ermak’s detachment, but was much inferior in discipline, organization and courage. The appearance of Ermak came as a complete surprise to Kuchum, especially since his eldest son Alei was at that time trying to take the Russian fortress of Cherdyn in the Perm region. Meanwhile, at the mouth of the Tobol River, Ermak’s detachment defeated the hordes of Murza Karachi, the main dignitary of Kuchum. This infuriated Kuchum, he gathered an army and sent his nephew Prince Mametkul, who was defeated in battle on the banks of the Tobol, to meet Ermak. After some time, a grandiose battle broke out on the Chuvashov Cape, on the banks of the Irtysh, which was led by Kuchum himself from the opposing side. In this battle, Kuchum’s troops were defeated, Mametkul was wounded, Kuchum fled, and his capital was occupied by Ermak.
In the summer of 1584, Murza Karach deceptively lured a detachment of Cossacks led by Ivan Koltso to a feast, and at night, attacking them, he killed every single one of them while they were sleepy. Having learned about this, Ermak sent a new detachment to the Karachi camp led by Matvey Meshcheryak. In the middle of the night, the Cossacks burst into the camp.
In what year did Ermak make his first trip to Siberia?
In this battle, Murza’s two sons were killed, and he himself fled with the remnants of the army. Soon, messengers from Bukhara merchants arrived to Ermak with a request to protect them from the tyranny of Kuchum. Ermak with his small remaining army, less than 100 people, set off on a campaign. On the banks of the Irtysh, where Ermak’s detachment spent the night, they were attacked by Kuchum during a terrible storm and thunderstorm. Ermak, assessing the situation, ordered to get into the plows, but the Tatars had already broken into the camp. Ermak was the last to retreat, covering the Cossacks. He was seriously injured and was unable to swim to his ships. People's legends say that he was swallowed up by the icy waters of the Irtysh. After the death of the legendary ataman, Matvey Meshcheryak assembled a Circle, in which the Cossacks decide to go to the Volga for help. After two years of possession, the Cossacks ceded Siberia to Kuchum, only to return there a year later with a new detachment of tsarist troops. Already in 1586, a detachment of Cossacks from the Volga came to Siberia and founded the first Russian city there - Tyumen. There now stands a monument in honor of the conqueror of Siberia.
Goals and results of the annexation of Siberia
Historians are still deciding the question - why did Ermak go to Siberia? It turns out that it is not so easy to answer. In numerous works about the legendary hero, three points of view can be traced on the reasons that prompted the Cossacks to undertake a campaign, as a result of which huge Siberia became a province of the Russian state: first, the tsar blessed the Cossacks to conquer this land without risking anything; the second - the campaign was organized by the industrialists Stroganovs to protect their towns from raids by Siberian military detachments, and the third - the Cossacks, without asking either the king or their masters, went to fight the Siberian land, for example, for the purpose of robbery. But if we consider them each separately, then none of them will explain the purpose of the campaign. Thus, according to one of the chronicles, Ivan the Terrible, having learned about the campaign, ordered the Stroganovs to immediately return the Cossacks to defend the towns. The Stroganovs also apparently didn’t really want to let the Cossacks leave them - it was not beneficial for them both from a military point of view and from an economic one. It is known that the Cossacks plundered a fair amount of food and gun supplies. So the Stroganovs, apparently against their will, became participants in the campaign to Siberia. It is difficult to settle on any version of this campaign, because there are many contradictions in the facts given by different biographies and chronicles.
There are Stroganovskaya, Esipovskaya, Remizovskaya (Kungurskaya) and Cherepanovskaya chronicles, in which even the dates of the Cossacks’ arrival in the service of the Stroganovs are indicated differently, just as the attitude towards Ermak himself differs. Later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, numerous “chronicle stories” and “codes” appeared, in which wonderful fiction and fables were intertwined with rehashes from old chronicles and folk legends. Most researchers are inclined to the facts of the Stroganov Chronicle, since they consider it written according to the royal charters of that time. According to the historian, “... Stroganovskaya explains the phenomenon to us in a completely satisfactory way, pointing to the gradual course, the connection of events: a country neighboring Siberia is colonized, the colonialists, as usual, are given greater rights: due to the special conditions of the newly populated country, rich colonialists must take upon themselves the responsibility to protect with their own means their own settlements, build forts, support military men; the government itself, in its letters, indicates to them where they can recruit military men - from the willing Cossacks; They especially need these Cossacks when they intend to move their trades beyond the Ural Mountains, into the possessions of the Siberian Sultan, for which they have a royal charter, and so they call a crowd of eager Cossacks from the Volga and send them to Siberia.” Karamzin dates its writing to 1600, which is again disputed by some historians.
Annexation of Western Siberia to the Russian state
Preparation of Ermak's campaign
Progress of the war with the Siberian Khanate
The first battles between the Khanate and the Cossacks took place in the spring of 1582: in March, a battle took place on the territory of the modern Sverdlovsk region. Near the city of Turinsk, the Cossacks completely defeated the local troops of Khan Kuchum, and in May they already occupied the large city of Chingi-tura. At the end of September, the battle for the capital of the Siberian Khanate, Kashlyk, began. A month later, the Cossacks won again. However, after a grueling campaign, Ermak decided to take a break and sent an embassy to Ivan the Terrible, thereby taking a break in the annexation of Western Siberia to the Russian kingdom.
When Ivan the Terrible learned of the first skirmishes between the Cossacks and the Siberian Khanate, the Tsar ordered the recall of the “thieves,” meaning the Cossack detachments that “arbitrarily attacked their neighbors.” However, at the end of 1582, Ermak’s envoy, Ivan Koltso, arrived to the king, who informed Grozny about the successes, and also asked for reinforcements for the complete defeat of the Siberian Khanate.
ERMAK'S PATH
After this, the tsar approved Ermak’s campaign and sent weapons, salaries and reinforcements to Siberia.
Map of Ermak's campaign in Siberia in 1582-1585
In 1583, Ermak’s troops defeated Khan Kuchum on the Vagai River, and his nephew Mametkul was taken prisoner. The khan himself fled to the territory of the Ishim steppe, from where he periodically continued to launch attacks on Russian lands. In the period from 1583 to 1585, Ermak no longer made large-scale campaigns, but included new lands of Western Siberia into Russia: the ataman promised protection and patronage to the conquered peoples, and they had to pay a special tax - yasak.
In 1585, during one of the skirmishes with local tribes (according to another version, an attack by the army of Khan Kuchum), a small detachment of Ermak was defeated, and the ataman himself died. But the main goal and task in the life of this man was solved - Western Siberia joined Russia.
Results of Ermak's campaign
Historians highlight the following key results of Ermak’s campaign in Siberia:
- Expansion of Russian territory by annexing the lands of the Siberian Khanate.
- The emergence in Russian foreign policy of a new direction for aggressive campaigns, a vector that will bring great success to the country.
- Colonization of Siberia. As a result of these processes, a large number of cities arise. A year after Ermak’s death, in 1586, the first Russian city in Siberia, Tyumen, was founded. This happened at the site of the khan’s headquarters, the city of Kashlyk, the former capital of the Siberian Khanate.
The annexation of Western Siberia, which happened thanks to the campaigns led by Ermak Timofeevich, is of great importance in the history of Russia. It was as a result of these campaigns that Russia first began to spread its influence in Siberia, and thereby develop, becoming the largest state in the world.
The world around us 3rd grade
“Continents and Oceans” - Continents. Oceans. Parts of the world. Europe. Southern Hemisphere. Work according to the textbook. Crossword. Everything was clear to me during the lesson. Continuous water shell of the Earth. Arctic Ocean. Physical exercise. Southern Ocean. Game "10 seconds". The lesson begins. Eurasia. We will get to know the continents and oceans. Parallels. Respect your comrade. The lesson is a journey.
"Ecosystem Life" - Most birds will die. There is nothing superfluous in the ecosystem. Pleasant holiday in nature. Rivers, lakes and other bodies of water will become dirty puddles. Cycle of substances. Biosphere. The benefits of mosquitoes in the biosphere. Research topic. Mosquitoes spend most of their lives in water as larvae and pupae. Ecosystem. Ecosystem life. Forest ecosystem. Earth. Mosquitoes accumulate a lot of important minerals in their bodies.
"The First Railways of Russia" - The First Railways. The first rail tracks. Construction of the St. Petersburg - Moscow highway. The longest railway. The first Russian steam locomotive. Train. My successes. The creators of the first Russian steam engine. Railways of England. The first railway in Russia. The first train ticket. Development of technology in Russia. Crossword.
““Nervous system” 3rd grade” - Memory. Types of memory. Snails wear shells. Types of memory. Nicotine poisoning is harmful. The nervous system and its role in the body. What is connected with the nervous system. What a person cannot do without for a long time. Dolphins have hemispheres that work alternately. Protect the brain and spine from injury. "Left-handed" and "right-handed" among animals. Hemispheres. How to take care of the nervous system. The nervous system controls the coordinated work of all organs.
“Swamp Inhabitants” - The process of swamp formation. The cycle of substances in the lake. Trees. Birds. Moss. Make food chains. Amphibians and reptiles. Solve the crossword puzzle. Insects. Birds of Prey. Swamp and its inhabitants. Lake ecosystem. Sandpiper. Kama swamp. Berry plants. Swamp plants. Swamp. White partridge. Aquatic plants. Animals. For the curious. The meaning of swamps.
"Oak Forest" - Oak. Creative abilities of students. Sun. The weakness and strength of oak. Make up a word. Food web in an oak forest. Power circuits. Creative project. Power network diagrams.
Ermak's first campaign
Strength and weakness. Who is the oak tree friends with?
In total, there are 266 presentations in the topic “The world around us, grade 3”
Conquest of Siberia by Ermak. Part 2
Excerpts from Nicolaas Witsen’s book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” about the conquest of Siberia by Ermak. A little more detail about the author himself:
And this is what they sent to Witsen and what he writes further about Ermak:
Regarding the conquest of Siberia, which took place more than 100 years ago, they also wrote me the following short message:
“Ermak Timofeevich, who occupied Tobol, fled from the Volga, where he was robbing, up the Kama, and came to the Chusovaya River. There was Stroganov, famous for its rich lands. Even today this family owns a large amount of land (70 German miles). Ermak came to this Stroganov’s grandfather to ask for help in order to achieve forgiveness from His Tsar’s Majesty. He [Stroganov] extended a helping hand to him, gave him ships, weapons, workers, and so on. So he walked along the Serebryanka River, which flows into Chusovaya. There he transported his ships by land to the Tagil River. Descending along it, he came to Tura and occupied the city of Tyumen. Here he killed all the people and approached Tobol. He captured it. There was ruled by a Tartar prince named Altanai Kuchumovich, otherwise Kuchum, whose son’s son is still alive and is known in Moscow under the name of the Siberian Tsarevich. He is supported very generously, he enjoys benefits and honor. They also say that now there are still small Siberian princes here and there, whom Ermak captured and sent to the court. With this feat, he achieved his goal: he achieved mercy and forgiveness for his robberies. However, he did not survive his victories for long, for during a sortie from Tobol he was pursued by the Tartars so that he did not have time to approach the ships, fell into the water and drowned. This is where the short message sent to me ends.”
And one more thing, the longest and most detailed:
“Other written reports convey the above incident as follows:
“In 1572, after the birth of Christ, during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, several free Don Cossacks, under the leadership of their ataman Ermak Timofeevich, left the Don and secretly headed to the Volga River, where they caused a great loss to the state, robbed all sorts of people, and killed some .
They transported all the loot on their ships in such a way that they seemed to be closing the Volga, not allowing anyone from Astrakan with goods through. And although the tsar sent various Russian people with Nizovsky warriors against them, this ataman always defeated and scattered them.
In 1573, His Royal Majesty gathered a large army, land and river, and sent it with all sorts of military supplies against these Cossacks. But when the latter found out about this, they, without waiting for the troops, set off up the large Kama River, 60 miles above the city of Kazan. They conquered the former subjects of the Kazan king Simion - the Cheremis, Mordovians, Votyaks, Bashkirs and other Tartars living along this river and the Vyatka River. Since they are a very backward people who do not know firearms, he [Ermak] easily conquered them. He ordered all these people to obey His Royal Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich. He took hostages from them and tribute in furs for His Majesty. He captured the cities of Rybny, Devil's Town, Alabukha, Sarapul, Osa with the surrounding lands, and subordinated them to his Tsar's Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich. From here, heading along the river, he reached the place where a certain Stroganov lived. This man was from Novgorod ( Others say that he came from Golden Horde) , but several years before, when Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich with a large army went there to punish Novgorodians for the uprising and resistance, this Stroganov, with a good part of his treasures and with his whole family, fled beyond Perm, Ustyug, past Kaygorodok and settled here, since this country abounds in everything - meat, fruits and fur. Although the ataman ( This means, as it were, head, boss) with his Cossacks were not very pleasant to this Stroganov, yet he treated them all wonderfully and plentifully, for he was very rich. Then he told them about the Siberian kingdom, with all the details: that the country abounds in various valuable furs, that the people there are not brave and careless. Main city is located approximately 4000 versts from them [from Stroganov places]. He further said that the borders are only 500 miles away and now is the right time to do a favor for Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich and receive forgiveness from him for the crimes committed. He wants to supply them with cannons, rifles or muskets, gunpowder, lead, ships and military supplies. Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and his comrades really liked this. He promised to try if he, Stroganov, did not leave him. Everything necessary for the campaign was prepared with all seriousness, and Stroganov wonderfully treated the ataman and his comrades. When everything necessary was ready, the chieftain went with his people up the Utka River. This river flows through the wild steppes, or wastelands, and rises from the huge Verkhoturye rocks, or mountains, and flows into the great river Kama.
Lyrical digression about cards
Here is a diagram of what Ermak’s campaign looked like. If in a straight line, then from Solikamsk to Tobolsk is 677 km. But then it was possible to move only along rivers, and rivers meandered. Is it possible that distances between settlements were previously measured along the beds of the rivers connecting them? This is how, for example, the Tura River winds, along which, judging by the descriptions, Ermak traveled from Turinsk to Tyumen:
Tura River
And without a map, how can you figure out how to get from point A to point B?
If the path only followed one river, but you also have to make transitions from one river to another in order to get exactly where you need to go. And Ermak seemed to be walking quite purposefully - to the main city, the capital. Perhaps he had such a card with him?
This is a map from the “Drawing Book of Siberia” by Semyon Remezov (north at the bottom)
“Drawing Book of Siberia”, compiled in 1701 by the Tobolsk boyar’s son Semyon Emelyanov Remezov and published in 1882. That is. it is clear that Ermak could not have had it in 1572.
Basically, all currently known maps of Siberia were compiled by Western European cartographers. And it turns out that there were no Russian maps at all before the 18th century?
Here is another Russian map:
Drawing of Siberia by Peter Godunov, 1667.
Also almost 100 years younger than Ermak’s campaign.
It is believed that the map of Tartary by Nicolaas Witsen is the first detailed printed map in Western Europe, which depicted the entire territory of Siberia right up to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
Nicolaas Witsen map of Tartary 1690
A brief history of the creation of this map:
25 years after his trip to Moscow, in 1690, Witsen published the first map of Siberia and a book of commentaries, “Northern and Eastern Tartaria,” in which he describes Siberia and neighboring countries (1692/1705). This was the first Dutch in-depth study of Russia at that time. He used the cards he received from Andrei Vinius. Andrej Winius, the son of a distant relative of Witsen who emigrated to Russia, who was an Amsterdam merchant and rose to the rank of postmaster (head of a post office) of the Russian Empire. He, like no one else, had the opportunity to see new secret handwritten maps and conduct discreet correspondence with Witsen. (Apparently, where did Witsen get so many messages from Russia? – approx. my) Thanks to Vinius, Witsen became a famous cartographer of Siberia in Europe. [Source]
Here is what Soviet and Russian history writer Boris Petrovich Polevoy writes about this map:
“Outstanding historian of Siberia, academician. G. F. Miller (1761) wrote: “With this map, a new period begins in land description and the history of land maps in Russia,” since Witsen “was the first to depict on it all the countries lying from the Yenisei to the east, although not in complete authenticity, but much more accurately than all his ancestors."
“We will try to clarify what Russian sources N. K. Witsen used when compiling his sensational map of Tataria “1687”
First of all, N.K. Witsen used various Siberian geographical drawings. “Especially useful,” he wrote, “was a small, wood-carved map of Siberia, made on the orders of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich under the care of the Siberian governor Pyotr Ivanovich Godunov.” The map covers the northern regions from Novaya Zemlya to China" (Witsen, 1692, preface). Obviously, here we were talking about a drawing of Siberia in 1667. But recently we learned that an entire atlas was made for this general primitive drawing, consisting of a series of travel drawings (Polevoy, 1966). So, under numbers 4 and 5 in this collection of drawings - “additions” there were detailed drawings of the river. Iseti. It is not difficult to verify that N. K. Witsen also had these drawings. In his book “Northern and Eastern Tartary” N. K. Witsen (Witsen, 1705, p. 766) expressed regret that when making his map, due to lack of space, he could not show on it many details from the drawing "[Source]
Continuation of the interrupted message about Ermak:
“In 1574, Ataman Ermak and his comrades remained near these Verkhoturye Mountains, near the source of the Utka River, until the first winter journey. Here he unloaded his ships, prepared his skis ( These are devices used to move around in winter) and the sledges, crossed these mountains, heading approximately to the sources of the Nitsa River. These rivers - Nitsa, To, Verkhoturka, Tobol, Obdora, Pelym, Iset and others - all come out of the named mountains and flow into the large Ob River. The Ob flows into the ocean or into the Siberian Mangazeya icy sea, from where the city of Mangazeya got its name. This city stands on the Mangazeya River, which flows into the sea there. From the mouth of the Mangazeya River, you can get to Archangel in 2 or 3 weeks past Pust-Ozero or Pechora. From Verkhoturye, heading by water to Siberia, they go down the Nitsa River, and then along the Tobol River, past the city of Tyumen, further to the city of Tobolsk. The Tobol River flows into the large Irtysh River, near the city of Tobolsk. From Tobolsk, down the Irtysh River, they pass by Damyanskoye and the town of Samorovsky Yam. On both banks of all these rivers, near the forests, several peoples of a special faith live in yurts. Somewhat below Samorovsky Yama, the Irtysh River flows into the Ob. From the mouth of the Ob River you can take Siberian ships past Pust-Ozero to Archangel, and this is a distance of 6000 miles. Between Verkhoturye and Tobol, people were tributaries of the Siberian king Kuchum. The ataman and his Cossacks pacified them all and brought them under the citizenship of the Russian Tsar, taking permanent hostages from them. He imposed a tribute on them in the form of furs, warning them to remain steadfast in obedience to His Royal Majesty.
From here he went along the rivers to Verkhoturye, Nitsa, Iset, Pelynkoya, Tavda to the city of Tyumen. This city stands between the Tobol and Tyumen rivers. He bravely stormed the city, occupied it and also subjugated it to the Royal Majesty. When Tsar Kuchum learned that the ataman and his army had occupied his cities: Tyumen, Verkhoturye, Tomskoy, Pelym and others - and subjugated them to His Royal Majesty, he was greatly amazed, for Tyumen is only 180 miles from the main city of Tobolsk. And Kuchum sent his favorite adviser Murza Kanchey with an army to Tyumen in order to prevent the ataman from getting closer, and, if possible, to take away the captured cities. But the ataman put this Murza and his entire army to flight. On the other bank, five miles from Tyumen, he killed many of the guns and captured the wounded Kanchei himself. There were very few people left from this skirmish who could bring him [Kuchum] news.
When Tsar Kuchum heard about this defeat, he was even more frightened, but, after consulting with his entourage, he decided to send messengers throughout the kingdom so that all his subjects, young and old, would come to him without any delay. Instead of letters, he sent them gilded arrows so that they would not wait for another news; all disobedient people will be executed. He ordered to say that a powerful enemy was coming against them (it was unknown who he was or where he came from), causing great damage to the country and intending to conquer the entire kingdom. When his subjects and hordes learned this from their prince, they gathered with great zeal to the city of Tobolsk, or Tobol, with their wives and children, which amounted to large hordes.
Tsar Kuchum gained some courage and gained courage. He sent messengers every day to find out where the chieftain was, and they reported to him that he was coming straight towards him. Hearing this, he sent his wife Simbula with their children on horses and camels deep into the country, into the steppes, to his place of entertainment on Naboalak, where a large village now stands. From Tyumen, the ataman and his army descended along the Tobol River on ships to the main city of Tobolsk. This city stands on the Irtysh River, for the Tobol River flows near the city into the Irtysh River, and on the Kurdyumka River, on a very high mountain, surrounded by a wooden wall ( Now it is made of stone). He [the ataman] settled down at a distance of about 7 versts from the city, in the place where the village of Shishkina is now. Here he wanted to spend the night. The next day, before sunrise, when these people, according to their old custom, were still sleeping (for in the evening they sit for a long time and get up late in the morning), the chieftain left the named place, came with his ships to Tobolsk and settled down in the meadow. In the morning, when the sun rose, Tsar Kuchum saw his enemy in front of the city.
He immediately sent his men against him, armed with arrows and bows. The chieftain, seeing such a crowd of people coming towards him, and even more people at the top of the mountain and in the city, ordered his Cossacks to load cannons, rifles and muskets with empty wads to encourage the enemies. Those who were coming from the city rushed at the Cossacks with the greatest scream. But the Cossacks, keeping in close formation, retreated in perfect order, firing only wads, as a result of which none of the enemies were killed.
When the Kuchumites saw this, they became braver and boldly attacked the enemies, who returned to their ships. Then the ataman ordered to set sail, and they sailed up the Irtysh, further 2 miles, to the place where the Tobol flows into it. Here he remained for two days, ordering the Cossacks to clean and keep their weapons ready and load them with quadrangular pieces of iron and bullets, such charges as the weapon could withstand. He addressed them with a speech so that they would remember all the evil that they did to His Royal Majesty Ivan Vasilyevich and Christianity, shedding a lot of innocent blood, and so that now they would fight courageously, then they would not only defeat these unfaithful pagans, but also achieve mercy and the king's forgiveness. Hearing this from their chieftain, they answered him with tears in their eyes that they were ready to courageously fight for His Royal Majesty and the Christian faith, they were ready to risk their heads, “and we (they said) humbly obey you and will do everything that you order us "
Then the ataman with his ships and 600 people returned to the city of Tobol and dropped anchor in the same place. Kuchum, seeing his enemy for the second time in front of the city, turned to his people with the following words: “My brave heroes, kind and honest warriors, attack these unclean dogs - the Cossacks, without fear and cowardice. Their weapons cannot harm us, for our gods protect us. Just stand bravely, and I will reward you for your service.” These people are of different tribes and beliefs ( Some of these Siberians were Mohammedans, while others were pagans) Having heard this from the lips of their prince, they rushed out of the city with great joy, calling each other to courage. Only King Kuchum and some advisers remained in the city to watch the battle from above. Then his people attacked the Cossacks with great noise, shouting: “Mohammed is with us!” And everyone walked for their faith. The chieftain ordered his men to have only one half fire their muskets, and while they were reloading, the others were firing their guns. He inspired them to be brave with these words: “Brothers, do not be afraid of this great crowd of infidels, for God is with us.” The battle began at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and continued until the evening. It was May 21, 1574.
Finally, Ataman Ermak Timofeevich won, inflicting a great defeat on his enemies of different tribes and beliefs, capturing many alive. The Cossacks, simultaneously with the retreating enemy, entered the city. Tsar Kuchum, seeing the great defeat of his army, fled with a few people to the place where his wife and children were, who were about 20 miles from the city. In the city of Tobolsk there were two large cast iron cannons, 6 cubits long, firing 40 pound cannonballs. Kuchum ordered them to be loaded during the battle and shot from above at the enemies. But they were unable to shoot at them, so with a terrible curse he ordered them [the guns] to be thrown from a height into the Irtysh River. So Ataman Ermak Timofeevich occupied the city of Tobol, remaining here for 6 weeks. He took the most notable residents hostage. He imposed a tribute on them and the surrounding people, from each hunter 10 sables with tails for His Royal Majesty, and ordered them to live under the protection of the [Russian] Tsar. The chieftain ordered one of these iron cannons with a carriage to be pulled out of the river and brought back to the city, where it stands to this day.
From Tobol, Ataman Ermak Timofeevich sent one of his best Cossacks (together with five others) named Groza Ivanovich, to Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich in Moscow, and with them a collected tribute of 60 sables with navels and tails, 50 beavers, 20 silver foxes and 3 noble captives from Kuchum’s army, with a petition that His Royal Majesty would mercifully forgive Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and his comrades for the crimes committed, in view of their faithful and difficult service. And so that the king would send someone, at his discretion, as a governor to Tobolsk, who could take over the capital, along with other cities and lands, and protect them on behalf of His Royal Majesty. When this ambassador Groza Ivanovich with his comrades and prisoners came to Moscow, he fell at the feet of His Majesty, begging for mercy and forgiveness for the atrocities committed earlier, for the sake of the hard work they had done for His Royal Majesty.
He asked that the king deign to accept the tribute that they collected for His Majesty, and the prisoners that they brought, and deigned to send someone there who could take from them the main city with all the other occupied cities. The king was greatly pleased with this news. He and all the clergy thanked God in the Great Apostolic Council for this victory, distributed a lot of alms to the poor, and forgave Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and all his Cossacks for the crimes they committed for the sake of this service. He ordered the tribute and prisoners brought from them to be accepted and these Cossacks to be treated generously. He allowed them to kiss his hand and ordered them to be provided with a rich daily allowance. Then, releasing them, His Majesty granted Ataman Ermak Timofeevich and all the Cossacks, each especially, several gifts. He sent Ermak a caftan made of silk fabric, embroidered with golden flowers, with velvet decorations, and a double ducat. And for each Cossack a piece of cloth for a caftan and a piece of damask, a piece of velvet for a hat and for each a gold penny*. A silver penny costs 5 cents.
Another letter with a large golden seal, in which the king praised their heroic deeds, forgave their previous atrocities and expressed the desire that they continue their faithful service in the future, for which he will richly reward them, that in the winter he will send a governor there, but for now let him , Ataman Ermak, manages all occupied places and collects tribute. In the same year, in the fall, this Groza Ivanovich arrived from Moscow to Tobol, bringing with him honorary gifts and a letter and forgiveness from His Royal Majesty, which the ataman and the Cossacks were very happy about. They prayed to God for the health and long life of His Majesty.
After receiving this letter with pardon and gifts from His Majesty, the ataman and his Cossacks decided to continue the war with Tsar Kuchum, leaving several loyal Cossacks as a garrison in the occupied cities and towns. In Tobol, he left Groza Ivanovich with sixty Cossacks, and in other places - the ataman with 30 Cossacks, well provided with guns and military supplies. When His Majesty sent the Cossack Groza Ivanovich from Moscow back to Ermak, he gave Groza an open letter with a large hanging seal, which said that everyone who wanted to go with their wives and children to Siberia, Tobol or other conquered cities could freely and go there without any hindrance. It was ordered to give such people a free pass. And in the same year, 1,500 people with Groza voluntarily moved to Siberia with their wives and children. His Majesty ordered the bishop to transport 10 priests with their wives and children from Vologda along with Groza on free carts ( Carts or sleighs), and on top of that [give] everyone 20 rubles of money.
When Ermak Timofeevich established proper order in all cities, he and 6 hundred Cossacks went up the Irtysh to the Sibirka River, which flows into the Irtysh 15 miles from the city. Tsar Kuchum was still there, in great fear and anxiety. Not reaching one and a half miles to this place, Ataman Ermak ordered his boats to be tied to the steep bank and settled down with his army to spend the night in the steppe. He ordered, however, to place a guard around, according to his old custom. At midnight, two Cossacks standing guard were captured by Kuchum’s men who had cautiously crept up. There was turmoil in the camp. The enemy, armed with bows, arrows and spears, attacked them with great noise and plundered their war supplies. The chieftain, who was sleeping in a tent in the middle of the camp, heard the noise, ran out and shouted to his Cossacks: “Brothers, do not be afraid of these infidels, but return to your boats!” When they returned to the boats, Ataman Ermak jumped from the high bank into his boat, but since he made too long a jump over 3 boats, he fell into the water.
Since the river here is very deep, and he was wearing two shells and, in addition, iron armlets, he sank [into the water] like a stone and died untimely. However, in this battle, Kuchum’s brother, Murza Bulat, and 65 ordinary people died. So the Cossacks lost their brave leader Ataman Ermak Timofeevich. They captured 5 people, whom they took into their plows, or boats, and returned to Tobol, without delivering only the two aforementioned prisoners. As soon as the Cossacks left, Kuchum ordered his fishermen and others to look for the body of the drowned Ermak Timofeevich, promising the one who finds him as much silver as the body weighs. “For,” he said, “as soon as I get it, I will order it to be cut into small pieces, and I will eat it myself with my wife and children, as an enemy of mine and my kingdom.” Then the Cossacks, returning back, so as not to be left without a leader, elected Ermak Timofeevich, the aforementioned Groza Ivanovich, as ataman.
In 1575, Ataman Groza, having performed a service in the church, according to his custom, in the same boats as before, set off with 1000 Cossacks up the Irtysh and reached the place of Abalak, where Kuchum was still holding out. He sent his brother-in-law, Iki Irka, against him, but Ataman Groza defeated this Iki Irka and 540 people. Captured 20 people alive. Only 6 of his men were wounded. Tsar Kuchum, seeing that his people seemed to be melting, fled with his wife and children to the Kalmak Khan Abdar Taisha, who was his uncle. This Kuchum had 7 real wives, although one of them was the main one, and 25 concubines. From the first he had 5 sons, and from the last - 12.
After this, Kuchum and his sons often attacked the places conquered [by the Cossacks] in large hordes, hoping to regain their kingdom. But they achieved nothing, and with God's help, they were always defeated."
The above message ends here.
After the death of Ataman Ermak Timofeevich, Ataman Groza Ivanovich with his Cossacks he set off from Tobol along the Irtysh River to the Ob and went down the Ob to Berezov. ( As for the spelling of the proper names of rivers, peoples and cities, I adhered to the text sent, but in our time they have changed somewhat.) This is a fairly large settlement. The ataman imposed a tribute on all the people who lived on both banks of the big river, right up to the ocean, on each person - according to his wealth. He built the city of Berezov and placed hostages in it, taken from the surrounding nations, with the condition that they be replaced every six months if equally influential people were appointed in their place. He took their noblest ones with him to Tobol. He made this trip in one year. He brought into citizenship all these peoples and not only them, but also those who live along the banks of the rivers Obdora), Sosva, Vogulka, Komda, Mrassa and other rivers.”
From these reports it becomes clear that Siberia at that time was densely populated, and these were not just scattered nomadic tribes, but a well-organized state. With a large number of cities, and developed communications between these cities. By the names of rivers and cities one can fully judge what language the inhabitants of this country spoke. It’s not clear who Ermak Timofeevich was? After all, Ermak is a nickname, not a name? And who is Ataman Groza Ivanovich? (According to some sources, Ivan Groza or Groza Ivanov) Why did other people of that time have first names, patronymics and last names, but they only had nicknames?
It is also not entirely clear from these messages how Ermak’s small Cossack detachment could conquer an entire state?
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