Sources for the conquest of Kazan

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The capture of Kazan became the most famous military campaign of the first half of the reign of Ivan IV. This event became the personification of a new era in the history of Russia, the era of active conquest campaigns on the eastern borders. Much attention was paid to the fall of the Khanate in the annals and chronicles, the events of 1552 were reflected in the notes of Western European travelers and even in Tatar and Finno-Ugric folklore.

Moscow and Kazan: Rurikovich against the fragment of the Golden Horde

For several decades, relations between the Moscow principality and the Kazan Khanate were reduced to the attempts of the Grand Dukes from the Rurik dynasty to establish their control over the fragment of the Golden Horde and tear it away from the Krymchaks who annoyed the southern borders of Russia.

Since 1487, as a result of the campaign of the Moscow troops, Khan Mukhamad-Amin, loyal to Russia, reigned in Kazan. However, the calming down of relations only lasted until the beginning of the 16th century. In 1505 - 1507, the Moscow protege went to war against his masters, striving for complete independence. In 1521, a new khan, Sahib Girey from the Crimean dynasty, in alliance with his relatives made a successful campaign against Moscow.

Young Ivan IV continued the policy of his predecessors aimed at the legal subordination of Kazan. However, two major campaigns, 1547-1548 and 1549-1550, did not lead to success. The main reason lay in the remoteness of the supply points from the main army operating under the walls of Kazan. In 1551, Ivan IV ordered to build a fortress named Sviyazhsk at the confluence of the Sviyaga River with the Volga.

Sviyazhsk. Mid-18th century engraving. Source: sviyazhsk.info-music.org

In 1552, a fortified army (shortly before that a streltsy army was created), with the support of guns, first defeated the allied Kazan troops of the Crimean Khan near Tula, and then advanced to the Volga. Ratnikov was led by the tsar himself. The third campaign was preceded by unsuccessful negotiations on the appointment of the Tsar's governor to the capital of the Khanate, but most of the Kazan nobility rejected these plans.

In the summer of 1552, the tsarist troops approached Kazan and began a siege. The Russians concentrated about 150 thousand people and 150 cannons. The defenders were at least three times inferior to the besieging numbers. The first stage of the siege was severely spoiled by the Epanchi Mari cavalry detachment, which ply in the rear of the Russian troops.

After his defeat and the burning of Arsk, the base of the Cheremis, nothing prevented Ivan IV from preparing for the assault. It took place on October 2, 1552 after a lengthy preparation. Despite fierce resistance, the besieged were defeated, and Kazan was annexed to Russia. Nevertheless, for several years a partisan war against the Russian invaders continued on the territory of the former khanate.

Russian artillerymen during the siege of Kazan. Source: superclocks.ru

Russian sources: from "Tsarstvennaya kniga" to Andrei Kurbsky

Such important for the history of Russia as the capture of Kazan in 1552 was reflected in many sources of that time. They can be conditionally divided into "official" and "unofficial", personal. The most famous official chronicle of the period of the reign of Ivan IV was the "Facial Chronicle": a ten-volume illustrated encyclopedia of world history. The last volume, "The Royal Book", covered the period of the reign of Ivan IV.

The entry of Ivan IV into Kazan. Miniature from the "Obverse Chronicle Code". Source: runivers.ru

About the siege and capture of Kazan, the "Facial chronicle collection" reports in the style of a kind of "combat journal" written by a participant in the events. Here you can find information about the composition of the troops, generals, the main stages of the siege and storming of Kazan. Along with this, in the text of the chronicle, you can find many references to all kinds of "miracles" that accompanied the troops of Ivan IV on the way to Kazan.

Thus, God himself blessed the warriors in the campaign against the "infidels." According to the "Royal Book", during the storming of Kazan on October 2, 1552, the tsar did not immediately join the troops, but spent some time in his tent, praying to God. Only after he made sure that God's help was provided for him, Ivan Vasilyevich went to the troops.

In this story, you can see a clear parallel with the text "The Legend of the Mamaev Massacre", dedicated to the Battle of Kulikovo. Dmitry Donskoy also behaved before the battle. Thus, the authors of the "Tsarnovennyi kniga" draw direct parallels between the struggle of Russia against the Horde domination and the war of Ivan IV with Kazan.

Another interesting response to the events of 1552 can be called "The History of the Kazan Kingdom" - a literary work created ten years after the annexation of Kazan and written by an anonymous author. Despite the fact that in the assessment of the events of those years in "History …" one can find many overlaps with the "Royal Book" (for example, the general idea of the struggle against the opponents of the faith of Christ), this work has some distinctive features.

A page from the "History of the Kazan Kingdom". XVII century. Source: iamruss.ru

"History …" places great emphasis on the religious aspect of the trip to Kazan. So, it contains a legend about the personal meeting of the tsar with Metropolitan Macarius. “The Tsar, the Grand Duke, receives the blessing of the hierarchy, as from the right hand of the Heavenly Almighty, and with him - the courage and courage of Alexander, Tsar of Macedon.”

Describing the trip to Kazan, the author of "History …", in contrast to the official chroniclers, reports on the great drought sent down by God to the lands of the khanate. Dry rivers and swamps allowed the Russian troops to reach Kazan without much trouble. Also in "History …" it is reported that the citizens of Kazan rejected the peace proposals of the Russians to surrender the city, while the official chronicle says that Ivan IV began the transfer of troops to Kazan, without waiting for a response from the enemy.

Modern historians point to the factual errors contained in the "History of the Kazan Kingdom" - the author of this work inaccurately describes the position of the governor, mistakenly dates certain events of the campaign.

One way or another, the allegorical description of the conquest of Kazan within the framework of a certain ideologem was more important for the anonymous author: the praise of the conqueror tsar. Before us is a compilation woven from the most authoritative works of that time and the official chronicle documents of the era.

Among the sources describing the capture of Kazan, the memoirs of Andrei Kurbsky, written in exile in Lithuania, stand apart. The "History of the Affairs of the Grand Duke of Moscow" contains information that did not appear either on the pages of the official annals, or in the text of the "History of the Kazan Kingdom".

Andrey Kurbsky. Source: yarwiki.ru

Recalling the campaign against Kazan, Kurbsky, in contrast to official sources, points to the great hardships experienced by the Russian troops on the outskirts of Kazan. So, he talks about a large number of small rivers and swamps, which had to be overcome with the help of deserters-guides. Despite the presence of such a transshipment point as Sviyazhsk, the tsarist warriors starved for a long time.

Kurbsky describes interesting details of the storming of the city. According to his recollections, the Kazan people knew in advance about the assault on October 2 and managed to prepare for the defense. That is why the fighting in the city took on a fierce character.

The situation was aggravated by the looting of Russian warriors. Soldiers began to flock to the khan's palace "not for the sake of a military cause, but for a lot of greed." This predetermined the success of the Kazan counteroffensive, which was stopped only by the intervention of the tsar himself and the fresh forces that came with him.

In addition, Kurbsky, unlike the official chroniclers, reported that Ivan IV, despite the advice of those close to him to stay in the city and suppress the resistance of the surrounding residents, preferred to leave immediately. The war with the partisans continued for another 4 years.

News about Kazan in Western Europe

Such a major event in the history of Russia as the conquest of the Kazan Khanate could not pass by European observers. Evidence of the events of 1552 was reflected in the reports of the papal legates, diplomats of Germany, France and England. In most cases, this news contained a number of minor factual errors that did not particularly change the meaning of the events that took place.

For example, the papal legate Antonio Possevino, in his work Muscovy, published in 1586, reported that artillery and firearms became the main advantage of the Russians in the Kazan campaign. At the same time, the Italian did not speak highly of the fighting qualities of the Tatars and their allies. In fact, the citizens of Kazan got acquainted with gunpowder in the XIV century.

Antonio Possevino. Source: Wikimedia Commons

German authors, such as Balthazar Russov or Daniil Prinz, described the events that took place in 1552 quite accurately in their writings. This was due to closer Russian-German contacts in comparison with Russian-Italian ones. The works of British diplomats are also interesting. So, Anthony Jenkinson, the British ambassador to Muscovy, reasonably noted that with the fall of the Kazan Khanate, the Russians opened the way for wide expansion to the East.

The Swedish historian, author of the Moscovite Chronicle, Peter Petrei de Erlezund, spoke in a complimentary way about the Tatars. His work contains a rather detailed description of the military campaign of 1552 and a high assessment of the fighting spirit and resistance of the Kazan garrison. Regardless of political or ethnic preferences, almost all reports of European chroniclers and diplomats about the events that took place in 1552 were accurate.

Folklore songs: Tatars, Mari and Mordovians about Kazan

The siege and storming of Kazan became popular subjects of folk songs. Moreover, this popularity applies not only to Russian folklore - individual references to the events of 1552 can be found in the folk works of the Tatars and Finno-Ugric peoples.

The fall of Kazan left a rather deep wound in the historical memory of the Tatar people at that time. In the famous song "Bait about Syuyun-bik", dedicated to the wife of Shah-Ali, expelled from Kazan in March 1552, one can find the following lines:

The mention of the siege and storming of Kazan remained in the Mari historical epic as well. For example, against the background of the events of 1552 in the work “How the Mari Tsar Yilanda Perished”, the main character becomes a victim of the cruelty and suspicion of Tsar Ivan IV. So, the king learned about the delay in the explosion of powder barrels in the tunnel under the walls of the fortress.

Yilanda was in charge of the work. He asked the king to wait for a while, but he did not wait and, in a rage, ordered the poor man to be executed. “… As they cut off Yiland’s head, at the same moment barrels of gunpowder exploded. After that, the tsar repented and ordered to establish in the city of Kazan the Zilantyev monastery in honor of Yiland."

Model of the assault on Kazan. Artillery Museum Source: St. Petersburg). (lewhobotov.livejournal.com

In the Mordovian song "Samanka", a young girl, having learned that Ivan IV cannot take Kazan for several years, offers her services to the tsar. She proposes to dig under the fortress walls and blow them up. In the song, the king does not tolerate the boasting of a girl:

However, Samanka's plan works - her digging destroyed the wall, Russian troops took the city, and the tsar changed his anger to mercy: he offers the girl rich gifts, but she asks for something else:

In this song, the Mordovians are presented as an ally of the Russians in the fight against Kazan. Nevertheless, many ethnic groups living in the defeated khanate joined the Tatars in a partisan war that lasted at least four years.