Around the origin of Ermak and his name alone, even in scientific literature, not to mention folklore, a huge number of versions have developed. Some historians considered him a Pomor, a native of the Russian North, others - a native of the Urals, who came from the Kama and Chusovaya rivers in his youth. There is also a version about the Turkic origin of Ermak. The sonorous name of the legendary chieftain is considered to be a derivative of Ermolai, Ermil, Eremey, and is even recognized as the nickname of a Cossack baptized by Vasily. The great Russian historian N.M. Karamzin cited in his “History of the Russian State” a description of Ermak’s appearance: “He had a noble appearance, dignified, average height, strong muscles, broad shoulders; had a flat but pleasant face, a black beard, dark, curly hair, bright, quick eyes, the mirror of an ardent, strong soul, a penetrating mind.” This portrait definitely reconciles any disputes about small homeland Ermak. It is described poetically, but Karamzin himself called the chapter on Siberia a poem.
However, no matter where Ermak Timofeevich was born and no matter what he looked like, we can say with confidence that at first he led the Cossack squad on the Volga, robbed merchant ships following the river and was quite pleased with it. What happened next?
This is how brothers meet
In the spring of 1581, smoke rose into the sky from the roofs of Russian settlements in the estates of the Stroganov merchants in the Kama region, which were being ravaged by the Nogai Tatars. A little later, the Voguls rebelled there, the Cheremis in the Volga region, and at the end of summer the Pelym prince Ablegirim descended on the Urals: “ the prince with an army, and with him seven hundred people, their settlements on Koiva, and on Obva, and on Yaiva, and on Chusovaya, and on Sylva, they burned out all the villages, and beat people and peasants, captured women and children, and horses and the animal was driven away...". The Stroganovs notified Moscow about this at the end of the year, but by that time the formidable tsar was already aware of the evil deeds going on. At the turn of June - July 1581, the Cossacks burned the capital of the Nogai Horde, Saraichik.
Parsun Ermak Timofeevich, created in the 18th century. The unknown author of the portrait depicted the ataman in Western equipment, which became the basis for the emergence of a version about the participation of the Germans in the Siberian campaign
At the same time, the ambassador of the Russian kingdom to the Nogais, V.I. Pelepelitsyn, got ready to set off on a journey to Moscow with the envoys of Prince Urus, a plentiful guard of three hundred horsemen and Bukhara merchants. On the Volga, near present-day Samara, the caravan was attacked and robbed by dashing Cossacks: “Ivan Koltso, and Bogdan Borbosha, and Mikita Pan, and Savva Boldyrya and his companions...”. Among the names of Ermak's future associates, he himself is not mentioned, although a year earlier he stole a caravan of a thousand heads from the Nogai Murza, and in the spring of 1581 - sixty more horses. Speedy horses were useful to the Cossacks on the western outskirts of the kingdom.
Probably, Ermak took part in the battles of the Livonian War, being not an ordinary Cossack, but a centurion. The most important evidence of this is the text of a letter from the commandant of Mogilev, sent in 1581 to Stefan Batory, which mentions "Ermak Timofeevich - Cossack Ataman".
Lion and unicorn on the banner of Ermak, which was with him during the conquest of Siberia
By August 1581, the village, which was headed by Ermak, according to the historian A.T. Shashkov, along with other troops, was sent by Ivan IV to the Volga. They went to Sosnovy Island, where the free Cossacks took the Russian-Nogai embassy by surprise. It was there that Ermak and his faithful comrades in the Siberian campaign met. Some of the Horde managed to escape to Yaik. The united Cossacks pursued them. The atamans understood: the tsar would not pat heads for a raid on the embassy caravan; rather, heads would roll off the chopping block. At the council it was decided to proceed to the Urals. Along the Volga, the Cossacks reached the Kama, upstream they reached the Chusovaya River, then Sylva, and here they clashed with the people of the Vogul prince Alegirim: “Someone was in Siberia and the Pelym prince Aplygarym fought with his Tatars in Perm the Great”.
"Seven Cossacks"
Behind Lord Pelym stood the Siberian Khan Kuchum. Having seized power over the expanses around the Irtysh and Tobol back in 1563, he continued to pay yasak to the Moscow Tsar. But the suppression of pockets of resistance to the usurper in Siberia among the Tatars, Khanty and Mansi freed his hands. The eastern Russian outskirts began to burn.
Fragments from the “Brief Siberian Chronicle” by Semyon Remezov (St. Petersburg, 1880). Left: “Hearing Ermak from many Chusovlyans about Siberia as the king is the owner, beyond the Stone the rivers flow in two, to Rus' and to Siberia, from the portage of the river Nitsa, Tagil, Tura fell into Tobol, and the Vogulichi live along them, ride reindeer...” . On the right: “Assemblies of soldiers in the summer of 7086 and 7, with Ermak from the Don, from the Volga and from Eik, from Astrakhan, from Kazan, stealing, breaking up the sovereign's state courts of ambassadors and Bukharts at the mouth of the Volga river. And hearing those sent from the king with execution and howling from them, many others fled to various cities and towns.”
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The Stroganovs beat Ivan the Terrible with their foreheads, asking first for warriors for protection, and soon for permission to hire them themselves. Right then Ermak and his comrades came to Chusovaya. The merchants were careful not to mention them in the petition: taking the sovereign’s robbers at their expense would be more expensive for themselves. At the end of 1581, Tsar Ivan gave the Stroganovs the go-ahead not only to hire warriors, but also to take retaliatory measures: « And those Vogulichs come to their forts with war and make troubles... And the Vogulichs would come against them, and I will deal with them... besiege them with war, and it is not a good idea for them to steal in the future.”. At the same time, a new governor arrived in the Urals, in Cherdyn - none other than V.I. Pelepelitsyn. He did not forget what he had experienced, although he was in no hurry to recall his grievances to Ermak’s people. They spent the winter on Sylva, periodically making forays into the Vogul uluses. The spring of 1582 broke up the ice on the rivers, and after this came a letter from the tsar. The Stroganovs crossed themselves and sent an embassy to the Cossacks. Having accepted the invitation of the merchants, on May 9 they left the camp on Sylva and went down to the mouth of Chusovaya. Initially, the agreement boiled down to a trip to Pelym to repay Ablegirim in the same coin. Salt industrialists were ready to supply the Cossacks with weapons and supplies conscientiously.
It took most of the summer to get ready. At the end of August, the Siberians with the Voguls themselves attacked Russian towns, just like a year ago. The raid was led by the eldest son of Khan Kuchum Alei. The people of the Pelym prince also took part in it. “At this time, Ermak’s squad, which repelled the attack of Aley’s army at the Nizhnechusovskaya fort and thereby fulfilled its obligations to M. Ya. Stroganov, changed its plans regarding the campaign against Pelym,”- writes Shashkov. - “The Volga Cossacks decided to respond blow to blow. And therefore their main goal has now become Siberia.”.
For the Stone!
To call the expedition an adventure is to say nothing. Historians still argue about the size of Ermak’s army. The minimum is usually considered to be 540 “Orthodox warriors”, which are often “reinforced” by three hundred Poles, Lithuanians and Germans. The Stroganovs allegedly bought prisoners of war from the front of the Livonian War from the Tsar, and then entrusted them to the ataman. The main argument is the similar Western European equipment of Ermak and his warriors in later images. True, according to Semyon Remezov, all participants in the campaign, and primarily its leader, had such armor and helmets. Well, the mentioned number is indirectly supported by the number of plows on which Ermak’s comrades went “for the Stone”: 27 ships, 20 soldiers on each.
The path was incredibly difficult. Up the Chusovaya the Cossacks went to the Serebryanka River, from which the plows had to be dragged on dry land for as much as 25 versts (1 verst is equal to 1.07 km) to the Baranchi River, from it to Tagil, then to Tura, from Tura to Tobol... « Cossack plows, adapted for sailing on the seas, sailed, maneuvering around numerous river turns,”- noted the outstanding Soviet historian R. G. Skrynnikov. - “The rowers, replacing each other, leaned on the oars”.
Fragment from the “Brief Siberian Chronicle” by Semyon Remezov (St. Petersburg, 1880): “When the spring came, like the brave Cossacks, they saw and understood that the Siberian country was rich and abundant in everything and the people living in it were not warriors, and the Mayans swam down Tagil in 1 day, breaking up the courts in Tura and before the first prince Epanchi, where Epanchin Useninovo now stands; and that many Hagaryans gathered and put up the battles for many days, like a great bow, uphill for 3 days, and in that bow the velmi fought until they left, and overcame that Cossacks.”
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The beginning of Ermak’s Siberian campaign is still often dated to the autumn of 1581: with a long journey and wintering in the mountains, waiting until the ice broke up on Tagil, and so on. Despite the complexity of the Cossacks’ path, this version should be considered an exaggeration. The hike didn't last long whole year- it went on as it began, quickly and decisively. The journey to the capital of Kuchum would have been greatly slowed down by skirmishes with soldiers from the uluses submissive to him, but the Pogodin Chronicle does not contain descriptions of any serious battles. The first of these was a meeting with Epanchin. According to the description carried out by the clerks of the Ambassadorial Prikaz in Moscow from the words of associate Ermak, « rowed to the village to Epanchina... and here Ermak and the Totara had a fight with the Kuchyumovs, but the Tatar language was not confiscated". One of the khan's subjects managed to escape. He probably brought the news to Kashlyk about aliens with strange bows that burst with fire, blow smoke and sow death with invisible arrows.
Ermak lost the precious effect of surprise, a clear advantage in a fight with a strong superiority of enemy forces. But neither the ataman retreated from his plan, nor Kuchum was greatly alarmed: after all, he had already made his move, throwing Aley and his army into the Russian settlements. Moscow was waging a difficult war in the west and could not afford the luxury of scattering squads in the east - perhaps this is how the khan reasoned. Nevertheless, Kuchum hastened to call together all the Siberian uluses capable of holding a bow and blade to fight back. But the fact that he called the Khanty and Mansi villages under his banner today raises doubts among historians. Soon the sails of the Cossack plows glittered on the surface of Tobol. The place of the historical meeting of the Cossack atamans was the crossing on the Volga, and the khan went with his army to the bank of the Irtysh, to Cape Chuvashev.
The date of the battle is another subject of dispute among historians. It is not exactly known until now; it is “assigned” by various authors to different days, but most chroniclers and scientists agree on October 26 (November 5, new style) 1582. According to one version, Ermak even deliberately timed the slaughter to coincide with the day of remembrance of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki. « Russian scribes, most likely, tried to give symbolic meaning to “The Capture of Siberia,”- notes historian Ya. G. Solodkin.
Fragments from the “Brief Siberian Chronicle” by Semyon Remezov (St. Petersburg, 1880) about the battle on Cape Chuvashev. Left: “All the Cossacks were contemplating a perfect blow, and behold the 4th battle from Kuchyumlyany. Kuchyumu is standing on the mountain and with his son Mametkul at the fence; When the Cossacks, by the will of God, left the city... And they all collapsed together, and there was a great battle...". On the right: “The Kuchumlyans didn’t have any weapons, just bows and arrows, spears and sabers. Chuvash has 2 guns. The Cossacks said nothing to them; They threw them from the mountain into the Irtysh. Standing Kuchyum on the Chuvash Mountain and seeing many visions of his own, he wept bitterly...”
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There were ten, or even twenty times fewer Cossacks than Siberians. However, they had nowhere to retreat, and besides, Ermak’s comrades had firearms. At the beginning of the battle, when the Cossacks, like the marines, landed on the shore from the plows, the “fiery battle” did not bring much harm to the opponents who had taken refuge behind the log tine. However, when the Khan’s nephew Mametkul led the Siberian Tatars out from behind cover and launched an attack, the Cossacks fired several more successful volleys from arquebuses. This was enough for the Ostyak and Vogul warriors. Their princes began to lead people away from the battlefield. Kuchum's lancers tried to save the situation with a desperate blow led by Mametkul, but the bullet overtook him too. The wounded Siberian military leader was almost captured. The Khan's army dispersed. Kuchum left the capital and fled. Sometimes historians allow up to two days between the battle and the entry into Kashlyk, although it is unclear why the Cossacks hesitated so much. On the same day, the atamans and their comrades entered the abandoned Siberian settlement.
Legends of a legend
The subsequent history of Ermak’s expedition is no less epic than its prehistory and progress to Cape Chuvashev. This definition is not accidental: even well-known events considered traditional cause researchers to argue until they are hoarse. For example, on December 5 of the same 1582, Mametkul, who had recovered from his wound, led a detachment and attacked the Cossacks of Ataman Bogdan Bryazga, who had gone fishing on Lake Abalak. They were killed. The angry Ermak rushed in pursuit. Was it a battle that overshadowed Cape Chuvash, or a minor skirmish? Sources provide basis for both points of view.
"Conquest of Siberia by Ermak." Artist Vasily Surikov, 1895
Next, the famous 1583 embassy to Moscow from the Cossacks, bowing at the feet of Ivan the Terrible in Siberia. Alexey Tolstoy in “Prince Serebryany” perfectly described this ray of light in the darkening kingdom on the eve of the Troubles with the arrival at the court of first the Stroganovs, and then the dashing ataman Ivan Ring: "CThe king extended his hand to him, and the Ring rose from the ground and, in order not to stand directly on the scarlet foot of the throne, first threw his lamb’s cap on him, stepped on it with one foot and, bending low, put his mouth to the hand of John, who hugged him and kissed my head". In fact, even the winners of Kuchum would hardly have reached the capital without a travel document or a letter from the sovereign. The diploma, by the way, was disgraced. In it, Ivan the Terrible, from the words of Voivode Pelepelitsyn, accused both the Stroganovs and the Cossacks: “And that was done by your treason... You took the Vogulichi and Votyaks and Pelymtsy away from our salaries, and bullied them and came to fight them, and with that fervor you quarreled with the Siberian Saltan, and, having called the Volga atamans to you, hired thieves into your prisons without our decree."
Ivan Ring allegedly died at the hands of the servants of Khan Kuchum Karachi’s adviser, who treacherously lured the ataman and 40 other Cossacks into a trap. However, if the envoys of Karachi came to Kashlyk, as stated in the work of Semyon Esipov, they should have literally encountered there the people of the governor Semyon Bolkhovsky, who had arrived exactly to help Ermak. In addition, could a dashing gang led by an experienced chieftain be flattered by the promises of an enemy nobleman? Be that as it may, what happened was a legend already for the first chroniclers of the campaign.
“The Ermakov ambassadors - Ataman Ring and his comrades beat Ivan the Terrible with their foreheads to the Kingdom of Siberia.” 19th century engraving
Finally, the date of Ermak’s own death is approximately clear - it overtook the victor Kuchum in August 1584. Her circumstances are shrouded in the fog of uncertainty. It is likely that the chieftain drowned in the river during the battle. However, the legend about the death of Ermak due to the heavy shell donated by Ivan the Terrible allegedly dragging him to the bottom should remain among the legends.
In conclusion, I would like to return to the debate about Ermak’s small homeland: perhaps, they are not accidental after all. A simple Cossack was destined to become, without exaggeration, a national hero, the personification of Russia’s movement to the east, “beyond the Stone,” to the Pacific Ocean - and a pioneer on this path. Ermak’s Siberian campaign took place on the eve of the Time of Troubles. It crippled the state, but did not erase the track trodden by the ataman. In a certain sense, two dates - November 5, the day of the capture of the capital of the Siberian Khanate by Ermak, and November 4, now National Unity Day - in Russian history It’s not just the calendar that brings us together.
Literature:
- Zuev A.S. Motivation of actions and tactics of Ermak’s squad in relation to Siberian foreigners // Ural Historical Bulletin. 2011. No. 3 (23). pp. 26-34.
- Zuev Yu. A., Kadyrbaev A. Sh. Ermak’s campaign in Siberia: Turkic motifs in the Russian theme // Bulletin of Eurasia. 2000. No. 3 (10). pp. 38-60.
- Skrynnikov R. G. Ermak. M., 2008.
- Solodkin Ya. G. “Ermakovo capture” of Siberia: debatable problems of history and source study. Nizhnevartovsk, 2015.
- Solodkin Ya. G. “Ermakovo capture” of Siberia: riddles and solutions. Nizhnevartovsk, 2010.
- Solodkin Ya. G. Ostyak princes and Khan Kuchum on the eve of the “Capture of Siberia” (on the interpretation of one chronicle news // Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2017. No. 1 (28). P. 128-135.
- Shashkov A. T. Ermak’s Siberian campaign: chronology of events of 1581-1582. // News of Ural State University. 1997. No. 7. P. 35-50.
In the popular consciousness, the legendary conqueror of Siberia - Ermak Timofeevich - became on a par with the epic heroes, becoming not only an outstanding personality who left his mark on the history of Russia, but also a symbol of its glorious heroic past. This Cossack ataman laid the foundation for the development of the endless expanses that stretched beyond the Stone Belt - the Great Ural Range.
The mystery associated with the origin of Ermak
Modern historians have several hypotheses related to the history of its origin. According to one of them, Ermak, whose biography has been the subject of research for many generations of scientists, was a Don Cossack, according to another - a Ural Cossack. However, the most likely seems to be the one based on the surviving handwritten collection of the 18th century, which tells that his family comes from Suzdal, where his grandfather was a townsman.
His father, Timofey, driven by hunger and poverty, moved to the Urals, where he found refuge in the lands of rich salt industrialists - the Stroganov merchants. There he settled down, got married and raised two sons - Rodion and Vasily. From this document it follows that this is exactly what the future conqueror of Siberia was named in holy baptism. The name Ermak, preserved in history, is only a nickname, one of those that was customary to give among the Cossacks.
Years of military service
Ermak Timofeevich set off to conquer the Siberian expanses, already having rich combat experience behind him. It is known that for twenty years he, together with other Cossacks, guarded the southern borders of Russia, and when Tsar Ivan the Terrible began in 1558, he took part in the campaign and even became famous as one of the most fearless commanders. A report from the Polish commandant of the city of Mogilev to the king personally has been preserved, in which he notes his bravery.
In 1577, the actual owners of the Ural lands - the Stroganov merchants - hired a large detachment of Ural Cossacks to protect them from the constant raids of nomads led by Khan Kuchum. Ermak also received an invitation. From that moment on, his biography takes a sharp turn - the little-known Cossack chieftain becomes the head of the fearless conquerors of Siberia, who forever inscribed their names in history.
On a campaign to pacify foreigners
Subsequently, they tried to maintain peaceful relations with the Russian sovereigns and carefully paid the established yasak - tribute in the form of the skins of fur-bearing animals, but this was preceded by a long and difficult period of campaigns and battles. Kuchum’s ambitious plans included ousting the Stroganovs and everyone who lived on their lands from the Western Urals and the Chusovaya and Kama rivers.
A very large army - one thousand six hundred people - was sent to pacify the rebellious foreigners. In those years, in the remote taiga region, the only means of communication were rivers, and the legend about Ermak Timofeevich tells how a hundred Cossack plows sailed along them - large and heavy boats that could accommodate up to twenty people with all supplies.
Ermak's squad and its features
This campaign was carefully prepared, and the Stroganovs spared no expense in purchasing the best weapons at that time. The Cossacks had at their disposal three hundred arquebuses capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of one hundred meters, several dozen shotguns and even Spanish arquebuses. In addition, each plow was equipped with several cannons, thus turning it into a warship. All this provided the Cossacks with a significant advantage over the Khan’s horde, which at that time did not know firearms at all.
But the main factor contributing to the success of the campaign was the clear and thoughtful organization of the army. The entire squad was divided into regiments, at the head of which Ermak placed the most experienced and authoritative atamans. During hostilities, their commands were transmitted using established signals with trumpets, kettledrums and drums. The iron discipline established from the first days of the campaign also played a role.
Ermak: a biography that became a legend
The famous campaign began on September 1, 1581. Historical data and legend about Ermak indicate that his flotilla, having sailed along the Kama, rose to the upper reaches of the Chusovaya River and further along the Serebryanka River reached the Tagil passes. Here, in the Kokuy town they built, the Cossacks spent the winter, and with the onset of spring they continued their journey along the other side of the Ural ridge.
The first serious battle with the Tatars took place not far from the mouth of the taiga river Tura. Their detachment, led by the khan’s nephew Mametkul, set up an ambush and showered the Cossacks with a cloud of arrows from the shore, but was scattered by return fire from arquebuses. Having repulsed the attack, Ermak and his people continued their journey and went out. There there was a new clash with the enemy, this time on land. Despite the fact that both sides suffered significant losses, the Tatars were put to flight.
Capturing fortified enemy cities
These battles were followed by two more - the battle on the Tobol River near the Irtysh and the capture of the Tatar city of Karachin. In both cases, victory was won not only thanks to the courage of the Cossacks, but also as a result of the extraordinary leadership qualities that Ermak possessed. Siberia - a patrimony - gradually came under Russian protectorate. Having been defeated near Karachin, the khan concentrated all his efforts only on defensive actions, abandoning his ambitious plans.
After a short time, having captured another fortified point, Ermak’s squad finally reached the capital of the Siberian Khanate - the city of Isker. The legend about Ermak, preserved from those ancient times, describes how the Cossacks attacked the city three times, and three times the Tatars fought off the Orthodox army. Finally, their cavalry made a sortie from behind the defensive structures and rushed towards the Cossacks.
This was their fatal mistake. Once in the field of view of the shooters, they became an excellent target for them. With each volley of arquebuses, the battlefield was covered with more and more bodies of Tatars. Ultimately, Isker’s defenders fled, leaving their khan to the mercy of fate. The victory was complete. In this city, conquered from enemies, Ermak and his army spent the winter. As a wise politician, he managed to establish relations with the local taiga tribes, which allowed him to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The end of Ermak's life
From the former capital of the Siberian Khanate, a group of Cossacks was sent to Moscow with a report on the progress of the expedition, with a request for help and a rich yasak made from the skins of valuable fur-bearing animals. Ivan the Terrible, appreciating Ermak’s merits, sent a significant squad under his command, and personally gave him a steel armor - a sign of his royal favor.
But, despite all the successes, the life of the Cossacks passed in constant danger of new attacks by the Tatars. The legendary conqueror of Siberia, Ermak, became a victim of one of them. His biography ends with an episode when, on a dark August night in 1585, a detachment of Cossacks, having spent the night on the banks of a wild taiga river, did not post sentries.
Fatal negligence allowed the Tatars to suddenly attack them. Fleeing from enemies, Ermak tried to swim across the river, but the heavy shell - a gift from the king - carried him to the bottom. This is how the legendary man who gave Russia the endless expanses of Siberia ended his life.
There are many mysterious personalities in Russian history. On the one hand, this is bad. Due to lack of information, we cannot fully assess the contribution of an individual to the historical process. On the other hand, lack of information is great. Knowing the basics, without going into details, we can think of them ourselves. Mysteries generate interest.
Ermak Timofeevich was a mysterious person in the history of Russia. We all know that Ermak conquered Siberia. And what else? Unfortunately, historians disagree on many details of his biography. This makes Ermak Timofeevich a mysterious historical figure, and generates strong interest in the conqueror of Siberia on the part of historians and ordinary people.
The Don Cossack village of Kachalinskaya is considered the birthplace of Ermak. Other sources claim that he lived on the Northern Dvina, in the Vologda region and even on the Kama coast. There is no precision here, choose for yourself what you like best. Ermak... Hmm. Perhaps this is not a name at all, but an abbreviation for Ermolai, Eremey or Herman. He is also credited with Tatar roots. That’s why Ermak means “artel cauldron” in Tatar.
Let's assume that Ermak is still a Cossack from the Don. In the 60th decade of the 16th century, he became the ataman of the Cossack village, and ruled the Don and Volga lands. Other sources claim that during the same chronological period, Ermak beat Devlet-Girey near Moscow. Later, the Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius claims that the ataman was a participant in the Livonian War, and took part in the defense of Pskov.
Historians studying the Cossacks claim that Ermak attacked the Nogais and robbed Persian and Bukhara ambassadors. For the latter, the sovereign sent a detachment of archers against him. It is quite possible that different sources of that time, they talk about different Ermak. One thing is clear, Ermak Timofeevich was successful, and many simply wanted to impersonate him.
Historians also differ in the dates of Ermak’s campaign in Siberia. 1579, 1581, 1582. Choose which one you like best. Why did he end up in Siberia? Some claim that the Russian Tsar sent him to help the Stroganov merchants. Others say that the Stroganovs themselves hired Ermak, and his detachment was almost a bunch of robbers. Maybe Ermak had several campaigns in Siberia? Suppose that in Tagil Ermak Timofeevich set up a camp and fortified himself. Further from here his path lay into the depths of Siberia, where he fought against Khan Kuchum. Ermak's detachment was dynamically advancing in Siberia. The technical superiority of the Cossacks played a role. Ermak died on August 5, 1584, having been ambushed, the detachment began to retreat beyond the Irtysh. Here the ataman was wounded, and upon further movement, he drowned in the river.
full name
- Vasily Timofeevich Alenin. Historians know seven names of Ermak: Ermak. Ermak, Ermolai, German, Ermil, Vasily, Timofey and Eremey. “Ermak” cannot be classified as the first. nor to the second category of nicknames. Some researchers tried to decipher his name as a modified Ermolai, Ermila and even Hermogen. But, firstly, the Christian name was never changed. They could use its various forms: Ermilka, Eroshka, Eropka, but not Ermak. Secondly, his name is known - Vasily, and his patronymic is Timofeevich. Although, strictly speaking, in those days a person’s name in conjunction with the father’s name should have been pronounced as Vasily Timofeev’s son. Timofeevich (with “ich”) could only be called a person of a princely family, a boyar. His nickname is also known - Povolsky, that is, a man from the Volga. But not only that, his last name is also known! In the “Siberian Chronicle”, published in St. Petersburg in 1907, the surname of Vasily’s grandfather is given - Alenin: his name was Afanasy Grigoriev’s son.
If you put all this together, it turns out: Vasily Timofeev, son of Alenin Ermak Povolsky. Impressive!
period of life
- 16th century
Place of Birth
- Ermak's origins are unknown. According to some sources, Ermak (real name Vasily Alenin) was born in the Vologda land, according to others - in Dvina. For example, they consider it theirs in the Pomeranian village of Borok, which has been standing on the Dvina for the ninth century. It is also claimed that the legendary warrior comes from the Komi-Zyryans. Suzdal residents, Don Cossacks, and even... Jews claim the honor of being the hero’s homeland. Recently a version was born that Ermak is the son of their fellow tribesman from Kerch, Timothy Colombo, and is the great-nephew of Christopher Columbus. His confession, however, is attributed to him as Catholic. Here it is, glory! But laughter is laughter, and in order not to be mistaken, let’s say that Ermak’s Fatherland is the Russian land.
a place of death
- Siberia. The first Siberian expedition lasted three years. Hunger and deprivation, severe frosts, battles and losses - nothing could stop the free Cossacks, break their will to victory. For three years, Ermak’s squad did not know defeat from numerous enemies. In the last night skirmish, the thinned squad retreated, suffering minor losses. But he lost a proven leader. The expedition could not continue without him.
nickname
- Ermak.
The very name Ermak (or nickname) appears repeatedly in chronicles and documents. Thus, in the Siberian chronicle it is written that at the foundation of the Krasnoyarsk fort in 1628, Tobolsk atamans Ivan Fedorov son Astrakhanev and Ermak Ostafiev participated. It is possible that many people were called “ermak” Cossack atamans, but only one of them became a national hero, glorifying his nickname “with the capture of Siberia.” In our case, the most interesting thing is that the name Vasily was replaced by the nickname Ermak, and the surname Alenin was rarely used at all. So he remained in people's memory as Ermak Timofeevich - Cossack ataman.
belonging
- The son of a Vladimir cab driver, according to some sources, began to fight the Crimean horde in 1571 near Moscow. He is not known about him too much. Before coming to Siberia, Ermak fought in Lithuania at the head of a Cossack squad. After participating in the Livonian War, he allegedly accepted the Stroganovs’ invitation to go to their Chusovsky towns for protection from the attacks of the Siberian Tatars.
Ermak Timofeevich was a controversial person. Suffice it to remember that even before he accepted the invitation of the Stroganov family to move with his retinue to Siberia, he was sentenced by the tsar to be quartered for attacking the royal caravans.
We find the first reliable evidence of his life before the conquest of Siberia in the Polish “Diary of Stefan Batory”. It contains the full text of the letter to King Stephen from Mr. Stravinsky from Mogilev. The point is that the Poles were attacked by the tsarist commanders and Cossack leaders, among whom was “Ermak Timofeevich, Otoman...”.
years of service
- late 16th century
rank
- Cossack chieftain
battles
- LIVONIAN WAR. Before coming to Siberia, Ermak, at the head of a Cossack squad, fought in Lithuania. After participating in the Livonian War, he allegedly accepted the Stroganovs’ invitation to go to their Chusovsky towns for protection from the attacks of the Siberian Tatars.
- CAMPAIGN TO SIBERIA. Khan Kuchum made the first serious attempt to delay the Russian army near the mouth of the Tura River. The main forces of the Siberian army came here. This attempt was doomed to failure. The Cossacks, firing from arquebuses, passed the ambush and entered the Tobol River. But even further, down the Tobol, it was quite difficult to swim. Every now and then the Cossacks had to land on the shore in order to scare off the enemy. The tactics used by Ermak were very important in this. The fact is that Ermak conducted military operations strictly following a specific plan. Most often, during a battle, Ermak attacked in two “runs”. First, the squeaks entered the battle, with the blows of which a very large number of enemy soldiers died, then there was a lightning-fast infantry offensive, desperately imposing hand-to-hand combat on the enemy. The Tatars did not like hand-to-hand combat and were terribly afraid of it.
After waging sometimes rather protracted battles, Ermak took Karachin with an unexpected blow. A fortified town just sixty kilometers from Isker. Kuchum himself tried to recapture the city, but he had to retreat and return to the capital. Then Ermak's warriors captured another fortified town that covered the Siberian capital - Atik. The time of the battle, which was destined to decide the fate of the Siberian Khanate, was approaching. Kuchum's forces were still quite significant, the city was well fortified...
The first attack of the Cossacks failed. The assault was repeated and again it was not possible to break through the trenches. It was after this that Mametkul, who defended the Chuvash Cape, made a major military mistake. Encouraged by the failures of the Russian attacks and the small number of Ermak’s squad, he decided on a big foray. The Tatars themselves dismantled abatis in three places and led their cavalry into the field. The Cossacks took up a perimeter defense and stood in dense ranks. Firing from the squeakers was carried out continuously: the squeakers took cover inside the square, reloaded their weapons and again went out to the front ranks to meet the attacking cavalry with a volley. The Tatars suffered heavy losses, but were unable to break through the dense layer of Cossacks. The leader of the Tatar cavalry, Mametkul, was wounded in the battle.
Failure in the field battle at the Chuvash Cape turned out to be disastrous for Khan Kuchum. The forcibly assembled Khan's army began to scatter. The Vogul and Ostyak detachments, which made up a significant part of it, also fled. Selected khan's cavalry died in fruitless attacks.
At night, Khan Kuchum left his capital, and on October 26, 1582, Ermak and his retinue entered the capital of the Siberian Khanate.
In these difficult conditions, Ermak proved himself not only to be a far-sighted military leader, but also a diplomat and political figure. It was possible to stay in the fortress, thousands of kilometers away from Russia, only with the support of the local population, and Ermak immediately tried to establish friendly ties with the Vogul and Ostyak “princes”. The hatred of the inhabitants of Western Siberia for Khan Kuchum contributed to this.
Ermak used the defeat of the large Tatar army to bring neighboring lands under his rule. He sent Cossack detachments in different directions, which “cleared” the lands of the remnants of the horde. Russian losses in these campaigns were minimal.
In the summer of 1583, Cossack troops moved on ships along the Irtysh, subduing the local princes...
One of the most important stages in the formation of Russian statehood is the conquest of Siberia. The development of these lands took almost 400 years and during this time many events occurred. The first Russian conqueror of Siberia was Ermak.
Ermak Timofeevich
The exact surname of this person has not been established; it is likely that it did not exist at all - Ermak was of an ordinary family. Ermak Timofeevich was born in 1532; in those days, a patronymic or nickname was often used to name a common person. The exact origin of Ermak is not clear, but there is an assumption that he was a runaway peasant who stood out for his enormous physical strength. At first, Ermak was a chur among the Volga Cossacks - a laborer and squire.
In battle, the smart and brave young man quickly obtained weapons for himself, participated in battles, and thanks to his strength and organizational skills, a few years later he became an ataman. In 1581 he commanded a flotilla of Cossacks from the Volga; there are suggestions that he fought near Pskov and Novgorod. He is rightfully considered the founder of the first marine corps, which was then called the “plow army.” There are other historical versions about the origin of Ermak, but this one is the most popular among historians.
Some are of the opinion that Ermak was of a noble family of Turkic blood, but there are many contradictory points in this version. One thing is clear - Ermak Timofeevich was popular among the military until his death, because the position of ataman was selective. Today Ermak is a historical hero of Russia, whose main merit is the annexation of Siberian lands to the Russian state.
Idea and goals of the trip
Back in 1579, the Stroganov merchants invited the Cossacks of Ermak to their Perm region to protect the lands from the raids of the Siberian Khan Kuchum. In the second half of 1581, Ermak formed a detachment of 540 soldiers. For a long time, the prevailing opinion was that the Stroganovs were the ideologists of the campaign, but now they are more inclined to believe that this was the idea of Ermak himself, and the merchants only financed this campaign. The goal was to find out what lands lie in the East, make friends with the local population and, if possible, defeat the khan and annex the lands under the hand of Tsar Ivan IV.
The great historian Karamzin called this detachment “a small gang of vagabonds.” Historians doubt that the campaign was organized with the approval of the central authorities. Most likely, this decision became a consensus between the authorities who wanted to acquire new lands, merchants who were concerned about safety from Tatar raids, and the Cossacks who dreamed of getting rich and showing off their prowess on the campaign only after the khan’s capital fell. At first, the tsar was against this campaign, about which he wrote an angry letter to the Stroganovs demanding the return of Ermak to guard the Perm lands.
Riddles of the hike: It is widely known that the Russians first penetrated into Siberia in quite ancient times. Most definitely, the Novgorodians walked along the White Sea to the Yugorsky Shar Strait and further beyond it, into the Kara Sea, back in the 9th century. The first chronicle evidence of such voyages dates back to 1032, which in Russian historiography is considered the beginning of the history of Siberia.
The core of the detachment was made up of Cossacks from the Don, led by glorious atamans: Koltso Ivan, Mikhailov Yakov, Pan Nikita, Meshcheryak Matvey. In addition to the Russians, the detachment included a number of Lithuanians, Germans and even Tatar soldiers. Cossacks are internationalists in modern terminology; nationality did not play a role for them. They accepted into their ranks everyone who was baptized into the Orthodox faith.
But discipline in the army was strict - the ataman demanded that everyone comply Orthodox holidays, posts, did not tolerate laxity and revelry. The army was accompanied by three priests and one defrocked monk. The future conquerors of Siberia boarded eighty plow boats and set sail to meet dangers and adventures.
Crossing the "Stone"
According to some sources, the detachment set out on September 1, 1581, but other historians insist that it was later. The Cossacks moved along the Chusovaya River to the Ural Mountains. At the Tagil Pass, the fighters themselves cut the road with an ax. It is a Cossack custom to drag ships along the ground at passes, but here this was impossible due to large number boulders that could not be moved out of the way. Therefore, people had to carry plows up the slope. At the top of the pass, the Cossacks built Kokuy-gorod and spent the winter there. In the spring they rafted down the Tagil River.
Defeat of the Siberian Khanate
The “acquaintance” of Cossacks and local Tatars took place on the territory of what is now the Sverdlovsk region. The Cossacks were fired upon by their opponents, but repelled the impending attack of the Tatar cavalry with cannons and occupied the city of Chingi-tura in the present Tyumen region. In these places, the conquerors obtained jewelry and furs, and along the way took part in many battles.
- On 05.1582, at the mouth of the Tura, the Cossacks fought with the troops of six Tatar princes.
- 07.1585 – Battle of Tobol.
- July 21 - the battle of the Babasan yurts, where Ermak stopped a cavalry army of several thousand horsemen galloping towards him with volleys of his cannon.
- At Long Yar, the Tatars again fired at the Cossacks.
- August 14 - the battle of Karachin town, where the Cossacks captured the rich treasury of the Murza of Karachi.
- On November 4, Kuchum with an army of fifteen thousand organized an ambush near the Chuvash Cape, with him were mercenary squads of Voguls and Ostyaks. At the most crucial moment, it turned out that Kuchum’s best troops went on a raid on the city of Perm. The mercenaries fled during the battle, and Kuchum was forced to retreat to the steppe.
- 11.1582 Ermak occupied the capital of the Khanate - the city of Kashlyk.
Historians suggest that Kuchum was of Uzbek origin. It is known for sure that he established power in Siberia using extremely cruel methods. It is not surprising that after his defeat, local peoples (Khanty) brought gifts and fish to Ermak. As the documents say, Ermak Timofeevich greeted them with “kindness and greetings” and saw them off “with honor.” Having heard about the kindness of the Russian ataman, Tatars and other nationalities began to come to him with gifts.
Riddles of the hike: Ermak's campaign was not the first military campaign in Siberia. The very first information about the Russian military campaign in Siberia dates back to 1384, when the Novgorod detachment marched to Pechora, and further, on a northern campaign through the Urals, to the Ob.
Ermak promised to protect everyone from Kuchum and other enemies, imposing yasak on them - a mandatory tribute. The ataman took an oath from the leaders about taxes from their peoples - this was then called “wool”. After the oath, these nationalities were automatically considered subjects of the king and were not subject to any persecution. At the end of 1582, some of Ermak’s soldiers were ambushed on the lake and were completely exterminated. On February 23, 1583, the Cossacks responded to the khan, capturing his chief military leader.
Embassy in Moscow
Ermak in 1582 sent ambassadors to the king, headed by a confidant (I. Koltso). The ambassador's goal was to tell the sovereign about the complete defeat of the khan. Ivan the Terrible mercifully gave gifts to the messengers; among the gifts were two expensive chain mail for the chieftain. Following the Cossacks, Prince Bolkhovsky was sent with a squad of three hundred soldiers. The Stroganovs were ordered to choose forty the best people and join them to the squad - this procedure took a long time. The detachment reached Kashlyk in November 1584; the Cossacks did not know in advance about such a replenishment, so the necessary provisions were not prepared for the winter.
Conquest of the Voguls
In 1583, Ermak conquered Tatar villages in the Ob and Irtysh basins. The Tatars offered fierce resistance. Along the Tavda River, the Cossacks went to the land of the Vogulichs, extending the king’s power to the Sosva River. In the conquered town of Nazim, already in 1584, there was a rebellion in which all the Cossacks of Ataman N. Pan were slaughtered. In addition to the unconditional talent of a commander and strategist, Ermak acts as a subtle psychologist with an excellent understanding of people. Despite all the difficulties and difficulties of the campaign, not one of the atamans wavered, did not change their oath, and until their last breath they were Ermak’s faithful comrade-in-arms and friend.
The chronicles do not preserve the details of this battle. But, given the conditions and method of war used by the Siberian peoples, apparently, the Voguls built a fortification, which the Cossacks were forced to storm. From the Remezov Chronicle it is known that after this battle Ermak had 1060 people left. It turns out that the losses of the Cossacks amounted to about 600 people.
Takmak and Ermak in winter
Hungry winter
The winter period of 1584-1585 turned out to be extremely cold, the frost was about minus 47°C, and winds constantly blew from the north. It was impossible to hunt in the forest because of the deep snow; wolves circled in huge packs near human dwellings. All the archers of Bolkhovsky, the first governor of Siberia from the famous princely family, died of hunger along with him. They did not have time to take part in the battles with the khan. The number of Cossacks of Ataman Ermak also decreased greatly. During this period, Ermak tried not to meet with the Tatars - he took care of the weakened fighters.
Riddles of the hike: Who needs land? Until now, none of the Russian historians have given a clear answer to a simple question: why Ermak began this campaign to the east, to the Siberian Khanate.
Revolt of the Murza of Karach
In the spring of 1585, one of the leaders who submitted to Ermak on the Ture River suddenly attacked the Cossacks I. Koltso and Y. Mikhailov. Almost all the Cossacks died, and the rebels in their former capital blocked the Russian army. 06/12/1585 Meshcheryak and his comrades made a bold foray and drove back the Tatar army, but the Russian losses were enormous. At this point, Ermak only had 50% of those who went on the hike with him survive. Of the five atamans, only two were alive - Ermak and Meshcheryak.
The death of Ermak and the end of the campaign
On the night of August 3, 1585, Ataman Ermak died with fifty soldiers on the Vagai River. The Tatars attacked the sleeping camp; only a few warriors survived this skirmish, who brought terrible news to Kashlyk. Witnesses to Ermak’s death claim that he was wounded in the neck, but continued to fight.
During the battle, the chieftain had to jump from one boat to another, but he was bleeding, and the royal chain mail was heavy - Ermak did not make the jump. Swim out to heavy armor It was impossible even for such a strong man - the wounded man drowned. Legend has it that a local fisherman found the body and brought it to the khan. For a month the Tatars shot arrows into the body of the defeated enemy, during which time no traces of decomposition were noticed. The surprised Tatars buried Ermak in a place of honor (in modern times this is the village of Baishevo), but behind the fence of the cemetery - he was not a Muslim.
After receiving the news of the death of their leader, the Cossacks gathered for a meeting, where it was decided to return to their native land - spending the winter in these places again would be like death. Under the leadership of Ataman M. Meshcheryak, on August 15, 1585, the remnants of the detachment moved in an organized manner along the Ob River to the west, home. The Tatars celebrated their victory; they did not yet know that the Russians would return in a year.
Results of the campaign
The expedition of Ermak Timofeevich established Russian power for two years. As often happened with pioneers, they paid with their lives for conquering new lands. The forces were unequal - several hundred pioneers against tens of thousands of opponents. But everything did not end with the death of Ermak and his warriors - other conquerors followed, and soon all of Siberia was a vassal of Moscow.
The conquest of Siberia often took place with “little blood”, and the personality of Ataman Ermak was overgrown with numerous legends. People composed songs about the brave hero, historians and writers wrote books, artists painted pictures, and directors made films. Ermak's military strategies and tactics were adopted by other commanders. The formation of the army, invented by the brave chieftain, was used hundreds of years later by another great commander - Alexander Suvorov.
His persistence in advancing through the territory of the Siberian Khanate is very, very reminiscent of the persistence of the doomed. Ermak simply walked along the rivers of an unfamiliar land, counting on chance and military success. According to the logic of things, the Cossacks should have laid down their heads during the campaign. But Ermak was lucky, he captured the capital of the Khanate and went down in history as a winner.
Conquest of Siberia by Ermak, painting by Surikov
Three hundred years after the events described, the Russian artist Vasily Surikov painted a painting. This is a truly monumental picture of the battle genre. The talented artist managed to convey how great the feat of the Cossacks and their chieftain was. Surikov’s painting shows one of the battles of a small detachment of Cossacks with the huge army of the khan.
The artist managed to describe everything in such a way that the viewer understands the outcome of the battle, although the battle has just begun. Christian banners with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands flutter over the heads of the Russians. The battle is led by Ermak himself - he is at the head of his army and at first glance it is evident that he is a Russian commander of remarkable strength and great courage. The enemies are presented as an almost faceless mass, whose strength is undermined by fear of the alien Cossacks. Ermak Timofeevich is calm and confident, with the eternal gesture of a commander he directs his warriors forward.
The air is filled with gunpowder, it seems that shots are heard, flying arrows whistle. In the background there is hand-to-hand combat, and in the central part the troops raised an icon, turning to higher powers for help. In the distance you can see the Khan's stronghold - a little more and the Tatars' resistance will be broken. The atmosphere of the picture is imbued with a feeling of imminent victory - this became possible thanks to the great skill of the artist.
Temujin, the unifier of numerous Mongol tribes, who organized campaigns of conquest in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, conqueror of China, and, of course, the founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest continental empire ever...
