Ermak and writer, scientist biography. Ermak and the conquest of Siberia. Where was Ermak born?

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 individual’s contribution to 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. What else? Unfortunately, historians disagree on many details of his biography. This makes Ermak Timofeevich a mysterious historical figure, and generates strong interest among historians and ordinary people in the conqueror of Siberia.

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 in 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 tell 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.

Introduction

Ermak Timofeevich is a Cossack chieftain who conquered a significant part of the territory of Western Siberia for the Russian state. Many moments of the biography of this great Russian discoverer are classified as legends and myths, but there are also many official documents from which one can still trace the main milestones of Ermak’s biography.

IN lately More and more ancient documents are being discovered, from which meticulous historians, literally bit by bit, extract very important information about the past. There is hope that in this way it will be possible to restore the biography of our hero, if not in full, then in a significant part of it.

Where did Ermak come from?

So let's start with the basic data. Estimated date of birth of this historical figure– 1532. There is no reliable information regarding the origin of Ermak Timofeevich, since many real facts, which, one way or another, relate to his biography, are very much mixed with legends that are difficult to separate from the truth. But on this subject there are several very reliable theories that have the right to be taken into account even in serious biographical studies.

Historical fact! At the moment, it is difficult to establish the exact date of Ermak’s birth. Now it is difficult to distinguish between true information and myths that have entangled this great historical figure.

The essence of the first of these legends is that the chieftain is a native of the Urals. Allegedly, he was born in one of the settlements in the current Perm region, located on the banks of the Kama and Chusovaya rivers.

The fact is that Ermak is very knew these and many other local rivers well, which allowed him to move freely along them during his campaigns, and this is a reliable fact. Usually, such knowledge is possessed exclusively by the natives of these very topographically complex places, especially in those distant troubled times.

As for other versions of the origin of our hero, they are based on some, although not indisputable, but quite convincing evidence that Ermak’s homeland is the Don steppes, which in those years were very actively developed by the Russian “pioneers” - the Cossacks, constantly fighting the Tatars and other Asians who raided the southern borders of Rus'.

For your information! Along with the difficulty of determining the date of birth of Ermak, it is also difficult to determine the place of birth of the Russian mountain. However, this does not in the least prevent us from studying his activities in adulthood.

Some experts, also relying on indirect evidence, talk about Pomeranian origin ataman, according to it, he comes from the Boretsk volost of the Arkhangelsk province, the center of which at that time was the village of Borok.

The full name of the Siberian conqueror has come down to us in official documents - Ermolai, and Ermak is a shortened version of this name, and such abbreviations were quite common in those days. Regarding the surname, it has not been truly established. The reason for this is the fact that during the life of the ataman in Rus' there were no surnames, and if there were, then only those people who belonged to the highest strata of society, and even then not always, because Ermak’s contemporary, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, there was also no surname as such.

Ordinary people were then named either by their father, or by a nickname, or this naming was related to the type of activity in which the named person was engaged. In fact, historians only know that our hero was called Ermak Timofeev.

Also His name is found - Ermolai Timofeevich Tokmak, and Tokmak is not a surname, but a nickname, has Tatar roots, roughly translates as “well-fed”, or literally “fed”. This is probably how the Tatars conquered by Ermak christened their new master, and this nickname ended up in the official chronicles.

What was his name?! There is no exact date of birth, no exact place, and now historians are still arguing about Ermak’s real name. For us he will forever remain: Ermak Timofeevich - Cossack chieftain.

Also, different historical manuscripts interpret both the first and last names of the leader of the conquerors of Siberia differently. Some of them say that real name Ermak's last name was Povolsky, or Povolsky, but his real name turned out to be Eremey, Erema, from which the abbreviation Ermak came.

One historian from Irkutsk wrote an entire study on this topic, and it states that the surname, Ermak's full name and patronymic sounded like Alenin Vasily Timofeevich. The identical surname Ermak is also found in the fairy tale “Ermak’s Swans”. However, these are just guesses, and if any documents shed light on Ermak’s real name, they have not yet been found.

The origins of the hero’s voivodship activity most likely originated from the organization of Cossack detachments, which were widespread at that time in the territory of Rus', especially in its eastern and southern parts. Even then, the ataman had a fairly large number of comrades in arms who spoke quite flatteringly about him and saw in his face something more than just a Cossack.

At this stage of your life Ermak had a free lifestyle, “fielded,” as it was commonly called then. He led detachments of free Cossacks and carried out raids with them against nomads who were plundering the outskirts of the Russian state.

Participation in the Livonian War

Later, Ermak Timofeevich, as a well-proven military leader, had to take part in the final stage of the many years of the Livonian War. His duties included command of the united Cossack squad, constantly being at the forefront of attacks by Russian troops.

Still from the film “Ermak”, 1996. The role of the main character was played by Viktor Stepanov.

Under the leadership of the chief Dmitry Khvorostinin in 1581, his Cossack hundred took part in the attack on the Principality of Lithuania. Conducting fighting on a broad front, Ermak walked along the Dnieper to Mogilev and took part in the battle of Shklov.

Combat past! Before his famous Siberian campaigns, Ermak, as part of the Cossack army, took part in the Livonian War, conducting extensive military operations.

In the autumn of the same year, 1581, the future Siberian ataman played his role in the successful release of the city of Pskov from Polish troops, and then participated in several more fairly large battles.

Of course, not all the battles in which Ermak Timofeevich participated are listed, but they are the ones developed that ataman spirit in an ordinary warrior, which later pushed the hero to set and achieve a great goal, namely the Siberian campaign.

Trek to Siberia

Shortly before the end of the Livonian War, in the fall of 1581, when the fighting began to subside and peace negotiations were underway, Ermak assembled a new Cossack squad and became its commander. This squad began a campaign for Stone belt(Ural) at the invitation of the family of very rich merchants the Stroganovs, whose border possessions were constantly ravaged by the Siberian Tatars.

The hike began from the town of Orel (Kergedan). Initially, the Stroganovs’ participation in this campaign was limited to supplying the Cossacks with food, but later they allocated Ermak and weapons in quite large quantities - it was made directly in merchant workshops. After some time, the Stroganovs nevertheless created their own Cossack squad and, similarly, Ermak sent it on a campaign after the main forces.

“Conquest of Siberia by Ermak Timofeevich” - Vasily Surikov.

Hiking to Siberia! After the battles in the Livonian War, Ermak gathered a new Cossack army, led it and moved to Siberia. In this campaign he was supported by rich merchants, who were constantly robbed by nomadic tribes from the border areas.

Very soon this squad joined the army of Ermak Timofeevich, significantly strengthening it, since it also many professional warriors participated. Having united, these troops on plows quickly climbed up the Chusovaya River and then, along a tributary of this river, dragged their boats to the Zhuravlik River. There the Cossack detachments overwintered, from time to time repelling attacks from small Tatar reconnaissance detachments.

Khan Kuchum bit

After wintering, in the spring of 1582, Ermak’s army took the path to Tura. The Cossacks twice managed to deliver a crushing blow to the Siberian Tatars and put to flight a large army led by Khan Kuchum. Then the ataman, together with his squad, made a campaign to the Irtysh and in August dealt the final blow to the Tatars, defeating an entire formation numbering 15 thousand soldiers.

After this defeat, Khan Kuchum completely abandoned the territory that had previously been under his rule. The capital of Tatar Siberia, Kashlyk, was deserted and left without protection.

In the autumn of the same year Ermak Timofeevich entered Kashlyk(later renamed Siberia), from which the Tatar troops had already managed to leave. After a few days of the Cossacks’ stay there, representatives of local tribes, who had heard about the defeat of Kuchum, began to flock to the city and began to present Ermak with generous gifts. Basically it was furs and food, the latter of which the Cossacks needed very much.

Ermak received all foreign ambassadors "kindly and respectfully", and then, having accepted the gifts, he released them and ordered them to return to their settlements. The Russian conqueror promised to protect the population of Siberia, and he obliged everyone who came to him to pay yasak (tax in kind). From that moment on, all “yasachniks” were considered Russian subjects.

New subjects! After the expulsion of Khan Kuchum, local Siberian tribes began to consider Ermak their master and presented valuable gifts, which they called “yasak”.

At the beginning of the winter of 1582, Kuchum and his best military leader Mametkul, having gathered combat-ready troops, attacked the Cossack detachment, which was located on Lake Abalatskoye. But in February of the following year, 1583, Ermak struck back and captured Mametkul. Kuchum managed to escape again.

All subsequent years, the ataman was engaged in the conquest of Tatar towns, but with varying success. Every year the Cossack army suffered more and more losses, in this regard they were not even helped by the support of Ivan the Terrible, to whom a messenger from Ermak Timofeevich went, but brought with him only 300 warriors and a royal gift to Ermak - two chain mail, one of which once belonged to the prince Shuisky.

One of the most important stages formation of Russian statehood - 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 (laborer and squire) for the Volga Cossacks.

However, in battle, the smart and brave young man quickly acquired weapons for himself, then took part 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 had already 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 central authorities. Most likely, such a decision became a consensus between the authorities who wanted to acquire new lands, merchants who were concerned about their own protection from Tatar raids, and the Cossacks who dreamed of getting rich and showing off their prowess in a 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.

Mysteries 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 Tatars. 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 observance of all Orthodox holidays and fasts, and 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. The Cossacks moved along the Chusovaya River until Ural mountains. At the Tagil Pass, the fighters themselves cut the road with an ax. The Cossack custom was to drag ships along the ground at passes, which turned out to be impossible due to large number boulders. 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.

Destruction Khanate of Siberia

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.

May 1582 – at the mouth of the Tura, the Cossacks fought with the troops of already six Tatar princes.

July 1582 – Battle of Tobol.

July 21, 1582 – the battle at the Babasan yurts, where Ermak stopped a cavalry army of several thousand horsemen galloping towards him with cannon volleys.

In the battle of Long Yar, the Tatars again fired at the Cossacks.

14 August 1582- the battle of Karachin town, where the Cossacks captured the rich treasury of the Murza of Karachi.

November 4, 1582– 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.

November 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.

Mysteries 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 - then it was called “wool”. After the oath, they 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 by 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 - the losses of the Cossacks amounted to about 600 people.

Hungry winter

The winter period of 1584-1585 turned out to be extremely cold, the frost was about -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.

Mysteries of the hike

Who needs land? So far none of Russian historians did not give 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 Koltso and Mikhailov. Almost all the Cossacks died, and the rebels in their former capital blocked the Russian army. On June 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 half of those who went on the hike with him survive. Of the five atamans, only two survived - 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 ataman 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. It was impossible even for such a strong man to swim out in heavy armor - 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 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 became 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.

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 images on them fly over the heads of the Russians. Savior Not Made by Hands. The battle is led by Ermak himself - he is at the head of his army and at first glance it is evident that the Russian commander is of remarkable strength and great courage. The enemies are presented as a 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, asking for help from higher powers. 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.

To put it figuratively, it is true that Ermak “cut a window” to Asia. This feat of the brave Cossacks and their talented leader has not been forgotten - almost five hundred years have passed, and the memory of them lives on among the people.

The legendary Cossack ataman dared to fight Khan Kuchum at not the most opportune time, to put it mildly. At that time, Russia was at war with Sweden, and on the southern borders the situation was far from peaceful.

Origin of Ermak

It is interesting that historians still cannot say with one hundred percent certainty where Ermak Timofeevich is from. Some researchers claim that the conqueror of Siberia was born in one of the villages on the Don, while others contrast them with Perm. Still others are outside the town on the Northern Dvina.

Moreover, local historians Arkhangelsk region We are sure that Ermak is a native of either the Vinogradovsky district, or the Krasnoborsky district, or the Koltlassky district. And they give their own weighty arguments in favor of each. For example, in the last two regions they believe that Ermak Timofeevich prepared for his campaign there. After all, on the territory of the districts there is Ermakov Stream, Ermakova Mountain, a staircase, and even a well in which treasures are supposedly sunk.

Source: Pinterest

In general, the exact birthplace of the Cossack ataman has still not been discovered. However, now more and more historians are inclined to believe that the most realistic version is a town on the Northern Dvina. Indeed, in the short Solvychegodsk chronicle this is stated in plain text: “On the Volga, the Cossacks, Ermak Ataman, originally from the Dvina and Borka... smashed the sovereign’s treasury, weapons and gunpowder and with that climbed to Chusovaya.”

At your own request

Numerous sources about Ermak’s Siberian campaign directly state that the ataman acted on the direct orders of Ivan the Terrible. But this statement is incorrect and can be classified as “myths and legends”.

The fact is that there is a royal letter from 1582 (historian Ruslan Skrynnikov cites its text in his book), in which the king turns to the Stroganovs and demands, “under pain of great disgrace,” to return the ataman at all costs and send him to the Perm region "for protection."

I didn’t see anything good in Ermak Timofeevich’s initiative. For obvious reasons. Swedes, Nogais, rebellious peoples in the Lower Volga region, and then there was a clash with Kuchum. But Ermak Timofeevich did not care about geopolitical interests. Being a brave, decisive and self-confident man, he felt that the time had come to visit Siberia. And while the Russian Tsar was just drawing up the text of his charter, the ataman had already taken the capital of the khan. Ermak went all-in and turned out to be right.

By order of the Stroganovs

In general, Ermak Timofeevich acted independently, disobeying the king’s order. But recently, more and more information has appeared that the Cossack ataman was, after all, a forced man, so to speak, and went to Siberia with the “blessing” of the Stroganovs. Like, it was their idea. By the way, Ivan the Terrible also shared the same opinion, since Ermak did not have time to either confirm or refute this. The descendants of those same Stroganovs only added fuel to the fire of the dispute between historians with their attempts to prove the involvement of their ancestors in the conquest of Siberia. In reality, everything is not so simple and clear.

The fact is that the Stroganovs were well aware of Kuchum’s troops. Therefore, sending five hundred Cossacks, even under the command of the mighty Ermak, to war with several thousand Mongols is pure suicide.

The second reason is the “wandering” Tatar prince Alei. He constantly walked on the edge of a knife, threatening the lands of the Stroganovs. After all, Ermak once knocked his army out of the territory of the Chusov towns, and after that Alei stormed the Kama Salt.

According to the Cossacks themselves, they decided to go to Siberia precisely after the victory at Chusovaya. Ermak Timofeevich realized that the stars had aligned more successfully than ever and he needed to act quickly and decisively. After all, Kashlyk, the capital of Kuchum, was open and unprotected. And if you delay, Aley’s army will be able to gather and come to the rescue.

So the Stroganovs have nothing to do with it. The conquest of Siberia became, in a way, a continuation of the chaotic movement to the east, where the “wild field” required the development and expulsion of the Tatars from there.

Who conquered Siberia?

Arouses interest and national composition conquerors of Siberia. As you know, five hundred and forty people went to confront the Tatar Khan. According to the documents of the Ambassadorial Order, they were all swept into one heap, calling them “Volga Cossacks.” But this is not entirely true. Indeed, according to the stories of the same participants in the campaign, among them there were many people from various places in Russia. It’s just that at that time the Cossacks did not yet have time to separate themselves and become Yaitsky or Don.

In the same Ambassadorial Order there is information that says that Ermak gathered the Terek, Don, Volga and Yaik Cossacks under his command. And according to their place of origin they were given appropriate nicknames. For example, there was Ataman Meshcheryak from Meshchery.

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.

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 recorded 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 full text letters 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 a fortress thousands of kilometers away from Russia only with the support 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...