Essay on the exploits of the Cossacks commanded by Yermak. The feat of Yermak (How the Cossack chieftain placed the third crown on the Russian coat of arms). I. Dmitriev
Academician A. P. Okladnikov
P. N. Krasnov
Ermak Timofeevich - the conqueror of the Siberian kingdom. 1582
Shortly after the conquest of Kazan (1552), in 1558, Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, in order to secure the Perm land lying up the Kama River, presented large plots near the Ural Mountains to the Stroganov merchants and allowed them to have cannons, build fortresses to protect their lands. The Stroganovs set up small wooden fortresses, reached the very Ural Mountains, mining forests here, hunting for fur-bearing animals and collecting semi-precious stones. But when they approached the Ural Mountains, which were then called the Stone Belt, they were met by detachments of the Siberian king Kuchum and did not let them go beyond the mountains. ... At this time, Yermak came to them.
Of medium height, broad-shouldered, marvelously built, strong Cossack was Ermak Timofeevich. Black curls curled over his ears, his eyes were quick, his face clean and handsome. Lush and richly dressed, he approached the Stroganov town, surrounded by his Cossacks.
Gently received by the Stroganovs, Yermak stayed with them, and here, after listening to their complaints about the raids of the Kuchum Tatars, he thought hard. Yermak sensed in his bold soul that the Stroganovs were calling him to a glorious feat. ... And so, having gathered around him his daring men, Yermak turned to them with the following speech:
"Hey, you think, brothers, you think, And me, Yermak, brothers, listen. ... We, brothers, will cross the steep mountains, We will get to the kingdom of the infidels, We will conquer the kingdom of Siberia, We will conquer it, brothers, to the White Tsar" .
"... We love to go with you, Ermak Timofeevich! We love to conquer the Tsar of Siberia and give him to the Moscow Orthodox Tsar! We love ... Amen! .."
The ataman bowed low to the circle and left the square. The Cossacks also dispersed behind him. And the next day, work began to boil. All winter axes clattered, saws squealed - then the Cossacks built light boats for themselves. ... The Stroganovs reinforced a small squad of Cossacks with three hundred soldiers who were in their service ... and in the spring of 1581, Yermak's detachment of 840 people was completely ready for the campaign.
For four days Yermak sailed in boats up the Chusovaya River to the mouth of the Silver River, and then for two days he walked along the Silver to the Siberian road. Here Yermak landed on the shore and built a fortification, which he called "Kokui-gorod". Having stockpiled here ... Yermak floated lightly into the Tura River, behind which the Siberian kingdom already began.
Kuchum against Yermak's small squad
sent a large cavalry detachment of Prince Mametkul. ... Not far from the Babasan tract, the Don people met with Mametkul.
Yermak's squad lined up in battle formation on foot and began firing from squeakers and arquebuses. Mametkul rushed to the attack, but the half-wild horses of the Tatars, not accustomed to such a thunder of shots, did not go to fire, bullets and arrows hit them, and the attack of the Tatars was repulsed. Mametkul rushed a second and a third time, but only his damage became greater ... and Yermak's bottoms moved forward and forward. Mametkul retreated...
On the fifty-second day of Yermak's campaign, October 22, 1581, in the evening, the Cossack planes, walking along the Irtysh River, approached the settlement of Atik-Murza. The Cossacks moored to the shore and landed. The low hills, covered with already blackened oak and firs, burned with a thousand fires. That was the camp of the king of Siberian Kuchum himself, who decided to defend his kingdom by mortal combat. The hubbub of thousands of voices, the neighing of horses could be heard on the river for several miles. Like the sea, the Tatar camp was muffled.
It was quiet in the Cossack camp. This camp seemed so small. Only one regiment, if you count in the present, went against the whole army. But it was a regiment of heroes, well-armed, brave, stubborn, proud and proud! Regiment of Don Cossacks.
At dawn, on October 23, the Cossacks attacked the village of Chuvashev, fortified by Kuchum. Cossack bullets whistled, guns rattled and clouds of arrows flew towards them. Behind the rattle of guns, behind the whistle of arrows, neither voices nor commands were heard. There was a shootout until noon. The Tatars, seeing that there were very few Cossacks, themselves broke through the notches in three places and rushed to the Cossacks in human streams. It was a desperate fight. Everyone understood that it depends on who wins whether or not to be alive. The chronicler, who recorded how this battle took place, wrote: "And there was an evil slash; I sechahus by the hands of the host," that is, they grabbed each other's hands to prevent them from striking. But under the mighty blows of the Cossacks, the dense crowds of Tatars began to thin out. The wounded prince Mametkul was transported with close people to the other side of the river, and the Tatars began to retreat. It was already dark when the Cossacks occupied the Tatar notches, and then retreated to their old bivouac to Atik-gorodok. They didn't sleep all night. The dead were buried. There were 107 of them; bandaged wounds, built fortifications, fearing an attack by the Tatars. But the Tatars had enough. Kuchum's allies, the Ostyak princes, left him, Mametkul, his best knight, was wounded, and Kuchum himself went to his capital, the city of Siberia, on the same night, gathered his belongings, wives, and fled with them to the steppes.
Historical song. Yermak at Ivan the Terrible
How glorious on the steppes were Saratov What was lower was the city of Saratov, And higher was the city of Kamyshin, They gathered, brothers, in a single circle, Like the Don, Grebensky and Yaitsky. Their ataman is Ermak, the son of Timofeevich, and Yesaul, they have Astashka, the son of Lavrentievich. They thought they were all one and the same: “How the summer is passing, the summer is warm, And the winter is coming, brothers, cold, How are we, brothers, going to spend the winter somewhere? everyone is known as thieves, To go near Kazan-grad, yes, there the king stands.... As if a golden trumpet blew, Not a silver speech will loudly speak - Yermak son Timofeevich will speak: "Hey you, think, brothers, you think, And me, Yermak, brothers, listen! We will winter, brothers, all in Astrakhan, And in winter we, brothers, will improve; And when the red spring opens, We then, friends, brothers, will go on a campaign, We will deserve our guilt before the Terrible Tsar: How we, brothers, walked along the blue sea, Yes, along the blue sea along Khvalynsky *, We broke, brothers, beads-ships, Like those ships, brothers, not eagles, We killed the envoy of all the tsar, Like some kind of Persian envoy. They thought a single thought: "As the winter passes all cold, As the summer will come, brothers, the summer is warm, Yes, it's time for us, brothers, to go on a campaign." "Well done! Hey you, make boats-columns, Hammer you spruce kochet, Put on you pine baboons**, We will go, brothers, with God's help. We will go, brothers, up the Volga along the river, We, brothers, will cross the steep mountains We will reach the kingdom of the Basurmans, We will conquer the kingdom of Siberia, we will subdue it, brothers, to the white king, let's take Kuchum to the fullest. And for that, the sovereign-tsar will favor us. Then I will go myself to the white tsar, I will then put on a sable coat, I will take a marten cap under my arm, I will bring the white tsar a confession: “Oh, you goy, hope, Orthodox tsar! Just like I, Ermak son Timofeevich, Like I am the thieves' atamanushka of the Don, Just like I walked along the blue sea, As along the blue sea along Khvalynsky, Just like I smashed the beads-ships, Like those "The ships are not all eagles. And now, hope, Orthodox tsar, I bring you a wild little head And with a wild head the kingdom of Siberia!" Nadezha, the Orthodox tsar, will speak, Like Tsar Ivan Vasilievich the Terrible: “Oh, you are goy, Ermak son Timofeevich, Oh, you are goy, military Don atamanushka! I forgive you and with your army, For your service to me for the faithful, And I pity you, Yermak, the glorious quiet Don!*(Khvalynsky in the old days was called the Caspian Sea.)
**(Baboiki - oars.)
L. N. Tolstoy
Yermak (history)
Under Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible, there were wealthy merchants, the Strogonovs, and they lived in Perm, on the Kama River. ... So the Strogonovs wrote to the tsar: "You gave us the land, we conquered it under your hand, and now the thieves' king Kuchum is rebelling against me ..."
The tsar wrote: "If you have the strength, take away the land from Kuchum. Just don't lure a lot of people from Russia."
So the Strogonovs, when they received a letter from the tsar, sent clerks to still gather the people to their place. And more ordered to persuade the Cossacks from the Volga and the Don. And at that time, a lot of Cossacks walked along the Volga, along the Don. They will gather in gangs of 200, 300, 600 people, choose chieftains and sail on plows, intercept ships ...
The clerks came to the Volga and began to ask: what kind of Cossacks are they known for here? They are told: “There are many Cossacks ... There is Mishka Cherkashenin; there is Sary-Azman ... But there is no angrier Yermak Timofeevich, ataman. That man has 1000 people, and not only the people and merchants are afraid of him, but the tsar’s army to proceed to him dare not."
And the clerks went to Yermak-ataman.
On September 1, the Cossacks sailed with Yermak up the Chusovaya River. Ermak sent Cossacks to see one town... 20 Cossacks sent, scared away all the Tatars and took the whole town.
Yermak released the Tatars (prisoners. - M. A.), and took three smarter ones with him so that they would show him the way. ... The Cossacks are watching - the city stands on the shore, the troops cannot see the end-edge ... The Cossacks became timid. Some say: we must swim past, others say: go back. ... Yermak says: "Oh, you guys! You are not Cossacks, but women. ... Don't you see yourself? Go back - they will kill; swim past - they will kill; stand here - they will kill. Where can we go? after that it will feel better. ... Only one place remains - to break right on the Tatars. "
The Cossacks laughed, saying: “You, Timofeich, are obviously smarter than ours; there’s nothing to ask us fools.
Apollo Corinthian
Flight of the gods (from the tales of a dying tribe)
It was not thunder that swept over the White Mountain, - Granite legs moved, And from their thrones, in a wordless crowd, the Ostyak gods fled ... But for a long time twelve mighty princes, Is it not for good, not knowing - for worse, Courageously from the jungle of forests and steppes They called out the people's prowess. ... And Yermak, the victorious hero, with a cross on his chest and with a banner in his hands, Accompanied by a fiery battle ... He came, stood, cheered the ataman For the Russian faith and truth; And the news flew about him like a snowstorm, To the seaside, beyond Konda and Tavda ...Anatoly Ivanov
Yermak (excerpt)
Tatar horsemen jumped out into the free space.
So-take-me, stop! - Shouted Savva Blodyr*, opening his mouth wide. The Cossacks running towards the plows stopped.
*(One of Yermak's associates, ataman.)
With squeakers - fire! - ordered Cherkas Alexandrov.
A volley struck. Several Tatar horses fell, crushing the riders. The ranks of the advancing mixed up. Another salvo. More...
Shots are heard by the soldiers of Nikita Pan.**
**(Yermak's closest associate.)
Ours are being beaten!! shouted from the ranks.
Stay for a while! Pan answered.
Still ... a little, - Yermak said. - Let all the Tatars get into the battle.
The felling goes along the entire slope. Swords clash, shields crack, spears break with a crash. The gently sloping grassy slope is littered with the corpses of Tatars and Cossacks, in some places dead horses are lying around. Now the battle has already rolled out onto the sandy strip along the Irtysh. Yielding to strength, the Cossacks, losing their own, retreat, huddled in a dense square and bristling with spears.
Suddenly, all the Tatars utter a joyful cry: from behind the blockage, sparkling with precious clothes, Mametkul flies out with bodyguards.
Yermak waved his saber.
Cannons roared almost at once. Four cores hit the thick of the Tatar army, causing great confusion in the ranks of the soldiers.
The Cossack trumpet sang.
The Cossacks of Ivan Koltso rushed forward. Zamora and Kerkun also run with drawn sabers.
The Cossacks of Nikita Pan rushed to the place of the battle.
Both of them crashed into a bunch of enemies from two sides.
Savva Boldyr shouts out in the heat of battle:
Ataman Ring!!!
Glory! Glory! Glory! - picks up the cry of the entire Koltsovo hundred.
Ataman Pan!
Glory! Glory! Glory! - thunders from the other side.
Ataman Yermak! - Blocking the noise of the battle, the Ring roared, joyfully wielding a saber.
Glory! Glory! Glory! - the whole Cossack army thundered at once.
The Cossacks cut into the Tatar army, covering it from three sides in a dense formation in two or three ranks, changing according to the commands of the Pentecostals in the front ranks, dragging the wounded in time. Staggering, the wounded step back, greedily fall to the pails of water, hastily bandage the wounds with rags, and again violently rush into the battle.
On a small hill, under a banner, ignoring the arrows, Yermak gives short orders to the signalmen, from time to time points with a saber to a small group of pishchalniks who are with him, where to support the onslaught of the Cossacks with fire.
At hand Yermak and fifty cavalry, playing the role of a mobile reserve. At the sign of the ataman, the cavalry in groups of 20-30 people rush to the most dangerous places, cut down groups of the Horde who broke through the Cossack system, and again converge on the military banner.
When the Cossack "Glory", whistles and screams drowned out the cries of "Ar-ra-a !!.", the Khan's fingers cramped and he, like a predatory golden eagle, grabbed the bodyguard by the shoulder:
What's going on there? Say what you see?
The bodyguard spoke, confused, stuttering, afraid of incurring the khan's wrath, for he saw how strong, bearded, as if enchanted, people made their way. And if "Ar-ra-a" sounded louder, Kuchum began to pray in a singsong voice.
Yermak pointed with his saber to the top of the mountain.
Kuzmich! Now to smash into the Khan's tent ...
Let's think about it, - the old gunner replied, - the dove just needs to be rearranged.
With a bloodied saber, he pointed the ring at Mametkul, who broke through the Cossack formation with his nukers.
Capture it! Yermak shouted in response, and fifty cavalry flew after the Ring.
Meanwhile, the old gunner, meanwhile, himself slowly hammered with a banner into the muzzle of the gun, then for a long time chose the core, estimating the weight. Chose, hammered it into a cannon.
No one can break through to Mametkul through the thick of bodyguards. The Cossacks dump some, immediately others appear in front of them. Then Yermak gives a sign to the tweeters standing near him. Those, taking aim, give a friendly volley. Bodyguards fall around Mametkul. After another volley, Mametkul grabbed his shoulder, dropped his saber and fell off his horse. Blood was pouring from his shoulder.
The Tatars let out a terrible cry, surrounded their commander with a solid wall. Some stood to death under the sabers of the Cossacks, others, throwing the wounded Mametkul across the saddle, began to make their way out of the thick of the battle ...
Finally they succeeded. A group of six cavalry swiftly galloped along the coast, taking away the wounded Mametkul, firing on the move from bows from the Cossacks who were trying to pursue.
I. I. Dmitriev
Yermak (excerpt from a ballad)
... I saw with him the battle of Megmet-Kula* of the Siberian countries of the hero: Having scattered all the arrows from the body And burning with great heat, He drew a deadly saber. "Give me death rather than life I'll be vilified Dragging me in captivity!" - he said - And instantly attacked Yermak. Terrible view! they fought! Their sabers glisten with lightning, They make heavy blows, And both were crushed at once. They engaged in hand-to-hand combat: Chest to chest and hand to hand; From their cry the oak forests howl; They dig the ground with their feet; Sweat is already pouring from them like hail; Their hearts are already beating terribly, And the ribs of both are cracking; Now this one, then this one bends on its side; They spin, and - Yermak broke! "You're mine now!" he cried out, "and everything is now under my control!"*(Megmet-Kul - Prince Mametkul.)
Vasily Gnutov
The feat of Yermak (excerpt from the novel)
Yermak followed the progress of the battle. Soon he saw warriors in birch-bark caps, armed with bows and spears, descending from the mountain. Ahead of them, dancing, were several people in masks and in multi-colored robes with fluttering ribbons. They beat small drums with bells with mallets, threw them up, whirled and shouted something, opening their mouths wide. And the warriors themselves, following them, also shouted something, howled like wolves, howled like owls in the forest, howled no-foxes, and all this merged into a threatening, heart-rending cry. It was the Vogul and Ostyak shamans who accompanied their relatives into battle. They frightened the Cossacks and drove away evil spirits from their warriors. The dump in the meadow has increased even more. With the intuition of an experienced warrior, Yermak realized that it was time to bring in a reserve regiment.
Meshcheryak* was ready and was only waiting for a sign - a fire near the guns. The prepared tarred tow flew up into the sky like a red cloth and threw a tail of black smoke into the wind. Meshcheryak led his regiment into the meadow. Yermak stepped forward. Briefly said:
I lead the regiment myself. Meshcheryak help me. Come on guys, follow me! Let's kill Mametkul!
With drawn sabers and shouting "Hurrah!" the regiment moved against the Tatars.
Gavrila Ivanov fought with both hands, having learned this art from Yermak. In a heated fight, he did not forget to keep in sight the neighbors to the right and left of him. From the height of his remarkable growth, Gavrila saw that that stately Tatar in chain mail, who led the Tatars into hand-to-hand combat, was pushing the Cossacks, and hurried to their rescue. He guessed that this Tatar giant was Mametkul himself, and he was seized with a desire to fight him. He remembered Yermak's words: "Gavrila! Pounce on Mametka-la, and when he runs, take him off the tail."
Mametkul himself went to meet Gavrila. The heroes made a mistake, sabers rang out. The fight was short, but stubborn, they fought not for life, but for death. Having repulsed the next blow of Mametkul's saber with a six-feather, Gavrila Ivanov slashed him on the shoulder with his broadsword with such force that he cut through the pauldrons and chain mail. Blood spattered from Mametkul's shoulder, and he lowered his hand with a sharp saber. Ivanov swung his hand for a second blow, but two Tatars in thick tegils rose up in front of him, pushing him to the side. Dozens of hands grabbed Mametkul and carried him away in an instant - Ivanov did not even have time to blink an eye.
The news that Mametkul was wounded and that he had left the battlefield immediately spread through the ranks of the Tatars. They slumped, weakened the pressure. At the right wing of the notches, the Ostyaks could not stand it, the Vogulichi howled and rushed en masse into the gap.
Banner ahead! - Yermak shouted, and in a minute - another blue flag was already fluttering on the shaft.
The Tatars did not fight for long. Seeing the Cossack banner in their rear, they ran into the breaches of the notch. Up from it, one is steep, the other is a ribbon in the girth of the mountain, two roads left. The Tatars fled along them to the Chuvashevsky town, under the cover of the walls. The guns fired after them. The front in fear accelerated the run, leaving the rear without protection. Cossacks climbed behind the Tatars and cut down the fleeing with their sabers. All the way to the Chuvashevsky town was littered with corpses.
The notch is empty. Those who were behind the rampart also fled. And only the groans of the wounded, and the cries of the Tatars raging behind the wooden palisade on the mountain of the Tatars still swayed over the banks of the Irtysh. Yermak ordered to collect all the dead, pick up the wounded, immerse them in plows, and burn the notch. Pitch pines, firs, firs and larches lit up together, crackling and smoking. People were suffocating in the smoke, and this made them even more afraid. The cannons fired at the fort's spike until the last minute. And only when they removed the dead and carried the wounded into the boats, they dragged the guns to the shore. We sailed from the Chuvasheva Mountain a little lower, and at the mouth of the Kurdyumka River we stopped for the night.
*(Matvey Meshcheryak is one of the chieftains of Yermak's squad.)
E. H. Katelnikov
Glorious quiet Don Ivanov, In the time of the formidable tsar, With the soul of infants and atamans I flowed out to the rivers and seas. Disgusting storms despising, Covering the mountains with waves, Occupied Siberia, frightened the Caucasus, And then married with laurels, He seemed a kingdom to the universe, And Parnassus was amazed!V. G. Belinsky
The exploits of these knights (Cossacks Yermak. - M., A) were never captured either by atrocity or cruelty: they were daring and well done ...
Vasily Pukhnachev
Ermak (excerpt from a poem)
For Russia to go on a campaign for a feat? I will foresee space For Russian strength. Siberia... The land of unafraid sables And gold. Ways - to the sea-ocean ... There are white lands and free rivers The Russian people would be given. Reach the ocean, Become a Cossack's Foot Forever. ... A harsh hike. And few of us. Where by firmness, and where by patience, Yes, one must take an estimate And the people forced by the khan To bend to their side. ...How long will blood flow? Here the people are different, but the torments are the same, There, in Russia, and here the ashes do not get cold. Sermyazhny sermyazhny boyars in the yoke. And here is a wild Ostyak In the khan's noose... Surely all over the earth, From the Urals and to the sea-ocean, The cherished land is not found, Where the free will lives. ... Strong Kuchum, Heavy campaign in Siberia. And many will not meet a new dawn, But we have only one way - forward! In battle, in one battle - Salvation and victory. Or we, or Kuchum ... The battle is coming! Brave team, We, having no fear, Let's go to battle for Russia, Forward. Now in unity is our strength. Cossack brothers! We have no way back. Russia behind and Russian people. On the sword that has risen, let us raise the swords. We will not drop Russian glory And we will not betray Russia.Vasily Gnutov
The feat of Yermak (excerpt)
On a misty gray morning of October 26, 1582, Yermak's thinned squad led the plows out of the backwater to the Irtysh wave. Ice floes swayed on the dark green water, icy crushed sludge rubbed against the side. Silently sailed to the Chuvashevsky town. The Yermakovites knew that he would be abandoned by the Kuchumians. In silence, the stern warriors passed by the burnt and destroyed buildings, huts, yurts. In some places, the unburned skeletons of yurts looked like the ribs of long-dead huge antediluvian monsters. From Chuvashevsky to Isker they walked. The road was widely trampled by many horse hooves. She then descended into the valley, then rose to the hill, crossed by old ravines with gentle slopes. Streams flowed along their bottom, overgrown with wild rose bushes. And all around - coniferous years, dark in autumn, gloomy and silent. When they climbed the hill, the Irtysh rustled on the right...
Each combatant understood that they were going to the last, decisive battle. It was necessary to expel the Kuchum army from Isker or die under its walls. They walked in silence, bending under the weight of chain mail, squeakers, spears. A breeze blew from the east, dispersed the remnants of the fog, gaps appeared in the low, overcast sky, the sun came out in them, and the day brightened. We approached the Khan's capital. The gates were open. Huge log doors, bound with iron, swayed slightly in gusts of wind. People are not seen, their voices are not heard.
Beyond the walls of Isker one could see a minaret, the roofs of a mosque, towers and some other tall buildings, perhaps the palace of Kuchum, about which the Cossacks had heard a lot of wealth he had stolen from his vassals, princes and neighbors.
Stopped.
They're lying, you bastards! Ring said loudly.
Not a single arrow was fired at them. Then Yermak ordered Cherkes Alexandrov to send a patrol to the city. Fyodor Chukalin headed the five-man reconnaissance. They climbed over the ditch, entered the gate, cautiously, with an eye out for it, reached the square. We saw the ruins of adobe huts familiar from the Chuvashevsky town. Felt blankets, bridles, belts, patterned felt mats, pillows, thrown in a hurry, were scattered everywhere. About three dozen undersized horses stood dejectedly near the Sibirka River. Seeing the people, two or three of them neighed.
Nobody! - Chukalin said to his comrades. - Turn back!
They came to the gate again. We stood at the drawbridge.
We must lower the bridge, - said Fyodor.
Go! What a thought * what was found! - Ivan Medved interrupted him. - Try to understand these strings!
*(Rozmysel is a military engineer.)
We need to figure it out.
Fedor pulled one rope, another, touched the blocks, untied the fixed ropes - and the bridge went down, lay across the moat.
Here's an idea for you! - he could not resist, he boasted, winking at Ivan.
You have a head! - the Bear answered cheerfully and, suddenly slapping him hard on the cap, rushed to the bridge, running away.
Fedor is behind him. The rest, laughing and shouting, ran across the bridge after them.
When Fyodor Chukalin reported everything he had seen to Yermak, the ataman took off his hat, crossed himself in a flourish and said:
Kuchum-king was knocked down from the hut
V. A. Zhukovsky
The hordes collapsed the throne; The hostile Kazan has disappeared, Yermak's dashing gang has climbed over the edge of the Urals, And in front of the Cossack's saber With its wild hordes And evil-bearing mountains, gloomy Siberia has resigned itself.N. M. Karamzin
On October 26 (1581 - M.A.), already famous for history, the funeral service solemnly entered Isker, or the city of Siberia, which stood on the high bank of the Irtysh, fortified on the one hand by steepness, a deep ravine, and on the other triple rampart and moat. There, the victors found great wealth, according to the chronicler: a lot of gold and silver, Asian brocades, precious stones, furs, and they fraternally divided everything among themselves. The city was empty; having taken possession of the kingdom, our knights have not yet seen people in it; having gold and sables, they had no food: but on October 30, the Ostyaks came to them with their prince Boar, with gifts and supplies; swore allegiance, demanded mercy and patronage. Soon many Tatars appeared with their wives and children, whom Yermak treated kindly, reassured and let everyone go to their former yurts, imposing a light tribute. This former ataman of robbers, having shown himself to be a fearless hero, a skilled leader, showed extraordinary intelligence both in zemstvo institutions and in observing military subordination, instilling in rude, wild people a power of attorney for new power and the severity of subduing his violent companions, who, having overcome so many dangers, in land conquered by them, at the end of the world, did not dare to touch a single hair of civilians. They write that the formidable, inexorable Yermak, pitying the Christian soldiers in battle, did not spare them in the event of a crime and executed them for any disobedience, for any studish deed, for he demanded from the squad not only obedience, but also purity of soul, in order to please the earthly king together and the king of heaven; he thought that God would give him victory sooner with a small number of virtuous warriors than with a large number of inveterate sinners, and his Cossacks, according to the Tobolsk chronicler, both on the way and in the Siberian capital led a chaste life: they fought and prayed! The danger has not yet passed.
P. P. Ershov
Suzge (Siberian legend, excerpt)
King Kuchum mourns in the steppes For his rich kingdom; And in its large chambers, the Cossacks sit behind a charm, They commemorate Holy Russia And the Moscow Tsar. In front sits the chief And their great governor, The first in battle and in the councils, That Yermak or Timofeich. Rarely will he touch the spell And in the midst of the fun, the Duma thinks strongly of his own. On the right is the formidable governor, Ataman the brave Ring, Hanging his head on Buina; On the left, merry and riotous, With a full spell of deep, Ataman Thunderstorm sits. At the other end, three other chieftains are feasting: Meshcheryak, Mikhailov and Pan. Behind the chambers of Kuchum, In the large yard, daring Cossacks walk. The bright day is coming to evening, And the Cossack feast is coming to an end... Suddenly their great governor, That Yermak or Timofeich, Having drunk the spell in one breath, Quickly got up from the table. "No, comrades," he said, "It's too early for us to rest; Our conceived work must be completed first: We only took Isker - It remains to take Siberia. Bad news has come to us: They say that the royal brother-in-law Did not run away with Tsar Kuchum, What sits now in Suzgun, What secretly gathers an army To take away Isker from us Tomorrow with God to work! Remember the goodness of God, Don't destroy everyone in vain. You, Ring, sit in Isker, Take care of it for Russia; I myself will go with others To the king of that Seydyak. We must finish quickly: After all, winter is not far away. Yermak finished his speech, Atamans stood up quietly. Goy, our Yermak Timofeyevich! - They all shouted loudly. - You can order us, We are your novices! "The next day, all the Cossacks Still got up before dawn, Sabers, guns cleared, Gathered to the square, And in order - rank to rank - They lined up. Here comes the governor, That Ermak Timofeich With his chieftains; Bows low to the army. And he approaches the banner, And gives a sign to prayer. And obediently the whole squad, Bowing their knees behind the leader, In reverent silence Prays to the Lord and God O Victory over enemies, Not a long time - prayer is strong! Soon all the Cossacks stood up, Sabers naked and unanimously shouted in a loud voice: "The power of God is with us And the saint Nikolai!" Here Yermak goes around the ranks, Namely calls out All tenants and elders, remembers the Glory of the Don, And rich booty, And the king's forgiveness. "Goy, comrades and brothers, you are daring Cossacks! It’s better for us to die honestly, Than to die a shameful death On a shameful scaffold And deserve a curse.” good way!P. N. Krasnov
Ermak Timofeevich - conqueror of Siberia (excerpt)
Kuchum became completely decrepit from grief, lost his sight and wandered alone in the Ishim steppe. Having recovered from his wound, Mametkul surrounded the Cossack camp with his riders and captured single Cossacks returning from trips. But Yermak was also following him. His daredevils did not sleep in the winter. From the foot rati, walking on the ships, by the spring, Yermak's squad turned into an excellent cavalry. The Tatars of the surrounding Siberia * yurts became friends of the Cossacks; they reported to Yermak that Mametkul with a small detachment of Tatars stood on the Vagoya River. This was in the spring of 1583. Yermak sent a hundred of 60 people against him. The Cossacks attacked the Tatar camp at night. They killed most of the Tatars sleepy, and Mametkul himself was taken prisoner and brought alive to Yermak.
As soon as the rivers opened up, Cossack detachments again went on ships, widely pushing Yermak's conquests. More than one Cossack head lay on the attack of the Siberian cities. One of the main associates of Yermak, Nikita Pan, was also killed.
*(I mean the capital Siberian Khanate city of Isker (Siberia).)
P. P. Ershov
Suzge (excerpt)
Under the slope of the fragrant firs Gathered all the Cossacks. And they stand without hats; Two officers of the detachment are pouring a grave hill. Silence is all around! ... The night has descended to the earth, The wind howls through the oak forest, Drives rain clouds, And the Irtysh splashes with a ringing wave on the steepness of the cliff. Dismissing their sails, Good Cossacks are riding. Their living song is pouring - What about mother about the Volga, What about their Don, dear Don, What about the glory of the Cossack.P. N. Krasnov
In Siberia itself (Isker. - M.A.) an embassy was equipped to the Stroganovs and the Moscow Tsar. The best furs, 2400 sables, 20 silver foxes and 20 beavers, the best stones were collected, native gold was poured, the precious royal hats and Kuchum's outfits were wrapped and sewn into matting. The head of the flying village with gifts to Tsar John IV, who was beaten by the Don Cossack Yermak Timofeevich, was appointed Yermak's best combatant Ataman Ivan Koltso. He was punished, having arrived in Moscow, "to beat the brow of the tsar with the kingdom of Siberia" ...
The Cossacks burst out a merry song when, along the familiar path, along the Siberian rivers, they sailed back to the Stone Belt. The oars walked briskly in their hands, the consciousness of the great deed they had accomplished inspired them, and the sharp-breasted Cossack canoes flew along the cold waves of the wide
The Tsar joyfully accepted Ivan the Ring. He forgave the Cossacks for all their previous robberies on the Volga, granted those sent money and cloth for clothes, allowed the ataman Koltso to recruit hunters in the Moscow land to populate Siberia, and ordered Mametkul to be sent to Moscow. Yermak and his comrades were granted a charter by the tsar.
In the royal letter, John IV graciously announced to the Cossacks the oblivion of old faults and eternal gratitude to Russia for an important service. Ermak was named Prince of Siberia, he was instructed to organize the conquered land. To receive the Siberian cities from Moscow, the governor Prince Semyon Volkhovsky and the head Ivan Glukhov were sent with a detachment of the best Moscow soldiers of the archers.
Yermak's godson, Mametkul, turned out to be a brave warrior in Moscow as well. He rose to the rank of governor in the Russian troops, which corresponds to the current general, and fought with the Swedes, distinguished by courage and skill.
Donated to the Moscow State by the Don Cossacks, Siberia strengthened the Moscow Tsar and began to supply him with both bread and gold. But at the same time, Yermak and the Don people gave the Russian people vast lands. And when it became crowded in Russia, the settlers reached out to the wide Siberian steppes, to the dense taiga and found excellent places to live there.
A. N. Radishchev
Bova (excerpt from a poetic story)
... I will take a breath in the place Where Yermak and his retinue, Sitting in boats, rushed To that terrible, cold country, To that country where I am in the midst of disasters, But in the bosom of hot friendship I was blessed and where I left my soul tender half. I will sigh, that there is no strength, O Yermak, my soul is great, Sing your deeds! .A. A. Navrotsky
Yermak (excerpt)
He was a Cossack. The banks of the native Don He was raised in the greenery of the fields; As a faithful son of a free brothel, He did not recognize the appointed authorities. ... Although there are many of them, godless pagans - The Volga robber, the miraculous hero, He, at the head of reliable comrades, Dropped into distant Siberia. Among the forests and deep-water tundra He boldly walked, meeting with the enemy. Invincible is the impulse of a free soul When it fights with a slave.P. N. Krasnov
Death of Yermak (excerpt)
Having sent Ataman Koltso to Moscow, Yermak went with the Cossacks to the north of Siberia. In all cities, he announced to the inhabitants of their submission to the Moscow Tsar and left the Cossacks for order. So, in campaigns and labors, he spent the summer and winter of 1582 and the summer of 1583. In the autumn of this year, he returned to Isker, and here he was met by Ataman Koltso, who had arrived from Moscow.
The meeting of chieftains was joyful. A circle of Cossacks gathered and the people of the Don listened with enthusiasm to the long story of the envoy about the royal reception. The Siberian prince Yermak put on heavy armor brought from the tsar, the Cossacks kissed each other, congratulated each other on the royal favours...
The hard winter is coming to an end. The sun shone brighter. It got warmer. Wagon trains were drawn from the surrounding villages. Yermak's army cheered up. But the squad was reduced by half.
The Tatars, meanwhile, were preparing treason. They flattered the Cossacks, bowed low to them, feasted with them, swore that they had become their brothers, and they themselves planned cruel revenge. In the summer, ataman Ivan Koltso was visiting Mirza Karachi with 40 Cossacks. As always, they drank a drunken buza, listened to how the blind singers sang mournfully to the sound of strings. We watched the slow dance of the Tatars. At night, everyone carelessly went to bed, without sentries and without weapons ... They forgot the Cossack dexterity ... Nobody got up in the morning. Everyone was slaughtered, the cruel Karacha spared no one.
Sadness over this occasion had not had time to dissipate, as a new misfortune fell on Yermak's small detachment. His other ataman died, the dashing Donets Mikhailov ... He died on reconnaissance, killed from an ambush with an arrow.
The Cossacks died. The best warriors were killed. In June, the Tatars suddenly stopped paying tribute. A large army gathered near Karachi, and they besieged the city of Siberia with them. This time the Tatars were careful. They set up their notches and deployed an army behind them three versts from the city. They decided to destroy Yermak and his squad by starvation. Hard days have come. Neither the guns nor the Cossack rifles could reach the Tatar camp.
And in this difficult time, the valor of the Cossacks woke up again. Ataman Meshcheryakov called on the hunters to break through the Tatar camp and attack the Tatars from behind. Choosing a moonless night, he quietly left the city of Siberia and, sneaking up unnoticed to the main Tatar camp, rushed to slaughter the sleepy Tatars. Both sons of Karachi were killed. In horror, the Tatars fled, and Meshcheryakov sat down with his detachment in the Tatar convoy. At dawn, Karacha gathered the Tatars and attacked the Cossacks. But the Cossacks met the Tatars with friendly fire from the squeakers and drove the enemies away. Moreover, they rushed to pursue them and at noon returned to Siberia, liberated from the siege.
In order to punish the enemy and protect himself for the future, Yermak, with 300 Cossacks, set off on a new campaign across the Siberian kingdom. By winter, he returned with rich booty. All towns were brought to obedience, tribute was imposed on all.
Two years passed quietly. Cossacks and Russians managed to establish trade with neighboring peoples. They reached Siberia, and from there caravans with tea were brought to Moscow from China, silk and cotton were brought from Bukhara, incense and spices were brought from distant India. Siberia grew rich from trade.
Having learned about this, the old Kuchum, wandering in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, in 1584 gathered an army, became an outpost and did not let Bukhara merchants into the Siberian kingdom. Yermak was informed about this. Yermak took 50 Cossacks and sailed with them in boats up the Irtysh. For several days the Cossacks rowed between forests and gloomy rocks. They reached the outposts, but found no Tatars anywhere. Yermak, having spent the whole day in search, returned to the boats by the night of August 5-6 and settled down for the night. The night was dark, it was raining, the wind rustled the tops of the trees. The tired Cossacks fell into a sound sleep. The Tatars, who were following the Cossack detachment from the other side of the Irtysh, crossed the river and attacked the sleepy Cossacks. Only two woke up, Yermak and another Donets. Yermak desperately defended himself, but seeing that he was alone, that his faithful squad had died, he rushed to the Irtysh, hoping to swim to the boats. But the heavy armor given to him by John dragged him to the bottom, fatigue took its toll, his hands were exhausted, his head became foggy, and the great Donets, Prince of Siberia, died, not having reached the plows.
E. A. Baratynsky
Yermak (excerpt)
... You see, traveler: many, many cold, stormy winters have passed, Since the great Irtysh was threatened with abusive anxiety. ... And then one day the night found Here, on the banks of the Irtysh, Aliens. Everything between them slept, Forgetting about vengeful enemies. They woke up with arrows And drove away sleep with death! But the shuttles of aliens floated Among the seething menacing waves. Their leader was forged of iron, And he was alien to our death! In the Irtysh, prey of a gloomy dream, He jumped, woke up and swam, And was close to the allied boats, Perhaps he would have reached them, The Irtysh seemed heavy: The Irtysh roared - he drowned.A. A. Navrotsky
Yermak (excerpt)
...But the hour has come... None of the creatures will ever escape it. On a handful of fighters, in a sound sleep immersed, A ferocious horde attacked. Yermak is not afraid of attacks. He beat her like eagles beat enemies: But, weakened, he sought salvation in the river And jumped into the waves from a stone cliff. He drowned, crushed by the decoration, And the river took his ashes; But he gave Russia a vast kingdom, And she honors that feat of Yermak.A. V. Abramov (Shiryaevets)
Yermak (excerpt)
The Siberian night is the accursed haze, The howl of the infidel, joyfully screeching... The sparkle of knives... More than one arrow Rushing to the chest of the freedom-loving... The sword is serrated... - Warriors! come to me! .. - Not a single one! .. - Let's go, Irtysh, good luck! .. The waves have settled ... It's heavy in armor! And arrows are pouring from the shore, crying terribly ... I did not hear how the Tatar din grows - He sailed to Russia to the banks of the Volga! ..P. P. Ershov
Death of Yermak
Heavy clouds covered the Siberian sky; The gusty wind between the pines rustled sullenly; Crowned with foam, the Irtysh waves boiled; The rain poured down like a river, and the midnight thunder rumbled. Calmly the Cossacks sat on the high bank, And the noise of bad weather brought drowsiness to the eyes. Their intrepid leader, under the canopy of a branched spruce, Leaning on his saber, looked at the brave Cossacks. And the evil grief on the heart of the hero lay, The head was burdened, the hot blood was agitated. And the horror of the involuntary spirit of the cheerful leader fettered. Suddenly wild cries... Cossack blood flowed... Ermak's Bulat flashed - the crowd parted - And someone fell off the cliff into the seething waves.K. F. Ryleev
Death of Yermak
A storm roared, the rain roared, Lightnings flew in the darkness, Thunder thundered incessantly, And the winds raged in the wilds... Breathing passion for glory, In a harsh and gloomy country, On the wild bank of the Irtysh Yermak sat, embraced by thought. Companions of his labors, Victories and loud-sounding glory, Among the spread tents Sleeping carelessly, near the oak forest. “Oh, sleep, sleep,” the hero thought, “Friends, under a roaring storm; With dawn, my voice will be heard, Calling for glory or death! He who did not spare his life, Gaining gold in robberies, Will he think about it, Dying for Holy Russia? Having washed away All the crimes of a violent life with his own and enemy's blood, And for victories, having earned the Blessing of the Fatherland, - Death cannot be terrible for us; We have done our work: Siberia is conquered by the tsar, And we did not live idle in the world! But his fateful destiny Already sat next to the hero And looked with regret At the victim with a curious look. A storm roared, the rain roared, Lightnings flew in the darkness, Thunder rumbled incessantly, And the winds raged in the wilds. The Irtysh boiled in steep banks, Gray waves rose, And crumbled with a roar into dust, Biya on the bank, Cossack boats. With the leader, the brave squad ate peace in the arms of sleep; With Kuchum, only one storm At their death did not doze! Fearing to enter into battle with the hero, Kuchum to the tents, like a despicable thief, Sneaked along the secret path of the Tatars, surrounded by crowds. Swords flashed in their hands - And the valley became bloody, And the menacing squad fell in battles, Without unsheathing swords, the squad ... Yermak woke up from sleep, And, death in vain, strives into the waves, The soul is full of courage, But far from the shore of the canoe! The Irtysh is agitated more strongly - Yermak strains all his strength, And with his powerful hand cuts the gray Shafts ... Floats ... the shuttle is close - But the force yielded to fate, And, boiling more terribly, the river swallowed the Hero with a noise. Depriving the strength of the hero To fight the fierce wave, The heavy shell - the gift of the king Became the death of his fault. A storm was roaring... suddenly the boiling Irtysh became ribbed with the moon, And the corpse, vomited by the wave, In the copper armor lit up. Clouds were rushing by, the rain was noisy, And the lightning still sparkled, And the thunder still rumbled in the distance, And the winds raged in the wilds.*(Tat is a robber.)
I. I. Dmitriev
Yermak (excerpt)
... Peace be upon you, Yermak! May the Russians crown your image poured out of gold; But what am I talking about, O oblivious shadow! Where is your obelisk? We don't know where even your ashes were buried. Alas! he is trampled by a boar Or an Ostyak runs along him For a fast and horned doe, Aiming at her with a feathered arrow, But be comforted you, hero! Soaring poetic genius Every day with the golden Aurora, In the hours of divine manifestations Above your ashes Floats And a sweet song says over him: "Great! Wherever you were born, Even if in barbarian ages Your feat of life was accomplished; Even if your very ashes disappeared; Even if your sons, descendants, Forgetting the deeds of the loud ancestor, Wandered in the wilds and forests But lived with greedy wolves, - But you, a great man, You will go along with the demigods From generation to generation, from century to century; And your glory beam will be eclipsed When the light of the sun fades, With a crash the sky will fall apart And time will fall on the scythe!A. A. Leonov
In palaces, in a wretched hut, In luboks or in a golden frame With a majestically strict posture He stands forever, as if alive...P. N. Krasnov
Death of Yermak (excerpt)
Yermak died, died in the Irtysh, in a desperate battle with the Tatars, but only his mortal body died. He himself, the great Don ataman, is still alive. Lives in Cossack songs old and new.
Did not forget Yermak and descendants. In Tobolsk, the main city of Western Siberia, the first conquered by Yermak, a monument was erected to him, at the behest of Emperor Nicholas I, in 1838 with the inscription: "To the Conqueror of Siberia, Yermak." Another monument was erected in 1904 with donations from the Don in Novocherkassk, in the Don army, in the homeland of Yermak. On this monument there is an inscription: "Yermak - Donets". 3rd
The Don Cossack regiment bears his glorious name. The 1st Siberian Cossack Yermak Timofeevich Regiment also bears his name. There is a Ermakovskaya village on the Don, there are Ermakov farms, and not one Donets bears the glorious name of Ermakov, as if in remembrance that his grandfathers went on a glorious campaign with Ermak and conquered with a brave battle native Russia the whole great Siberian kingdom!
They were included in another chronicle, compiled in 1760 by the Tobolsk coachman Ivan Leontyevich Cherepanov.
The Cherepanov Chronicle immediately became a sensation, because it was the first to be found in it - what would you think? - Pedigree of Yermak. It described in detail how his grandfather worked as a driver for the Murom robbers, for which he was caught and imprisoned. Then he fled with his wife and two children, who, after the death of their father, found shelter in the Stroganov estates. It turned out that Yermak is Vasily Timofeevich Olenin. And he still has a bunch of siblings and cousins.
In general, the thing is quite incredible. A Cossack - a robber, a person who actually lives outside the law, suddenly announces his relatives publicly, putting them under a certain blow. N.M. Karamzin called this "news" a "fairy tale", and the historian L.N. Maikov generally categorically stated in 1876: "... the chronicle of I.L. Cherepanov does not deserve to be printed ..." But evidence suddenly appeared that the Cherepanov Chronicle was simply a conscientious compilation of many sources. And one of them - "The Legend of the Siberian Land" - was found by the famous Ural local historian, Alexander Alekseevich Dmitriev. In this "Tale" information about Yermak almost completely coincided with Cherepanov's.
Of course, on A.A. Dmitriev was also immediately attacked by critics. They accused the text he published of "...representing an unintelligent and sometimes absurd forgery of Slavic (language. - L.S.)..." and that it does not have the name of the compiler at all. However, Dmitriev also found defenders, who eventually proved that the same biographical data about Yermak was first recorded not so far from 1633.
On the one hand, this immediately strengthened the position of the Cherepanov Chronicle. But, on the other hand, voices began to be heard - perhaps too much conflicting information appeared at the same supposed time and in the same place. After all, Dmitriev found his "Tale" not just anywhere, but in the Solikamsk district.
In general, there are also considerable difficulties with the question of the name of the Siberian hero.
By the way, although the merits of this man before the Moscow state were recognized almost immediately - well, Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible himself granted him a fur coat from his shoulder - then his elevation to the rank of a national hero had its opponents.
The issue turned out to be so serious that it was even submitted to the meetings of the "Historical Department" of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences on June 3 and 6, 1748. Here is what information about that meeting he cites in his book "The Stroganov House in XVI-XVII centuries"A.A. Vvedensky: "... in the protocols ... it is noted that "Mr. Professor Lomonosov thinks that it is truly unknown whether Yermak fought for himself or for the All-Russian autocrat, but this is true that he later bowed to the All-Russian monarch with her For this reason, if these arguments, which are written about his affairs with some blasphemy, cannot be changed, it is better to throw them all out "".
The academician was embarrassed that the protagonist of the events was a robber. VC. Tredyakovsky, supporting M.V. Lomonosov, pointed out: “Nezh decency and some political dangers and precautions require that the dishonest name of Yermak not offend readers, and especially Russians, who already all have a great inclination towards him for the noble and useful deed done by him ... then ... mentioned all descriptions about him should be turned off if they cannot be corrected and softened.
That's it. And you say: Orwell, Platonov ... In combing the history of Avon even when they started. So we have yet to find out the whole truth about Yermak Timofeevich. But at the same time, most of us, I think, will be able to come to terms with the idea that today science does not know quite definitely how, when, at whose request Ataman Yermak showed up in the Urals. In the end, it is more important for posterity to know not how he got here, but what he did here.
It would seem that all researchers are united in this: he accomplished a brilliant feat. After all, as Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin put it, "...neither contemporaries nor posterity thought to take away from Yermak the full honor of this conquest, magnifying his valor not only in chronicles, but also in holy temples, where we still solemnly pray for him ...".
We pray, of course, in Russian Orthodox churches. But not everyone prays there.
"The feat of Yermak"- a historical novel by the Don writer Vasily Petrovich Gnutov (-), a member of the Writers' Union of Russia since 1991. Saw the light in 1986 in the Rostov book publishing house.
History of creation[ | ]
To write this large-scale novel, V. P. Gnutov studied the Siberian chronicles and special scientific and historical literature for four years, including the works of G. F. Miller, S. V. Bakhrushin, A. D. Kolesnikov, R. G. Skrynnikov and etc.
Content [ | ]
The action of the novel "The Feat of Yermak" takes place in the era of Ivan the Terrible. The first chapters are devoted to the activities on the Don of Yermak, the former chieftain of the frontier town of Kachalinsky. A number of chapters are devoted to the actions of the Cossacks on the Volga, their campaign in the Livonian War. The role of the merchants Strogonovs in organizing the campaign of the Ermakov squad to Siberia, the transition of the Volga, so-called thieves, Cossacks from a free, semi-robbery life to the "sovereign" service as an opportunity to earn "forgiveness of former wines" and fulfillment of duty to the Fatherland is revealed in detail and objectively. The second part of the novel depicts Yermak's campaign in Siberia. The hero is revealed in communication with the Cossacks, local residents, in battles, extreme situations of the campaign.
Yermak took his last battle on the night of August 5-6, 1585.
Death of Yermak [ | ]
In August 1585, Yermak learned that a Bukhara caravan was heading to Siberia, and Kuchum himself wanted to cut off his path in order to seize goods. Yermak hurried with his retinue to the mouth of the Vagay River, which flows into the Irtysh, in order to give the caravan a free path along the Irtysh. Tired of the long march, he settled down with the Cossacks to rest near the river. The night was rainy and stormy. All the Cossacks fell into a deep sleep. Nobody expected the enemy. Meanwhile, the Tatars, led by the khans themselves, suddenly attacked the camp and began to slaughter the sleepy ones. Ermak, seeking salvation, rushed to the Irtysh. He wanted to get to his boat, but the plow was far from the shore. Heavy armor pulled Yermak to the bottom, and he drowned. Nearly all of his comrades were also killed. Siberia was abandoned, but the cause of Yermak was not in vain: his campaign crushed the power
The years of the life of Yermak Timofeevich are not known for certain today. By different versions, he was born either in 1531, or in 1534, or even in 1542. But the exact date of death is known - August 6, 1585.
He was a Cossack ataman, he is called a National Hero. It was he who discovered a huge part of our country - Siberia.
According to one version, the Cossack Ermak Timofeevich was born in the region of the Middle Urals. He looked like this: large, broad-shouldered, with a black beard, of medium height, with a flat face. We do not know what surname Ermak bore. But one historian is sure that full name sounded like Vasily Timofeevich Alenin.
Yermak was a member of the Livonian War, commanded the Cossacks. In 1581 he fought in Lithuania. Yermak also participated in the liberation of the besieged Pskov. In 1582 he was in the army that stopped the Swedes.
History reference
The Siberian Khanate was part of the possessions of Genghis Khan. In 1563, Kuchum began to rule there, but this did not happen in an honest way. Having killed Yediger, a tributary of Moscow, he "pretended to be his own." In the government, he was recognized as a khan, and also ordered to pay tribute. But, having settled well in Siberia, Kuchum decided to make the Khanate independent and independent: he did not pay tribute, he attacked other territories. And Moscow was now faced with the task of returning the Siberian Khanate under its control.
It should be noted that the eastern lands were colonized by the famous Stroganov family, industrialists and merchants. Moscow controlled their activities. The Stroganovs were extraordinarily rich. They had their own detachments and fortresses behind the Kama, which they themselves supply with weapons. After all, the earth had to be protected somehow. And here Yermak comes to their aid.
Ermak Timofeevich: the conquest of Siberia and the discovery of new lands
How it all began
One of the Siberian chronicles tells that the Stroganovs sent a letter to the Cossacks. The merchants asked for help against the attacking peoples. The Cossack squad, led by Yermak, arrived in Siberia and successfully defended the lands from the Vogulichs, Votyaks, Pelyms and others.
Still, it remains unknown exactly how the "deal" between the Stroganovs and the Cossack army took place.
- The merchants simply sent or even ordered Cossack detachments to conquer Siberia.
- Ermak himself decided to go on a campaign with his army and forced the Stroganovs to provide the necessary weapons, food and more.
- Both those and others made such a decision on favorable terms for all.
Before the start of the campaign, the Stroganovs allocated weapons (guns and gunpowder), provisions, as well as people - about three hundred people. There were 540 Cossacks themselves. The strictest discipline reigned in the detachment of eight hundred people.
The campaign began in September 1581. The detachment sailed along the rivers, long and hard. The boats were stuck, the water was already beginning to freeze. We had to spend the winter near the portage. While some were getting food, others were preparing for spring. The flood came, the boats briskly set off. And so the detachment ended up in the Siberian Khanate.
Approaching the target
In the area of present-day Tyumen, which then belonged to Kuchumov's relative Epanch, the first battle took place. Yermak's army defeated the Yepanchi Tatars. The Cossacks stubbornly moved forward. The Tatars could only run and report the attacks to Kuchum. It should be noted that the Tatars did not have gunpowder weapons, they used bows. Therefore, the guns of Yermak's detachment completely discouraged them, which they reported to the khan. But, on the other hand, the Tatars had a superiority in the number of troops by twenty times or even more. Kuchum, although he was suppressed, but as a true leader quickly gathered all the Tatars under the leadership of Magmetkul and ordered them to go to the Cossacks. Meanwhile, he strengthened the borders of the city of Siberia - the capital of the Khanate.
Magmetkul and the Cossacks fought bloody and cruelly. The armament of the first was significantly inferior, so Magmetkul had to flee. And the Cossacks, meanwhile, moved on, took a couple of cities. Yermak stops to decide how to proceed. It was necessary to decide the following: to go back or move forward. Ataman Ermak Timofeevich feared that there were too many enemies. It was already October 1582. The rivers will soon begin to freeze again, so it is risky to swim back.
And so, early in the morning of October 23, Yermak's army, hoping for God's help, went on the offensive. The fight was incredibly difficult. Yermak's army did not manage to break through the defense of the Tatars. But the Russians managed to break through, the Tatars began to flee from the battlefield. Kuchum, seeing all this, also fled, leaving Siberia.
And on October 26, Yermak with his Cossack detachment entered the capital, rich in precious metals and fur. Yermak's banner was now flying in Siberia.
But it was too early to rejoice. Kuchum, hiding in the steppes, continued to attack the Cossacks. Magmetkul also posed a danger. First, he killed part of the Cossacks in November 1582. But Yermak made a very far-sighted act in the spring of 1853, sending part of the army to attack the Tatars and capture Magmetkul. The Cossack army, although it coped with this task, began to decrease in number and strength. Russian princes were sent to help the detachment with an army of three hundred people. After all, Kuchum did not calm down, and it was necessary to defend the conquered city
The death of Ermak Timofeevich
Here is how it was. Yermak and his detachment marched along the Irtysh. They spent the night at the mouth of the Vagai River. Suddenly, in the dead of night, Kuchum attacks the Cossacks and kills them. Only a few managed to escape. Survivors say that the ataman tried to swim up to the plows (these are such ships), but drowned in the river. This happened, most likely, due to the severity of the armor (Ermak then had two chain mail). Of course, it is possible that he was also wounded.
Conquest of Siberia.
Secrets of Siberia. The mysterious grave of Yermak.
As the Cossack ataman placed on Russian coat of arms third crown
The centuries-old history of collecting the main territories of the Russian state ended with a great deed - the development of Siberia, the region that has become the treasury of our Fatherland, the main source of energy and financial viability of modern Russia. With this in mind, it is impossible not to turn to the beginning of the "Siberiada", in particular to the feat of the ataman Ermak Timofeevich, whose glory equaled the heroes of the Russian epic epic.
On a hike - beyond the Urals
Almost nothing is known about the origin and first years of Yermak's life. Apparently, he was born in the parish of Borok on the Northern Dvina, but left his native land early, moving to the Cossacks who lived on the southern "outland" (steppe) rivers. For twenty years he Cossacked on the Don, Volga and Yaik, having received among his comrades the nickname "Tokmak", which in the language of that time meant a wooden mallet, mallet. The first reliable information about Yermak as a warrior appears in the late 70s of the 16th century, when he participated in battles with the Nogai Tatars and Livonian War. At this time, Yermak becomes a fairly prominent figure in the Russian army. In particular, it is mentioned in one of his reports to the Polish king by the commandant of Mogilev Pan Stravinsky, who was besieged by the Moscow army in June 1581. No other Volga chieftains with that name were known at that time, so his Cossack detachment was hired by the richest Russian merchants and industrialists Stroganovs and came to them in Orel-town (Keredin).
At that harsh time, attacks on the Russian border lands by detachments that came from the territory of the Siberian Tatar Khanate, where Khan Kuchum ruled, became more frequent. The raids of the Ostyak and Voguli tribes subject to him (the modern peoples of the Khanty and Mansi) caused the greatest damage to the possessions of the Stroganovs, located on the eastern borders of the Muscovite state. They began to hire Cossack detachments that were then operating on the Yaik River to fight the Siberian Tatars. These squads were commanded by Ataman Ermak Timofeevich. His closest assistants were chieftains Ivan Koltso, Matvey Meshcheryak, Nikita Pan, Savva Boldyrya and Bogdan Bryazga.
#comm#Thanks to the Cossack squads, a turning point occurred in the war that was going on in the Urals.#/comm#
This is confirmed by the history of one, unfortunately, now lost military award. In the Stroganov collection late XIX century, a "zatinnaya" squeaker was kept with a characteristic inscription on the trunk: "In the city of Kergedan on the Kame River, I give, Maxim Yakovlev, son of Stroganov, to Ataman Ermak in the summer of 7090" (in the chronology adopted at that time, 7090 from the Creation of the World corresponds to 1582 from the Nativity of Christ ). Feeling this turning point in the protracted border war, the Stroganovs decided to strike at the enemy on his territory. They supplied the Cossacks with all the necessary supplies, weapons, and gave them guides who knew the way to Siberia well.
In early September 1582, Yermak's detachment (according to some sources, 840 people, according to others - 1650 people) set out on the Siberian campaign. Along the Chusovaya and Serebryanka rivers, the Cossacks crossed the Ural Mountains and along the Baranchuk and Tagil rivers descended on plows into the Tura River, where the possessions of the Siberian Tatars already began. Having entered the enemy land, Yermak gave a strict order: do not touch the local population, ruthlessly oppressed by Kuchum and his henchmen. This wise decision attracted many native Siberians to the Cossacks, who learned from their own experience that Russians are harsh in appearance, but kind in soul.
Soon the first clashes between Yermak's squad and the enemy took place. During one of them, the noble Tatar Tauzak was captured, who provided Yermak with detailed information about the Siberian Khanate and its armed forces. Then the Cossack leader decided to go to the capital of Kuchum, the city of Kashlyk, located on the Irtysh at the mouth of the Tobol River, a few miles from modern Tobolsk.
The very first battles with the Tatars demonstrated the colossal superiority of the Cossacks in armament. Armed with large-caliber Spanish muskets and multi-barreled volley fire guns, the so-called "magpies", Yermak's soldiers easily dispersed numerous, but poorly trained and poorly armed Tatar detachments. The Cossacks managed to take Epanchin-town (Turinsk), and then the old capital of the Siberian Tatars Chimga-Tura (Tyumen) and defeat Kuchum's troops in the Babsan tract on the banks of the Tobol.
Not by number, but by skill
The Cossacks were born, battle-hardened warriors. As we can see, they were armed with the most advanced weapons of that time. However, their enchanting success was accompanied by another circumstance. At this stage of the Russian-Tatar war, the marching troops of both sides missed each other - Yermak's army attacked the kingdom of Kuchum, at a time when the army of the Siberian Tatars under the command of the eldest Khan's son Alei attacked Cherdyn - the main Russian fortress in the Urals.
Alarmed by the successes of the Russians, Kuchum sent messengers to urgently call his son back, but for now, having gathered all the troops remaining under his hand, he went on the defensive. Not daring to enter into an open clash with the Cossacks, he decided to strengthen the banks of the Tobol River with notches, which Yermak, who had moved towards Kashlyk, could not pass. The main command of the army, concentrated at the Chuvash Cape (Chuvash Mountain), Kuchum entrusted to his nephew and his best commander, Prince Mametkul.
The Battle of the Chuvash Mountains is the main episode of Yermak's victorious campaign in Siberia. It happened on October 23-25, 1582. Having captured two fortified towns that covered the further advance to Kashlyk - Karachin and Atik, Yermak's army approached the well-fortified Chuvash cape, where Mametkul's detachments took refuge behind the notches and rubble. To approach this place, the Cossacks had to break through the notch on the river. Taking advantage of the narrowing of the Tobol River near the Karsulsky Yar, the Tatars built a fence across it from interconnected logs with pointed branches. The approaching Cossack boats were fired upon by the enemy from bows. Yermak was forced to retreat to a place where the banks were not so steep. Having landed with most of the troops on the shore (about 200 Cossacks remained on the plows), Yermak went to the rear of the Tatars and forced them to flee with a swift attack.
After that, having approached the location of the main Tatar army, the Cossacks attacked the notch on the Chuvash Cape. The enemy, convinced of the small number of the Russian detachment, himself, having dismantled the barriers in three places, attacked Yermak's soldiers.
#comm#The Cossacks took up all-round defense, standing in tightly closed ranks. The shooting went on almost continuously. #/comm#
Having fired, the Cossacks changed places with their comrades and, quickly reloading the squeaker or musket, returned to duty. Despite the dense rifle fire, suffering heavy losses, the Tatars broke through several times close to the Russian pishchalniks and converged with them in hand-to-hand combat. During one of these attacks, Prince Mametkul was wounded. The battle continued until the evening. After dark, the Cossacks withdrew to the town of Atik-Murza. The next morning the battle resumed and continued for two more days. October 25, 1582 the Tatars were finally defeated. The princes subject to Kuchum began to leave him with their troops. Left with a few warriors, the khan left his capital. On October 26, 1582, the victorious army of Yermak entered Kashlyk. Upon learning of this, the Mansi prince Boyar and the princes of the Khanty Imberdey and Sukley submitted to the ataman, who sent gifts and yasak to the Cossacks.
Not wanting to put up with defeat, Kuchum gathered troops, reinforced them with detachments of his son Alei, who had returned by that time from a raid on Russian possessions, and in the winter of 1582/1583 threw them into battle against Yermak. It happened at Lake Abalak near Kashlyk. Despite the desperate attacks of his cavalry detachments, the khan was again defeated by the Cossacks, who were forced to fight on foot. After the Abalak defeat, Kuchum fled with the remnants of his people to the Baraba steppe. However, he did not stop resistance and, having gathered a new army, he continued to disturb the Russians with sudden raids.
Fight on Vagay Island
After the conquest of the capital of the Siberian Khanate, a Cossack embassy was sent to Moscow to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It was not headed by Ivan Koltso, as is still commonly believed, but by the Cossack Ivan Cherkas Aleksandrov. He was accompanied by 25 most honored Cossacks. Arriving in Moscow, the embassy "bowed" to the great sovereign with the Siberian Land, replenishing the royal treasury with rich gifts received from Siberian princes. Pleased with the first success in many years, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich generously granted the embassy and took the Trans-Ural possessions under his high hand. 300 archers under the command of Prince Semyon Bolkhovsky were sent to help Yermak, and a year later another 700 archers led by voivode Mansurov.
Meanwhile, the war in Siberia continued. Kuchum stubbornly resisted, turning to the tactics of surprise attacks. The Cossacks invariably won, but suffered losses that weakened their small army. Wanting to finally defeat the enemy and end the protracted war, at the beginning of the summer of 1585, Yermak set out on his last campaign. Gathering their the best people, he led them south, up the Irtysh, intending to clear the caravan route to Bukhara from the Tatars. Twice - in the battles near the Begichev settlement and at the mouth of the Ishim, he managed to defeat large detachments of the enemy, but the main enemy forces had already prepared for a deadly attack on the Cossacks. Against 107 Cossacks who remained with Yermak, Kuchum gathered about a thousand soldiers.
#comm#Mounted Tatar hundreds secretly accompanied the Cossack plows along both banks of the river, waiting for any oversight by Yermak. A convenient moment came on the night of August 6, 1585.#/comm#
The Cossacks settled down for the night on a small island located on the Irtysh near the confluence of the Vagay River. The weather was inclement, and the Cossacks lost their usual vigilance. The attack of the Tatars was sudden and took the Russian guards by surprise. because of pouring rain matchlock guns were useless and the enemies met hand to hand. However, the forces were clearly unequal, and the Cossacks began to make their way to the shore, where their plows stood. Yermak was one of the last to leave. Recognizing him, Kutugai, one of Kuchum's close associates, entered into battle with him. The chieftain began to overcome and then the cunning Tatar, seeing that the helmet on Yermak was not fastened, hit him in the throat with a spear. The bleeding Cossack leader still managed to get to the plow, but soon his strength left him and he fell overboard into the dark waters of Vagay ...
So in an unequal battle, ataman Ermak Timofeevich died. Kuchum managed to win the first and last victory. Today, at the site of Yermak's death, located near the village of Pogost, Vagaysky district of the Tyumen region, a memorial cross has been erected, highly revered by the locals.
#comm#In the battle on Vagaisky Island, out of 108 Cossacks, except for Yermak himself, 17 people died, the remaining 90 returned to Kashlyk, where they gathered a circle and decided to leave Siberia.#/comm#
The retreat was commanded by ataman Matvey Meshcheryak and the head of the archery Glukhov. They returned to Russia by the round Pechersk route. In the meantime, the road already mastered by the Cossacks through the Tagil passes, a detachment of Prince Mansurov, numbering 700 service people, was moving to Siberia.
Thus, despite the death of Yermak, the conquest of Siberia was continued. The so-called "Ermakov" Cossacks, who returned to the Trans-Urals, also participated in it, but already under the authority of the sovereign governors. In 1598, the Tatar troops still under Kuchum's hand were finally defeated by the voivode Voeikov. Almost the entire Kuchum family was taken prisoner, and the khan himself barely escaped by sailing down the Ob River. Subsequently, this stubborn enemy of Russia tried to find refuge in the Nogai Horde, but was treacherously killed there by the Murzas, who were afraid of the wrath of Moscow.
The significance of Yermak's feat was already understood by his contemporaries. The name of the ataman is glorified in legends and ancient historical songs. Many of Yermak's deeds are embellished in them, supplemented with legendary details (such as the mention of the capture of Kazan by Yermak, the meeting of Yermak and Ivan the Terrible), but the essence of what happened was conveyed historically correctly. Yermak, in the eyes of our ancestors, appeared as a great, heroic personality who subjugated "the Siberian side under the power of the sovereign." In epic tales, it was emphasized that the annexation of the Trans-Ural lands ended the structure of the Russian state and the centuries-old struggle of the Russian people with the Horde. This deep idea is confirmed by the symbolism of the Russian coat of arms, on which three crowns represent the accession to the Moscow state of three Tatar "kingdoms" - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia.
Special for the Centenary
