History of Kazan. The capture of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible (1552)

Once a huge empire called the Golden Horde broke up into three Khanates: Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean. And, despite the rivalry existing between them, they still represented a real danger to the Russian state. Moscow troops made several attempts to storm the city-fortress of Kazan. But every time she staunchly repelled all attacks. Such a course of affairs could not possibly have arranged Ivan IV the Terrible. And after numerous campaigns, finally, that memorable date has come. The capture of Kazan occurred on October 2, 1552.

Prerequisites

In the 1540s, the policy of the Russian state towards the East changed. The era of boyar strife in the struggle for the Moscow throne finally ended. The question arose of what to do with the Kazan Khanate, headed by the Safa Giray government.

I must say that his policy practically pushed Moscow to take more decisive actions. The fact is that Safa-Girey aspired to conclude an alliance with the Crimean Khanates, and this went against the peace agreements signed between him and the Russian Tsar. Kazan princes from time to time made devastating raids on the border territories of the Moscow state, while receiving a good income from slave trade. Because of this, there were endless armed clashes. To constantly ignore the hostile actions of this Volga state, which was affected by the influence of the Crimea, and through its and the Ottoman Empire, it was already impossible.

Peace enforcement

The Kazan Khanate had to be somehow controlled. The former policy of Moscow, which consisted in the support of loyal to it officials, as well as in appointing their own proteges to the Kazan throne, led to nothing. All of them quickly mastered and began to conduct a hostile policy towards the Russian state.

At this time, the Moscow government was greatly influenced by Metropolitan Macarius. It was he who initiated most of the campaigns that Ivan IV the Terrible undertook. Gradually, in circles close to the metropolitan, there appeared the idea of solving the problem by force, which was the Kazan Khanate. By the way, at the very beginning of complete subordination and the conquest of this eastern state was not envisaged. Only during the campaigns of 1547-1552 the old plans changed somewhat, which entailed the subsequent capture of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible.

First trips

I must say that most of the military campaigns relating to this fortress were headed by the tsar personally. Therefore, we can assume that Ivan Vasilyevich attached great importance to these campaigns. The history of taking Kazan will be incomplete, if not to tell at least briefly about all the episodes undertaken by the Moscow Tsar on this issue.

The first campaign was carried out in 1545. It had the appearance of a military demonstration, the purpose of which was to strengthen the influence of the Moscow party, which managed to drive out Khan Safa-Girey from the city . The following year his throne was taken by the Moscow protégé, the prince Shah-Ali. But for a long time on the throne he could not stay, because Safa-Giray, having secured the support of the Nogai, again regained power.

The next campaign was undertaken in 1547. This time Ivan the Terrible remained at home, as he was engaged in wedding preparations - he was going to marry Anastasia Zakharina-Yuryeva. Instead, the campaign was led by the voevods Semen Mikulinsky and Alexander Gorbaty. They reached the very mouth of Sviyaga and devastated many enemy lands.

The history of taking Kazan could end in November 1547. This campaign was led by the king himself. Since the winter in that year was too warm, the output of the main forces was delayed. Artillery batteries reached Vladimir only on December 6. In Nizhny Novgorod, the main forces arrived at the end of January, after which the army moved down the Volga River. But a few days later came a thaw. Russian troops began to incur large losses in the form of siege artillery, which fell through and sank in the river with people. Ivan the Terrible had to become a camp on Rabotki Island.

Losses in technology and manpower in no way contributed to the success of the military operation. Therefore, the king decided to turn his troops back to Nizhny Novgorod first, and then to Moscow. But part of the army nevertheless went further. This was the advance regiment under the command of Prince Mikulinsky and the cavalry of the Kasimovsky prince Shah Ali. On the Arskoye field a battle took place, in which the army of Safa-Girey was defeated, and his remains were hidden behind the Kazan fortress walls. To take the city by storm did not dare, since without siege artillery it was simply impossible.

The next winter trip was scheduled for the end of 1549 - the beginning of 1550. His conduct contributed to the news that the main enemy of the Russian state Safa-Girey died. Since the Kazan embassy did not receive a new khan from the Crimea, the ruler was announced his two-year-old son - Utyamysh-Girey. But while he was small, the leadership of the Khanate was carried out by his mother, Queen Syuyumbike. The Moscow tsar decided to take advantage of this dynastic crisis and again go to Kazan. He even secured the blessing of Metropolitan Macarius.

On January 23, Russian troops again entered the Kazan lands. When they reached the fortress, they began to prepare for her assault. However, unfavorable weather conditions again prevented it from doing so. As they say in the annals, the winter was too warm with heavy rains, so it was not possible to lead a siege by all the rules. In connection with this, the Russian troops again had to retreat.

Organization of the campaign of 1552

They began to prepare for him in the early spring. During March and April from Providence, ammunition and siege artillery from Nizhny Novgorod to the Sviyazhsky fortress. By the end of May from the number of Muscovites, as well as residents of other Russian cities, an entire army of at least 145,000 soldiers was assembled. Later, all the detachments were dispersed in three cities.

In Kolomna there were three regiments - the Front, the Large and the Left, in Kashira - the Right Hand, and in the Murom the Ertoul part of the cavalry reconnaissance was stationed. Some of them moved in the direction of Tula and repulsed the first of the attacks of the Crimean troops under the command of Devlet-Giray, who tried to frustrate Moscow's plans. Such actions the Crimean Tatars only for a short time managed to detain the Russian army.

Speech by

The campaign aimed at taking Kazan began on July 3, 1552. The troops marched, dividing into two columns. The way of the Sovereign, Guard and the Regiment of the Left Hand ran through Vladimir and Moore to the Sure River, and then to the mouth of the Alatiri. This army was ruled by Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich himself. The rest of the army he gave under the head of Mikhail Vorotynsky. These two columns were united only at the Boroncheev Mound after Sura. On August 13 the army in full strength reached Sviyazhsk. After 3 days, the troops began to cross the Volga. This process was somewhat delayed, but already on August 23 a large army was under the walls of Kazan. The capture of the city began almost immediately.

Readiness of the enemy

Kazan also made all the necessary preparations for a new war. The city was maximally fortified. A double oak wall was built around the Kazan Kremlin. Inside, it was covered with rubble, and on top - with clayey silt. In addition, the fortress had 14 stone towers, loopholes. The approaches to it covered the riverbeds: from the west - Bulak, from the north - Kazanka. From the side of the Arsky field, where it is very convenient to carry out siege work, a ditch was dug, reaching 15 m in depth and more than 6 m in width. The weakestly protected place was considered to be 11 gates, despite the fact that they were with towers. Warriors shooting from city walls, covered a wooden roof and a parapet.

In the city of Kazan, on its north-western side, there was a stronghold erected on a hill. Here was the residence of the khan. It was surrounded by a thick stone wall and a deep moat. Defenders of the city was a 40,000-strong garrison, consisting not only of professional soldiers. It included all men, able to hold arms in their hands. In addition, a 5,000-strong detachment of temporarily mobilized merchants was also included.

Khan knew perfectly well that sooner or later the Russian Tsar would again try to take Kazan. Therefore, the Tatar commanders also equipped a special detachment of soldiers who had to conduct military operations outside the walls of the city, that is, in the rear of the enemy's army. For this purpose, approximately 15 versts from the Kazanka River, a jail was built in advance, the approaches to which were blocked by bogs and fences. It was supposed to accommodate a 20-thousand horse army under the leadership of the prince Apanchi, the aristocratic prince Evus and Shunak-murza. According to the developed military strategy, they had to attack unexpectedly the Russian army from two flanks and rear.

Looking ahead, it should be noted that all the actions taken to protect the fortress were not justified. The army of Tsar Ivan the Terrible had too much superiority not only in manpower, but also in the newest methods of fighting. Here we have in mind underground structures of mine galleries.

The first collision

It can be said that the capture of Kazan (1552) began at the moment, as soon as the Ertuol regiment crossed the Bulak River. Tatar troops attacked him at a very good time. The Russian regiment was just climbing up, overcoming the steep slope of the Arsky field. All the rest of the Tsar's troops were still on the opposite shore and could not enter the battle.

Meanwhile, out of the open Tsarevs and Nogai gates, the 10,000th foot and 5-thousand horse army of the Kazan Khan came out to meet the Ertuol regiment. But the situation was saved. Riflemen and Cossacks hurried to help the Ertuol regiment. They were on the left flank and managed to open a fairly strong fire on the enemy, as a result of which the Tartar cavalry was mixed. Approached to the Russian troops, additional reinforcement significantly intensified the shelling. The cavalry was even more upset and soon turned into a run, while crushing its infantry. Thus ended the first encounter with the Tatars, which brought victory to the Russian arms.

Start of the Siege

The artillery shelling of the fortress began on August 27. Sagittarians did not give the defenders of the city to climb the walls, and also successfully repulsed enemy's frequent raids. At the first stage, the siege of Kazan was complicated by the actions of the army of Tsarevich Yanchanchi. He with his cavalry made attacks on Russian troops when a large banner appeared over the fortress. At the same time, they were accompanied by attacks from the side of the serf garrison.

Such actions carried with them a considerable threat of the Russian army, so the king assembled a military council, at which they decided to equip a 45-thousand-strong army against Tsarevich Yanchanchi. The Russian detachment was led by the commanders Peter Serebryany and Alexander Gorbaty. On 30 August, by their false retreat, they managed to entice the Tatar cavalry into the territory of the Arskoye Field and took her into their entourage. Most of the enemy troops were destroyed, and about a thousand soldiers of the prince were taken prisoner. They were taken directly to the walls of the city and immediately executed. Those who were fortunate enough to flee took refuge in the prison.

On September 6, the governors Serebryany and Gorbaty with their warriors went on a campaign to the river Kama, ravaging and burning the Kazan lands on their way. They stormed the prison on High Mountain. In the chronicle it is reported that even the military leaders were forced to leave their horses and take part in this bloody battle. As a result, the base of the enemy, with which the raids on Russian troops from the rear, were completely destroyed. After that, the tsarist troops went deeper into the Khanate for another 150 versts, while literally exterminating the local population literally. When they reached Kama, they turned and headed back to the walls of the fortress. Thus, the lands of the Kazan Khanate were subjected to a similar devastation, like the Russians, when they were attacked by Tatar troops. The result of this campaign was 30 destroyed jails, about 3 thousand prisoners and a large number of stolen cattle.

The end of the siege

After the destruction of the troops of Tsarevich Yanchanchi, nothing could prevent further siege of the fortress. The capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible was now only a matter of time. Russian artillery was getting closer to the walls of the city, and the fire became more intense. A huge siege tower 13 meters high was built not far from the Tsar's Gate. She was above the fortress walls. It was installed 50 peeps and 10 guns, which were firing streets of the city, causing a significant loss to the defenders of Kazan.

At the same time, the German Rozmysel, who was in the royal service, along with his disciples, began digging trenches off the enemy walls in order to lay mines. The very first charge was laid in the Dauro Tower, which housed a secret water source that fed the city. When it was blown up, they destroyed not only the entire water supply, but also severely damaged the fortress wall. The next underground explosion destroyed the Muravyov Gate. With great difficulty, the Kazan garrison managed to repel an attack by Russian troops and create a new defensive line.

Underground explosions have shown their effectiveness. The command of the Russian troops decided not to stop the artillery shelling and undermining the city walls. It understood that a premature storm could lead to unjustified losses of manpower. By the end of September, numerous digs under the walls of Kazan were made. Explosions in them were to serve as a signal for the capture of the fortress. On those sites where they were going to storm the city, all the ditches were filled with logs and earth. In other places, wooden bridges were thrown through them.

Storming the fortress

Before moving his army to capture Kazan, the Russian command sent to the city Murza Kamai (in the tsarist army many Tatar soldiers served) demanding surrender. But it was categorically rejected. October 2, early in the morning the Russians began to prepare carefully for the attack. By 6 o'clock the regiments were already at predetermined places. All the rear of the army were covered by cavalry detachments: Kasimov's Tatars were in Arskom field, and the remaining regiments were on the Nogai and Galician roads.

Exactly at 7 o'clock two explosions were blown up. This was triggered by charges laid in the dug-outs between the Nameless Tower and Atalyk Gate, as well as in the gap between the Arski and Tsarev Gate. As a result of these actions, the walls of the fortress in the area of the field collapsed and huge openings were formed. Through them, Russian troops quite easily broke into the city. So the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible came to its final stage.

On the narrow streets of the city there were fierce fights. It should be noted that hatred between Russians and Tatars has been accumulating for several decades. Therefore, the townspeople understood that they would not be spared and fought to the last gasp. The largest centers of resistance were the khan's citadel and the main mosque, located on the Tezick ravine.

At first, all attempts by the Russian troops to seize these positions were unsuccessful. Only after fresh reserve units were introduced into the battle, the resistance of the enemy was broken. The Tsar's army still captured the mosque, and all those who defended it together with Seid Kul-Sharif were killed.

The last battle, which ended with the capture of Kazan, occurred on the territory of the square in front of the Khan's palace. Here the Tatar army was defending in the number of about 6 thousand people. Of these, no one was left alive, since they did not take prisoners at all. The only survivor was Khan Yadigar-Muhammad. Subsequently, he was baptized and he was called Simeon. He was given to the inheritance of Zvenigorod. Men from the number of defenders of the city were saved very little, and for those, a chase was sent, which destroyed almost everyone.

Effects

The capture of the Russian army of Kazan led to the annexation of large territories of the Middle Volga region to Moscow, where many peoples lived: Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Tatars, Udmurts, Mari. In addition, having won this fortress, the Russian state acquired the most important economic center, which was Kazan. And after the fall of Astrakhan, the Moscow kingdom began to control an important water trade artery - the Volga.

In the year of the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in the Middle Volga region, the Crimean-Ottoman political alliance hostile to Moscow was destroyed. The eastern borders of the state were no longer threatened by constant raids with the removal of the local population into slavery.

The year of the capture of Kazan turned out to be negative in terms of the fact that Tatars who professed Islam, were not allowed to settle within the city. I must say that such laws were in force not only in Russia, but in European and Asian countries. This was done in order to avoid uprisings, as well as inter-ethnic and interreligious clashes. By the end of the XVIII century, the settlements of the Tatars gradually and harmoniously merged with the city.

Memory

In 1555, at the behest of Ivan the Terrible, they began to build a cathedral in honor of the capture of Kazan. Its construction lasted only 5 years, in contrast to European churches, which were created for centuries. The present name is the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed - he received it in 1588 after an extension to it of the chapel in honor of this saint, as his relics were on the site of the erection of the church.

Initially, the temple was decorated with 25 domes, today there are 10 of them: one of them above the bell tower, and the rest above their thrones. Eight churches are dedicated to the celebrations in honor of the capture of Kazan, which fell on each day, when the most important battles for this fortress took place. The central church is the Intercession of the Mother of God, which is crowned with a tent with a small head.

According to the legend, which has survived to our days, after the construction of the cathedral was completed, Ivan the Terrible ordered to deprive his architects of the view that they could no longer repeat such beauty. But for the sake of justice it should be noted that in none of the old documents such a fact is mentioned.

Another monument to the capture of Kazan was built in the XIX century by the project of the talented architect-engraver Nikolai Alferov. This monument was approved by the Emperor Alexander I. The initiator of perpetuating the memory of the soldiers who died in the battles for the fortress was Archimandrite Zilantov of the monastery - Ambrose.

The monument stands on the left bank of the Kazanka River, on a small hill, very close to Admiralteyskaya Sloboda. The chronicle, preserved from those times, says that when the fortress was taken by Ivan the Terrible, he arrived with his army to this place and set his banner here. And after taking Kazan, it was from here that he began his solemn procession to the conquered fortress.