What does the expression "Kazan orphan" mean, most likely, everyone knows, because in speech we very often use this phraseological unit. But here is the story, and why the Kazan orphan is exactly what we will try to find the answer to.
The meaning of phraseology "Kazan orphan"
The Russian language is rich in phraseological units. For example, a person who tries to arouse self-pity, shows himself to be unjustly offended and destitute, is often called the "Kazan orphan". The meaning of phraseology is very simple and understandable. It carries at the same time both pity and a share of mockery, irony over those who are trying to seem pathetic. Very often they call a Kazan orphan a person who constantly complains about his failures, but is to blame for them himself.
Now this phrase is so firmly entrenched in our speech that sometimes we don’t think about what the original meaning of this epithet is “Kazan orphan”. The meaning and origin of phraseological units, meanwhile, are very interesting and have their roots in the distant past.
A bit of history
We all remember the numerous conquests of Ivan the Terrible. “Kazan took, Astrakhan took, Rhubarb took” - the famous catch phrase from the comedy film. The meaning of the phraseology “Kazan orphan” and its history refer precisely to the valiant time of the capture of Kazan.
The soldiers of Ivan the Terrible tried to seize the Kazan Khanate three times, but the attempts were unsuccessful. There was no order and coherence in the army. And Ivan the Terrible came up with a tricky move, which consisted in besieging the city and gradually narrowing the "ring", as a result of which the city was left without food sources and help. The idea was a success, and Kazan was taken even faster than the most experienced warriors expected. The Crimean Khan did not have time to help, which was also in the hands of the Russian Tsar.
What did Ivan the Terrible do with captured Kazan princes? I tried to make them allies. He left them all their possessions, generously gifted them, placed them in the public service with a good salary - all so that the Kazan Khanate would have faithful subjects.
The origin of the phrase "Kazan orphan"
So we come to the most important thing: the meaning of phraseology “Kazan orphan” just formed during the capture of Kazan. So they began to call those same Kazan khans, showered with all kinds of favors, but all the time complaining about their bitter fate and asking for more and more good things for themselves. In petitions to the tsar, they often called themselves "orphans." The Russian boyars, seeing one of these grief khans, with a grin sentence: "Here is the Kazan orphan!"
The expression quickly spread, penetrated into all corners of a large country and after a short time acquired a figurative meaning - the very one in which we use this phrase to this day.
Another version
There is another point of view explaining the phrase "Kazan orphan". The value of phraseology dates back to the same historical era - the capture of the Kazan Khanate by Ivan the Terrible. The fact is that after the conquest of Kazan, many families were completely killed, and in some only small children survived. They were ordered to give for education to peasants, boyars and even nobles in various cities and villages of Russia. Such children began to be called Kazan orphans. But the use of the phrase in this sense did not have ironic significance. Rather, it was sympathetic: the phrase was used in relation to a child left without parents and given in the care of strangers to an alien culture.
Phraseologism today
Although many years have passed since those distant events, the phraseology “Kazan orphan” has firmly entrenched in speech and is actively used to this day. It can be heard in everyday communication, seen on the pages of fiction. Let not everyone think about the historical meaning of the expression, but use it often enough.
The meaning of phraseology “Kazan orphan” is played out in a touching New Year’s film by Vladimir Mashkov, but the meaning is embedded in it, rather sympathetic than mocking. The film is about a Russian girl, a teacher, trying to find her father, who did not even know about her birth. Three men immediately responded to her letter, each of which could be the very one she was looking for. This is how the girl, who was recently considered an orphan, found three wonderful fathers at once!