The once huge empire called the Golden Horde broke up into three khanates: Kazan, Astrakhan and Crimean. And, despite the rivalry that exists between them, they nevertheless represented a real danger to the Russian state. The Moscow forces made several attempts to assault the fortified city of Kazan. But each time she staunchly repelled all attacks. Such a course of affairs could not suit Ivan IV the Terrible. And after numerous hikes, finally, that significant date has come. The capture of Kazan took place on October 2, 1552.
Background
In the 1540s, the policy of the Russian state in relation to the East changed. The era of boyar strife in the struggle for the Moscow throne, finally ended. The question arose about what to do with the Kazan Khanate, headed by the government of Safa-Girey.
It must be said that his policy practically prompted Moscow to take more decisive actions. The fact is that Safa-Girey sought to conclude an alliance with the Crimean Khanate, 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 good income from the slave trade. Because of this, endless armed clashes took place. To constantly ignore the hostile actions of this Volga state, which was influenced by the Crimea, and through it and the Ottoman Empire, was no longer possible.
Peace enforcement
The Kazan Khanate needed to be tamed somehow. The former policy of Moscow, which consisted of supporting officials loyal to it, as well as appointing its proteges to the throne of Kazan, did not lead to anything. 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, the idea of forcible resolution of the problem, which was the Kazan Khanate, appeared. By the way, at the very beginning of the complete submission and conquest of this eastern state was not provided. Only during the military campaigns of 1547-1552 did the old plans change somewhat, which entailed the subsequent capture of Kazan by the troops of Ivan the Terrible.
First hiking
I must say that most of the military campaigns related to this fortress, the king personally headed. Therefore, we can assume that Ivan Vasilievich attached great importance to these campaigns. The history of the capture of Kazan will be incomplete if you do not at least briefly tell about all the episodes undertaken by the Moscow Tsar on this issue.
The first campaign was completed in 1545. It had the form of a military demonstration, the purpose of which was to strengthen the influence of the Moscow party, which managed to expel Khan Safa-Girey from the city . The following year, Moscow’s protege, Tsarevich Shah-Ali, took his throne. But for a long time he could not linger on the throne, since Safa-Girey, having secured the support of the Nogais, again regained power.
The next campaign was undertaken in 1547. This time, Ivan the Terrible remained at home, as he was busy with wedding preparations - he was going to marry Anastasia Zakharyina-Yurieva. Instead, the campaign was led by governors Semyon Mikulinsky and Alexander Gorbaty. They reached the very mouth of Sviyaga and devastated many enemy lands.
The history of the capture of Kazan could end in November 1547. This campaign was headed by the king himself. Since winter was too warm that year, the output of the main forces was delayed. The artillery batteries reached Vladimir only on December 6th. In Nizhny Novgorod, the main forces arrived at the end of January, after which the army moved down the Volga River. But after a few days, the thaw came again. Russian troops began to suffer heavy losses in the form of siege artillery, which fell through and sank in the river along with people. Ivan the Terrible had to become a camp on the island of Rabotki.
Losses in technology and manpower did not contribute to success in a military operation. Therefore, the tsar decided to turn his troops back first to Nizhny Novgorod, and then to Moscow. But part of the army still went on. These were the Front Regiment under the command of Prince Mikulinsky and the cavalry of the Kasimov prince Shah Ali. On the Arsk field, a battle took place in which the army of Safa-Girey was defeated, and its remnants took refuge behind Kazan fortress walls. They did not dare to take the city by storm, since without siege artillery it was simply impossible.
The next winter campaign was scheduled for the end of 1549 - the beginning of 1550. Its implementation was facilitated by the news that the main enemy of the Russian state Safa-Girey died. Since the Kazan embassy never received a new khan from Crimea, his two-year-old son, Utyamysh-Girey, was declared ruler. But while he was small, the leadership of the khanate began to be exercised by his mother, Queen Suyumbike. 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 Kazan lands. Having reached the fortress, they began to prepare for its assault. However, adverse weather conditions again prevented this. According to the annals, winter was too warm with heavy rains, so it was not possible to conduct a siege by all the rules. In this regard, the Russian troops again had to retreat.
Organization of the campaign of 1552
They began to prepare for it in early spring. During March and April, provisions, ammunition and siege artillery were gradually transported from Nizhny Novgorod to the Sviyazhsky fortress. By the end of May, a number of Muscovites, as well as residents of other Russian cities, had gathered an army of at least 145 thousand soldiers. Later, all units dispersed in three cities.
In Kolomna, there were three regiments — the Front, Big and Left Hands, in Kashira — the Right Hand, and in Murom, the Ertul part of horse intelligence was stationed. Some of them advanced towards Tula and repelled the first of the attacks of the Crimean troops under the command of Devlet Giray, who tried to disrupt Moscow's plans. Such actions of the Crimean Tatars managed to detain the Russian army only for a short time.
Performance
The campaign aimed at the capture of Kazan began on July 3, 1552. The troops marched, divided into two columns. The path of the Sovereign, the Watchdog and the regiment of the Left hand ran through Vladimir and Murom to the Sura River, and then to the mouth of Alatiri. This army was controlled by Tsar Ivan Vasilievich himself. He gave the rest of the army to the beginning of Mikhail Vorotynsky. These two columns were united only at the Boroncheev Settlement beyond Sura. On August 13, the entire army 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.
Enemy readiness
Kazan also made all the necessary preparations for a new war. The city was maximally fortified. Around the Kazan Kremlin was built a double oak wall. Inside it was covered with gravel, and on top - clay silt. In addition, the fortress had 14 stone loopholes. The approaches to it covered river beds: 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 excavated, reaching 15 m in depth and more than 6 m in width. The most weakly protected place was considered 11 gates, despite the fact that they were with towers. Warriors fired from the city walls were covered by a wooden roof and parapet.
In the city of Kazan, in its northwestern side, there was a citadel erected on a hill. Here was the residence of the Khan. It was surrounded by a thick stone wall and a deep moat. The defenders of the city was the 40 thousandth garrison, consisting not only of professional warriors. It included all the men who were able to hold weapons in their hands. In addition, a 5,000-strong detachment of temporarily mobilized merchants was included here.
Khan perfectly understood that sooner or later the Russian tsar would again try to capture Kazan. Therefore, the Tatar military leaders also equipped a special detachment of soldiers, which was supposed to conduct military operations outside the city walls, that is, in the rear of the enemy army. To do this, about 15 versts from the Kazanka River, a prison was built in advance, the approaches to which were blocked by swamps and barriers. A 20,000-strong horse army was to be located here under the leadership of Tsarevich Apanchi, the Arsk Prince Evush and Shunak-Murza. According to the developed military strategy, they were to unexpectedly attack the Russian army from two flanks and the rear.
Looking ahead, it should be noted that all the actions taken to protect the fortress did not materialize. The army of Tsar Ivan the Terrible had too much superiority not only in manpower, but also in the latest methods of warfare. This refers to the underground structures of mine galleries.
First clash
We can say that the capture of Kazan (1552) began at that moment, as soon as the Ertulny regiment crossed over the Bulak River. Tatar troops attacked him at a very good time. The Russian regiment was just rising up, overcoming the steep slope of the Arsk field. All the rest of the royal troops were still on the opposite shore and could not enter the battle.
Meanwhile, from the wide-open Tsarev and Nogai gates towards the Ertul Regiment, the 10,000 foot and 5,000 horse troops of the Kazan Khan came out. But the situation was saved. Archers and Cossacks hurried to the aid of the Ertul Regiment. They were on the left flank and managed to open pretty strong fire on the enemy, as a result of which the Tatar cavalry mixed up. Coming up to the Russian troops, additional reinforcements significantly increased the shelling. The cavalry was even more upset and soon took to flight, while crushing its infantry. Thus ended the first clash with the Tatars, which brought victory to Russian weapons.
The beginning of the siege
Artillery shelling of the fortress began on August 27. Sagittarius did not allow the defenders of the city to climb the walls, and also successfully repelled the frequent attacks of the enemy. At the first stage, the siege of Kazan was complicated by the actions of the army of Tsarevich Yapanchi. He and his cavalry attacked Russian troops when a large banner appeared over the fortress. At the same time, they were accompanied by attacks on the part of the fortress garrison.
Such actions carried with them a considerable threat of Russian ratification, so the Tsar gathered a military council, at which they decided to equip the 45,000th army against Tsarevich Yapanchi. The Russian detachment was led by governors Peter Serebryany and Alexander Gorbaty. On August 30, with their false retreat, they managed to lure the Tatar cavalry into the territory of the Arsk field and took it into the environment. Most of the enemy troops were destroyed, and about a thousand soldiers of the prince were captured. They were delivered directly to the walls of the city and immediately executed. Those who were fortunate enough to run away took refuge in the prison.
On September 6, the voivode Serebryany and Gorbaty with their army went on a campaign to the Kama River, ruining and burning Kazan lands on their way. They stormed the prison located on High Mountain. In the annals 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 enemy’s base, which raided the Russian troops from the rear, was completely destroyed. After that, the tsarist troops went deeper into the khanate for another 150 versts, while literally without exception destroying the local population. Having reached Kama, they turned and moved back to the walls of the fortress. Thus, the lands of the Kazan Khanate suffered a similar devastation as 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.
Siege ending
After the destruction of the troops of Tsarevich Yapanchi, nothing could prevent a 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 near the Tsarev Gate. She was above the walls. It was installed 50 squeals and 10 guns, which fired on the streets of the city, thereby causing significant damage to the defenders of Kazan.
And at the same time, the German Rosemysl, who was in the royal service, along with his students, began to dig under the enemy walls in order to lay mines. The very first charge was laid in the Tower of Daura, where the secret water source that fed the city was located. When it was blown up, they destroyed not only the entire supply of water, but also severely damaged the fortress wall. The next underground explosion destroyed the Muravlev Gate. With great difficulty, the Kazan garrison managed to repulse the attack of the Russian troops and create a new defensive line.
Underground explosions have been shown to be effective. The command of the Russian troops decided not to stop shelling and undermining the city walls. They understood that a premature assault could lead to unjustified loss of manpower. Towards the end of September, numerous undermining was done under the walls of Kazan. The explosions in them were to serve as a signal for the capture of the fortress. In those areas where they were planning 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 Kamai Murza to the city (there were many Tatar soldiers in the tsarist army) demanding surrender. But it was categorically rejected. On October 2, early in the morning, the Russians began to carefully prepare for the attack. By 6 o’clock the regiments were already in predetermined places. All the rear of the army were covered by horse detachments: the Kasimov Tatars were on the Arskoye field, and the rest of the regiments stood on the Nogai and Galitsky roads.
At exactly 7 o'clock two explosions thundered. This was triggered by the charges laid in the undermining between the Nameless Tower and the Atalyk Gate, as well as in the interval between the Arsk and Tsarev Gate. As a result of these actions, the walls of the fortress in the field area collapsed and huge openings 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.
In the narrow streets of the city fierce battles took place. It should be noted that hatred between the Russians and the Tatars accumulated over several decades. Therefore, the townspeople understood that they would not be spared and fought until their last breath. The largest centers of resistance were the Khan's citadel and the main mosque located on the Tezitsky 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 enemy’s resistance was broken. The royal army nevertheless captured the mosque, and all who defended it along with the seid Kul-Sharif were killed.
The last battle, which ended the capture of Kazan, took place on the territory of the square in front of the khan’s palace. Here, the Tatar army defended in the amount of about 6 thousand people. Of these, no one was left alive, since no prisoners were taken at all. The only survivor was Khan Yadygar-Mohammed. Subsequently, he was baptized and they began to call him Simeon. He was given the inheritance of Zvenigorod. Very few men from the city’s defenders were saved, and even a chase was sent for those that destroyed almost everyone.
Effects
The capture of Kazan by the Russian army entailed the annexation to Moscow of the vast territories of the Middle Volga region, where many peoples lived: Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Tatars, Udmurts, Mari. In addition, having conquered 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 the important water trading artery - the Volga.
In the year of the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible on the Middle Volga region, the Crimean-Ottoman political union hostile to Moscow was destroyed. The eastern borders of the state were no longer threatened by constant raids with the withdrawal of the local population into slavery.
The year of the capture of Kazan was negative in terms of the fact that Tatars who professed Islam were forbidden to settle within the city. It must be said that such laws acted not only in Russia, but in European and Asian countries. This was done in order to avoid uprisings, as well as interethnic and inter-religious clashes. By the end of the 18th century, the settlements of the Tatars gradually and harmoniously merged with the urban ones.
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 temples, which were created over the centuries. The current name - St. Basil's Cathedral - he received in 1588 after the extension of the chapel to him in honor of this saint, since his relics were on the site of the church.
Initially, the church was decorated with 25 domes, today there are 10 left: one of them above the bell tower, and the rest above their thrones. Eight churches are dedicated to the holidays in honor of the capture of Kazan, which fell on every day, when the most important battles for this fortress took place. The central church is the Protection of the Mother of God, which is crowned with a tent with a small cupola.
According to a legend that has survived to this day, after the construction of the cathedral was completed, Ivan the Terrible ordered the architects to be deprived of their sight so that they could no longer repeat such beauty. But in fairness, it should be noted that in none of the old documents such a fact does not appear.
Another monument to the capture of Kazan was built in the 19th century according to the project of the most talented engraving architect Nikolai Alferov. This monument was approved by Emperor Alexander I. The initiator of the memorialization of soldiers who died in battles for the fortress was made by Archimandrite Zilantova Monastery - Ambrose.
The monument stands on the left bank of the Kazanka River, on a small hill, very close to the Admiralteyskaya Sloboda. A chronicle from those times says that when Ivan the Terrible took the fortress, he arrived with his army to this place and established his banner here. And after the capture of Kazan, it was from here that he began his solemn procession to the conquered fortress.