This public entity, which emerged in the 15th century and existed for more than two hundred years, is still the subject of heated discussions, the participants of which are reputable historians. The Kasimov Khanate is a truly unique phenomenon of the past. When did it arise? What status did you have? What role did he play in Russian history? Why did the kingdom of “Genghisides” collapse? Here are the main issues that are controversial for scientists studying the past. The lack of direct sources and the scarcity of evidence compel historians to put forward only assumptions about what the Kasimov Khanate was a few centuries ago. Today this phenomenon is by no means fully understood. Let's try to summarize the basic theories of scientists and analyze what the history of the Kasimov Khanate could be.
Center of origin
The above structure with subsequent signs of statehood arose, according to scientists, in the territory where the Meshchera tribe lived. Its representatives, who spoke one of the Finno-Finnish languages, led a semi-nomadic lifestyle. At the beginning of the second millennium, the Slavic Krivichi invaded the territory of the tribe. This is not to say that the Meshchertsy were pleased with uninvited guests, but they did not begin to drive them away from their territory.
And the Krivichs were at a higher stage of development, so they helped the natives to make their culture of being more civilized. However, the owners were surprised how the Slavs can live in one place for a long time. Meshchertsy for the first time saw homes made of sanded logs, in which it was much more convenient to live than in dugouts. After some time, the “natives” began to build huts for themselves, following the example of the Krivichi. And the newcomers fed on agriculture, as well as engaged in pottery and blacksmithing. All this did not escape the attention of the owners. In the end, the two tribes make friends and become related. Their blood is mixed, among the natives pagan customs, language and culture will fade into the background. They will adopt all the "advanced" achievements of the Slavs and will live by their example.
Gorodets Meshchersky
Over the years, Meshchertsy and Krivichi will form a single whole. Their settlement is transformed into a socio-territorial community with the beautiful name of Gorodets Meshchersky. It was then that the Kasimov Khanate arose. Geographically, the settlement was not far from the place where the Babenka River flowed into the Oka.
According to some sources, in the middle of the 12th century, Gorodets Meshchersky was visited by Grand Duke Yuri Dolgoruky. He then took care of strengthening the borders of Ancient Russia and, making sure that the settlement of Krivichy and Slavs had a convenient location, ordered that Gorodets Meshchersky be turned into a fortress.
It was in 1152, and it is officially believed that the city was founded precisely then. The settlement was protected by a wooden fence, a moat and an earthen rampart. So Gorodets Meshchersky became the main guardian of the Suzdal-Vladimir Principality. The settlement meticulously coped with the assigned tasks until the Mongol-Tatars came to Russia in 1376. The enemy looted and set fire to the Gorodets Meshchersky.
New town
However, after a while, the Meshcherov who survived the invasion managed to rebuild the city, but in a different place. Now the settlement (which later received a different name - New Low Town) was located between two large ravines, which represented insurmountable barriers to the enemy from the western and eastern sides. From the north, the city was framed by impassable forests, and from the south - a river with a high mountainous shore. To enhance the protection of the city, earthen ramparts were installed on all sides, over which wooden walls towered. The process of building the New Grassroots City was carried out during the reign of Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy and his Prince Vasily. Both adhered to the policy of consolidation of Russian lands, so soon a new settlement of tradesmen and Krivichi, ruled by Prince Alexander Ukovich, became part of the Moscow principality. Moreover, the New Grassroots City, as before, performed the functions of defending borders, because in the neighborhood was the mighty Kazan Khanate, which during the reign of Ivan IV became part of Russia.
The policy of the Kazan rulers
Power in the Kazan kingdom alternately passed from hand to hand of various clans. One of the sons of the ruling dynasty named Mahmutek, in order to conquer the throne, took the life of his own father and brother.
Two of his younger brothers (Yakub and Kasim), in order to escape, were forced to flee their native khanate. Suddenly they ended up in the Principality of Moscow, where they asked Prince Vasily II for protection and asylum. However, the Russian ruler himself in the middle of the 15th century did not want to go into open confrontation with the Kazan rulers. Even in the summer of 1445, Vasily the Dark lost in the battle of Suzdal to the offspring of Khan Ulu-Muhammed. And the Moscow prince himself, along with his cousin, was then captured. But a few months later, Basil II was released for a huge ransom. The Russian ruler was forced to conclude an agreement with Ulu-Muhamed on enslaving terms. The prince undertook to take with him many Tatars, who came from a noble family, and to determine "feeding" in the Moscow principality. Naturally, the Russian people were indignant that they would have to support foreigners. Well, when the sons of the Kazan khan came to ask Vasily for dark patronage, he was delighted with this turn of events. Moreover, the sons of Ulu-Muhamed really served properly. Kassim helped the prince in the fight against Dmitry Shemyaki , he also spoke on the side of the Russians in military campaigns against the khans of the Golden Horde. For valor, courage and loyalty, Vasily II granted Kasim an inheritance, the center of which was Gorodets Meshchersky. So on the border of Muscovy the Kasimov Khanate was formed (the time of occurrence - 1452), which was controlled by one of the youngest sons of Khan Ulu-Muhamed.
At the same time, some historians are inclined to think that the Tatars appeared on the Meshchersky land before it was given over to Kashima. This, in particular, is about representatives of the princely family of Shirinsky. According to legend, it was they who left the lands of the weakened Golden Horde and migrated to a new place of residence, which was territorially located near the banks of the Oka and Tsna rivers. Moreover, one of the princes Shirinsky decided to settle in the Meshchersky land and even converted to Christianity, having received a new name - Michael. Some scholars believe that he was the founder of the Meshchersky princes. But whether this was so in reality is unknown.
Kingdom of Kashima
Even during the reign of Kashima, the inheritance entrusted to him, Gorodets Meshchersky was renamed. It received the names Kashimova city and the City of Kashima. After the son of Khan Ulu-Muhamed died, the capital of the former settlement of caves and Krivichi became known as Kasimov. Well, a few years later, the settlement was "transformed" by historians into the Kasimov Khanate (kingdom). As soon as this state unit was formed, which was dependent on Ancient Russia, magnificent buildings of Muslim architecture began to appear in it.
Culture
It should be emphasized that not only the history of the Kasimov Khanate is unique, but also its culture.
In the second half of the 15th century, architects built a real architectural masterpiece here - a stone mosque with a minaret, which has survived, though not in its original form, to this day. And today you can climb the minaret and see the picturesque nature of the Ryazan region from a bird's eye view. The mosque is a massive structure with an open balcony and a spiral stone staircase. On the balcony there is a playground, climbing on which, the mullah urged the townspeople to pray. However, the platform on the balcony of the tower also served as the place from which the generals examined the troops. Not far from the mosque is the mausoleum of Khan Shah Ali (Tekie), built of white stone.
The question of whether the youngest son of Ulu-Mohamed was minted in the lot was noteworthy. Historians say this could have happened. At least until the 16th century. However, numismatists doubt that the coins of the Kasimov Khanate existed in principle. However, the following merchant N. Shishkin in his literary work wrote that he was lucky to hold metal money in the middle of the 16th century in his hand. On the coin, the merchant saw Arabic inscriptions that translated as: "Shah Ali / Tsar of Kasimov, year 1553." But numismatists are sure that Shishkin got a fake, since such a form for the Tatar coin was unacceptable. On real money indicated the name of the ruler, place of issue and year.
Undoubtedly, the formation of the Kasimov Khanate is a multi-stage process, which was attended by eminent historians and writers. For example, the history of this inheritance of the Russian state was studied in detail in the second half of the 19th century by the scientist V. Velyaminov - Zernov. The result of his research was the four-volume “Study of the Kasimov Tsars and Tsarevichs”. The writer V. Soloviev in the same 19th century published the novel “Kasimov Bride”. Well, a few years later, the merchant N. Shishkin, who lived on the territory of the Meshchersky land, wrote a book in which he told in detail and details what the formation of the Kasimov Khanate was like.
Role in the history of Russia
One way or another, but the territory on which in ancient times there was a settlement of Krivichi and Meshchors became for the Russian state a strategic inheritance even during the reign of Yuri Dolgorukov. And centuries later, this is the culturally and politically developed Kasimov Khanate. The years 1445-1552 became the most significant for him in history. And it all started with Ulu-Muhamed, who helped Vasily the Dark to return the throne, lost as a result of the uprising. Dmitry Shemyaka was overthrown. And in gratitude for the help, the Moscow prince gives the Meshchersky land into the possession of Kassim.
And he served Vasily the Dark faithfully, participating in military battles on the side of the Russian state. So, the Kasimov khanate, whose rulers continued the policy of the youngest son of Ulu-Muhamed after his death, became a real stronghold of Ancient Russia.
Shah Ali
Especially in this regard, the merits of Khan Shah-Ali should be noted. Even in adolescence, he was drawn into an intricate political game, where Kazan alternately took the side of either the Moscow Principality or the Crimean Khanate. Shah Ali repeatedly became the ruler of the Kazan kingdom, but each time he was overthrown (in one case, at the initiative of Ivan IV). In the end, he will get the Kasimov Khanate (the capital is the city of Kasim).
In 1552, Shah Ali, together with his army, helped Ivan the Terrible to conquer Kazan.
The relations between the future ruler of the Kasimov kingdom and the beautiful Suimbeki, who was the widow of the deceased khan of Kazan, are noteworthy. The girl did not like the short and full-bodied Shah-Ali, but Ivan IV intended to marry a couple at all costs and realized his plans. But neither Suimbeki nor Shah-Ali brought happiness to this marriage. The beautiful widow lived all her life like a bird in a cage, not leaving the borders of the Kasimov Palace, and the khan was constantly weighed by the fact that he was disgusted with his wife.
The feats of arms of the Kasimov Khan delighted many Russian soldiers. Shah Ali helped to suppress the uprising in Kazan in 1554, then participated in the battle of Vyborg with the Swedes, then went on a military campaign against Livonia. And in 1562 he fought on the Russian side against the Polish king Sigismund, in this military operation Shah captured Polotsk. A year later, the king ordered the khan to go to Lithuania. In this campaign, Shah Ali was accompanied by the boyar Ivan Volsky.
One way or another, but the Tatar military leader helped significantly expand the borders of the Russian state. And was the Kasimov Khanate great? The occupied territory of this inheritance included, in addition to the capital, several feudal possessions with formal autonomy, which included: Temnikov, Enkai, Shatsk, Kadom.
From the point of view of ethnicity, the "kingdom" was represented by three groups: the Mordvinians, the Kasimov Tatars and the Tatars-Mishars. So say historians and ethnographers who for a long time studied a phenomenon called the Kasimov Khanate. What language did its inhabitants speak? In one of the dialects of the Tatar with elements of the Mishar dialect.
Shah Ali died in 1567, and the body of the ruler was buried in the Kasimov mausoleum.
Several centuries later, the historian V. Velyaminov - Zernov writes that, in addition to the khan, the bodies of his husband Bulak-Shal and Suimbek, as well as several relatives, are in Tekiye.
Shah Ali successor
Who then received the Kasimov Khanate? Historical essays indicate that this fate was awarded to a distant relative of Shah-Ali and, at the same time, great-grandson of the khan of the Golden Horde Akhmat. His name was Sain Bulat. Management of Meshchersky land was entrusted to him by Ivan the Terrible. And the new owner of the Kasimov Khanate began to help the Russian Tsar conquer new territories.
In 1573, the khan was baptized in Orthodoxy and took the name Simeon. After that, Ivan IV took away the Meshchera land from Sain-Bulat, but left him the title. And two years later, Grozny unexpectedly proclaimed Simeon Bekbulatovich "the king and grand duke of all Russia." Naturally, all this turned out to be an ordinary sham: Ivan IV would never have abandoned the throne. A few months later, Grozny deprived the khan of a great title, but in return gave him the inheritance of Tver. But what about the Kasimov Khanate? The occupied territory of this, from the point of view of representatives of the Tatar aristocracy, autonomy, since the 16th century is gradually decreasing. This is explained by the fact that the task of the Muslim vassal of Russia was already completed by three quarters, and Ivan VI himself no longer saw great prospects in the kingdom founded by the youngest son of Ulu-Mohamed.
Kingdom in Time of Troubles
When False Dmitry II tried to seize the throne in Russia , the khan of the Kazakh dynasty Uraz-Mohammed ruled in Meshchersky land. This estate was handed over to him by Boris Godunov in 1600. When the Time of Troubles came in Russia, the khan recognized the real ruler in the "Tushino thief". Uraz-Mohammed moves to Tushino. For such an act, Tsar Vasily Shuisky besieged the capital of the Kasimov Khanate. The impostor was forced to flee and subsequently ended up in Kaluga. Soon, the Kazakh khan also leaves the borders of his inheritance and ends up at first in the camp of the Polish king, and then goes to Kaluga, remaining at the court of Sigismund III. The son of the ruler of the Kasimov kingdom at that moment was also in Kaluga. And after some time, the offspring of Uraz-Mohammed declares to False Dmitry II that the khan wants to betray him. As a result, the Tushinsky thief lured Uraz-Muhammad to a hunt, and then killed him. But soon the same fate will befall the impostor, who will die at the hands of the Nogai prince Peter Urusov.
Meschera in the 17th century
In the first half of the 17th century, Araslan Aleevich took over the throne in Kasimov, who first served as governor in the Second Militia and commanded the Tatar army on the Vologda River. During his reign, Moscow began to intervene more and more in the internal affairs of the khanate. Viceroys of the Russian tsar soon began to resolve disputes between representatives of the Tatar nobility. The previously advantageous tandem (Kasimov Khanate and Russia) during the reign of Mikhail Romanov has outlived itself by almost a hundred percent.
But it should be emphasized that until the 20s of the 17th century, the Tatars continued to actively participate on the side of the Moscow sovereign in military campaigns against the Lithuanians, Poles and "Russian Likhodeys". Then they guarded the border of Russia from the threat of attack from the Crimean Tatars. After the death of Araslan Aleevich, the Meshchera lands passed into the control of his young son Seyid-Burkhan. However, the power of this representative of the Siberian dynasty was minimal. The Kasimov Khanate, whose economy was actually in the hands of the Moscow sovereign, has become one of the main sources of replenishment of the Russian treasury. But the young ruler was forbidden to communicate with foreign merchants and ambassadors. Already an adult, Seyid-Burkhan converted to Orthodoxy, becoming Vasily Araslanovich. In Kasimov, he remained governor, although very little depended on his will. Seyid-Burkhan died in 1679.
Kingdom sunset
The last ruler of the cave lands was Fatima-Sultan (wife of Khan Araslan Aleevich). Already elderly, she was on the throne for only 2 years, and her governorship was also formal. Her close people took her life. The reason for the murder was that the ruler wanted to convert to Orthodoxy.
The Kasimov khanate, the territory of which, after the death of Fatima-Sultan, finally came under the control of the Moscow princes, ceased to exist in 1681. Then the king’s lands were visited by Tsar Peter I, who allowed his “comrade” - the jester Balakirev - to be called the “Kassin Khan”. Later, Empress Catherine I gave Kasimov to control one of her close associates.
In wooden Kasimov, fires repeatedly occurred, from which the historical appearance of the city suffered primarily. Only at the end of the 18th century it became stone thanks to the efforts of the architect I. Gagin. Modern Kasimov, located in the Ryazan region, is a place of concentration of tourists from all over Russia.