In the popular mind, the legendary conqueror of Siberia - Ermak Timofeevich - became on a par with the epic heroes, becoming not only an outstanding personality who left its mark in the history of Russia, but also a symbol of her glorious heroic past. This Cossack chieftain laid the foundation for the development of the vast expanses that stretched beyond the Stone Belt - the Great Ural Range.
The mystery associated with the origin of Ermak
Modern historians have several hypotheses related to the history of its origin. According to one of them, Ermak, whose biography was the subject of research by many generations of scientists, was a Don Cossack, and according to another, the Ural. However, the most probable one seems to be that it is based on a preserved handwritten collection of the 18th century, telling that his family comes from Suzdal, where his grandfather was a posad man.
His father, Timothy, driven by hunger and poverty, moved to the Urals, where he found refuge in the lands of the rich salt industrialists - the merchants of the Stroganovs. There he settled, married and raised two sons - Rodion and Basil. From this document it follows that this is how the future conqueror of Siberia was called in holy baptism. The name Ermak, preserved in history, is just a nickname, one of those that was customary to be given in the Cossack milieu.
Years of military service
Ermak Timofeevich set off to conquer the Siberian expanses, already having rich combat experience behind him. It is known that for twenty years he, along with other Cossacks, guarded the southern borders of Russia, and when Tsar Ivan the Terrible started the Livonian War in 1558 , he took part in the campaign and even became famous as one of the most fearless governors. The report of the Polish commandant of the city of Mogilev to King Stefan Batory, in which he notes his courage, has been preserved.
In 1577, the actual owners of the Ural lands - the Stroganov merchants - hired a large detachment of the Ural Cossacks to protect them from the constant raids of nomads led by Khan Kuchum. Ermak received an invitation. His biography from this moment makes a sharp turn - the little-known Cossack chieftain becomes the head of the fearless conquerors of Siberia, who forever inscribed their names in history.
On a campaign to pacify foreigners
Subsequently, the Siberian Khanate tried to maintain peaceful relations with the Russian sovereigns and carefully paid the established yasak - a tribute in the form of fur of animal skins, but this was preceded by a long and difficult period of campaigns and battles. The ambitious plans of the Kuchum included the crowding out of the Stroganovs and all those who lived on their lands from the Western Urals and the Chusovoy and Kama rivers.
A very large army went to pacify the rebellious foreigners - one thousand six hundred people. In those years, rivers were the only means of communication in the remote taiga land, and the legend of Yermak Timofeevich tells how hundreds of Cossack plows sailed along them - large and heavy boats that can accommodate up to twenty people with all supplies.
Ermak’s team and its features
This campaign was carefully prepared, and the Stroganovs did not spare the money to buy the best weapons of the time. At the disposal of the Cossacks there were three hundred squeals capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of one hundred meters, several dozen shotguns and even Spanish arquebuses. In addition, each plow was equipped with several cannons, turning it, thus, into a warship. All this provided the Cossacks with a significant advantage over the Khan Horde, which at that time did not know any firearms.
But the main factor contributing to the success of the campaign was the clear and thoughtful organization of the troops. The whole squad was divided into regiments, at the head of which Yermak put the most experienced and reputable chieftains. During the fighting, their teams were transmitted using established signals by pipes, timpani and drums. The iron discipline established from the first days of the campaign also played its role.
Ermak: a biography that has become a legend
The famous campaign began on September 1, 1581. Historical data and the legend about Yermak testify that his flotilla, sailing along the Kama River, rose to the upper reaches of the Chusovaya River and further along the Serebryanka River reached the Tagil passes. Here, in the Kokui-town built by them, the Cossacks spent the winter, and with the onset of spring they continued their journey along the Tagil River - already on the other side of the Ural Range.
Not far from the mouth of the taiga river Tura, the first serious battle with the Tatars took place. Their detachment, led by Khan’s nephew Mametkul, ambushed and showered Cossacks with a cloud of arrows from the shore, but was scattered by return fire from the squeaks. Having repelled the attack, Yermak and his people continued on their way and entered the Tobol River. There was a new clash with the enemy, this time on land. Despite the fact that both sides suffered significant losses, the Tatars were put to flight.
Capture fortified enemy cities
Following these battles, two more followed - the battle on the Tobol River near the Irtysh and the capture of the Tatar city of Karachin. In both cases, the victory was won not only thanks to the courage of the Cossacks, but also as a result of the outstanding commander qualities that Yermak possessed. Siberia - the estate of Kuchum Khan - gradually passed under the Russian protectorate. Having suffered a defeat near Karachin, the khan concentrated all his efforts only on defensive actions, leaving his ambitious plans.
After a short time, capturing another fortified point, Yermak’s squad finally reached the capital of the Siberian Khanate - the city of Isker. The legend of Yermak, which has been preserved since long ago, describes how the Cossacks went three times to attack the city, and the Tatars fought off the Orthodox army three times. Finally, their cavalry made a sortie due to defensive structures and rushed to the Cossacks.
It was their fatal mistake. Caught in the field of view of the shooters, they became an excellent target for them. With each salvo of squeaks, the battlefield was covered with new and new bodies of Tatars. In the end, the defenders of Isker rushed to run, leaving their khan to the mercy of fate. The victory was complete. In this city, conquered from the enemies, Ermak and his army spent the winter. As a wise politician, he managed to establish relations with local taiga tribes, which helped to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The end of Yermak's life
A group of Cossacks was sent from Moscow to the former capital of the Siberian Khanate with a report on the expedition, asking for help and a rich yasak from the skins of valuable fur-bearing animals. Ivan the Terrible, appreciating the merits of Yermak, sent a significant squad to his subordination, and he personally was given a steel carapace - a sign of his royal mercy.
But, despite all the successes, the life of the Cossacks passed in constant danger of new attacks by the Tatars. The victim of one of them was the legendary conqueror of Siberia - Ermak. His biography ends with an episode when on a dark August night of 1585 a detachment of Cossacks, having spent the night on the banks of a wild taiga river, did not set sentries.
Fatal negligence allowed the Tatars to suddenly attack them. Escaping from enemies, Yermak tried to cross the river, but the heavy shell - a gift from the king - carried him to the bottom. Thus ended his life as a man-legend, who gave Russia the vast expanses of Siberia.