Ermak Timofeevich - Russian Cossack chieftain. National hero of Russia. A campaign in 1582-85 marked the beginning of the development of Siberia by the Russian state. We do not recognize his true name, the exact places of his death and burial are also lost, but his glory has survived for centuries …
There is practically nothing reliable about the origin of Ermak and about his life before the start of the Siberian campaign. There are very few official documents. According to the most common versions, he is called Alenin Vasily Timofeevich or Povolsky Ermak Timofeevich.
There are allegations of its origin from the Volga, from the Don, from the Urals, even from the Northern Dvina. There is no name Yermak in the Russian church rite. Only 36 years after the death of the ataman, in 1621, Archbishop Cyprian of Tobolsk began to "click eternal memory", the annual "universal remembrance" of the dead. And Ermak became the hero of the folk epic and songs.
In 1636, the Tobolsk clerk Savva Esipov compiled the first Siberian chronicle "On the capture of Siberian land." Then some of his associates were still alive. Semyon Remezov, one of the first geographers and historians of Siberia, "at the behest of the sovereign autocrat Peter Alekseevich" found Yermak's grave.
The confusion was introduced by Academician Gerhard Friedrich Miller, who traveled along the Irtysh in 1734. He did not understand the Russian words "breakthrough" and "digging", which meant the shortest route for ships, a straight channel that straightens the river, making a loop. Miller incorrectly indicated the places of death and burial of Yermak. Citing him, this mistake was then repeated by many others.
On the question of the personality of Yermak, scientists have not yet come to a consensus. Most often he is called a native of the estates of the industrialists Stroganovs, who then left to "leave" on the Volga and Don and became a Cossack. Another opinion: Ermak is of noble origin, of Turkic blood …
The word "Cossack" or, as they wrote in the old days, "Cossack" is of Turkic origin. It is based on the root "kaza", which has a double meaning:
1. to attack, death, damage, loss, deprivation of something;
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2. disaster, calamity, misfortune, misfortune, natural disaster.
Cossacks among the Turkic peoples called people who lagged behind the Horde, isolated, leading their economy separately. But gradually they began to call the dangerous people who hunted robbery, robbed their fellow tribesmen. The fact that the concept of "Cossacks" originated among the Turkic peoples can be confirmed by materials from sources.
In 1538, the Moscow authorities noted that "many Cossacks go to the field: Kazan, Azov, Crimean and other minions, Cossacks, and from our Ukrainians, Cossacks, mingling with them, walk." Note, "they go mingling with them." Consequently, nationality did not play a big role for the Cossacks, the main thing was the way of life.
Ivan the Terrible decided to attract the steppe freemen to his side. In 1571 he sent messengers to the Don atamans, invited them to military service and recognized the Cossacks as a military and political force.
In 1579, the Polish king Stefan Batory led an army of forty thousand to the Russian land. Ivan IV hastily gathered the militia, which included the Cossack formations. In 1581 Batory laid siege to Pskov. Russian troops went to Shklov and Mogilev, preparing a counterattack.
The commandant of Mogilev, Stravinsky, hastily informed the king about the approach of the Russian regiments to the city. He listed in great detail the names of the Russian governors. At the very end of the list there are: "Vasily Yanov - the governor of the Don Cossacks and Ermak Timofeevich - the Cossack chieftain." It was June 1581.
At that time, Ataman Yermak was in the state service and was well known to the enemy.
At the same time, the rulers of the Big Nogai Horde, who roamed beyond the Volga, raised their heads. Although they recognized themselves as subjects of the Moscow Tsar, they were not averse to profiting and managing on Russian soil when the main military forces were concentrated on the northwestern borders. A big raid was brewing …
Ivan IV was informed about this in time. Ambassador V. Pepelitsyn went to the Nogai Horde with rich gifts to appease the ruling khans. At the same time, the tsar appealed to the Volga Cossacks to prepare to repel the raid. Those with the Nogais had long-standing scores. Many Cossacks, taken prisoner, ended up in slave markets, or even were simply tortured.
When Pepelitsyn appeared on the Samara River in August 1581, returning from the Horde with the Nogai ambassador and 300 horsemen, the Cossacks rushed at them, not wanting to know why they came to Russian land.
The Nogays were hacked to pieces, despite the presence of the tsarist ambassador, and only 25 people rode to Moscow and complained to Ivan Vasilyevich that the Cossacks had chopped up their comrades. The names of the Volga chieftains were listed: Ivan Koltso, Bogdan Barbosha, Savva Boldyr, Nikita Pan.
Not wanting to aggravate relations with the Nogai Horde, Grozny ordered to seize the Cossacks and execute them on the spot. But in reality it was only a subtle diplomatic move.
Without dwelling on the description of subsequent events, we will only point out that the names of Yermak himself and his atamans, who later participated in the Siberian campaign, were quite well known to contemporaries.
In addition to those mentioned above, Matvey Meshcheryak, Cherkas Alexandrov, Bogdan Bryazga, Ivan Karchiga, Ivan Groza are often mentioned in various Siberian chronicles. The rest of Yermak's associates know only names without nicknames, or, as we say now, without surnames.
Name or nickname?
Let's try to figure out the origin of nicknames-nicknames of those whose names have been preserved for us by history. All of them are divided according to two characteristics - by origin or by the most typical character traits: Meshcheryak - a person from Meshchera; Cherkas is a native of Ukraine; Pan is a native of Poland.
And here is how you can "translate" into modern language the nicknames of the Cossack chieftains given to them for some habits, character traits, demeanor: The ring is a person who does not stay long in one place, in today's language - "tumbleweed". Most likely, an unusually dexterous person escaping retribution, elusive.
Bryazga - from the thieves' term of that time - strum, blur. It also applies to people getting involved in quarrels, squabbles. Such a nickname could be given to a person who is always dissatisfied with something, a grump.
Karchiga is the nickname of a man with a hoarse voice. They said about this: "Karchit like a raven on a spruce." Boldyr - so in the old days people were called, born from parents of different tribes. For example, in Astrakhan, a child from a marriage between a Russian and a Kalmyk woman could have been a bold man, and in Arkhangelsk, from a Russian and a Samoyed woman (Nenets) or a Zyryanka, etc.
Barbosha (from drumming) - that was the name of fussy, hectic people in the Ryazan province; in Vologda - muttering to themselves, speaking inaudibly; in Pskovskaya - collecting absurd rumors, etc. Most likely, this nickname was worn by a restless, hectic person. Thunderstorm is a stern, formidable person.
The main challenge is with the ataman Ermak himself. It cannot be attributed to the first. not the second category of nicknames. Some researchers tried to decipher his name as a modified Ermolai, Ermila and even Hermogenes.
But, firstly, the Christian name was never changed. Could apply its various forms: Ermilka, Eroshka, Eropka, but not Ermak.
Secondly, his name is known - Vasily, and his patronymic - Timofeevich. Although, strictly speaking, in those days the name of a person in conjunction with the name of his father should have been pronounced as Vasily Timofeev son. Timofeevich (with "ich") could only be called a man of a princely family, a boyar.
His nickname is also known - Povolsky, that is, a man from the Volga. But moreover, his surname is also known! In the "Siberian Chronicle", published in St. Petersburg in 1907, the surname of Vasily's grandfather - Alenin is given: his name was Afanasy Grigoriev son.
If you put all this together, you get: Vasily Timofeev, son of Alenin Ermak Povolsky. Impressive!
Let's try to look into the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl to look for an explanation of the word "ermak" there. "Ermak" is a small millstone for hand-held peasant mills.
The word "ermak" is undoubtedly of Turkic origin. Let's rummage in the Tatar-Russian dictionary: erma - breakthrough; yermak - a ditch washed out by water; ermaklau - to plow; ertu - to tear, tear. It seems that the millstone for the hand mill got its name from the last word.
So, the word “ermak” is based on a rather definite meaning - a breakthrough, a breakthrough. And this is a fairly accurate characteristic. There is even a saying: "A breakthrough, not a man." Or: "Everything is like a hole in him."
But why Vasily Alenin was nicknamed Yermak and not the Prorva is difficult to answer, most likely impossible. But, in fact, who proved that Ermak Alenin was of Russian origin? Once he fought on the side of the Moscow Tsar, then, then, immediately the Russian?
Let's take at random several princely families from the book "The History of the Russian Nobility's Clans": Aganins, Alachevs, Barashevs, Enikeevs, Isheevs, Koshaevs, Mansurovs, Oblesimovs, Suleshevs, Cherkasskys, Yusupovs, and so on - all these are "foreign" Golden Hordes, natives who served the Russian tsars. And in the old days, and even now, Russians are considered to be those who received Orthodox baptism and consider themselves a Russian person.
In the language of the investigator, the surname of our hero, Alenin, also raises very big doubts. The fact that she is in no way connected with the "deer" is clear and without explanation. Previously, there were no words in Russian beginning with the letter "a". Watermelon, arba, cherry plum, lasso - all of them are of Turkic origin. So Alenin is a surname, clearly borrowed from the same neighbors and probably altered in the Russian manner for a more convenient pronunciation.
Let's look again at the dictionary of the Tatar language: scarlet - scarlet, pink; ala - piebald; alakola - spotted; alama - a bad person; alapai - unkempt person; alga - forward. As you can see, there are many options. And finally, Allah or Allah - God, Deity.
The names are also similar: Ali, Alei, Alim. One of the chronicles describes the appearance of Ermak: "flat face" and "black hair", and, you see, a Russian person is characterized by an elongated face and light brown hair. A strange picture turns out - Ermak is of Turkic origin, and Alenin is an offshoot from the same root!
But what about the name Vasily? He could receive the name at baptism, and the patronymic from the godfather, called Timothy. This was practiced in Russia all the time, so why could not it happen with our hero?
In the 16th century, many princes and murzas from the Kazan, Astrakhan, and Nogai khanates passed to the service of the Moscow Tsar. The princes of the Siberian Khanate also sought friendship with him. Most often, the facts of the transition were not recorded in any documents, and if there was such a record, it was irretrievably lost. And Yermak's "relatives" appeared much later, attributed to the famous ataman by chroniclers who wished to find out his genealogy.
The very name Ermak (or a nickname-nickname) is repeatedly found in chronicles and documents. So, in the Siberian annals it is recorded that the atamans of Tobolsk Ivan Fedorov, son of Astrakhanev and Ermak Ostafiev, participated in the laying of the Krasnoyarsk fort in 1628. It is possible that many Cossack chieftains were nicknamed "Yermaks", but only one of them became a national hero, glorifying his nickname "the capture of Siberia".
In our case, the most interesting thing is that the name Vasily was replaced by the nickname Ermak, and the surname Alenin was rarely used at all. So he remained in the people's memory as Yermak Timofeevich - Cossack ataman. And the Russian people have always strived for brevity and expression of the essence: they will say how they will put the press.
In the popular understanding, Yermak is a symbol of a breakthrough, a small stream that rolls the age-old boulders, making its way. The hidden meaning of the name grew into a national symbol.
And it is very symbolic that the glorious ataman died not from an arrow or a spear (the national hero cannot fall from the enemy's hand), but in the fight against the elements - he drowned in the stormy Irtysh. By the way, the name of the mighty Siberian river has the same root as the nickname of our hero - "ertu": to tear, poke, break through.
"Irtysh" is translated as "digger", tearing the ground. No less symbolic is the fact that Yermak Timofeevich died on the "Yermak" - on an island formed by a small stream, which is called by the local population "Yermak".
The body of the chieftain was found eight days after his death near the Epanchinskiy yurts on the Irtysh. His grandson Yanysh Begisha found him and removed the corpse from the water “in the form of a pansyri blanket and understanding not just being”, that is, realizing that this is not a simple warrior.
Ermak was wearing a gift from the tsar - chain mail weighing 11.7 kg in the form of a shirt of 16,000 rings, with short sleeves and a cast copper plate with a double-headed eagle on the right side of the chest.
Why did Ermak go to Siberia?
It turns out that this simple question is not so easy to answer. Although it is more appropriate to formulate it as follows: according to whose teaching did Yermak set out on the Siberian campaign?
In numerous works about the legendary hero, there are three generally accepted points of view on the reasons that prompted the Cossacks to make a campaign, as a result of which huge Siberia became a province of the Russian state:
Ivan IV blessed the Cossacks without risking anything;
the campaign was organized by the industrialists Stroganovs to protect their towns from the raids of Siberian military detachments;
Cossacks, without asking either the tsar or their masters, went on a raid "for zipuns", that is, with the aim of plunder.
None of these reasons, considered separately, can explain the motives of the campaign.
The initiative of Ivan the Terrible disappears immediately: the tsar, having learned about the campaign, sent the Stroganovs a letter demanding to immediately return the Cossacks for the defense of the towns, which at that time were attacked by the detachments of the Vogul princes and warriors of Khan Kuchum, led by his eldest son Alei.
The version about the Stroganovs as the inspirers of the campaign is also not suitable: it was unprofitable for them to let go of the Cossacks, both from a military point of view and from an economic point of view. It is well known that the Cossacks have pretty much plundered their supplies (food and rifle), taking everything that is bad. And when the owners tried to resist such arbitrariness, they were threatened to "deprive them of their belly."
You cannot run to Moscow to complain about the arbitrariness of the "security guards", and willy-nilly the Stroganovs became accomplices of the Siberian campaign. But it seems that all the same against their will. Here, in the fortresses, they needed the Cossacks much more, and the prospect of “conquering Siberia” did not even occur to them.
Where can a handful of Cossacks compete with the mighty Khanate! Even after the successful capture of the Siberian capital, raids by the Votul princes on the Stroganov estates did not stop.
The unauthorized campaign of the Cossacks "for zipuns" is also doubtful. If it was about easy and rich prey, then, logically, the Cossacks should have gone along the old road through the Urals to Yugra, the northern lands of the Ob region, which have long been Moscow estates, where Russian warriors have visited more than once.
Ermak and his squad did not need to look for a new road to Siberia and go to certain death against the well-armed soldiers of Khan Kuchum. In the Ugra land, where there is much more furs, local rulers, who have already experienced the power of Russian weapons, would have been much more accommodating.
So no, the Cossacks, risking their own heads, stubbornly strive for Tura, from there to Tobol and Irtysh. On the way, they capture several towns, and the gain should be enough for everyone, but Ermak orders to sail further, to the Siberian capital itself. The chieftain has other goals, rather personal than state …
But the capital of Siberia, Isker, was taken. You could go back to your homeland with honor, as it happened from time immemorial in all wars. The enemy recognizes himself as defeated, undertakes to pay tribute, not to fight with the winner - and this is where it all ends.
But Yermak does not even try to make peace with Kuchum. One winter passes, another, and he calmly swims along the Siberian rivers, leading the local population to the oath ("wool"). And, in fact, who gave him such a right? Maybe he has a royal charter for that? Or does he feel not just a winner, but … the owner of this land ?!
Let us recall with what reluctance Russian peasants moved to Siberia much later. This is not a promised land, but every single day you have to fight hunger and cold. It is much safer to live on a well-equipped land, where there are a lot of relatives, and food is not so difficult, and there is protection from adversaries. After all, the same Cossacks for the winter from the Wild Field went back to their homeland.
And in the detachment of Yermak, some special people picked up that they did not want to go home either, and were not afraid of death. Assumptions that the Russian peasant dreamed of becoming famous for the accomplishment of feats of arms, was rooting for the state, are built on sand …
And one more interesting moment: the governor, Prince Semyon Bolkhovsky, is sent to the aid of the Cossacks in Siberia, and together with the warriors, two more military leaders - Khan Kireev and Ivan Glukhov. All three are not like some rootless Cossack chieftain! But nowhere in the annals and there is no talk of one of them becoming the leader of the squad.
And in Russia, for a long time, he is higher in military rank, whose origin is more noble. So really Prince Bolkhovsky would obey Ataman Yermak ?! True, unfortunately, the prince died of hunger (or illness) in Isker in the very first winter, but the other two survived and Yermak submitted.
Something is wrong here! The conclusion suggests itself: the origin of Ermak Alenin is quite high, and he could well have come from the princes of the Siberian land, who were then exterminated by Khan Kuchum who came from Bukhara.
Then it becomes clear why Ermak on this land behaved like a master, and not like an ordinary conqueror of that time. And he settled personal scores with Khan Kuchum, and not with someone else. Kuchum was enemy number one for him. Ermak's campaign was aimed at returning the Siberian throne to one of the relatives of his dynasty and expelling the Bukhara conqueror from Siberia.
Only this can explain the fact that the local population did not rise up to fight the Russian squads - they were led by one of the relatives of the Siberian princes, even if he had adopted the Orthodox faith, but his own blood. And Kuchum was a stranger to them; as has been noted more than once, his name in translation from the Tatar means "newcomer", "migrant", "steppe".
And that after Yermak's campaign Siberia became a Russian province, it was only the restoration of historical justice - as early as 1555, the Siberian rulers Ediger and Bek-Bulat recognized themselves as subjects of Moscow and regularly sent tribute there.
Initially, Khan Kuchum recognized this dependence, but only then he decided to quarrel with Ivan Vasilyevich on his own head. What came of this, every student knows.
Change of dynasties on the Siberian throne
This is precisely the conclusion that can be drawn if you carefully read the following document from the Esipov Chronicle:
"When the messenger came to Tsar Kuchyum and told him, as if Prince Seydyak Bukbulatov, a son from Bukhara, was coming against him in an army of many, he was ratting tamo from killing him, and I will remember my fatherland and heritage of admiration, and avenge the blood of his father Bekbulat wants."
Further, it is reported that Kuchum "was afraid of the great fear" and, having learned that the court vizier of Karach fled from him with his people, "burst into tears with great weeping and speech" very bitter words, the meaning of which is as follows: those whom God does not have mercy, those friends leave by becoming enemies.
Whom God does not have mercy … Probably people who violated his commandments, shedding the blood of legitimate rulers. This is what the deposed Siberian ruler admitted to.
Note that the annals never mention an open attack by Khan Kuchum on Ermak and his warriors in Isker. Of course, this can be explained by fear or small military forces. But if the former Siberian Khan was afraid of the Cossacks, then he would have left this land long ago, and meanwhile, Ermak's army was literally melting before our eyes.
No, other laws were in force here, and not animal fear, which is attributed to the aged khan by many researchers. And if he, Kuchum, felt fear, it was fear of the legitimate ruler of the Siberian Khanate.
And yet Kuchum decided to attack Yermak during their overnight stay in the Bagai "Yermak". But it is necessary to immediately make a reservation that Russian sources report this attack, and in the legends of the Siberian Tatars it is drawn somewhat differently. And is it possible to believe the testimony of people who abandoned their chieftain, and then set out the picture of the battle in a favorable light for themselves?
Having visited the place of death of the legendary chieftain, I never managed to find a place from which the attackers could sneak up unnoticed even under cover of night. There is a lot of unclear in the death of Yermak, and any investigator of our day, entrust him to find out the circumstances of the death of the Cossack chieftain, would find a lot of contradictions in the testimony of witnesses.
It seems that Kuchum chose the night attack, if we accept the Russian version of the last battle, not only for surprise (the Cossacks could slip away under cover of night unnoticed by the attackers), but rather so that the enemy could not know who attacked them. Kuchum was afraid to meet face to face with Yermak. And only the guilty does this!
The Cossacks, who were awaiting the return of Yermak in Isker, lost not just their leader, but the ruler of the conquered country and "fled to Russia", and "left the city of Siberia empty." Kuchum's son Alei immediately became aware of this, and he took the khan's headquarters.
Again the question: why not Kuchum, but his son? Below the chronicler explains the reason for Kuchum's reluctance to return to the deserted capital - Prince Seydyak returned:
“And he gathered together with the whole house and with the military men, and he would come to the city of Siberia, and the city was taken, and victory over Tsarevich Alei and others and from the city was exiled. This homeland accepts its father Bekbulat and tacos of the exalted in the city.
The result is known: the Sheibanite dynasty was overthrown together with the ruler Kuchum and his children and the legitimate Siberian dynasty of Taibugins reigned.
In the second summer after the death of Yermak, the ships of the voivode Ivan Mansurov sailed to Isker along the Irtysh. Having learned that the city was occupied by the rightful ruler Seydyak, Russian soldiers sailed further north and founded a town at the Irtysh mouth at the confluence of the Ob. It seems that by that time, peace had reigned in Siberia.
And when the voivode Danila Chulkov arrived on the Irtysh banks, no one prevented him from laying the city of Tobolsk and living just as calmly not far from the old capital of Siberia. Kuchum, who roams somewhere nearby, does not attack the legitimate ruler of Siberia, and it seems that he does not care about the Russians. Seydyak, who continued the traditions of his father, has no complaints about the Russians. World?
But it was not just anyone who decided to break the current balance, but Russian settlers. Maybe they believe Seydyak himself, but next to him is the former vizier of Kuchum Karach. It was he who, by cunning, lured the ataman of the Ring with his comrades to him and dealt with them there.
He overlaid the Cossacks in Isker in winter, when many died of hunger. It was impossible to trust such a person. And then a very ordinary event for that time takes place: Prince Seydyak, Karachu and a certain prince of the Cossack horde Saltan were invited to the "city of Tobolsk", seated at the table and offered to drink wine for the health of those present.
Maybe the laws of Islam did not allow those to drink intoxicated, maybe the wine turned out to be too strong, but all three choked. This was interpreted as a cover-up of malice, and all three were tied up, interrupting the guards accompanying them. True, then the eminent Siberians were sent to Moscow "to the great sovereign", where they were received with honors and granted lands with serfs.
And what about Kuchum? Chronicles report that he did not even try to approach Tobolsk, roaming nearby and ruining the settlements of local residents. He waged war with his former subjects, but not with the Russians.
They took his sons prisoner and sent to Moscow one by one, and he himself was repeatedly sent letters with a proposal to transfer to the Russian service. But the aged Khan proudly replied that he was a "free man" and would die free. He never managed to regain the Siberian throne.
The death of two opponents - Ermak and Kuchum - is shrouded in some mystery. Their graves are unknown, and only legends live among the Tatar people.
By the way, speaking about Yermak's grave, one should mention that, according to legend, he was buried at the Baishevsky cemetery "under a curly pine tree" not far from the mausoleum of the Monk Khakim-Ata, a sheikh-preacher who brought Islam to Siberia. It is unlikely that Muslims - and Kuchum persistently introduced Islam as a state religion in his khanate - would have allowed the burial of a Gentile next to a glorified saint.
A lot of questions arise when you start rereading the Siberian chronicles from a slightly different angle of view than was previously accepted. The fact is that all the chronicles were written by Russian authors, who divided the heroes into two sides: on the one hand - the Russians, on the opposite - the Tatars. And that's all.
As a result, Khan Kuchum turned out to be a Tatar (although he never was), and Ermak, with his Turkic, in fact, nickname-nickname, was enrolled in the epic heroes of the Russian land. The heroization of the Volga ataman gave a fabulous hero-hero like Ilya Muromets, but thereby extinguished, erased the very essence of the Siberian campaign, leaving only the final result on the surface - the annexation of Siberia to Russia.
The people have already said their word and are not going to take it back. And is it necessary to remove the paint from the canvas to make sure that under the bright paint layer there is a rough base - gray and nondescript?
Yermak became a hero in the popular mind; Kuchum got the fate of a villain, although his tragic fate gives him the right to a different halo, and his love of freedom and independence does honor to his personality. But now nothing can be changed …
It is unlikely that we will be able to answer today who was actually the chieftain Ermak, but the fact that he was far from a popular hero, whom we are used to seeing in him, is undoubtedly.
Sofronov V.