The conquest of Siberia is one of the most important processes in the formation of Russian statehood. The development of the eastern lands took more than 400 years. Throughout this period, there were many battles, foreign expansions, conspiracies, intrigues.
The annexation of Siberia is still the focus of attention of historians and causes a lot of controversy, including among members of the public.
Conquest of Siberia by Yermak
The history of the conquest of Siberia begins with the famous This is one of the atamans of the Cossacks. There is no exact data on his birth and ancestors. However, the memory of his exploits has come down to us through the centuries. In 1580, the wealthy merchants Stroganovs invited the Cossacks to help protect their possessions from constant raids from the Ugric peoples. The Cossacks settled down in a small town and lived relatively peacefully. The bulk of the total amounted to a little more than eight hundred. In 1581, a campaign was organized with the money of merchants. Despite the historical significance (in fact, the campaign marked the beginning of the era of the conquest of Siberia), this campaign did not attract the attention of Moscow. In the Kremlin, the detachment was called simple "bandits".
In the autumn of 1581, Yermak's group embarked on small ships and began to sail up to the very mountains. Upon landing, the Cossacks had to clear their way by cutting down trees. The beach was completely uninhabited. The constant rise and mountainous terrain created extremely difficult conditions for the transition. Ships (plows) were literally carried by hand, because due to continuous vegetation it was not possible to install rollers. With the approach of cold weather, the Cossacks set up camp on the pass, where they spent the whole winter. After that, the rafting began
Siberian Khanate
The conquest of Siberia by Yermak met the first resistance from the local Tatars. There, almost across the Ob River, the Siberian Khanate began. This small state was formed in the 15th century, after the defeat of the Golden Horde. It did not have significant power and consisted of several possessions of petty princes.
The Tatars, accustomed to a nomadic way of life, could not equip cities or even villages well. The main occupations were still hunting and raids. The warriors were mostly mounted. Scimitars or sabers were used as weapons. Most often they were locally made and quickly broke down. There were also captured Russian swords and other high quality equipment. The tactics of swift horse raids were used, during which the riders literally trampled the enemy, after which they retreated. Foot soldiers were mostly archers.
Equipment of the Cossacks
Yermak's Cossacks received modern weapons at that time. These were gunpowder guns and cannons. Most of the Tatars had not even seen this before, and this was the main advantage of the Russians.
The first battle took place near modern Turinsk. Here the Tatars from the ambush began to shower the Cossacks with arrows. Then the local prince Yepanchi sent his cavalry to Yermak. The Cossacks opened fire on them with long guns and cannons, after which the Tatars fled. This local victory made it possible to take Chingi-tura without a fight.
The first victory brought the Cossacks many different benefits. In addition to gold and silver, these lands were very rich in Siberian fur, which was highly valued in Russia. After other servicemen learned about the booty, the conquest of Siberia by the Cossacks attracted many new people.
Conquest of Western Siberia
After a series of quick and successful victories, Yermak began to move further east. In the spring, several Tatar princes united to repulse the Cossacks, but were quickly defeated and recognized Russian power. In the middle of summer, the first major battle took place in the modern Yarkovsky region. Mametkul's cavalry launched an attack on the positions of the Cossacks. They sought to quickly get close and crush the enemy, taking advantage of the horseman in close combat. Yermak personally stood in the trench, where the guns were located, and began to fire on the Tatars. Already after several volleys, Mametkul fled with the whole army, which opened the way for the Cossacks to Karachi.
Arrangement of occupied lands
The conquest of Siberia was characterized by significant non-combat losses. Difficult weather conditions and severe climate caused many diseases in the camp of forwarders. In addition to the Russians, there were also Germans and Lithuanians in Yermak's detachment (as people from the Baltic were called).
They were the most susceptible to disease and had the hardest time acclimatizing. However, there were no such difficulties in the hot Siberian summer, so the Cossacks advanced without problems, occupying more and more territories. The settlements taken were not plundered or burned. Usually jewels were taken from the local prince if he dared to put up an army. Otherwise, he simply presented gifts. In addition to the Cossacks, settlers participated in the campaign. They walked behind the soldiers along with the clergy and representatives of the future administration. In the conquered cities, prisons were immediately built - wooden fortified forts. They were both civil administration and a stronghold in the event of a siege.
The conquered tribes were subject to tribute. The Russian governors in prisons were supposed to follow its payment. If someone refused to pay tribute, he was visited by the local squad. In times of great uprisings, the Cossacks came to the rescue.
The final defeat of the Siberian Khanate
The conquest of Siberia was facilitated by the fact that the local Tatars practically did not interact with each other. Different tribes were at war with each other. Even within the Siberian Khanate, not all princes were in a hurry to help others. Tatar had the greatest resistance. To stop the Cossacks, he began to gather an army in advance. In addition to his squad, he invited mercenaries. They were Ostyaks and Voguls. Among them met and know. In early November, the khan led the Tatars to the mouth of the Tobol, intending to stop the Russians here. It is noteworthy that the majority of local residents did not provide Kuchum with any significant assistance.
Decisive battle
When the battle began, almost all the mercenaries fled from the battlefield. Poorly organized and trained Tatars could not resist the battle-hardened Cossacks for a long time and also retreated.
After this crushing and decisive victory, the road to Kishlyk opened before Yermak. After the capture of the capital, the detachment stopped in the city. A few days later, representatives of the Khanty began to arrive there with gifts. The ataman received them cordially and communicated kindly. After that, the Tatars began to voluntarily offer gifts in exchange for protection. Also, everyone who knelt down was obliged to pay tribute.
Death at the peak of fame
The conquest of Siberia was initially not supported from Moscow. However, rumors about the success of the Cossacks quickly spread throughout the country. In 1582, Yermak sent a delegation to the tsar. At the head of the embassy was the ataman's companion Ivan Koltso. Tsar Ivan IV gave a welcome to the Cossacks. They were presented with expensive gifts, among which - equipment from the royal forge. Ivan also ordered to assemble a squad of 500 people and send them to Siberia. Already on next year Ermak subjugated almost all the lands on the coast of the Irtysh.
The famous chieftain continued to conquer uncharted territories and subjugate more and more nationalities. There were uprisings that were quickly suppressed. But near the Vagay River, Yermak's detachment was attacked. Taking the Cossacks by surprise at night, the Tatars managed to kill almost everyone. The great leader and Cossack chieftain Yermak died.
Further conquest of Siberia: briefly
The exact burial place of the ataman is unknown. After the death of Yermak, the conquest of Siberia continued with renewed vigor. Year after year, more and more new territories were subordinated. If the initial campaign was not coordinated with the Kremlin and was chaotic, then subsequent actions became more centralized. The king personally took control of this issue. Well-equipped expeditions were regularly sent out. The city of Tyumen was built, which became the first Russian settlement in these parts. Since then, the systematic conquest continued with the use of the Cossacks. Year after year they conquered more and more new territories. In the cities taken, the Russian administration was set up. Educated people were sent from the capital to conduct business.
In the middle of the 17th century there was a wave of active colonization. Many cities and settlements are founded. Peasants arrive from other parts of Russia. Settlement is gaining momentum. In 1733 the famous Northern Expedition was organized. In addition to conquest, the task of exploring and discovering new lands was also set. The data obtained after were used by geographers from around the world. The end of the annexation of Siberia can be considered the entry of the Uryakhansk region into the Russian Empire.
The beginning of the development of Siberia by the Russians is associated with the campaign of Yermak's squad. This campaign took place in 1581 - 1585, at the very end of the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible. At this time, Russia was actively foreign policy aimed at expanding the territory of the state. This process sometimes escalated into wars. And wars were accompanied by large financial costs and led to the impoverishment of the state treasury.
The financial position of Russia during this period could be improved, for example, by the sale of domestic furs in Western Europe. The fur of fur animals was in high demand in the West at that time, and therefore it was not by chance that it was called "soft gold".
There were already few fur-bearing animals in European Russia, which is explained by the centuries-old hunting for them, which sometimes took on the character of predatory extermination.
But Siberia in this sense was a completely undeveloped and inexhaustible, as it seemed then, land. Therefore, the eyes of the Moscow government were turned to the east.
The initiative to organize Yermak's campaign came not only from the tsar, but also from the rich merchants and salt industrialists Stroganovs, who in the 50-60s of the 16th century were "granted" by Ivan the Terrible lands in the middle reaches of the Kama to the mouth of the Chusovaya and along the Chusovaya from the mouth to the sources . This is the territory of the Urals and the Urals proper.
Immediately, the tsar ordered the Stroganovs to strengthen their "towns", recruit and maintain military people to protect against raids by Nogais and "Sibirs" Letter from Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich to Chusovaya Maxim and Nikita Stroganov about sending Volga Cossacks Yermak Timofeevich and his comrades to Cherdyn // Ekaterinburg, 2004 - P.7-8.. Attacks on the lands of the Stroganovs along the Kama and Chusovaya began even during the construction of fortresses by them. The raids were attended by local peoples - Cheremis, Bashkirs, Ostyaks and Voguls, led by their "princes". But since the 1970s, these attacks have become more frequent and more devastating.
In 1573, Mametkul came to Chusovaya - the nephew of the ruler of the Siberian Khanate Kuchum "Mametkul - Kuchum the king's son." See Siberian Chronicles. SPB. 1907. - S. 53, . He destroyed the yasak Voguls and Ostyaks, and took their wives and children prisoner. These were representatives of the local population who passed into Russian citizenship and paid tribute - yasak. Also during this raid, members of the Russian embassy, headed by Tretyak Chubukov, were exterminated. This embassy was sent to the Kazakh horde.
But Mametkul did not dare to attack the fortresses of the Stroganovs, and the Stroganovs, in turn, did not pursue him without a royal decree.
The main source for Yermak's campaign is the Siberian chronicles. According to the Stroganov Chronicle, it turns out that it was after the raid of Mametkul, in 1573, that Grigory and Yakov the Stroganovs ask the tsar to send a decree allowing them to pursue the enemy on his territory, that is, in the Siberian Khanate, and build fortified points there, bring the Siberian peoples into Russian citizenship, collect from them the "sovereign yasak" G. Krasinsky. Conquest of Siberia and Ivan the Terrible. "Questions of History", 1947, No. 3. - S. 80-81 ..
Compliance with certain formalities was necessary because here it was about the invasion of foreign territory, and this would inevitably lead to a war with the Siberian Khanate.
But first it was necessary to protect the possessions of the Stroganovs from the raids of the "Siberians".
For this purpose, in 1579, the Stroganovs "summoned" Cossacks from the Volga under the command of Ataman Yermak. Most Siberian chronicles indicate the number of Cossacks at 540 people. Yermak had four chieftains equal to him - Ivan Koltso, Yakov Mikhailov, Nikita Pan, Matvey Meshcheryak. The "Kungur chronicler" also mentions the ataman Ivan Groza. Atamans commanded units of about 100 people. And Yermak was considered the "senior" of the atamans. There was a military organization in Yermak's squad, and strict discipline A. A. Vvedensky. Stroganovs, Ermak and the conquest of Siberia. "Historical collection", No. 2. Kiev State University named after T. G. Shevchenko. Kiev. 1949..
The Cossacks were engaged in robbery on the Great Volga trade route. There they ruined merchant ships, and before leaving for the Stroganovs, they attacked the tsar's ambassador, killed him, and plundered the treasury, money and gunpowder. The tsar began to persecute the Cossacks, and there was nothing left for them to do but to accept the Stroganovs' proposal to protect their possessions from the attacks of the "Siberians". They effectively repelled enemy attacks.
In parallel, preparations were underway for an expedition to Siberia. This preparation was entrusted to Maxim Stroganov, who supplied the Cossacks with food, ammunition, and weapons. The Stroganovs, on the other hand, gave Yermak an additional detachment of 300 people, supplying them with everything necessary.
In this video lesson, the topic “Siberia. Peculiarities of Settlement and Economic Development”. During it, you will begin to explore Siberia, Russia. The teacher will talk about the main features of the settlement of this region, the living population and the development of this part of Russia.
The largest Siberian cities: Novosibirsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk.
Change in the population of Siberia
The influence of the life and culture of the Russian population had a significant impact on the indigenous peoples of Siberia: their way of life changed, many began to move to cities, received a different specialty, etc.
Under the influence of severe climatic conditions, the constant struggle with various natural factors, the Siberians developed a special persistent, independent, independent character.
Starting from the 17th century, Siberia became a region for exiles. Opponents of the political regime, participants in conspiracies, uprisings, and criminals were exiled here. As a result, many, having served their terms, did not return to their original homeland, but remained in the Siberian region. This also left its mark on the peculiarity of the population of Siberia.
In 1703 Buryatia became part of the Russian state. On December 29, 1708, in the course of the regional reform of Peter I, the Siberian province was created with the center in Tobolsk. In the reign of Peter I begins Scientific research Siberia, the Great Northern Expedition is being organized. V early XVIII century, the first large industrial enterprises appeared in Siberia - the Altai mining plants of Akinfiy Demidov, on the basis of which the Altai mining district was created. Distilleries and salt factories are founded in Siberia. In the 18th century, about 7 thousand workers were employed in 32 factories in Siberia, together with the mines that served them. A feature of the Siberian industry was the use of the labor of exiles and convicts. Siberia becomes the main metal base of Russia. The Siberian mining industry was concentrated in the southern, more settled and livable areas.
In the 1890-1900s, the Siberian Railway (“Trans-Siberian Railway”) was built, connecting Siberia and the Far East with European Russia. The railway significantly changed the economic conditions and contributed to a more active settlement of the Siberian lands.
In the late 1920s, the industrialization of Siberia began. In the 1920s-1930s, the coal industry developed in the Kuznetsk coal basin. Construction and new factories require workers. In 1928-1937, several million people arrived in Siberia, and the importance of cities increased.
During the Great Patriotic War The population of large Siberian cities is growing sharply due to the evacuation of industry and people from the European part of the USSR. In 1941-1942, about 1 million people arrived in Siberia.
After the war, the development of hydropower, non-ferrous metallurgy, oil and gas industries, the construction of pulp and paper enterprises, military-industrial complex plants took place.
Rice. 3. Oil production in Siberia ()
V modern Russia Siberia acts as the main supplier of oil, gas, non-ferrous metals; in addition, the timber industry and agriculture are developed.
Homework:
P. 56, question 2.
1. What is the reason for the diversity, features, differences of Siberians?
2. How did the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway affect the development of Siberian territories?
Bibliography
Main
1. Geography of Russia. population and economy. Grade 9: textbook for general education. uch. / V. P. Dronov, V. Ya. Rom. - M.: Bustard, 2011. - 285 p.
2. Geography. Grade 9: atlas. - 2nd ed., corrected. - M.: Bustard; DIK, 2011 - 56 p.
Additional
1. Economic and social geography of Russia: Textbook for universities / Ed. prof. A. T. Khrushchev. - M.: Bustard, 2001. - 672 p.: ill., cart.: tsv. incl.
2. Urban planning of Siberia / V. T. Gorbachev, Doctor of Architecture, N. N. Kradin, Doctor of History. Sc., N. P. Kradin, Dr. of Architects; under total ed. V. I. Tsarev. - St. Petersburg: Kolo, 2011. - 784 p.
3. Slovtsov P. A. History of Siberia. From Yermak to Catherine II. - M., 2006. - 512 p.
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, reference books and statistical collections
1. Geography: a guide for high school students and university applicants. - 2nd ed., corrected. and dorab. - M.: AST-PRESS SCHOOL, 2008. - 656 p.
Literature for preparing for the GIA and the Unified State Examination
1. Control and measuring materials. Geography: Grade 9 / Comp. E. A. ZHIZHINA - M.: VAKO, 2012. - 112 p.
2. Thematic control. Geography. Nature of Russia. Grade 8 / N. E. Burgasova, S.V. Bannikov: study guide. - M.: Intellect-Centre, 2010. - 144 p.
3. Tests in geography: grades 8-9: to the textbook, ed. V. P. Dronova “Geography of Russia. Grades 8-9: a textbook for educational institutions ”/ V. I. Evdokimov. - M.: Exam, 2009. - 109 p.
4. State final certification of 9th grade graduates in new form. Geography. 2013. Textbook / V. V. Barabanov. - M.: Intellect-Centre, 2013. - 80 p.
5. Tests. Geography. Grades 6-10: Teaching aid / A. A. Letyagin. - M .: LLC "Agency" KRPA "Olimp": Astrel, AST, 2001. - 284 p.
6. Study guide for geography. Tests and practical tasks in geography / I. A. Rodionova. - M.: Moscow Lyceum, 1996. - 48 p.
7. Geography. Answers on questions. Oral exam, theory and practice / V. P. Bondarev. - M.: Publishing house "Exam", 2003. - 160 p.
8. Thematic tests to prepare for the final certification and the exam. Geography. - M.: Balass, Ed. House of RAO, 2005. - 160 p.
Materials on the Internet
Russian colonization of Siberia- the systematic penetration of Russians into Siberia, accompanied by the conquest and development of its territory and natural resources. The date of the beginning of the Russian colonization of Siberia can be considered September 1, 1581, when the Cossack squad under the command of Yermak set out on a military campaign for the Urals.
Prehistory of colonization
After the Russians conquered the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates on the Volga, the time came to advance to Siberia, which began with the campaign of Yermak Timofeevich in 1582.
The arrival of the Russians was ahead of the development of the continental parts of the New World by Europeans. In the XVII-XVIII centuries, Russian pioneers and settlers went to the East across Siberia to Pacific Ocean. First, Central Siberia was settled, covered with forests (taiga), and then, with the construction of fortresses and the subordination of nomadic tribes, the steppe Southern Siberia.
Yugra (XI-XVI centuries)
The name of Siberia is not found in Russian historical monuments until 1407, when the chronicler, speaking of the murder of Khan Tokhtamysh, indicates that it took place in the Siberian land near Tyumen. However, Russian relations with the country, which later received the name of Siberia, date back to ancient times. Novgorodians in 1032 reached the "iron gates" (the Ural Mountains - according to the interpretation of the historian S.M. Solovyov) and here they were defeated by the Yugras. Since that time, chronicles quite often mention the Novgorod campaigns to Ugra.
Since the middle of the 13th century, Ugra had already been colonized as a Novgorod volost; however, this dependence was not strong, since the indignations of the Yugras were not uncommon.
Siberian Khanate (XIII-XVI centuries)
At the beginning of the 13th century, the peoples of southern Siberia were subjugated by the eldest son of Genghis Khan named Jochi. With the collapse of the Mongol Empire, southwestern Siberia became part of the Ulus of Jochi or the Golden Horde. Presumably in the XIII century in the south Western Siberia Tyumen Khanate of Tatars and Kereites was founded. It was in vassal dependence on the Golden Horde. Around 1500, the ruler of the Tyumen Khanate united most of Western Siberia, creating Siberian Khanate with its capital in the city of Kashlyk, also known as Siberia and Isker.
The Siberian Khanate bordered on Perm, the Kazan Khanate, the Nogai Horde, the Kazakh Khanate and the Irtysh Teleuts. In the north, it reached the lower reaches of the Ob, and in the east it was adjacent to the "Piego Horde".
Conquest of Siberia by Yermak (late 16th century)
In 1555, the Siberian Khan Yediger recognized vassal dependence on the Russian Kingdom and promised to pay tribute to Moscow - yasak (although the tribute was never paid in the promised amount). In 1563, Shibanid Kuchum, who was the grandson of Ibak, seized power in the Siberian Khanate. He executed Khan Yediger and his brother Bek-Bulat.
The new Siberian Khan made great efforts to strengthen the role of Islam in Siberia. Khan Kuchum stopped paying tribute to Moscow, but in 1571 he sent a full yasak of 1,000 sables. In 1572, after the Crimean Khan Devlet I Gerai ruined Moscow, the Siberian Khan Kuchum completely broke off tributary relations with Moscow.
In 1573, Kuchum sent his nephew Mahmut Kuli with a retinue for reconnaissance purposes outside the khanate. Makhmut Kuli reached Perm, disturbing the possessions of the Ural merchants Stroganovs. In 1579, the Stroganovs invited a squad of Cossacks (more than 500 people), under the command of atamans Ermak Timofeevich, Ivan Koltso, Yakov Mikhailov, Nikita Pan and Matvey Meshcheryak to defend against regular attacks from Kuchum.
On September 1, 1581, a squad of Cossacks under the general command of Yermak set out on a campaign for the Stone Belt (Urals), marking the beginning of the colonization of Siberia by the Russian state. The initiative of this campaign, according to the annals of Esipovskaya and Remizovskaya, belonged to Yermak himself, the participation of the Stroganovs was limited to the forced supply of supplies and weapons to the Cossacks.
In 1582, on October 26, Ermak captured Kashlyk and began the annexation of the Siberian Khanate to Russia. Having been defeated by the Cossacks, Kuchum migrated south and continued to resist the Russian conquerors until 1598. On April 20, 1598, he was defeated by the Tara governor Andrei Voeikov on the banks of the river. Ob and fled to the Nogai Horde, where he was killed.
Yermak was killed in 1584.
The last khan was Ali, the son of Kuchum.
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, settlers from Russia founded the cities of Tyumen, Tobolsk, Berezov, Surgut, Tara, Obdorsk (Salekhard) on the territory of the Siberian Khanate.
In 1601, the city of Mangazeya was founded on the Taz River, which flows into the Gulf of Ob. Thus, the sea route to Western Siberia (Mangazeya sea route) was opened.
With the foundation of the prison Narym, the Pegaya Horde was conquered in the east of the Siberian Khanate.
17th century
In the reign of Mikhail Fedorovich, the first tsar from the Romanov dynasty, Cossacks and settlers master Eastern Siberia. During the first 18 years of the 17th century, the Russians crossed to the Yenisei River. The cities of Tomsk (1604), Krasnoyarsk (1628) and others are founded.
In 1623, the explorer Pyanda penetrated the Lena River, where later (1630s) Yakutsk and other towns were founded. In 1637-1640, a route was opened from Yakutsk to the Sea of Okhotsk up the Aldan, Mae and Yudoma. While moving along the Yenisei and the Arctic Ocean, industrialists penetrated the mouths of the Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma and Anadyr rivers. The consolidation of the Lena (Yakutsk) region for the Russians was secured by the construction of the Olekminsky prison (1635), Nizhne-Kolymsk (1644) and Okhotsk (1648).
In 1661 the Irkutsk prison was founded, in 1665 Selenginsky prison, in 1666 Udinsky jail.
In 1649-1650, the Cossack ataman Yerofey Khabarov reached the Amur. By the middle of the 17th century, Russian settlements appeared in the Amur region, on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, in Chukotka.
In 1645, the Cossack Vasily Poyarkov discovered the northern coast of Sakhalin.
In 1648, Semyon Dezhnev passes from the mouth of the Kolyma River to the mouth of the Anadyr River and opens the strait between Asia and America.
In 1686, the first smelting of silver from Argun or Nerchinsk silver ores was carried out in Nerchinsk. Subsequently, the Nerchinsk mining district arises here.
In 1689, the Nerchinsk Treaty was concluded, the border trade with China.
18th century
In 1703 Buryatia became part of the Muscovite state.
December 29, 1708 in the course of the regional reform of Peter I created the Siberian province with the center in Tobolsk. Prince M.P. became the first governor. Gagarin.
In the 18th century, Russian settlement of the steppe part of Southern Siberia took place, which had previously been held back. Yenisei Kyrgyz and other nomadic peoples.
In 1730, the construction of the Siberian tract began.
By 1747, a series of fortifications, known as the Irtysh line, was growing. In 1754, a new line of fortifications, the Ishimskaya, was rebuilt. In the 1730s of the 18th century, the Orenburg line arose, resting at one end against the Caspian Sea, and at the other against the Ural Range. Thus, strongholds appear between Orenburg and Omsk.
The final consolidation of the Russians in Southern Siberia takes place already in the 19th century with the annexation of Central Asia.
December 15, 1763 finally abolished Siberian Order, yasak begins to come to the disposal of the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty.
In 1766, four regiments were formed from the Buryats to keep guards along the Selenga border: the 1st Ashebagat, 2nd Tsongo, 3rd Atagan and 4th Sartol.
In the reign of Peter I, the scientific study of Siberia began, organized Great Northern Expedition. At the beginning of the 18th century, the first large industrial enterprises appeared in Siberia - the Altai mining plants of Akinfiy Demidov, on the basis of which the Altai mining district was created. Distilleries and salt factories are founded in Siberia. In the 18th century, about 7 thousand workers were employed in 32 factories in Siberia, together with the mines that served them. A feature of the Siberian industry was the use of the labor of exiles and convicts.
Style develops in architecture Siberian baroque.
Notes
- Kargalov V.V. Moscow governors of the XVI-XVII centuries. - M., 2002.
- Ladvinsky M.F. Migration movement in Russia // Historical messenger- 1892. - T. 48. - No. 5. - S. 449-465.
At one time, the great Russian writer F. M. Dostoevsky said that the French have a love for grace, the Spaniards have jealousy, the Germans have accuracy, the British have meticulousness, and the Russians are strong in their ability to understand and accept other peoples. Indeed, Russians understand Europeans much better than they understand Russians. As for the XVI-XVII centuries, the development of Siberia by the Russian people took place in full accordance with the understanding of the unique way of life of the local peoples. Therefore, the ethnic diversity of Russia has become even richer.
The process of moving the Russian population to the east began in the 16th century, when the borders of the Moscow kingdom reached the Cis-Urals. It was divided by the Kama River into two parts - the northern forest zone and the southern steppe zone. Nogai and Bashkirs roamed the steppes, and trading and industrial settlements began to form in the north. Here the Stroganov family took the initiative.
The development of Siberia by the Cossacks and Great Russians in the XVI-XVII centuries
For Russian settlements, the Blue Horde posed a serious threat. It occupied a vast territory from Tyumen to Mangyshlak. In the 70s XVI century individual clashes between the Stroganovs and the Tatar Khan Kuchum escalated into open war.
To protect their possessions, industrialists recruited Cossack detachments, as well as detachments from other military people. In 1581, the Stroganovs hired a detachment led by Ataman Yermak. He was sent to Siberia for the war with Kuchum.
The detachment was staffed by a variety of people. It included Great Russians, Cossacks, as well as Lithuanians, Tatars, Germans. The number of the detachment was 800 people. Of these, there were 500 Cossacks, and the rest of the military men were 300.
As for the Great Russians, they were mainly residents of Veliky Ustyug. In principle, each detachment that went to Siberia consisted of Cossacks (the main core) and Ustyuzhans. Such a formation was called a gang, and the people themselves were called explorers.
Cossacks and Ustyuzhans moved shoulder to shoulder through uninhabited and wild places, dragged boats over the rapids, shared all the hardships and hardships of the journey, but at the same time they remembered which of them was a Great Russian and which was a Cossack. This difference between these people persisted until the first decades of the 20th century.
Yermak with his squad
Yermak's campaign of 1581 was very successful, despite the small number of the detachment. Military people captured the capital of Khan Kuchum, the city of Isker. After that, the Stroganovs sent a letter to Moscow announcing the annexation of the Siberian lands to the Moscow kingdom. The tsar immediately sent two governors to Siberia: Glukhov and Bolkhovsky. They met Yermak in 1583.
However, the war with Kuchum continued. And she went with varying degrees of success. In 1583, the Tatar Khan dealt the Cossacks a painful blow. At the same time, Yermak died, and the warlike Kuchum again occupied his capital. But the advance of the Russians to the east has already become an irreversible process. The Tatars were forced to retreat to the Baraba steppe and from there they continued to disturb the Russian possessions with their raids.
In 1591, an army under the command of Prince Koltsov-Mosalsky dealt a crushing blow to the last Siberian Khan Kuchum. He turned to the Moscow Tsar with a request to return the seized lands to him, promising in return complete loyalty and humility. Thus ended the history of the Blue Horde.
The question arises why Kuchum in the fight against the Russians was not supported by such steppe peoples as the Oirats and Kazakhs? This is apparently explained by the fact that Oirats Buddhists and Kazakh Muslims were busy with their own internecine wars. In addition, Russian explorers moved east through the Siberian forests and did not pose a serious threat to the steppes.
As for the peoples of northern Siberia, which included the Khanty, Mansi, Evenks, and Nenets, there was no struggle either. This can only be explained by the fact that the Russian people did not give rise to conflicts, since they behaved not like aggressors and invaders, but like friends.
Thanks to a peaceful policy, Russian cities began to appear in Siberia at the end of the 16th century. In 1585, at the mouth of the Irtysh, the governor Mansurov laid the first prison. And behind him appeared Narym, Tyumen, Tara, Tobolsk, Surgut, Pelym, Berezov.
Exploration of Siberia in the 17th century
After the Time of Troubles, which shook the Russian land at the beginning of the 17th century, the development of Siberia resumed. In 1621, the Tobolsk Orthodox diocese was created. This consolidated the position of the Orthodox Church in the developed lands.
From Western Siberia, further east, Russian discoverers moved in two ways. Ustyuzhans went through Mangazeya in a northeasterly direction. The Cossacks, in turn, were heading to Transbaikalia. In 1625 they met with the Buryats.
Moving east, Russian people built prisons
In the 1930s explorers mastered the Lena River basin. And in the first half of the 17th century such cities as Yeniseisk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk were founded. This was the best indicator of the development of new lands. And already in the next decade, the Russian people reached the eastern borders of Eurasia. In 1645, the expedition of V. D. Poyarkov descended the Amur and reached the Sea of Okhotsk. In 1648-1649 Erofey Khabarov and his people passed through the middle reaches of the Amur.
Moving east, the explorers practically did not encounter serious organized resistance from the local population. The only exception is the clashes between the Cossacks and the Manchus. They happened in the 80s on the border with China.
The Cossacks reached the Amur and in 1686 built the Albazin fortress. However, the Manchus did not like this. They besieged the prison, the garrison of which consisted of several hundred people. The besieged, seeing in front of them a well-armed army of many thousands, surrendered and left the fortress. The Manchus immediately destroyed it. But stubborn Cossacks already in 1688 cut down a new, well-fortified prison in the same place. The Manchus failed to take it a second time. The Russians themselves abandoned it in 1689 according to the Nerchinsk peace.
How did the Russians manage to master Siberia so quickly?
So, in just 100 years, starting from the campaign of Yermak in 1581-1583 and before the war with the Manchus in 1687-1689, the Russian people mastered vast expanses from the Urals to the Pacific coast. Russia, with virtually no problems, entrenched itself in these boundless lands. Why did everything happen so easily and painlessly?
Firstly, after the explorers were the royal governors. They unwittingly encouraged the Cossacks and Great Russians to go further and further east. The governors also smoothed out individual bursts of rigidity that the Cossacks showed to the local population.
Secondly, mastering Siberia, our ancestors found in these parts a feeding landscape familiar to them. These are river valleys. On the banks of the Volga, the Dnieper, the Oka, the Russians lived for a thousand years before that. Therefore, they began to live along the banks of the Siberian rivers in the same way. These are the Angara, Irtysh, Yenisei, Ob, Lena.
Thirdly, Russian settlers, due to their mentality, very easily and quickly established fruitful contacts with local peoples. Conflicts almost never arose. And if there were any disagreements, they were quickly settled. As for national discord, such a phenomenon did not exist at all.
The only thing that the Russians introduced for the local population was yasak. It was understood as a tax on furs. But it was negligible and amounted to no more than 2 sables per hunter per year. The tax was seen as a gift to the "white king". Given the huge fur resources, such a tribute to the locals was not at all a burden. In return, they received guarantees from the Moscow government for the protection of life and property.
Not a single governor had the right to execute a foreigner, regardless of the severity of his crimes. The case was sent to Moscow. There he was considered, but not a single death sentence was ever passed against the local Aborigines. Here we can give an example with the Buryat lama. He called for an uprising in order to expel the Russians from Transbaikalia, and transfer the land to the Manchus. The troublemaker was arrested and sent to Moscow, where all sins were forgiven and pardoned.
In just 100 years, Russian explorers have mastered a vast territory from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean
After the power of the Moscow Tsar extended to Siberia, the life of the local population did not change at all. No one tried to make Russians out of local natives. Everything was just the opposite. The same Yakuts turned out to be very close to explorers in their way of life. Therefore, the Great Russians learned the Yakut language, mastered the local customs and came closer to the Yakuts much more than the Yakuts to them.
As for religion, the locals observed their pagan rites without any problems. Christianity, of course, was preached to them, but no one forced it. In this regard, the ministers of the Orthodox Church took a position of non-interference, respecting the will of the people.
In a word, the development of Siberia was absolutely painless for its indigenous people. Alien Cossacks and Great Russians found with the local population mutual language and settled down beautifully in the eastern lands. The ancestors of both of them live there to this day and feel quite comfortable and happy.
Conclusion
For several decades, the Russian people have mastered vast expanses in the eastern part of Eurasia. In the new territories, the Moscow kingdom pursued a peaceful and friendly policy towards the local population. This was fundamentally different from the policy of the Spaniards and the British towards the American Indians. It had nothing to do with the slave trade practiced by the French and Portuguese. There was nothing like the exploitation of the Javanese by the Dutch merchants. But at the time when these unsightly acts were carried out, the Europeans had already experienced the Enlightened Age and were extremely proud of their civilized world.
