Kazan campaigns of Ivan the Terrible is one of the most topical topics in the history of Russia. This is primarily due to a wide range of different interpretations and assessments of those events, often erroneous. An attempt to present this conflict only as a clash of interests of two interested parties (the Russian kingdom and the Crimean Khanate) does not give the whole picture. In the context of the ongoing civil war on the ruins of the once powerful empire of the Golden Horde, which was carefully fueled by neighboring states, tough, decisive measures were needed to stop even more violence. However, first things first.
Development of agriculture in Russia in the 16th century
By the beginning of the 16th century, the total population of Muscovite Russia was about 6 million people, and the very size of the state did not allow ignoring this young, but growing power. The main occupation of the population was agriculture. But even thisthe number of workers with the then available agrotechnical methods of cultivating the land (three-field crop rotation, two-pronged plow) and difficult climatic conditions led to the fact that hunger was a frequent guest in these parts. Even people close to the king suffered from it.
Livestock did not play a major role in the economy. Gardening developed gradually. Another acute problem on the eve of the campaigns of Russian troops against the Kazan Khanate was an acute shortage of labor. This can be traced by the emergence of a new type of servility - bonded. In the time of Ivan the Terrible, the word "bondage" meant a receipt for a loan. Thus, the peasant became completely dependent on the borrower until the debt was paid.
Another indicator of the shortage of workers and the increase in the appetites of Russian feudal lords was the increase in corvée for all peasants up to 4 days a week. From all this it is clear that the Russian service class was vitally interested in being included in its sphere of influence. It was this desire that was one of the driving forces directing the Moscow kingdom to the Crimean campaigns.
The Volga trade route and the interests of Russian merchants
The development of the Crimean direction in the future gave not only control over high-yielding lands, rivers full of fish, which was very much appreciated by merchants, and population growth. These were certainly important reasons, but not the main ones. The Volgatrade route.
This waterway, which strengthened the economic ties between the Russian lands and the countries of the East, was not only the cheapest, but also the fastest way to deliver any goods. The cities of Nizhny Novgorod, and even more so Kazan, made the most of their geographic location. Russian merchants could only helplessly watch how Kazan merchants profited from their goods (Russian merchants were simply not allowed further). Therefore, Russian trading circles were also ready to support the Kazan and Astrakhan campaigns with both hands.
Trade in the Caspian Sea would bring not just huge profits, but super profits. Therefore, the merchants looked with hope at the king, hoping that he would clarify this difficult situation. The lack of fertile land, the oppression of Russian trade, the inclusion of the Kazan principality in the orbit of its influence by Turkey, the desire of the military aristocracy to improve their financial situation - all these factors became the reason for the Kazan campaign, not without the intervention (direct or indirect) of other states.
Other participants in the big political game
The Kazan Khanate in its policy maintained allied relations with the Crimean Khanate, which had been a vassal of the Ottoman Porte since 1478. Having such powerful patrons, Kazan threatened the territorial integrity of the Moscow kingdom.
The West was also afraid of strengthening the Muscovites and did everything possible to prevent this. First of all, this is the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Poland, Sweden. For themthe strengthening of Moscow posed a real threat. The Kazan campaigns of Grozny, like other military campaigns conducted by this great commander, were a continuation of the policy of collecting Russian lands. And his pedigree gave serious legal grounds to claim supreme power in the Kazan Khanate.
On the one hand, he was a direct descendant of Ivan 3, who, after the capture of Kazan in 1487, took the title of Prince of Bulgar. In addition, on the maternal side, Ivan the Terrible was a descendant of Mamai. The founder of the Glinsky family, Alexander Mansurovich, was the grandson of this beklerback.
The first Kazan campaign (1547–1548)
December 20, 1547 Ivan the Terrible personally led the campaign. But as soon as he reached Nizhny Novgorod, a thaw began. The Moscow army nevertheless decided to take a chance, crossing the Volga to the other side. The result was the loss of squeakers, guns, people. "With many tears" the king was forced to return. More to demonstrate his military presence, he sent D. F. Belsky with an army under the walls of the recalcitrant city. Without artillery, there was no hope of success.
For a week they stood under the walls and, in the best traditions of all military campaigns, ravaged the neighborhood, and then returned home.
Second Campaign (1549–1550)
This time all military forces were concentrated in one fist. The performance began from Nizhny Novgorod. We managed to find excellent German gunners. The cavalry under the command of the princes Shah Ali and Yediger were also well trained.
It seemed nothingforeshadowed the collapse of plans. Moreover, before this military action, a certain agreement was reached with that part of the Kazan nobility, which was guided by Moscow. They promised, for their part, that they would not resist.
The shelling of the city walls immediately bore fruit: the Crimean prince Chelbak and several other prominent Kazan commanders were destroyed. The vagaries of the weather prevented the development of success. In February 1550 there was a sharp thaw. It rained for a week and a half, forcing some rivers to burst their banks. "Sputum unmeasurable" did not allow to approach the walls. There was a real threat for the entire army to fall into the spring thaw. After evaluating all these factors, the king decided to retreat.
Working on bugs
After analyzing two unsuccessful Crimean campaigns, the military-political leadership of the Moscow kingdom decided to radically change the entire structure of the army that existed before, to abandon the centuries-old tradition of campaigning in winter, placing more emphasis on mobility.
For these purposes, it was necessary to make the most of the river routes, and, if necessary, not be afraid to overcome the swamps. Do everything possible to get to the desired area in the shortest possible way. The foreign intelligence service was well placed. Despite the changing situation in the military sphere, Ivan the Terrible was aware that these measures were clearly not enough. It was necessary to quickly solve a whole range of problems in order to achieve superiority overadversary. Conventionally, they can be divided into the following areas:
- creation of strongholds in the immediate vicinity of Kazan;
- qualitative improvement of the combat capability of Russian troops;
- search for support among the local population;
- establishing a rigid vertical of power.
Sviyazhsk
In 1551, the Russian autocrat gave clear instructions to his clerk Ivan Vyrodkov to start preparing building material for the future construction of the fortress. Unprecedented measures were taken to keep these works secret from the enemy. The result was impressive: a well-fortified stronghold called Sviyazhsky appeared 20 versts from Kazan on the Sviyaga River.
And in order for the Kazan people not to be bored, “I ordered Bautiyar to come with Vyatka …” and to the Cossacks and prominent Tatar military leaders who were in the service of Moscow and located in different parts of the state. They were all ordered to take control of the transportation along the rivers Kama, Volga, Vyatka. In order “so that military people from Kazan and Kazan do not go.”
Kazan was under blockade. Her trade began to suffer great losses, and the military could not transfer their forces by water. Delivery of products to the city became impossible. In addition, all mowing, fields were under the control of the Russians.
It was the Third campaign against the Kazan Khanate (April - July 1551). Kazan was under siege, and the only way out of this critical situation was to change the khan and free all Russian prisoners. An attempt by all representatives of the Kazanthe aristocracy with their guards cowardly escape, leaving their own people in difficult times, ended sadly for them. They were captured and further punished. The privates were drowned right there, and the heads of the highest-ranking military leaders were cut off, but already in Moscow.
Kazan surrendered without a fight. Shah Ali, a protege of the Russians, took the throne. And the most important result of this confrontation was that the right (mountainous) side of the Kazan Khanate went to Moscow. And no one was going to return it.
Archers and artillery
Possessing a huge analytical mind, the brilliant autocrat of all Russia understood that it was necessary to create elite military units like the Janissaries. They were about 3,000 pishchalnikov, or, as they will be called later, "archers". The armament of these infantrymen was a saber, a multifunctional reed (they could stab, cut, and also be used as a stand for a musket) and, of course, a matchlock musket. The Russians already had half a century of experience with firearms. But he was not given much importance, so not the best and most disciplined fighters served in such units.
Now the situation has changed. The first "pishchalniki" were selected from the best sons of the Fatherland. The state provided them with a good salary and everything necessary. Having settled them on Sparrow Hills, Ivan the Terrible very wisely solved another problem: he shortened the mobilization time.
Russian artillery was the best in the world at that time. First, the number of guns is striking. Sources call the figure 2000 units. In the Kazan campaigns of IvanGrozny, Russian artillery easily suppressed their opponents.
Secondly, the availability of a wide range of systems and calibers. Experts identify 3 main types of guns that were in service with the Russian army: majors (mortars designed for mounted shooting), howitzers, "mattresses" (shot with a "shot" - a prototype of buckshot).
Thirdly, artillery as a separate branch of the armed forces was formed under Ivan the Terrible. At the same time, the first rudiments of its tactical use began to take shape.
The coup d'état in Kazan in 1552
Not all Kazanians resigned themselves to the results of the events of 1551. Prince Chelkun Otuchev led the dissatisfied and directed their fury at the small garrison (about 180-200 people) of the Russians standing in the city. They were disarmed and then executed. The rebels acted decisively, so the Russians were confused. Another factor was that Prince Mikulinsky believed to the last that the overdue conflict could be resolved peacefully. However, when blood began to be shed, hope was gone.
Change in warfare tactics
The Kazan campaign of 1552 differed in almost everything from previous campaigns. The first thing that catches your eye is the amazing coherence of all branches of the military and services of the Russian Tsar. The second is a well-organized intelligence service, which managed not only to obtain in time, but also to analyze valuable information about the movement of the Crimean soldiers, to carry out all the necessary work to misinform about the location of their main forces. The result wasthe defeat of the enemy and his destruction near Tula. Now there was no need to fear a treacherous stab in the back from the Crimean Tatars.
The next step, on which the outcome of the entire campaign depended, was the fastest possible movement of troops to Murom and Meshchery. It would be dangerous to move in one marching column, stretching for a long distance. Divided troops moving north and south covered each other.
Finally, having arrived in Sviyazhsk and rested, the soldiers of Grozny began to slowly cross the Volga. No one was going to storm such serious fortifications from a swoop. There was a lot of preparatory work to be done.
Conclusion
If you describe this Kazan campaign briefly, then the first battle happened on August 23, 1552. Kazan made a desperate sortie, but were defeated. Thus, the first regular Russian infantry, the archers, passed its baptism of fire. They made a significant contribution to this victory.
Russian warriors were determined to win. The flood, the Astrakhan Khan Epancha, the courageous resistance of the Kazan people - all these obstacles could not stop the process of creating a common Great Russia for all the peoples living there.
