Ermak: biography. Cossack ataman, historical conqueror of Siberia

In the popular consciousness, the legendary conqueror of Siberia, Ermak Timofeevich, became one of the epic heroes, becoming not only an outstanding personality who left his mark in the history of Russia, but also a symbol of her glorious heroic past. This Cossack ataman laid the foundation for the development of the vast expanses that extended beyond the Stone Belt - the Great Ural Ridge.

Riddle related to 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 of many generations of scientists, was a Don Cossack, on the other - the Urals. However, the most likely seems to be that it is based on the surviving manuscript collection of the 18th century, which tells that his family originates from Suzdal, where his grandfather was a landowner.

His father, Timofey, driven by hunger and poverty, moved to the Urals, where he found refuge in the lands of the wealthy salt producers - the merchants of Stroganovs. There he settled, married and raised two sons - Rodion and Basil. From this document it follows that this was the name of the future conqueror of Siberia that was named in holy baptism. The name Ermak, preserved in the history, is only a nickname, one of those that was customarily given in the Cossack environment.

Years of military service

Ermak Timofeevich went to conquer the Siberian expanses, already having a 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 in 1558, Tsar Ivan the Terrible launched the Livonian War, he took part in the campaign and even became famous as one of the most fearless voivodes. The report of the Polish commandant of the city of Mogilev personally to King Stefan Batory is preserved, in which he notes his courage.

In 1577, the actual owners of the Ural lands - the merchants of the Stroganovs - hired a large detachment of Ural Cossacks to defend themselves against the constant raids of nomads headed by Khan Kuchum. Ermak received the invitation. Biography of him from this moment makes a sharp turn - a little-known Cossack ataman becomes the head of the fearless conquerors of Siberia, forever inscribed their names in history.

In a campaign to suppress the strangers

Subsequently, the Siberian Khanate tried to maintain peaceful relations with the sovereigns of the Russians and accurately paid the established yasak - a tribute in the form of pelts of fur-bearing animals, but this was preceded by a long and difficult period of campaigns and battles. Kuchum's ambitious plans included the displacement of the Stroganovs and all those who lived on their lands from the Western Urals and the Chusovaya and Kama rivers.

A very large army - one thousand six hundred people - went to the suppression of the rebellious non-Russians. In those years, in the remote taiga region, the only ways of communication were rivers, and the legend of Ermak Timofeevich tells how a hundred Cossack rifles swam along them - large and heavy boats capable of accommodating up to twenty people with all supplies.

Ermak's squad and its features

This campaign was carefully prepared, and the Stroganovs did not spare money to buy the best weapons at the time. At the disposal of the Cossacks were three hundred squeaks capable of hitting the enemy at a distance of one hundred meters, several dozen shotguns and even Spanish arquebuses. In addition, each bar was equipped with several guns, turning it, so, into a warship. All this provided the Cossacks with a significant advantage over the Khan horde, which at that time did not know firearms at all.

But the main factor that contributed to the success of the campaign was a clear and thoughtful organization of the troops. The whole squad was divided into regiments, at the head of which Ermak placed the most experienced and authoritative atamans. During the fighting, their commands were transmitted with the help of established signals by pipes, timpani and drums. The iron discipline established from the first days of the campaign played its role.

Ermak: biography, which became a legend

The famous expedition began on September 1, 1581. Historical data and the legend of Ermak indicate that his flotilla, sailing along the Kama River, rose to the headwaters of the Chusovaya River and further along the Serebryanka River reached the Tagil Pass. Here, in the Kokui-town they built, the Cossacks spent the winter, and with the onset of spring they continued along the Tagil River - already on the other side of the Ural Range.

Near the mouth of the taiga river Tours, the first serious battle with the Tatars took place. Their detachment led by Khan Mametkul's nephew arranged an ambush and showered the Cossacks with a cloud of arrows from the shore, but was scattered by retaliatory fire from the squeaks. Having beaten off the attack, Ermak and his men continued their way and went out into the river Tobol. There was a new encounter with the enemy, this time on land. Despite the fact that both sides suffered significant losses, the Tatars were put to flight.

The capture of fortified enemy cities

Following these battles were followed by two more - the battle on the Tobol River near the Irtysh and the capture of the Tartar 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 exceptional commanding qualities that Ermak possessed. Siberia - the patrimony of Khan Kuchum - gradually passed under the Russian protectorate. Defeated at Karachin, the khan concentrated all his efforts only on defensive actions, abandoning his ambitious plans.

After a short time, seizing another fortified point, the Yermak's squad finally came to the capital of the Siberian Khanate - the city of Iskara. The legend of Ermak, which has survived since ancient times, describes how the Cossacks came three times to attack the city, and three times the Tatars fought back from the Orthodox army. Finally, their cavalry made a sortie because of defensive structures and rushed to the Cossacks.

It was their fatal mistake. Having appeared in the field of view of the shooters, they became an excellent target for them. With every volley from the squeaks, the battlefield was covered with new and new bodies of the Tatars. In the end, the defenders of Isker rushed to flee, leaving their Khan to the mercy of fate. The victory was complete. In this city, reclaimed from the enemies, Ermak and his army spent the winter. As a wise politician, he managed to establish relations with local taiga tribes, which allowed to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

The End of Ermak's Life

From the former capital of the Siberian Khanate in Moscow, a group of Cossacks was sent with a report on the course of the expedition, asking for help and a rich yasak from the skins of valuable fur-bearing animals. Ivan the Terrible, appreciating the merits of Ermak, sent to his subordination a large squad, and he personally gave a steel shell - a sign of his royal favor.

But, despite all the successes, the life of the Cossacks was in constant danger of new attacks by the Tatars. The victim of one of them became the legendary conqueror of Siberia - Ermak. His biography ends with an episode when, on a dark August night in 1585, a detachment of Cossacks spent the night on the shore of a wild taiga river and did not put out sentries.

Fatal negligence allowed the Tatars to suddenly attack them. Fleeing from enemies, Ermak tried to cross the river, but a heavy shell - a gift from the king - took him to the bottom. Thus ended a man of legend, who gave Russia the vast expanses of Siberia.