Great Bulgaria in the Volga region. Volga Bulgaria: the rise and collapse of the Volga Bulgaria empire
The territories of the Volga region, where Volga Bulgaria was founded, were inhabited by Turkic-speaking tribes no later than the 8th - 9th centuries. Then the Turkic tribes of the Bulgarians came to the lands of the Volga and Kama regions. Before this, they lived in the Black Sea region on the Taman Peninsula and between the Kuban and Don rivers.
Great Bulgaria
There, in the 7th century, nomadic tribes of Turkic-speaking Bulgarians founded their first state, which was called Great Bulgaria. It arose as a result of the unification of heterogeneous, predominantly Turkic tribes that were previously part of the Ogur tribal union. The very name “Bulgars” can be translated from ancient Turkic as “breakaways”, “rebels”, probably meaning that at one time they separated from the Ogur tribal union. Thus, the Bulgarians are part of a tribal union, which was first part of the Ogur tribal union, and then separated from it.
Before the founding of a separate state in 635, many Bulgarians were hired as soldiers by the Byzantine Empire. What is known is that it was the Bulgarians who saved Byzantium from the Ostrogothic invasion in 480. In 619, the nephew of the Bulgarian leader Organa, Kubrat (later the founder of Great Bulgaria) was baptized. Kubrat lived for quite a long time at the Byzantine court and was friends with the future emperor of Byzantium, Heraclius.
In 635, Kubrat, having united the Bulgarian tribes, made a campaign against the Avars dominating the Black Sea region. The Avar power was crushed and Kubrat was able to create a state allied with Byzantium, Great Bulgaria, with its capital in Phanagoria, of which he became the head. However, this state was able to exist only until 660, when Khan Kubrat died.
Exodus
His sons, having divided their father's lands, lost their cohesion, as a result of which they were unable to hold back the Khazar onslaught. Most of the Bulgarians were forced to submit to the Khazars. Another part of the Bulgarians, led by Khan Asparukh, went to the Danube, where, having subjugated the Slavic tribes, the state, Danube Bulgaria, was created.
Another part of the Bulgarians, who went towards the Volga River, created a new Bulgarian state, Volga Bulgaria (the state of the Volga Bulgarians is usually called Bulgaria, and the inhabitants Bulgars, so as not to confuse them with the Danube Slavic Bulgarians). The state was founded on the territory of the Middle Volga and Kama regions. Before the arrival of the Bulgars in the Volga region, Finno-Ugric tribes lived there, which the Bulgars were able to subjugate.
The early history of the Volga Bulgars is little known, but it is known that the Bulgarians arrived on the Volga no later than the 8th - 9th centuries. and until the middle of the 10th century they continued to be dependent on the Khazar Khaganate, which is confirmed by the Turkic title of the ruler of Volga Bulgaria “elteber”, that is, dependent on the khan. The tribal composition of the inhabitants of Volga Bulgaria, in addition to the Bulgars themselves, also included equal Turkic-speaking tribes: Suvar, Esegel, Barsil, Baranjar, as well as the Finno-Ugric people who lived on the Volga before the arrival of the Bulgars.
Volga Bulgaria
Initially, the inhabitants of Volga Bulgaria professed mainly paganism, but in 921 the Bulgarian Elteber (ruler) Almush, having concluded an alliance with the Baghdad Caliphate, asked the Caliph of Baghdad al-Muqtadir to send a learned preacher to Bulgaria. Soon, in 922, a whole embassy arrived from Baghdad, with its secretary Ibn Fadlan, who kept notes and detailed the history of this embassy in his notes. After the official announcement of the letter from the Arab ruler, the Bulgarian Elteber Almush called on his people to convert to Islam.
In 922, Islam became the official religion of the Bulgarian state. Islam was an extremely important factor for the unification of various Turkic and indigenous Finno-Ugric tribes living on the territory of Volga Bulgaria into a single state. It was Islam that was able to transform disparate tribes into a single nation, thanks to its reliance on Muslim values.
In many ways, the adoption of Islam was also a political step, since thanks to it the Bulgars received the opportunity to become part of the Arab-Muslim world not only in a religious, but also in a trade and economic sense. At the same time, a number of Turkic and Finno-Ugric tribes who did not want to accept the new religion continued to preserve their pagan traditions. There really was a possibility of their preservation, since the Bulgar state was distinguished by religious tolerance and multi-confessionalism.
Religions
If Islam in the Bulgarian State consolidated different ethnic groups into one, that is, with the Bulgar (Turkic-speaking) language and Bulgar culture, then the tribes that preserved paganism were largely able to avoid assimilation, continuing to preserve the archaic elements of the Turkic, Finno-Ugric culture and their local self-names.
Islam was able to fulfill the function of a religion that was largely able to consolidate disparate peoples and establish good ties between the Bulgars and the East. In the second half of the 960s, after the victory of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav over the Khazar Khaganate, the dependence of the Bulgars on the Khazars completely ceased, and Volga Bulgaria became the first independent state of the Middle Volga region.
First independent state
The largest cities of Volga Bulgaria were the capital of the state, the city of Bulgar, the large urban center of Bilyar and such large political, economic and cultural centers as the cities of Suvar, Oshel and Dzhuketau.
The heyday of the city of Bulgar could be called the 11th - 12th centuries. At this time it was the largest merchant center of Bulgaria and the capital of the state. Its advantageous location made the city not only the largest merchant center of Volga Bulgaria, but also a center of international trade. The city was inhabited mainly by merchants and artisans. The city of Bulgar was opposed by another major center of Volga Bulgaria and medieval civilization in general - the city of Bilyar.
For a long time, these two cities were in confrontation, and in the 12th century, it was decided to move the capital of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria to the city of Bilyar. The second heyday of the Bulgar occurred only in the Golden Horde period (XII - XIV centuries). And from the 12th century, Bilyar began to be called the “Great City,” that is, the capital of the entire Bulgarian state.
Economy of Bulgaria
The basis of the economy of the rural inhabitants of Bulgaria was large-scale agriculture and cattle breeding. They sown mainly wheat, rye, oats, millet, barley, spelt, peas and hemp. The inhabitants of Bulgaria preferred to breed horses, cattle, sheep, goats; the Bulgars also kept camels.
Craft life also played an important role in the Bulgarian economy. Carefully processed Bulgari leather was popular outside the country. One of the leading branches of craft was metalworking, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Numerous bracelets, rings and jewelry testify to highly developed jewelry craftsmanship. And the Bulgarian potters were famous for their beautiful vessels.
Volga Bulgaria was economically and politically closely connected with the Arab Caliphate, Central Asia and Ancient Russia. The Slavs and Bulgars were strongly influenced by each other; many Russian merchants came to the Bulgar states to conduct trade.
But at the same time, military clashes broke out periodically between the Bulgars and Slavs. It is known from the chronicle that when the Kiev prince Vladimir decided to accept the true faith, Islamic preachers from the Bulgarian lands came to him. But, not wanting to compromise ancient Russian customs, Prince Vladimir was embarrassed by the Islamic ban on the impossibility of drinking alcoholic beverages, so the Islamic religion was rejected.
Volga Bulgaria is a classic example of a feudal state. A person's position was determined by the amount of land he owned. Until 965, the head of the state was Elteber - a figure formally subordinate to the Khazar ruler. After 965 (Victory over the Khazar Kaganate by Prince Svyatoslav), the Bulgarian ruler - emir gained complete independence. The Bulgarian throne was passed from father to son, and only in exceptional cases to close relatives.
Arab culture
Before the adoption of Islam, the Bulgars professed common Turkic paganism, but after the adoption of Islam, the Bulgars began to move closer to Arab culture. The previously existing Turkic runic writing was replaced by Arabic graphics, and Turkic names began to intersperse with numerous Arabic names. With the adoption of Islam, famous works of Arab scientists also came to the Bulgars. The Bulgars managed to create a high, unique culture. Bulgaria had its own scientists: doctors, historians, philosophers, astronomers, mathematicians, geographers. The Bulgarian cities were excellent examples of high-quality architectural creativity. The largest Bulgarian cities had their own water supply systems, high-rise buildings, and gardens.
After the formation of the power of Genghis Khan at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century, the Mongols conquered numerous lands of Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The Bulgars understood that the seizure of their lands could also become an inevitable reality, so they tried in every possible way to resist the Mongols, including entering into an alliance with Russian troops. But, despite all the efforts of the Bulgars to avoid the Mongol invasion of their territory, they failed. In 1236, Volga Bulgaria was captured by Mongol troops led by Batu. The invaders plundered, burned and destroyed many Bulgar cities and villages, and some civilians were taken into slavery. After this moment, a new era began in the history of the Bulgars - the era of Bulgaria already as part of the Ulus of Jochi (Golden Horde), and then the Kazan Khanate.
Mongols
Before the capture of Bulgaria by the Mongols, it was at the zenith of its heyday. In Volga Bulgaria, Islam was considered the official religion, but this state was distinguished by its religious tolerance. In addition to Muslims, Jews, Christians and pagans lived there. The language of Volga Bulgaria was the Turkic Bulgarian language, although other languages and dialects acted alongside it.
Along with the arrival of the Mongols, numerous immigrants from the South—the Kipchak (Cuman) tribes—came to the territory of Bulgaria. They began to settle in Bulgaria and exert a significant influence on it even before the invasion of the Mongols, but with the arrival of the Mongols, they were able to settle in the Bulgarian lands completely unhindered and in fairly large numbers.
The Kipchak ethnos began to merge, as it were, into the Bulgar, through the Kipchak’s adoption of Islam, but at the same time, for a certain part of the time in the Bulgar state there was bilingualism (Bulgar and Kipchak languages). Over time, due to the numerical predominance of the Kipchaks in relation to the Bulgars, the Bulgar language was completely supplanted by the language of the Cuman-Kipchaks and lost forever.
But this was not a problem, since the unification of such different, albeit Turkic, tribes occurred thanks to Islam. Thus, the Kipchaks were able to assimilate with the Bulgars thanks to the adoption of Islam.
Kazan Tatars
It is customary to see the modern descendants of the Bulgars in the Kazan Tatars, but this nation is already a mixture of Bulgars and Kipchaks, and the modern Tatar language belongs to the Kipchat subgroup of the Turkic language, but where did the Bulgar language disappear? This language, like many others, suffered the fate of assimilation, it simply died, and although even in the modern Tatar language there are individual words of probably Bulgarian origin, in general the language still continues to remain Turkic-Kipchak.
However, in the modern Volga region there lives another interesting people - the Chuvash. The Chuvash speak an archaic Turkic language, the likes of which are found nowhere else, and when comparing ancient Bulgarian texts and the Chuvash language, it turned out that it is precisely in it that the maximum number of words close to Bulgarian remains.
Thus, it was concluded that modern Chuvash remains the only surviving language from the Bulgar subgroup of Turkic languages. At the same time, it cannot be argued that modern Chuvash is a direct descendant of the Bulgar language. The fact is that the Chuvash themselves belong to the descendants of the Suvar (Suvaz, Suvar, Savir - Chuvash) tribes that came as part of the Bulgars to the Volga.
But a significant part of the Suvars did not accept Islam, and therefore, unlike others, did not enter the Bulgarian assimilation process, but continued to preserve their pagan rituals and remain native speakers of their language. When the Kipchaks came, who were able to assimilate, including linguistically, the Bulgars themselves, the Suvars turned out to be the last speakers of the remnants of the language belonging to the Bulgar subgroup. This happened precisely because they did not enter into the Islamic assimilation process.
Today, the descendants of these Suvars are the Chuvash, who for the most part have always professed paganism, and only, over time, through the efforts of Russian missionaries, converted to Christianity, and that part of the Suvars that converted to Islam always became Tatars.
The same thing happened with all other peoples who accepted Islam; they entered, as it were, into this melting pot. So, it included all those who accepted Islam. So in the end it turned out that the descendants of the inhabitants of Bulgaria who did not convert to Islam became the only speakers of the language of the Turkic-Bulgar subgroup.
It began about 100,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic era. At the end of the 9th century and at the beginning of the 10th century, the first - Volga Bulgaria - arose here. For quite a long time it was the only developed state in the Far East of Europe. Presumably, the Bulgars were the earliest Turkic group, which in the process were among those who advanced into Europe.
Persian and Arab geographers considered Volga Bulgaria to be the northernmost Muslim country in the world. The date of adoption of Islam in this country is considered to be 922. It was then that the Caliph of Baghdad sent a group of the future embassy to the city of Bolgar, which included builders and preachers of Islam. Due to the fact that the state was constantly under pressure from its powerful neighbor, the king of Bulgaria Almush was forced to convert to Islam and become a loyal subject of Caliph Bogdad. In this way, he was able to strengthen the defense of his country, becoming an ally of the Arab Caliphate. But there were also Bulgars who refused to accept Islam. This group, led by Prince Vyrag, separated. This gave impetus to the emergence of the Chuvash nation. Subsequently, the people adopted Christianity and became the only Orthodox Turkic people.
During the period of its development, Volga Bulgaria achieved a lot. According to written sources of that period, this state was called the country of a thousand cities. The largest cities were considered Bilyar and Bolgar, which in terms of area and population exceeded such cities of that time as London, Kyiv, Paris, Novgorod. For example, Bolgar was three times larger than Paris. In its central part stood the royal palace and the Cathedral Mosque. Already at that time, bathhouses with tap water were built in the city. Residential buildings had heating and sewerage. In addition to the above, the state was also called the country of reason. And these are not empty words. Sciences such as medicine, history, astronomy, and mathematics have achieved great development here.
Volga Bulgaria reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of Emir Gabdulla Chelbir. During this period, the Bulgars were quite strong in the art of war. This is confirmed by the fact that the Volga Bulgars are the only people who were able to defeat the troops of Genghis Khan in 1223. After this, the Mongols unsuccessfully stormed the Bulgarian state for 13 years. Only in 1229, having gathered all their forces at the Yaik River (Ural), the Mongols were able to defeat the Bulgars and Cumans and began to rapidly advance across the territory of the state, and in 1936 it was completely devastated. Some of the Bulgars fled and found protection with the Grand Duke of Vladimir.
Already in 1240, the Bulgarian state became part of the Golden Horde. For a long time there were mass uprisings of the Bulgars. According to M.G. Khudyakov, the plunder of the capital - the city of Bolgar - and the movement of the cultural and political center to Kazan put an end to hopes for the return of the former state. is now firmly entrenched in these lands. The remaining indigenous people had to adapt to the new authorities. Gradually, mixed Bulgar-Tatar families were created, but all newborn children were considered Tatars. There was, so to speak, the “eradication” of such a nationality as the Bulgars, and the emergence of a new one - the Volga Tatars.
As for him, he just died. Many scientists have tried to find in the modern Tatar language at least a few words close to the Bulgarian origin. However, here it is necessary to take into account one more nationality - the Chuvash. If you remember, this is precisely the part of the Turkic group that did not accept Islam and separated. They are the ones who speak the archaic Turkic language, which is unlike any other language. And when comparing the ancient chronicles of the Volga Bulgars and the Chuvash language, you can find many identical words. In a word, the Chuvash language is as close as possible to the Bulgarian language.
Volga Bulgaria is a state located on the territory of the Middle Volga and Kama region in the X-XIII centuries. It occupied a fairly large territory and was known for its numerous cities. Today, historians and archaeologists have information about more than 2 thousand Bulgar settlements, which are located in the Penza, Ulyanovsk and Samara regions of Russia, in Tatarstan and Chuvashia.
Settlement of the Volga region
The history of Volga Bulgaria goes back a little over 300 years, but the settlement of the territory of the future state by Turkic-speaking tribes began much earlier. Their migration was caused by the defeat of Great Bulgaria, stretching from the North Caucasus to the Black Sea, by the Khazars. One part moved to the Balkans, where Danube Bulgaria was created, and the other in the 7th century. occupied the region of the middle reaches of the Volga. 100 years later, another group of Turkic-speaking tribes appears on the territory of the Middle Volga region. The last wave of migration dates back to the 9th century. and is associated with the defeat of the Khazar Kaganate by the Pechenegs.
By the time the Bulgarians arrived, the Middle Volga region was already inhabited by Finno-Ugric peoples, but the former were able to subjugate them to their influence.
The emergence of Volga Bulgaria
The first steps towards the consolidation of the Bulgar tribes of the Volga region were taken in the middle of the 9th century. However, the policy of centralization and unification of disparate groups into a single state was most clearly manifested in the activities of Elteber Almush, who came to power in 895.
Almush managed to take control of four rulers and create a combat-ready squad. From the beginning of the 10th century. Elteber begins to mint his own silver coin. In addition, he regulated the collection of tribute, which was paid to the Khazars by the Volga tribes.
By the 10th century The first written mentions of Volga Bulgaria as a single state date back to the present time, but actually until the middle of the 10th century. the population of the Volga region was dependent on the Khazars.
Bulgaria and the Khazar Khaganate
It is still unknown when the Bulgars came under the control of the Khazars. The Volga region, located on important trade routes, dates back to the 8th century. was an important point in the policy of expansion pursued by the Khazar Kaganate. Volga Bulgaria, founded on these lands, also could not help but interest this state.
From the 10th century the economy of the Khazar Kaganate relied only on trade and broad connections with other countries. In the 10th century The level of the Caspian Sea rose significantly, and most of the surrounding area was flooded. At a time when the Volga Bulgaria began to play an important role in the international arena, the main occupations of the Khazars (fishing and farming) lost relevance. Modern researchers see the reason for the Khazar Kaganate’s interest in the Volga lands precisely in the high level of development of the productive forces of Bulgaria, whose economy was based not only on trade, but also on agriculture, cattle breeding, crafts and hunting.
Religious question
In the matter of creating and strengthening the state of Volga Bulgaria, religion occupied the most important place. Turkic-speaking tribes brought to the Volga region the foundations of an original pagan faith, the origins of which can be seen in Zoroastrianism.
Almush, realizing the need to strengthen the position of the young state, at the beginning of the 10th century. establishes close ties with Baghdad. In 922, Caliph Ali al-Muqtadir sent an embassy to Volga Bulgaria, which included the famous Arab traveler and writer Ibn Fadlan. In the same year, Islam was proclaimed the official religion of the state.
The significance of the Bulgars' adoption of Islam
Islam in Volga Bulgaria was a consolidating element. It was under the auspices of this religion that the first rulers managed to unite previously separated tribes. In addition, the adoption of Islam as the state religion also played an important political role. It was from this moment that Volga Bulgaria became part of the Muslim world, which made it possible to establish close economic and trade ties with other eastern countries. Archaeological data indicate that after the adoption of Islam, the level of literacy of the population increased, scientists, historians, doctors, lawyers and theologians appeared. This was due to the introduction of Arabic writing instead of Turkic runes.
Socio-political system
The society of Volga Bulgaria can rightfully be considered early feudal. But the development of feudal relations was hampered by remnants of the tribal system. Ibn Fadlan testified in his diaries that the Bulgars depended on the ruler of the state, the governors of individual regions and the nobility, but there was no enslavement of the peasants by private individuals - feudal lords. Everyone who worked on a plot of land managed the harvest independently, while paying an annual tax in kind to the state. In addition, the local feudal nobility exploited peasants from the Mari, Mordovian and Udmurt tribes. They were burdened with tribute and were ruled by governors from Volga Bulgaria, who maintained their squads on their territory.
Political structure
Volga Bulgaria is a classic example of an early feudal monarchy. Until the middle of the 10th century. the state was headed by Elteber, subordinate to the Khazar ruler. After the defeat of the Turkic troops by the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav, the title of the head of the Volga Bulgaria was changed to that characteristic of Islamic countries. The emir pursued an independent foreign and domestic policy. This position was hereditary and passed from father to eldest son.
Economic development
Bulgarian tribes in their homeland were actively involved in cattle breeding. The economic system of this people changed after the formation of the Volga Bulgaria state. The main occupations of the local population of the Volga region before the arrival of the Turkic-speaking tribes included farming and hunting. This led to the synthesis and borrowing of the basics of economic management and created the prerequisites for the development of the economy of the young state. The main branch of rural production was plow farming. The main tool of the peasant was the plow, which was called “aga”. Steam cultivation of the land was also actively used - two-field and tripolye. The traditional fallow system was typical for the outskirts of the country, and the slash system was typical for forest areas. Cattle breeding, often represented in a nomadic form, played a major role in the economy. The Bulgars bred cows, goats, sheep, horses, etc. In addition, hunting was widespread in forest areas.
Crafts
Crafts played an important role in the life of the local population. Volga Bulgaria as a whole was characterized by an early separation of crafts from agriculture. A significant part of the craftsmen lived in large cities, which were already in the 10th century. become huge centers of metalworking, pottery and jewelry production.
As a rule, artisans made agricultural implements, weapons, various jewelry, ceramics, shoes, clothing, etc. Leather and jewelry from Volga Bulgaria were widely popular abroad.
Trade
The development of domestic trade was hampered by the subsistence nature of agriculture, when the population was interested in producing products and products for themselves, and not for sale. With the development of commodity-money relations, the role of exchange in the life of the Bulgars grows significantly.
Volga Bulgaria occupied an advantageous geographical position (the center of the Great Volga Route), so Russian, Khazar, Byzantine and other merchants came to the country. They imported raw materials (gold, silver, iron, tin), metal products, weapons, jewelry, Chinese silk and mirrors, spices, etc. The main export goods were furs, honey, wax, leather, fish, livestock, and wheat.
It should be noted that during trade non-monetary exchange was used, but since 903 metal coins - dirhams - began to be minted for the first time by Almush.
Cities
The capital of Volga Bulgaria was in the city of Bolgar. Its heyday occurred in the 11th-12th centuries, when it was the largest economic, political and cultural center of the state. The city is located at the mouth of the Kama River - at the crossroads of international trade routes. Thanks to this, Bolgar became an important merchant center.
Bilyar is the second most important city in Volga Bulgaria, which lay on the banks of the river. Maly Cheremshan. In connection with the military threat emanating from the strengthened Vladimir-Suzdal principality, in the 12th century. the capital of the state is moved to Bilyar. Since that time, in written sources it has been referred to as the “Great City”.
The development of trade contributed to the strengthening of such Bulgarian cities as Suvar, Oshel, Balymer, Iski Kazan, Kashan, Dzhuketau, etc., which were not only economic centers, but also strategically important fortresses.
Relations with the Vyatichi in the 10th century.
After the successful campaign of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav against the Khazar Khaganate, the Bulgars began their expansion into the lands of the Vyatichi, who lived in the upper reaches of the Oka. This river was an important trade route. Control over it would make it possible to make huge profits. The Turkic tribes managed to establish close trade ties with the Vyatichi, which did not weaken even after the Kyiv protectorate was established over them.
After the death of Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich, Rus' entered into a period of civil strife. The struggle was especially active between his sons, Yaropolk and Vladimir. At this time, the Vyatichi, with the support of the Volga Bulgaria, refused to pay tribute to the Kyiv prince and raised several powerful uprisings.
In the 10th century The ruler of Bulgaria married the Vyatic princess - the daughter of Yaropolk. Such a dynastic union would have allowed their son to claim the throne of Kiev, but for the Volga state it was beneficial only from the point of view of establishing control over the upper reaches of the river. Oka.
Relations with Kievan Rus in the 10th century.
In 985, the “Eternal Peace” was concluded between the Bulgarian ruler and Vladimir the Great. This date marks the beginning of close relations between the two states. In addition, by signing this agreement, Vladimir renounced his claims to the Volga trade route. “Eternal Peace” is a significant achievement of Bulgarian diplomacy, since the basis of the economy of this country was precisely trade activity.
After the conclusion of the agreement, an embassy arrived to Vladimir with an offer to convert to Islam and make it the state religion. It should be noted that after the defeat of the pagan reform, the prince was in search of an optimal religion. The main choice was between Byzantine Christianity and Islam, which was professed by Volga Bulgaria. Religion, according to Vladimir, was intended to consolidate society and increase the importance of Rus' in the international arena, so he refused the embassy offer and adopted Byzantine Christianity.
Volga Bulgaria and Kievan Rus in the 11th - 13th centuries.
Peaceful trade relations between states were interrupted for several centuries by short-term wars. Back at the end of the 10th century. Vladimir the Great made an unsuccessful campaign against the lands of the Bulgars, and from the 11th century. Regular clashes with the northeastern Russian principalities begin.
The reason for these conflicts should be explained by the interest of both parties in control of the lands located on the banks of the river. Oka and its tributaries. In 1120, the Vladimir-Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky made a successful campaign against the Turkic-speaking tribes, but his goal was not to seize any territories, but to plunder. As a result of several destructions of Volga Bulgaria by Russian squads in the 11th century. its capital had to be moved inland - to the city of Bilyar.
In 1220, the most important economic center of Bulgaria, Oshel, was destroyed. After this, Elteber sent his ambassadors several times to the Vladimir-Suzdal princes, but only in 1224 was peace made.
Mongol conquest
The territory of Volga Bulgaria was repeatedly subjected to raids by Mongol-Tatar hordes. In 1223, the Mongols managed to defeat the Russian-Polovtsian army in the battle on the river. Kalka, but Genghis Khan’s campaigns against the Volga region population in 1229 and 1232. were less successful.
In 1236, Batu Khan gathered a huge combat-ready army and moved west. In the same year, most of the Bulgarian cities were destroyed. The “Great City” Bilyar also fell.
Batu's new campaign in 1240 completely undermined the economic life of Volga Bulgaria. As a result of these Mongol conquests, all important centers, including the capital, were destroyed, and the population of Bilyar was almost completely slaughtered.
Under the rule of the Golden Horde
In 1243, Volga Bulgaria became one of the provinces of the powerful Golden Horde. From then on, its rulers fell under vassalage to the khan and were obliged to pay him tribute.
At the same time, the period of Golden Horde rule was marked by a new cultural and economic prosperity of the Volga Bulgaria. This was largely facilitated by the proclamation of Islam as the state religion of the Golden Horde. And the former “Great City” Bilyar becomes the temporary residence of the khan.
Decline of Volga Bulgaria
As a result of internal strife in the Golden Horde, the territory of the Volga region came under the control of Bulat-Temir in 1361. From then on, the state of Volga Bulgaria ceased to exist and split into two principalities. In the 15th century the southern Bulgarian regions come under the control of Moscow, and the northern ones, with a center in Kazan, become the basis for the formation of a new state - the Kazan Khanate.
The pre-Mongol period (10th century - first third of the 13th century) can be considered the time of the final formation and flourishing of Volga Bulgaria, the most dynamic development of political and social systems, economy and culture, the establishment of international political, trade, economic and cultural relations, and the growth of the international authority of Bulgaria.
Territory of Volga Bulgaria
Numerous sources from the Middle Ages and materials from archaeologists make it possible to determine the territory and boundaries of the Volga-Kama Bulgarin in the X-XIII centuries.
Eastern authors of the 10th-11th centuries Ibn Haukal, al-Masudi and Gardizi testified that the Bulgar lands bordered on the Slavic ones in the west. Ibn Fadlan describes the southern and southeastern neighbors of the Bulgars: the Guz, Pechenegs, and Bashjards (many researchers associate the origin of modern Bashkirs with them). Al-Istakhri and Ibn Haukal (10th century) reported that the language of the Bulgars is similar to the language of the Khazars, and marked the border of Bulgar influence along the Yaik River, beyond which the country of the Guz began.
Archaeological data convincingly confirm that in the north the Bulgar population developed the territory up to the Kazanka basin, but it is obvious that the influence of Bulgaria was not limited to these limits.
Thus, the territorial borders of Volga Bulgaria in the 10th - 13th centuries can be considered the Sura rivers in the west, the Belaya and Yaik in the east, the Kazanka in the north and the Zhiguli Mountains, skirted by the Volga bend of the Samara Luka, in the south.
Discovered by archaeologists in modern Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Penza regions. It can be assumed that the Bulgar type of way of life, statehood, socio-economic system, culture of tolerance and neighborliness met the interests of the historical development of many Volga-Ural ethnic communities.
Prince of Volga Bulgaria
Typically, the processes of laying the foundations of statehood take centuries, but they are always confined to a certain time plane associated with the activities of major historical figures.
A special role in the state unification of the Bulgar tribes belongs to Elteber-Prince Almas (Almush), who at the beginning of the 10th century turned into just such a significant historical figure for the formation of statehood.
Before strengthening their state, the Bulgars paid an annual tribute to the Kaganate, for which, as Ahmed ibn Fadlan testified, it was necessary to take a sable skin from each house, and the Bulgar Khan sent his children to Khazaria as honorary leather workers.
The Kaganate was interested in maintaining the dominant economic position in eastern Europe and political and economic control over the northern part of the Volga-Caspian trade route.
Elteber Almush was able to identify opportunities and resources for gaining greater independence of the Bulgarian state, which was gaining strength at that moment, which could be provided by a political alliance with one of the strong opponents of the Khazar Kaganate.
At the turn of the 9th-10th centuries, the Khazar Khaganate competed for influence on Eurasian trade routes with the Arab (Baghdad) Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. This confrontation involved the nomadic associations of the Pechenegs, Guz and Kipchaks in the steppes from the Volga to the Danube, Khorezm in Central Asia and Kievan Rus in eastern Europe.
The final choice of a political ally was made by the Bulgars in favor of the Baghdad Caliphate.
Why was this alliance option chosen? What were the motives and consequences of the Bulgaro-Baghdad political contract? What is this - an accident or a strategically thought out and promising historical step for the Bulgars? Finally, to what extent was orientation related to the decision to adopt Islam as the state religion?
Diplomacy of the Volga Bulgaria
The adoption of Islam as the state religion was undoubtedly a foreign policy decision. It was dictated primarily by the desire of Volga Bulgaria to obtain the official status of an emirate, that is, the vassal territory of the Baghdad Caliph - the supreme ruler of all Muslims in order, relying on his support, to get rid of the very burdensome and humiliating subordination to the Khazar Khagans.
The strategic calculation of Bulgar diplomacy was to extend sovereignty to those territories that were under Khazar subordination. The eastern “subtlety” of Bulgarian diplomacy was that the act of transferring Volga Bulgaria under the protectorate of the Arab Caliphate should have only formal significance, since, due to the enclave position in the spaces of the non-Muslim world and the great distance from Baghdad, there was no talk of serious implementation it traditional forms and norms of vassalage.
The Arab-Muslim orientation of Volga Bulgaria, of course, provided certain geopolitical guarantees, and therefore contributed to maintaining its status as an intercontinental center of trade and transit exchange.
Political system of Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria at the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century was a typical early feudal state. The highest power belonged to Elteber, or malik (from the Arabic “king”). Later, the head of state began to be called the emir (from Arabic “overlord”). Under Elteber the emir, there were special advisory councils from the local nobility.
It should be noted that the political hierarchy of the power elite was an interweaving of Turkic traditions with Arab borrowings, forming special Bulgarian civilizational models of power and management system. Ibn Fadlan and other authors used terms such as “tsar”, “leaders”, “noble residents”, “close associates”, “elders”, “common people”, “friends-combatants”, “slaves” to characterize Bulgarian society. which indicates a system of vassalage and subordination.
At the upper steps of the feudal pyramid were Elteber the emir and his wife, his closest relatives, below were the princes of the four Bulgarian tribes and the closest members of their families. At the next descending step of the social hierarchical ladder were the highest officials appointed by the emir. Even lower were the privileged representatives of the tribal nobility and military warriors.
Power in the villages was exercised by elders. With the strengthening of Islam, the Muslim clergy began to play a noticeable public role - mullahs, hojas, sheikhs, who gradually replaced the pagan priests. The basic laws of Volga Bulgaria, instead of the traditional tribal laws based on the customs of their ancestors, became the laws of Sharia - a set of Muslim legal and religious norms.
Taxes in Volga Bulgaria
The overwhelming majority of the population of Volga Bulgaria were free peasants - community members. With the creation of statehood, the development of the economy and the strengthening of the role in transit international trade, the number of cities and the number of urban residents is growing, especially at the expense of artisans and merchants.
Slaves came to Bulgaria either as prisoners captured as a result of military campaigns of the Bulgars themselves, or with caravans of slave traders in transit from other countries. In the latter case, every tenth slave was to remain at the disposal of the khan as a customs tithe - a duty on imported goods. Therefore, the total number of slaves did not constitute a noticeable part of the entire population, as was typical for slave states, and slavery itself was not widespread enough to become the basis for the economic and political development of the country.
The main income of the state government was, firstly, regular annual taxes from each family (livestock and furs); secondly, a tithe on all goods imported into the country; thirdly, one-time taxes (for example, for a wedding, a party, etc.).
According to the testimony of the Arab traveler al-Garnati (12th century), neighboring tribes dependent on Bulgaria paid the Bulgars a land tax - kharaj and a poll tax on non-Muslims - jizya. The duties of the Bulgar peasants were initially small and were in the nature of tribute, but over time they began to increasingly acquire a feudal character.
Economy of Volga Bulgaria
Agriculture, handicraft production and trade played a special role in the flourishing of the Volga Bulgarin economy. The economic basis was highly productive agriculture. Rich black earth soils required deep plowing and the use of advanced tools.
Already in the 8th century. in rebellious farming, the hoe and wooden plow, preserved for work on lighter soils, are replaced by a plow with an iron share (saban). The main economic crops of the Bulgars were wheat, rye, barley, millet, peas, as well as lentils and chumiza, which are rare today. The harvested crops were stored in earthen granaries, the walls of which were reinforced with thick oak boards, as well as in large clay pots.
Grain was used for food, sale and exchange. Even in the early stages of statehood, grain trade was an important item of Bulgarian export. It is known that a considerable part of the grain was exported to North-Eastern Rus', where conditions for arable farming were less favorable. Russian historian V.N. Tatishchev cited information that in the hungry year of 1229 for Rus', Bulgar merchants brought grain to Russian cities along the Volga and Oka, and the Bulgar emir sent thirty rooks (river ships) loaded with grain as a gift to Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich.
The traditionally high culture of cattle breeding among the Bulgars was complemented by new methods of grazing and stalling livestock, which was facilitated by trade exchanges with the eastern and southern nomadic neighbors of the Bulgars.
Hunting, fishing, and beekeeping remained of considerable economic importance for the local Volga-Ural aborigines, and their techniques were improved. Hunting for fur-bearing animals - sable, marten, squirrel, beaver, fox and hare - was of a commercial nature. A lot of fish were caught in small and large rivers, some of which were sold. Since sugar was not yet known, beekeeping was of great economic importance - collecting honey and wax from wild bees (bort - tree hollow), and then bee breeding began in hollowed-out tree hollows.
Craft of Volga Bulgaria
Another important source of socio-economic development of the Bulgarian state was handicraft production, which entered its heyday in the 12th - 13th centuries. The leading role was played by metallurgy and metalworking, blacksmithing and weaponry.
By the 13th - 14th centuries, large-scale iron foundries had been established in the Bulgarian cities - one of the earliest in Eastern Europe. Archaeologists have discovered foundry furnaces, cast iron boilers, and bowls. The high quality of the products of metallurgists and blacksmiths is evidenced not only by the objects of labor they made (shares, axes, saws, scythes, sickles, hammers, loops, chains, nails), but also by the tools of the craftsmen themselves - hammers and anvils of various sizes and shapes, chisels , tongs, pliers, punches, etc. Bulgarian medieval craftsmen used almost all metalworking techniques known at that time and could produce almost all the necessary products.
Special professional and craft skills were required to make weapons: swords, blades, axes, maces, spears and darts (spears with a long sleeve for piercing shields), arrows of various shapes, chain mail and helmets, as well as small slingshots with four spikes for protection against cavalry. The abundance of complex household products found by archaeologists - locks, keys, knives and scissors, scales, cups for scales and weights, copper and bronze cauldrons, bowls, jugs - kumgans, bronze mirrors, buttons, fasteners testifies not only to the production potential of the Bulgars, but also about the high culture of life for that time, the wealth and diversity of lifestyle.
The level of jewelry making is especially impressive. Rings, rings, bracelets, pendants and other jewelry made of gold, silver and precious stones, made using the techniques of casting, forging, stamping, embossing, chasing, engraving, soldering, granulating and filigree, were of high quality and were in great demand on the international market, especially in Eastern European countries. Bulgarian jewelry was discovered during excavations in the Smolensk, Kyiv and Lvov regions.
The products of Bulgarian tanners were very famous in neighboring countries. The developed livestock farming of the Bulgars and neighboring tribes provided artisans with high-quality raw materials, which they knew how to process perfectly. The tanned leather was used to make belts, belts, horse harnesses, and shoes.
Pottery, weaving and spinning, wool processing and bone carving in Volga Bulgaria also ensured the mass production of various types of handicraft products. Cattle breeding and hunting made it possible to make inexpensive household items from bone.
Bulgarian pottery workshops of the 12th - 13th centuries used high-quality clay and were equipped with hand and foot pottery wheels, tools for covering products with ornaments, and most importantly, forges - kilns.
After firing, Bulgarian ceramics had a reddish color and were often covered with polishing and ornamentation. Glazed ware had a green glaze. The most common archaeological finds - clay, less often copper or lead spindle whorls - indicate the widespread use of spinning and weaving. Developed sheep breeding ensured the development of the production of woolen fabrics and felt products.
With the rapid development of the Bulgarian cities, there was a specialization of architecture and construction, woodworking, carpentry and joinery. Getting accustomed to the new area, the Bulgars quickly switched from the yurts and adobe houses familiar to the steppes to the construction of log huts with stove heating. Local stone and brick were also used in construction.
Trade of Volga Bulgaria
The Volga-Kama-Caspian transport system, which is now called the Great Volga Route, played a special role in the prosperity of the state. The Khazars tried to maintain control over it for a long time, then the route became the subject of political interest of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes, and later the Mongol khans. The Volga-Caspian route ran parallel to the famous route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” and opened the road to the Russian and Baltic lands, leading to the countries of the East.
Therefore, the sphere of Bulgarian international trade included not only Khazaria, Transcaucasia, Iran, Central Asia in the south and Rus' in the west, but also India, China, Byzantium, the Baltic states and Scandinavia. Two caravan routes passed through the territory of Volga Bulgaria: one led to Khorezm, Central Asia, the other to Crimea.
On the territory of Volga Bulgaria there were several fair centers - caravanserais with recreation rooms for merchants and warehouses. Permanent settlement colonies of Russian, Arab, and Armenian merchants arose near large shopping centers.
All the main trade routes and caravan roads intersected near the capital of the state - the Great Bulgar, at the Aga-Bazar fair. A variety of goods were brought here from distant and near countries: gold and silver, precious stones and coins (mainly Arab and Central Asian silver dirhams), Damascus steel and blades, silks, brocade and other fabrics, clothing, carpets, dishes, spices, incense , fruits and sweets.
Ibn Fadlan mentioned that in 922 the ambassadors presented the Bulgarian king and queen with incense, clothes, robes and pearls. Furs, weapons, jewelry were brought from Russian lands, weapons (Frankish swords), fabrics were brought from Europe, and amber was brought from the Baltic states. In Bulgarian cities and settlements, archaeologists have discovered a significant number of objects of Eastern, Russian and European origin, characterizing dialogism and parallels in lifestyle, economy and culture.
Among the oriental goods, dirhams, Chinese, Persian and even Kipchak bronze mirrors, fine dishes from Central Asia and Iran, processed and unprocessed precious and semi-precious stones stand out. There are many archaeological finds made from Transcaucasian, Iranian and Byzantine glass and beads. Women's jewelry made of silver and gold and weapons were of Russian origin. Western European coins have survived, as well as Frankish swords, including those with the master swordsmith's mark "ULFBERTH", indicating its origin.
In ancient Bilyar, an entire workshop for the production of amber jewelry was discovered and several kilograms of unprocessed amber were collected, the deposits of which, as is known, are located in the Baltic states.
Monetary system of Volga Bulgaria
In Volga Bulgaria, commodity-money relations developed intensively, based on the Arab system. Already in the 10th century. The minting of its own coins, similar to the Arabic one, begins. The coins preserved the names of the Bulgarian rulers of that time.
Bulgarian coins, together with Bulgarian merchants and goods, penetrated into various countries. Thus, on the territory of Ancient Rus' and the Baltic countries, Bulgarian coins were found in at least a hundred places. The skins of small fur-bearing animals - martens or squirrels - were often used as a monetary equivalent. The smallest monetary unit, equal to a penny, was called by the Kazan Tatars for a long time, and to this day it is called “tien” (squirrel). The skin of a marten, according to Ibn Ruste, at the beginning of the 10th century was equal to two and a half Arab dirhams (a silver dirham weighed about three grams at that time). In the 11th-12th centuries, the Bulgars, like the Slavs, used silver ingots - hryvnias or sums (in the modern Tatar language sum - ruble), and then the minting of their own coins was established again.
It is interesting that there was also non-monetary trade, a kind of correspondence barter with the northern and Siberian Finno-Ugric tribes Visu (Ves) and Yura (Yugra), from which the Bulgars received furs, skins, and walrus tusks. Al-Garnati reported that the Visu lived one month's winter journey from the Bulgars, and the Yura lived even further. The descendants of the Visu (Ves, Veps or Chud) people now live in the south of Karelia, in the Leningrad and Vologda regions, and the Yura (Ugra, Ugra) are the ancestors of the modern Khanty and Mansi.
Silent trade with these peoples took place according to an established ritual: first, the Bulgar merchants, having arrived in the lands of the northern tribes, left their goods - weapons, jewelry - in a certain place and went some distance, after which the Visu or Yura approached the Bulgar goods and put them near the ones they liked they had a certain amount of skins or other trade items and also moved quite far away. The returning Bulgars, if they were satisfied with the price silently offered by the Visu or Yura, took the goods of the forest tribes and left them theirs. If they were not satisfied with the equivalent offered for exchange, they took their things and went to look for other buyers.
Relations of Volga Bulgaria with Russia
Ancient Rus' was a major trading partner and at the same time a competitor of Bulgaria in eastern Europe. The tenth century geographer El-Balkhi knew about the existence of a permanent trade route from the Volga Bulgarin to Kievan Rus, pointing out that from the Bolgars to Cuiaba (Kiev) there were about twenty days of travel, and adding that the distance from the Bulgars along the steppes is about months of travel. Upstream the Volga, this journey takes about two months, and the water road back to Itil down the Volga takes about twenty days. These trade routes were also known to the Khazars, Arabs, and Varangians.
Although for a long time Ancient Rus' and Volga Bulgaria were interested in liberation from Khazar dependence, they did not enter into a mutual alliance against a common enemy. Moreover, in 964 - 965. During a military campaign against Khazaria, the Kiev prince Svyatoslav, moving through the Oka and Volga, attacked the Volga Bulgars and Burtases, destroyed and robbed their cities, and then went down the Volga and destroyed the Khazar cities.
The political consequences of the campaign were not only the defeat, but also the elimination of Bulgaria’s dependence on it and the centralization of the Bulgarian state. Another consequence of the defeat of Khazaria was the increased competition between the Russian principalities and the Bulgar state for control of the Volga-Caspian trade route and fur trade with the peoples of the northern forest belt. In 985, the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, with the support of the Oghuz Turks, made a campaign against the Bulgar lands, as a result of which the first peace treaty in the history of Russian-Bulgar relations was concluded.
During this period, intensive diplomatic negotiations were held between Bulgar and Kiev about faith and, consequently, about the choice of strategic allies and civilizational path of development. In 986, the Bulgars sent Muslim preachers to Prince Vladimir with an offer to convert to Islam. It is known that on the eve of the official baptism of Ancient Rus' in 988, Prince Vladimir sent delegations to different countries to get acquainted with the largest religions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Islam. He told his ambassadors: “Go first to the Bulgarians... go again to the Germans and from there go to the Greeks.”
An important item of Bulgarian export to Russian lands was the supply of bread, which was first mentioned in the chronicle of 1024. After its formation in the 11th -12th centuries. The Rostov-Suzdal and Murom-Ryazan principalities, a considerable part of the population of which were Finno-Ugric tribes, their lands came close to the territory of the Burtases, who lived along the right bank of the Volga and in the basin of the Sura and Moksha rivers. The active colonization policy of the northeastern Russian principalities began to reach the borders of the Bulgarian state. The clash of their economic and political interests over the Volga trade route and for influence on the peoples of the Volga and Urals regions took the form of armed struggle.
The confrontation intensified as religious differences intensified and, accordingly, the Slavs were included in the Christian-Orthodox civilizational community, and the Bulgars were included in the vast Islamic world. But the border of the Russian principalities and the Bulgarian state has never been a zone of religious wars. Their clashes were not associated with slogans and calls for a holy war against non-believers. This is a historical fact not disputed by any of the researchers.
The historical development of Volga Bulgaria in the future largely depended on the nature and level of development of the communicative culture that developed between its historical neighbors - Christian Kievan Rus and Islamic Volga Bulgaria.
Thus, the vectors of the foreign policy of Volga Bulgaria were dictated primarily by economic and political interests: in the 10th century. - the desire to free themselves from influence and ensure independence, in the 11th-12th centuries. - the desire to neutralize the strengthening of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, to retain predominant influence on the Volga-Caspian trade route.
Although the Bulgar feudal lords, like all rulers of that era, considered military force to be the main means of politics, the historical reputation of the Bulgars is not tarnished by destructive campaigns against neighbors, causeless cruelty, and treachery towards allies. The Bulgars were more focused on trade and craft activities, strengthening the economic strength of the state, rather than on expanding territories and obtaining military booty and “military glory.” We are talking about the state’s primary orientation towards searching for internal sources of development, towards creative activity, peace and stability. Therefore, conflicts with the northeastern Russian neighbors after mutual campaigns against each other, as a rule, ended in peace treaties, guarantees of unimpeded trade and, consequently, increased economic and cultural contacts.
Volga Bulgaria existed as an independent state until the 40s of the 13th century, when it was conquered by the Mongol Empire and then included in the Golden Horde.
Kazan Khanate (Kazan kingdom , Bulgarian Vilayat; tat. Kazan khanlygy, Qazan xanlığı, قزان خانلغی) is a Tatar feudal state in the Middle Volga region that existed from 1438 to 1552.
It was formed during the collapse of the Golden Horde on the territory of the Bulgar ulus, presumably as a result of the capture of Kazan in 1438 by the Golden Horde khan Ulu-Muhammad. In 1552, after the capture of Kazan by Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the Kazan Khanate ceased to exist, and its territories were annexed to the Russian Empire.
Foundation and territory of the Khanate
In the fall of 1437, the former Golden Horde khan Ulug-Muhammad migrated to the Volga, where the following year he captured the city of Kazan, expelling Prince Ali Bey from there. Having taken Kazan, Ulug-Muhammad declared himself an independent khan, thereby founding a new military-feudal state. Next to Old Kazan, poorly equipped and poorly fortified, the new khan built New Kazan, which became the capital of the new khanate (according to other sources, New Kazan was founded back in 1402 by Altyn-bek, and under Ulug-Muhammad it was significantly expanded and strengthened).
The Kazan Khanate became isolated on the territory of the Kazan ulus (former territory of Volga Bulgaria). During its heyday (in the second half of the 15th century), the territory of the Kazan Khanate significantly exceeded the size of Volga Bulgaria and approximately reached 700 thousand square kilometers.
The Khanate occupied the middle reaches of the Volga and almost the entire Kama basin. In the east, the Khanate bordered on the Nogai Horde so that the latter included almost all of Bashkiria (within its modern borders), in the west its borders reached the Sura River basin, in the north - to Vyatka and Perm land, and in the southwest - along According to some researchers, almost to modern Saratov, according to others (Pokhlebkin V.V.), they reached modern Volgograd. Thus, the Kazan Khanate, in addition to the Volga Bulgaria, included the lands of the Votyaks, Cheremis, partly Bashkirs, Mordovians and Meshchers.
The “Kazan Chronicler” says that, having won a victory over Kazan, Tsar Ivan IV ordered “to take into his sacristy the royal treasures [that is, the khan’s]… the royal crown, and the staff, and the banner of the Kazan kings, and other royal weapons.” (PSRL, vol. 19, column 467). But from this phrase of the chronicler it follows that the trophies were symbols of the khan’s power, and it is unlawful to consider them symbols of the state.
Reliable information about the fate of the named attributes of the khan’s power has not been preserved, and descriptions of the khan’s banner have not survived to this day. It can be assumed that the banners were made of silk fabrics, taffeta or damask, and the edges of the banner were trimmed with fringe (chuk). There were probably image stripes and inscriptions and sayings. Naturally, in the absence of reliable evidence, the desire to unravel the “mystery” of the khan’s banner and, in general, the attributes of khan’s power causes and will in the future cause all sorts of assumptions and disputes.
Administrative structure
The Kazan Khanate consisted of four darugs (districts) - Alat, Arsk, Galician, Zureisk (Chuvash). Later, a fifth daruga was added to them - Nogai. Darugs were divided into uluses, which united the lands of several settlements.
Population
Ethnic composition
The population of the Khanate was multi-ethnic, and consisted of the following peoples: Tatars (“Kazanlylar”, “Kazanstii Tatars”), Chuvash (approx. 200 thousand people), Mari (Cheremis), Mordovians, Udmurts (Votyaks, Ars) and Bashkirs. There was a notable Armenian-Kypchak community in Kazan from the time of the Golden Horde until the Russian conquest. The main population most often called themselves kazanli, or based on their religion - Muslims. The total population is about 400 thousand people; in the middle of the 16th century it was about 450 thousand people
The main population, in connection with the establishment of the Tatar dynasty of khans of the Golden Horde on the khan’s throne, gradually acquires the name “Tatars”.
Control
Relations with the Moscow Principality
Internal political strife in the Kazan Khanate was led by two main groups: the first advocated maintaining vassal relations with the neighboring Principality of Moscow, the second consisted of supporters of the policies of the Crimean Khanate and sought a policy independent from its neighbors. The struggle of these groups determined the fate of the Kazan Khanate over the last 100 years of its existence. [ ]
The Moscow principality more than once tried to subordinate Kazan to its influence. Back in 1467, Russian troops made a campaign against Kazan to place Tsarevich Kasim on the Kazan throne. In the third quarter of the 15th century, there were pronounced contradictions between states, expressed in the clash of interests of Moscow and Kazan in the lands of the Upper Volga region. In the 80s In the 15th century, the Moscow government actively intervened in the struggle for the Kazan throne and often sent troops to Kazan in order to place its protege on the Kazan throne. The result of a long struggle was the capture of Kazan by Moscow troops in 1487 and the establishment of Khan Muhammad-Emin, loyal to Moscow, on the Kazan throne. The khan, disliked by the Moscow government, was overthrown. However, during the entire relatively peaceful period of the reign of the Moscow protege Muhammad-Emin, there were repeated protests in the Khanate by the nobility, supported by the Nogai Murzas, with the goal of placing the Tyumen prince on the throne. Ivan III was forced to make concessions to the Kazan nobility, allowing him to remove Muhammad-Emin and place his brother Abdul-Latif on the throne.
Conquest by Moscow
After attempts to place a khan loyal to Moscow at the head of Kazan, Ivan IV undertook a series of military campaigns. The first two were not successful, and in 1552 the Grand Duke besieged the capital of the Khanate for the third time. After the explosion of the city walls with gunpowder planted in secretly made tunnels, Kazan was taken by storm, a significant part of the population was killed, and the city itself burned down. The Kazan Khanate ceased to exist, and a significant part of the Middle Volga region was annexed to Russia. In memory of the capture of Kazan and the victory over the Kazan Khanate, by order of Ivan the Terrible, St. Basil's Cathedral was built on Red Square in Moscow.
After the capture of Kazan and before the territorial-state reform of Peter I in 1713, the conquered Kazan Khanate became a vassal state formation. The Kazan kingdom became part of Russia and was headed by the Russian Tsar, who received the title "Tsar of Kazan". Administratively managed by the so-called. by order of the Kazan Palace in Moscow. Also created, the Kazan Archdiocese was immediately designated as the third most important in the Russian Orthodox Church.
