"Ermak's Feat"- a historical novel by Don writer Vasily Petrovich Gnutov (-), a member of the Writers' Union of Russia since 1991. It was published in 1986 by the Rostov Book Publishing House.
History of creation[ | ]
To write this large-scale novel, V. P. Gnutov studied Siberian chronicles and special scientific-historical literature for four years, including the works of G. F. Miller, S. V. Bakhrushin, A. D. Kolesnikov, R. G. Skrynnikov and etc.
Content [ | ]
The action of the novel "The Feat of Ermak" takes place in the era of Ivan the Terrible. The first chapters are devoted to the activities of Ermak, the former chieftain of the border town of Kachalinsky, on the Don. A number of chapters are devoted to the actions of the Cossacks on the Volga, their campaign in the Livonian War. The role of the Strogonov merchants in organizing the campaign of Ermakov’s squad to Siberia, the transition of the Volga, so-called thieves, Cossacks from a free, semi-robbery life to the “sovereign” service as an opportunity to earn “forgiveness of previous wines” and fulfill their duty to the Fatherland are revealed in detail and objectively. The second part of the novel depicts Ermak's campaign in Siberia. The hero reveals himself in communication with the Cossacks, local residents, in battles, and in extreme situations of the campaign.
Mine last Stand Ermak accepted on the night of August 5-6, 1585.
Death of Ermak [ | ]
In August 1585, Ermak learned that a Bukhara caravan was heading to Siberia, and Kuchum himself wanted to cut off its path in order to seize goods. Ermak hurried with his squad to the mouth of the Vagaya River, which flows into the Irtysh, in order to give the caravan a free path along the Irtysh. Tired of the long march, he settled down with the Cossacks to rest near the river. The night was rainy and stormy. All the Cossacks fell into a deep sleep. No one was expecting an enemy. Meanwhile, the Tatars, led by the khan himself, suddenly attacked the camp and began to slaughter the sleepy ones. Ermak, seeking salvation, rushed into the Irtysh. He wanted to get to his boat, but the plow was far from the shore. Heavy armor pulled Ermak to the bottom, and he drowned. Almost all of his comrades also died. Siberia was abandoned, but Ermak’s work was not in vain: his campaign crushed the power
How a Cossack ataman placed a third crown on the Russian coat of arms
The centuries-old history of gathering the main territories of the Russian state ended with a great deed - the development of Siberia, the region that became the treasury of our Fatherland, the main source of energy and financial viability modern Russia. With this in mind, one cannot help but turn to the beginning of the “Sibiriad”, in particular to the feat of Ataman Ermak Timofeevich, whose glory equaled the heroes of the Russian epic.
On a hike beyond the Urals
Almost nothing is known about the origins and first years of Ermak’s life. Apparently, he was born in the Borok volost on the Northern Dvina, but left his native land early, moving to the Cossacks who lived on the southern “zapolnye” (steppe) rivers. For twenty years he was a Cossack on the Don, Volga and Yaik, receiving among his comrades the nickname “Tokmak”, which in the language of that time meant a wooden hammer, a mallet. The first reliable information about Ermak as a warrior appears in the late 70s of the 16th century, when he participated in battles with the Nogai Tatars and the Livonian War. At this time, Ermak became quite a prominent figure in the Russian army. In particular, the commandant of Mogilev, Pan Stravinsky, who was besieged by the Moscow army in June 1581, mentions him in one of his reports to the Polish king. No other Volga atamans with that name were known at that time, so his Cossack detachment was hired to serve by the richest Russian merchants and industrialists, the Stroganovs, and came to them in Orel-gorodok (Keredin).
At that harsh time, attacks on the Russian border lands by troops coming from the territory of the Siberian Tatar Khanate, where Khan Kuchum ruled, became more frequent. The greatest damage was caused by the raids of the Ostyak and Vogulich tribes subject to him (the modern Khanty and Mansi peoples) inflicted on the Stroganovs' possessions, located on eastern borders Moscow State. They began to hire Cossack detachments that were then operating on the Yaike River to fight the Siberian Tatars. The commander of these squads was Ataman Ermak Timofeevich. His closest assistants were atamans Ivan Koltso, Matvey Meshcheryak, Nikita Pan, Savva Boldyrya and Bogdan Bryazga.
#comm#Thanks to the Cossack squads, a turning point occurred in the war going on in the Urals.#/comm#
This is confirmed by the history of one, unfortunately, now lost military award. In the Stroganov collection in late XIX centuries, a “zatina” arquebus was kept with a characteristic inscription on the trunk: “In the city of Kergedan on the Kama River I give, Maxim Yakovlev, son of Stroganov, to Ataman Ermak in the year 7090” (in the chronology accepted at that time, 7090 from the Creation of the World corresponds to 1582 from the Nativity of Christ ). Sensing this turning point in the protracted border war, the Stroganovs decided to strike the enemy on his territory. They supplied the Cossacks with all the necessary supplies, weapons, and gave them guides who knew the way to Siberia well.
At the beginning of September 1582, Ermak’s detachment (according to some sources, 840 people, according to others, 1650 people) set out on the Siberian campaign. Along the Chusovaya and Serebryanka rivers, the Cossacks crossed the Ural Mountains and along the Baranchuk and Tagil rivers they descended on plows into the Tura River, where the possessions of the Siberian Tatars already began. Having entered enemy land, Ermak gave a strict order: do not touch the local population, mercilessly oppressed by Kuchum and his henchmen. This wise decision attracted many native Siberians to the Cossacks, who learned from their own experience that Russians are stern in appearance, but kind in soul.
Soon the first clashes between Ermak’s squad and the enemy occurred. During one of them, the noble Tatar Tauzak was captured, who provided Ermak with detailed information about the Siberian Khanate and its armed forces. Then the Cossack leader decided to go to the capital of Kuchum, the city of Kashlyk, located on the Irtysh at the mouth of the Tobol River, several miles from modern Tobolsk.
The very first battles with the Tatars demonstrated the colossal superiority of the Cossacks in weapons. Armed with large-caliber Spanish muskets and multi-barreled multiple rocket launchers, the so-called “magpies,” Ermak’s warriors easily scattered numerous, but poorly trained and poorly armed Tatar detachments. The Cossacks managed to occupy Epanchin-town (Turinsk), and then the old capital of the Siberian Tatars, Chimga-Tura (Tyumen), and defeat Kuchum’s troops in the Babsan tract on the banks of the Tobol.
Not by number, but by skill
The Cossacks were born, battle-hardened warriors. As we see, they were armed with the most advanced weapons of that time. However, their enchanting success was accompanied by one more circumstance. At this stage of the Russian-Tatar war, the marching troops of both sides missed each other - Ermak’s army attacked the kingdom of Kuchum, while the army of the Siberian Tatars under the command of the eldest khan’s son Aley attacked Cherdyn, the main Russian fortress in the Urals.
Alarmed by the successes of the Russians, Kuchum sent messengers to urgently call his son back, but in the meantime, having gathered all the troops remaining under his hand, he went on the defensive. Not daring to enter into an open conflict with the Cossacks, he decided to strengthen the banks of the Tobol River with ambushes, which Ermak, who was moving towards Kashlyk, could not bypass. Kuchum entrusted the main command over the army concentrated at the Chuvash Cape (Chuvash Mountain) to his nephew and his best commander, Tsarevich Mametkul.
The Battle of Chuvash Mountain is the main episode of Ermak’s victorious campaign in Siberia. It happened on October 23–25, 1582. Having captured two fortified towns that covered further advance to Kashlyk - Karachin and Atik, Ermak’s army approached the well-fortified Chuvash Cape, where Mametkul’s troops took refuge behind abatis and rubble. To approach this place, the Cossacks had to break through a fence on the river. Taking advantage of the fact that the Tobol River narrows at Karsul Yar, the Tatars built a barrier across it from interconnected logs with sharpened branches. The enemy fired on the approaching Cossack plows with bows. Ermak was forced to retreat to a place where the banks were not so steep. Having landed with most of the army on the shore (about 200 Cossacks remained on the plows), Ermak went to the rear of the Tatars and with a swift attack forced them to flee.
Following this, approaching the location of the main Tatar army, the Cossacks launched an attack on the Chuvash Cape. The enemy, convinced of the small number of the Russian detachment, himself, having dismantled the barriers in three places, attacked Ermak’s soldiers.
#comm#The Cossacks took up a perimeter defense, standing in tightly closed ranks. The shooting was almost continuous. #/comm#
Having fired, the Cossacks swapped places with their comrades and, quickly reloading their arquebus or musket, returned to duty. Despite the dense rifle fire, suffering heavy losses, the Tatars several times broke through close to the Russian squeakers and came to hand-to-hand combat with them. During one of these attacks, Prince Mametkul was wounded. The battle continued until the evening. After darkness fell, the Cossacks retreated to the town of Atik-Murza. The next morning the battle resumed and continued for two more days. On October 25, 1582, the Tatars were finally defeated. The princes subordinate to Kuchum began to leave him with their troops. Left with a few warriors, the khan left his capital. On October 26, 1582, Ermak’s victorious army entered Kashlyk. Having learned about this, the Mansi prince Boyar and the Khanty princes Imberdey and Sukley, who sent gifts and yasak to the Cossacks, submitted to the ataman.
Not wanting to accept defeat, Kuchum gathered troops, reinforced them with detachments of his son Aley, who had returned from a raid on the Russian possessions by that time, and in the winter of 1582/1583 he threw them into battle against Ermak. It happened near Lake Abalak not far from Kashlyk. Despite the desperate attacks of his mounted troops, the khan was again defeated by the Cossacks, who were forced to fight on foot. After the Abalak defeat, Kuchum with the remnants of his people fled to the Barabinsk steppe. However, he did not stop resisting and, having gathered a new army, continued to disturb the Russians with sudden raids.
Battle on Vagai Island
After the conquest of the capital of the Siberian Khanate, a Cossack embassy was sent to Moscow to Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It was headed not by Ivan Koltso, as is still commonly believed, but by the Cossack Ivan Cherkas Alexandrov. He was accompanied by 25 of the most honored Cossacks. Arriving in Moscow, the embassy “bowed” to the great sovereign with the Land of Siberia, replenishing the royal treasury with rich gifts received from the Siberian princes. Delighted by the first success in many years, Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich generously granted an embassy and took the Trans-Ural possessions under his high hand. 300 archers were sent to help Ermak under the command of Prince Semyon Bolkhovsky, and a year later another 700 archers led by governor Mansurov.
Meanwhile, the war in Siberia continued. Kuchum stubbornly resisted, switching to the tactics of surprise attacks. The Cossacks invariably won, but suffered losses that weakened their small army. Wanting to finally defeat the enemy and end the protracted war, in the early summer of 1585 Ermak set out on his last trip. Having gathered his the best people, he led them south, up the Irtysh, intending to clear the caravan route to Bukhara from the Tatars. Twice - in battles at the Begichev settlement and at the mouth of Ishim, he managed to defeat large enemy detachments, but the main enemy forces were already preparing for a deadly attack on the Cossacks. Against the 107 Cossacks who remained with Ermak, Kuchum gathered about a thousand soldiers.
#comm#Horse Tatar hundreds secretly accompanied the Cossack plows along both banks of the river, waiting for any mistake by Ermak. The opportune moment came on the night of August 6, 1585.#/comm#
The Cossacks settled down for the night on a small island located on the Irtysh near the confluence of the Vagai River. The weather was stormy, and the Cossacks lost their usual vigilance. The Tatar attack was sudden and took the Russian sentries by surprise. Due to the heavy rain, the matchlock guns were useless and the enemies fought hand-to-hand. However, the forces were clearly unequal, and the Cossacks began to make their way to the shore, where their plows were stationed. Ermak was one of the last to leave. Having recognized him, Kutugai, one of Kuchum’s close associates, entered into battle with him. The chieftain began to prevail and then the cunning Tatar, noticing that Ermak’s helmet was not fastened, struck him in the throat with a spear. The bleeding Cossack leader managed to get to the plow, but soon his strength left him and he fell overboard into the dark waters of Vagai...
Thus, Ataman Ermak Timofeevich died in an unequal battle. Kuchum managed to win his first and last victory. Nowadays, at the site of Ermak’s death, located near the village of Pogost, Vagai district, Tyumen region, a memorial cross is erected, highly revered by local residents.
#comm#In the battle on Vagai Island, out of 108 Cossacks, except Ermak himself, 17 people died, the remaining 90 returned to Kashlyk, where they gathered a circle and decided to leave Siberia.#/comm#
The retreat was commanded by Ataman Matvey Meshcheryak and Streltsy head Glukhov. They returned to Russia by the circuitous Pechersk route. Meanwhile, along the road already mastered by the Cossacks through the Tagil passes, Prince Mansurov’s detachment, numbering 700 servicemen, was moving to Siberia.
Thus, despite the death of Ermak, the conquest of Siberia was continued. The so-called “Ermakov” Cossacks who returned to the Trans-Urals also took part in it, but under the command of the sovereign governors. In 1598, the Tatar troops still under Kuchum’s hand were finally defeated by the governor Voeikov. Almost the entire Kuchum family was captured, and the khan himself barely escaped by sailing down the Ob River. Subsequently, this stubborn enemy of Rus' tried to find refuge in the Nogai Horde, but was treacherously killed there by the Murzas, who were afraid of the wrath of Moscow.
The significance of Ermak’s feat was already understood by his contemporaries. The name of the ataman is glorified in legends and ancient historical songs. Many of Ermak’s deeds are embellished in them, supplemented with legendary details (these include the mention of Ermak’s capture of Kazan, the meeting of Ermak and Ivan the Terrible), but the essence of what happened is conveyed historically correctly. Ermak, in the eyes of our ancestors, appeared as a great, heroic personality who conquered “the Siberian side of the sovereign.” The epic tales emphasized that the annexation of the Trans-Ural lands ended the structure of the Russian state and the centuries-old struggle of the Russian people with the Horde. This deep idea is confirmed by symbolism Russian coat of arms, on which three crowns represent the annexation of three Tatar “kingdoms” - Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberian - to the Moscow state.
Special for the Centenary
Ermak’s great service to his Motherland. He is our true national hero.Academician A. P. Okladnikov
P. N. Krasnov
Ermak Timofeevich - conqueror of the Siberian kingdom. 1582
Soon after the conquest of Kazan (1552), in 1558, Tsar John Vasilyevich, in order to secure the Perm land lying up the Kama River, donated large areas near the Ural Mountains to the Stroganov merchants and allowed them to have cannons and build fortresses to protect their lands. The Stroganovs set up small wooden fortresses, reached the very Ural Mountains, mining timber here, hunting fur-bearing animals and collecting semi-precious stones. But when they approached the Ural Mountains, which were then called the Stone Belt, they were met by troops of the Siberian Tsar Kuchum and were not allowed beyond the mountains. ... At this time Ermak came to them.
Of medium height, broad shoulders, marvelously built, strong Cossack was Ermak Timofeevich. Black curls curled over his ears, his gaze was quick, his face was clean and handsome. He dressed magnificently and richly as he approached the Stroganov town, surrounded by his Cossacks.
Kindly received by the Stroganovs, Ermak stayed with them, and here, listening to their complaints about the raids of the Kuchum Tatars, he began to think deeply. With his brave soul Ermak sensed that his name was the Stroganovs. glorious feat. ...And so, having gathered his daredevils around him, Ermak addressed them with the following speech:
“You think, brothers, you think, And me, Ermak, brothers, listen. ... We, brothers, will cross the steep mountains, We will get to the kingdom of the Basurman, We will conquer the kingdom of Siberia, We, brothers, will conquer it to the White Tsar.” .
"...We love, Ermak Timofeevich, to go with you! We love to conquer the Tsar of Siberia and give him to the Moscow Orthodox Tsar! We love... Amen!.."
The chieftain bowed low to the circle and left the square. The Cossacks also dispersed after him. And the next day work began to boil. All winter axes clattered and saws squealed as the Cossacks built light boats for themselves. ...The Stroganovs strengthened the small squad of Cossacks with three hundred soldiers in their service...and in the spring of 1581 Ermak’s detachment of 840 people was completely ready for the campaign.
For four days Ermak sailed in boats up the Chusovaya River to the mouth of the Serebryannaya River, and then for two days he walked along the Serebryannaya River to Siberian road. Here Ermak landed on the shore and built a fortification, which he called “Kokuy-city”. Having stored supplies here...Ermak swam lightly into the Tura River, beyond which the Siberian kingdom began.
Kuchum against Ermak’s small squad
sent a large cavalry detachment of Prince Ma-metkul. ...Not far from the Babasan tract the Don people met with Mametkul.
Ermak's squad formed a battle formation on foot and began firing from arquebuses and arquebuses. Mametkul rushed to attack, but the half-wild Tatar horses, not accustomed to such a thunder of shots, did not go to fire, bullets and arrows hit them, and the Tatar attack was repulsed. Mametkul rushed a second and third time, but only his damage became greater...and Ermak’s bottoms moved forward and forward. Mametkul retreated...
On the fifty-second day of Ermak’s campaign, October 22, 1581, in the evening, Cossack plows walking along the Irtysh River approached the settlement of Atik-Murza. The Cossacks moored to the shore and landed. The low hills, covered with already blackened oak and spruce trees, burned with a thousand lights. This was the camp of the Siberian Tsar Kuchum himself, who decided to defend his kingdom by mortal combat. The hubbub of thousands of voices and the neighing of horses could be heard on the river for several miles. Like the sea, the Tatar camp was silently worried.
It was quiet in the Cossack camp. This camp seemed so small. Just one regiment, if we count it today, went against an entire army. But this was a regiment of heroes, perfectly armed, brave, stubborn, proud and self-loving! Regiment of Don Cossacks.
At dawn, on October 23, the Cossacks attacked the village of Chuvashev, fortified by Kuchum. Cossack bullets whistled, guns thundered, and clouds of arrows flew towards them. Behind the noise of the rifles and the whistling of arrows, neither voices nor commands could be heard. There was a firefight until noon. The Tatars, seeing that there were very few Cossacks, themselves broke through abatis in three places and rushed towards the Cossacks in living streams of people. It was a desperate fight. Everyone understood that it depended on whoever won whether he would be alive or not. The chronicler who recorded how this battle took place wrote: “And there was an evil slaughter; they cut each other by the hands,” that is, they grabbed each other’s hands to prevent them from striking. But under the mighty blows of the Cossacks, the dense crowds of Tatars began to thin out. The wounded Tsarevich Mametkul was transported with his entourage to the other side of the river, and the Tatars began to retreat. It was already dark when the Cossacks occupied the Tatar abatis, and then retreated to their old bivouac to Atiku-gorod. They didn't sleep all night. The dead were buried. There were 107 people; They bandaged wounds and built fortifications, fearing an attack by the Tatars. But the Tatars had enough. Kuchum's allies, the Ostyak princes, abandoned him, Mametkul, his best knight, was wounded, and Kuchum himself that same night went to his capital, the city of Siberia, collected his belongings and wives and fled with them to the steppe.
Historical song. Ermak at Ivan the Terrible
As on the glorious steppes of Saratov, that below were the cities of Saratov, and above were the cities of Kamyshin, they, brothers, gathered in a single circle, like the Don, Grebensky and Yaitsky. Their ataman is Ermak, son Timofeevich, Esaul is their son Astashka, Lavrentievich. They all thought the same thought: “How the summer is passing, the summer is warm, And the winter is coming, brothers, cold, How will we, brothers, spend the winter somewhere? Should we go to Yaik - but the transition is great, Yes, we should go to the Volga - everyone will be reputed to be thieves, To go to Kazan-grad, and there the king stands.... Just as the golden trumpet did not blow, It was not the silver speech that spoke loudly - The speech that Ermak son Timofeevich spoke: “Hey, think, brothers, you think, And me, Ermak, brothers, listen! We, brothers, will all spend the winter in Astrakhan, And in the winter, we, brothers, will improve; And when the red spring opens, We then, friends, brothers, will go on a campaign, We will deserve our guilt before the Terrible Tsar: How we, brothers, walked along the blue sea, And along the blue sea along Khvalynsky*, We, brothers, defeated, beads-ships, Like those ships, brothers, not eagled, We killed the envoy of all the kings, Like that Persian envoy." As in the glorious city of Astrakhan, On a wide, flat square, Cossacks and friends gathered in a single circle , They thought the same thought: “As the winter passes, still cold, As the summer comes, brothers, the summer is warm, Yes, it’s time for us, brothers, to go on a campaign.” Ermak Timofeevich will speak: Oh, you goy, brothers, atamans -Well done! Hey you, make boats-kolomenki, You hammer in the spruce cochet, You put on the pine babaichki**, We will go, brothers, with God's help. We will go, brothers, up the Volga river, We, brothers, will cross the steep mountains We will reach the kingdom of the Basurmans, We will conquer the kingdom of Siberia, We, brothers, will subjugate it to the white king, And we will take over king Kuchum. And for that, the Sovereign Tsar will favor us. Then I will go myself to the White Tsar, I will then put on a sable fur coat, I will take a marten cap under my arm, I will confess to the White Tsar: “Oh, you are a goy, hope, Orthodox Tsar! Do not order me to be executed, but let me speak. Just like I, Ermak son Timofeevich, Just like I, the thieves’ Don atamanushka, Just like I walked along the blue sea, Just like I walked along the blue sea along Khvalynsky, Just like I smashed bead-ships, Like those "All the ships are not eagled. And now, Nadezhda, Orthodox Tsar, I bring you a wild head, And with a wild head, the kingdom of Siberia!" Nadezhda, the Orthodox Tsar, will speak a speech, just like Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible: “Oh, you are a goy, Ermak son of Timofeevich, Oh, you are a goy, military chieftain of the Don!” I forgive you and your army, for your faithful service to me, and I grant you, Ermak, the glorious quiet Don!”*(In the old days, the Caspian Sea was called Khvalynsky.)
**(Babayki - oars.)
L. N. Tolstoy
Ermak (history)
Under Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible there were rich merchants, the Strogonovs, and they lived in Perm, on the Kama River. ...So the Strogonovs wrote to the tsar: “You gave us the land, we subjugated it under your hand, and now the thieves’ king Kuchum is rebelling against me...”
The Tsar wrote back: “If you have the strength, take away the land from Kuchum. Just don’t lure a lot of people from Russia.”
So the Strogonovs, when they received a letter from the tsar, sent clerks to gather people to themselves. And they ordered more to persuade the Cossacks from the Volga and Don. And at that time there were a lot of Cossacks walking along the Volga and Don. They will gather in gangs of 200, 300, 600 people, choose atamans and sail on plows, intercept ships...
Clerks arrived on the Volga and began to ask: what kind of Cossacks are known here? They are told: “There are many Cossacks... There is Mishka Cherkashenin; there is Sary-Azman... But there is no one more evil than Ermak Timofeevich, the ataman. He has about 1000 people, and not only the people and merchants are afraid of him, but the royal army is afraid of him dare not."
And the clerks went to Ermak-ataman.
On September 1, the Cossacks sailed with Ermak up the Chusovaya River. Ermak sent Cossacks to look at one town... 20 Cossacks went, scared away all the Tatars and took the whole town.
Ermak released the Tatars (prisoners - M.A.), and took three smarter ones with him so that they would show him the way. ...The Cossacks are looking - the city is standing on the shore, the troops are nowhere in sight... The Cossacks became afraid. Some say: we must swim past, others say: go back. ...Ermak says: “Oh, you guys! You are not Cossacks, but women. ...Can’t you see for yourself? If you go back, they will kill you; if you swim past, they will kill you; if you stand here, they will kill you. Where can we go? Once you bother, Afterwards he will feel better. ...There is only one place left - to attack the Tatars directly."
The Cossacks laughed and said: “Apparently you, Timofeich, are smarter than ours; there’s nothing to ask of us fools. Lead where you know. There can’t be two deaths, but one cannot be avoided.”
Apollo of Corinth
Flight of the Gods (from the tales of a dying tribe)
It was not thunder that rolled over the White Mountain, - Granite legs moved, And from their thrones, in a wordless crowd, the Ostyak gods fled... But for a long time twelve mighty princes, For good or ill, Bravely from the wilds of the forest and steppes They called out the people's prowess. ...And Ermak, the victorious hero, swam up along the Ob River on the plows, With a cross on his chest and with a banner in his hands, Accompanying us in a fiery battle... The ataman came, stood, and praised For the Russian faith and truth; And the news flew about him like a snowstorm, to the seaside, beyond Konda and Tavda...Anatoly Ivanov
Ermak (excerpt)
The Tatar horsemen jumped out into the free space.
Soo-ya-ya, stop! - Savva Voldyr* shouted, opening his mouth wide. The Cossacks running towards the plows stopped.
*(One of Ermak's associates, ataman.)
From the squeaks - fire! - Cherkas Alexandrov commanded.
A volley hit. Several Tatar horses fell, crushing the riders. The ranks of the attackers were mixed. Another volley. More...
Shots are heard by Nikita Pan's soldiers.**
**(Ermak's closest associate.)
They're beating our people!! - they shouted from the ranks.
Stand still! - answered Pan.
Still... a little,” said Ermak. - Let all the Tatars get into the battle.
The cutting goes along the entire slope. Swords ring, shields crack, spears break with a crash. The gentle grassy slope is strewn with the corpses of Tatars and Cossacks, and here and there there are dead horses lying around. Now the battle has already rolled out onto the sandy strip along the Irtysh. Yielding to force, the Cossacks, losing their own, retreat, huddled in a dense square and bristling with spears.
Suddenly all the Tatars let out a joyful cry: Mametkul and his bodyguards fly out from behind the rubble, sparkling with precious clothes.
Ermak waved his saber.
The guns roared almost simultaneously. Four cannonballs struck the midst of the Tatar army, causing great confusion in the ranks of the soldiers.
The Cossack trumpet began to sing.
The Cossacks of Ivan Ring rushed forward. Zamora and Kerkun also run with their sabers drawn.
Nikita Pan's Cossacks rushed to the battlefield.
Both of them crashed into a bunch of enemies on both sides.
Savva Boldyr, in the heat of battle, shouts:
Ataman Ring!!!
Glory! Glory! Glory! - the entire Koltso hundred takes up the cry.
Ataman Pan!
Glory! Glory! Glory! - thunders from the other side.
Ataman Ermak! - over the noise of the battle, the Ring roared, joyfully wielding his saber.
Glory! Glory! Glory! - the entire Cossack army thundered at once.
The Cossacks are getting into Tatar army, covering it on three sides in a tight formation of two or three ranks, changing at the commands of the Pentecostals in the front ranks, pulling the wounded away in time. Staggering, the wounded step back, greedily fall to the buckets of water, hastily bandage their wounds with rags and again furiously rush into the fray.
On a small hill, under the banner, not paying attention to the arrows, Ermak gives short orders to the signalmen, and from time to time points with his saber to the small group of squeakers with him where to support the onslaught of the Cossacks with fire.
Ermak also has fifty cavalry at hand, playing the role of a mobile reserve. At the sign of the ataman, the horsemen in groups of 20 - 30 people rush to the most dangerous places, they cut down groups of Horde soldiers who broke through the Cossack system, and again gather to the military banner.
When the Cossack "Glory", whistles and screams drowned out the cries of "Ar-ra-ah!!", the khan's fingers cramped and he, like a golden eagle predator, grabbed the bodyguard by the shoulder:
What's going on there? Tell me what you see?
The bodyguard spoke, confused, stuttering, afraid to incur the khan’s wrath, for he saw how strong, bearded people, as if enchanted, were making their way. And if “Ar-ra-a” sounded louder, Kuchum began to chant and pray.
Ermak pointed with his saber to the top of the mountain.
Kuzmich! Now I wish I could smash it into the Khan's tent...
Let’s think about it,” replied the old gunner, “we just need to move the dove.”
Ring pointed with a bloody saber at Mametkul, who broke through the Cossack formation with his nukers.
Capture it! - Yermak shouted in response, and fifty horsemen flew after the Ring.
Meanwhile, the old gunner himself slowly hammered his banner into the mouth of the cannon, then took a long time to select the cannonball, weighing it by weight. I chose it and put it into the cannon.
No one can get through to Mametkul through the thicket of bodyguards. The Cossacks knock down some, and others immediately appear in front of them. Then Ermak gives a sign to the squeakers standing near him. They take aim and fire a salvo. Bodyguards fall around Mametkul. After another volley, Mametkul grabbed his shoulder, dropped his saber and fell from his horse. Blood streamed from his shoulder.
The Tatars let out a terrible cry and surrounded their commander with a solid wall. Some stood to their death under the sabers of the Cossacks, others, throwing the wounded Mametkul across the saddle, began to fight their way out of the thick of the battle...
Finally they succeeded. A group of six horsemen quickly galloped along the shore, taking away the wounded Mametkul, shooting back as they went with bows from the Cossacks who were trying to pursue.
I. I. Dmitriev
Ermak (excerpt from a ballad)
...I saw the battle with him Megmet-Kula* of the Siberian countries of the hero: Having scattered arrows all from the tool and with the great heat of the fire, he drew a deadly saber. “Give me better death than life in disgrace. Let me drag out in captivity!” - he said - and instantly attacked Ermak. Terrible view! they fought! Their sabers shine like lightning, deliver heavy blows, and both are crushed at once. They entered into a manual battle: Chest with chest and hand with hand; The oak groves howl from their scream; They dig the earth with their feet; Sweat is already falling from them like hail; Already their hearts are beating terribly, And the ribs of both are cracking; Now this one, now that one bends on its side; They spin, and - Ermak broke! “You are mine now!” he cried, “And from now on everything is under my control!”*(Megmet-Kul - Prince Mametkul.)
Vasily Gnutov
Ermak's feat (excerpt from the novel)
Ermak followed the progress of the battle. Soon he saw warriors in birch bark caps, armed with bows and spears, descending from the mountain. Several people in masks and multi-colored robes with fluttering ribbons walked ahead, dancing. They beat small tambourines with bells with mallets, threw them up, spun around and shouted something, opening their mouths wide. And the warriors themselves, following them, also shouted something, howled like a wolf, hooted like owls in the forest, barked like foxes, and all this merged into a threatening, heart-rending cry. It was the Vogul and Ostyak shamans who accompanied their relatives into battle. They frightened the Cossacks and drove away evil spirits from their warriors. The dump in the meadow has increased even more. With the instinct of an experienced warrior, Ermak realized that it was time to introduce a reserve regiment.
Meshcheryak* was ready and was just waiting for a sign - a fire near the cannons. The prepared tarred tow flew into the sky like a red sheet and threw a tail of black smoke into the wind. Meshcheryak led his regiment into the meadow. Ermak came out to meet him. He said briefly:
I lead the regiment myself. Meshcheryak will help me. Go ahead, guys, follow me! Let's finish off Mametkul!
With drawn sabers and shouts of "Hurray!" The regiment moved towards the Tatars.
Gavrila Ivanov fought with both hands, having learned this art from Ermak. In a hot battle, he did not forget to keep his neighbors to his right and left in sight. From the height of his remarkable height, Gavrila saw that the stately Tatar in chain mail, who had led the Tatars into hand-to-hand combat, was pushing back the Cossacks, and hurried to their rescue. He guessed that this Tatar giant was Mametkul himself, and he was overcome by the desire to fight him. He remembered the words of Ermak: “Gavrila! Pounce on Mametka, and when he runs, take him from his tail.”
Mametkul himself went to meet Gavrila. The heroes made a mistake, their sabers rang. The fight was short-lived, but persistent; they fought to the death. Having repelled another blow from Mametkul’s saber with his six-feather, Gavrila Ivanov slashed his broadsword on the shoulder with such force that it cut through his pauldrons and chain mail. Blood splashed from Mametkul’s shoulder, and he lowered his hand with the sharp saber. Ivanov raised his hand for a second blow, but two Tatars in thick tegils rose in front of him, pushing him to the side. Dozens of hands grabbed Mametkul and instantly carried him away - Ivanov didn’t even have time to blink an eye.
The news of Mametkul’s injury and the fact that he left the battlefield instantly spread through the ranks of the Tatars. They wilted and weakened their pressure. At the right wing of the fence the Ostyaks could not stand it, the Vogulichs howled and rushed en masse into the gap
Banner forward! - Ermak shouted, and a minute later - another blue banner was already fluttering on the rampart.
The Tatars did not fight for long. Seeing the Cossack banner in their rear, they ran into the abatis. Two roads went up from it, one steeply, the other like a ribbon around the mountain. The Tatars fled along them to the Chuvashevsky town, under the cover of the walls. The guns fired after them. Those in front accelerated their run in fear, leaving those in the rear without protection. The Cossacks followed the Tatars and cut down those running with their sabers. The entire path to the Chuvashevsky town was strewn with corpses.
The hole was empty. Those who were behind the rampart also fled. And only the groans of the wounded and the screams of the Tatars raging behind the wooden palisade on the mountain still swayed over the banks of the Irtysh. The trumpet played the all-clear for the Cossacks. Ermak ordered to collect all the dead, pick up the wounded, load them into plows, and burn the abatis. Resinous pines, spruces, firs and larches caught fire together, crackling and smoking. People were suffocating in the smoke, and this made them even more afraid. The cannons fired at the razor-sharp fortress until the last minute. And only when the dead were removed and the wounded were carried into plows, the guns were dragged to the shore. We sailed from the Chuvasheva Mountain a little lower, and stopped for the night at the mouth of the Kurdyumka River.
*(Matvey Meshcheryak is one of the atamans of Ermak’s squad.)
E. H. Katelnikov
Glorious, quiet Don Ivanov, During the time of the formidable king, The soul of infants and atamans Flowed out onto the rivers and seas. Disdaining the nasty storms, Covering the mountains with waves, Occupied Siberia, feared the Caucasus, And then was crowned with laurels, He seemed like a kingdom to the universe, And Parnassus was amazed!V. G. Belinsky
The exploits of these knights (Cossacks of Ermak. - M., A) were never captured by either atrocity or cruelty: they were daredevils and well done...
Vasily Pukhnachev
Ermak (excerpt from the poem)
Go on a campaign for Rus' to achieve a feat? I see space for Russian strength. Siberia... The land of unafraid sables and gold. The path is to the sea-ocean... There, white lands and free rivers would be given to the Russian people. Reach the ocean, become a Cossack's foot forever. ...It's a tough hike. And there are few of us. Where with firmness, and where with patience, Yes, you need to take wits and win people subservient to the khan to your side. ...How long will the blood flow? Here the people are different, but the torment is the same, There, in Rus', and here the ashes do not cool. The homespun serf of the boyars is in the yoke. And here is the wild Ostyak In the noose of the khan... Is it really possible that throughout the whole earth, From the Urals to the sea-ocean, the cherished land cannot be found, Where the free will lives. ...Kuchum is strong, the journey to Siberia is difficult. And many will not meet the new dawn, But we have only one path - forward! In battle, in one battle - Salvation and victory. Either we or Kuchum... The battle is coming! Brave squad, We, having not experienced fear, Let's go to battle for Rus', Forward. Now our strength is in unity. Brothers Cossacks! There is no way back for us. Rus' is behind and the Russian people are behind. Let us raise our swords to the sword that has risen. We will not lose Russian glory and we will not betray Rus'.Vasily Gnutov
Ermak's feat (excerpt)
On the misty gray morning of October 26, 1582, Ermak’s thinned squad led the plows out of the backwater onto the Irtysh wave. Ice floes swayed on the dark green water, and icy crumbs—slush—rubbed against the side. Silently we sailed to the Chuvashevsky town. The Ermakovites knew that he would be abandoned by the Kuchumlyans. The stern warriors walked silently past burnt and destroyed buildings, huts, and yurts. In some places, the unburned skeletons of yurts seemed like the ribs of long-dead huge antediluvian monsters. We walked from Chuvashevsky to Isker. The road was widely trampled by many horse hooves. It then descended into the valley, then rose to the hill, intersected by old ravines with gentle slopes. Streams flowed along their bottoms, overgrown with rosehip bushes. And all around is coniferous summer, dark like autumn, gloomy and silent. When we climbed the hill, the slushy Irtysh rustled on the right...
Each warrior understood that they were going to the last, decisive battle. It was necessary to expel Kuchumov's army from Isker or die under its walls. They walked in silence, bending under the weight of chain mail, arquebuses, and spears. A breeze blew from the east, dispersed the remnants of the fog, gaps appeared in the low, cloudy sky, the sun appeared in them, and the day brightened. We approached the khan's capital. The gates were open. Huge log doors, bound with iron, swayed slightly with gusts of wind. You can't see people, you can't hear their voices.
Behind the walls of Isker one could see a minaret, the roofs of a mosque, a tower and some other tall buildings, perhaps Kuchum’s palace, which the Cossacks had heard about as a collection of wealth that he had plundered from his vassals, princes and neighbors.
We stopped.
They're lying, you bastards! - Ring said loudly. “They set an ambush!”
Not a single arrow was fired at them. Then Ermak ordered Cherkes Alexandrov to send a patrol to the city. Fyodor Chukalin headed the reconnaissance team of five people. They climbed over the ditch, entered the gate, and carefully, with an eye on their heels, reached the square. Friends from the Chuvashevsky town saw the ruins of adobe huts. Felt blankets, bridles, belts, patterned felts, and pillows, thrown in a hurry, were scattered everywhere. Near the Sibirka River, about three dozen short horses stood dejectedly. Seeing people, two or three of them began to neigh.
Nobody! - Chukalin said to his comrades. - Turn back!
We came to the gate again. We stood at the drawbridge.
“We need to lower the bridge,” said Fedor.
Go! What a crazy idea you've found! - Ivan Medved interrupted him. - Try to figure out these strings!
*(Rozmysel is a military engineer.)
We need to figure it out.
Fyodor pulled one rope, then another, touched the blocks, untied the attached ropes - and the bridge went down, laying across the ditch.
So much for your idea! - he couldn’t resist, he boasted, winking at Ivan.
You've got the head! - the Bear answered cheerfully and, suddenly slapping him firmly on the hat, rushed onto the bridge, running away.
Fedor is behind him. The rest, laughing and screaming, ran across the bridge after.
When Fyodor Chukalin reported everything he had seen to Ermak, the ataman took off his hat, crossed himself with a flourish and said:
They knocked down Tsar Kuchum from the kuren
V. A. Zhukovsky
The throne of the horde collapsed; Hostile Kazan disappeared, Yermak’s dashing gang climbed over the edge of the Urals, and before the Cossack’s saber, gloomy Siberia resigned itself to its wild hordes and evil-bearing mountains.N. M. Karamzin
On October 26 (1581 - M.A.), already famous for history, the funeral prayer service, solemnly entered Isker, or the city of Siberia, which stood on the high bank of the Irtysh, fortified on one side by a steep, deep ravine, and on the other triple rampart and ditch. There the victors found great wealth, according to the chronicler: a lot of gold and silver, Asian brocade, precious stones, furs, and they fraternally divided everything among themselves. The city was empty; Having taken possession of the kingdom, our knights had not yet seen people in it; having gold and sables, they had no food: but on October 30 the Ostyaks came to them with their prince Boar, with gifts and supplies; they swore allegiance and demanded mercy and protection. Soon many Tatars with their wives and children appeared, whom Ermak treated kindly, calmed, and sent them all back to their former yurts, imposing a light tax. This former ataman of the robbers, having proved himself to be a fearless hero, a skilled leader, showed extraordinary intelligence both in zemstvo institutions and in maintaining military subordination, instilling in rude, wild people confidence in new government and the severity of the pacification of their violent companions, who, having overcome so many dangers, in the land they conquered, at the end of the world, did not dare to touch a hair civilians. They write that the formidable, inexorable Ermak, sparing Christian soldiers in battle, did not spare them in the event of a crime and executed them for any disobedience, for any cold deed, for he demanded from the squad not only obedience, but also spiritual purity, in order to please the king of the earth. and to the king of heaven; he thought that God would give him victory rather with a small number of virtuous warriors than with a large number of stubborn sinners, and his Cossacks, according to the legend of the Tobolsk chronicler, led a chaste life both on the road and in the Siberian capital: they fought and prayed! The danger has not yet passed.
P. P. Ershov
Suzge (Siberian legend, excerpt)
King Kuchum in the steppes grieves for his rich kingdom; And in its large chambers the Cossacks sit at the chara, Remembering Holy Rus' and the Tsar of Moscow. The chief and their great commander sits in front, the first in battle and in councils, that Ermak or Timofeich. Rarely does he touch the spell, And in the midst of fun, he thinks deeply about his Duma. On the right is the formidable commander, the brave Ataman Ring, hanging his head to the riot; On the left, cheerful and revelry, With full deep enchantment, Ataman Thunderstorm sits. At the other end, three other chieftains are feasting: Meshcheryak, Mikhailov and Pan. Behind Kuchum's chambers, Daring Cossacks are walking in the large courtyard. The bright day is passing into the evening, And the Cossack feast is coming to an end... Suddenly their great commander, that Ermak Timofeich, having drunk the spell in one breath, quickly rose from the table. “No, comrades!” he said, “It’s too early for us to rest; Our work, conceived, must be completed first: We only took Isker - It remains to take Siberia. Bad news has reached us: They say that the king’s brother-in-law did not flee with Tsar Kuchum, Who is now sitting in Suzgun, Who is secretly gathering an army, So that Isker can be taken away from us. Tomorrow, with God, get to work! You, Thunderstorm, will go to Suzgun, With your entire squad, And willy-nilly, or not, And take Makhmet-Kul; Only "Remember the goodness of God, Do not destroy everyone in vain. You, Ring, sit in Isker, Take care of it for Rus'; I myself will go with others to that king Seydyak. We must finish quickly: After all, winter is just around the corner." Ermak finished his speech, The atamans stood up quietly. Goy, our Ermak Timofeevich!” They all cried out loudly. “You can order us, We are your novices!” The next day, all the Cossacks were still up before dawn, Cleaning their sabers and guns, Gathering in the square, And in order - rank by rank - They stood in ranks. Here comes the governor, that Ermak Timofeich With his atamans; He bows low to the army. And he approaches the banner, And gives a sign to prayer. And obediently the whole squad, bending their knees behind the leader, In reverent silence, Prays to the Lord and God. victory over enemies, Prayer is not long - prayer is strong! Soon all the Cossacks stood up, Sabers drawn and in unison, They cried out in a loud voice: “God’s power and the Pleasant Nikolai are with us!” Here Ermak goes around the ranks, Whines by name All the foremen and seniors, Remembers the Glory of the Don, And rich booty, And the king's forgiveness. "Hey, comrades and brothers, you are daring Cossacks! It’s better for us to die honestly, Than to die a shameful death on a shameful scaffold And earn a curse." The Cossacks set off noisily... It’s not swans, it’s not snow - It’s their white sails; It’s not the songs of nightingales - It’s their Russian melodies. Goy, you, brothers !bon voyage!P. N. Krasnov
Ermak Timofeevich - conqueror of Siberia (excerpt)
Kuchum became completely decrepit from grief, lost his sight and wandered alone across the Ishim steppe. Having recovered from his wound, Mametkul surrounded the Cossack camp with his riders and captured single Cossacks returning from trips. But Ermak was also watching him. His daredevils did not sleep in winter. From a foot army traveling on ships, by spring Ermak's squad turned into excellent cavalry. The Tatars of the surrounding Siberian* yurts became friends of the Cossacks; They reported to Ermak that Mametkul with a small detachment of Tatars stood on the Vagoya River. This was in the spring of 1583. Ermak sent a hundred of 60 people against him. The Cossacks attacked the Tatar camp at night. They killed most of the Tatars while they were sleepy, and captured Mametkul himself and delivered him alive to Ermak.
As soon as the rivers opened up, Cossack detachments set out again on ships, widely expanding Ermak’s conquests. More than one Cossack head fell during the attack on Siberian cities. One of Ermak’s main associates, Nikita Pan, was also killed.
*(This refers to the capital of the Siberian Khanate, the city of Isker (Siberia).)
P. P. Ershov
Suzge (excerpt)
All the Cossacks gathered under the slope of the fragrant fir trees. And they stand without hats; Two detachment officers are pouring a grave mound. Silence lies all around! ...Night has descended to the earth, The wind howls through the oak grove, Drives the rain clouds, And the Irtysh splashes against the steep cliff with a ringing wave. Having spread their sails, the good Cossacks are riding. Their living song flows - What about mother, about the Volga, What about their Don, dear Don, What about the glory of the Cossack.P. N. Krasnov
In Siberia itself (Iskera - M.A.) an embassy was being prepared for the Stroganovs and the Moscow Tsar. The best furs, 2,400 sables, 20 silver foxes and 20 beavers, the best stones were collected, native gold was poured out, the precious royal hats and outfits of Kuchum were wrapped and sewn into matting. Head of the flying village with gifts to Tsar John IV, whom he beat with his forehead Don Cossack Ermak Timofeevich, Ermak’s best warrior, Ataman Ivan Koltso, was appointed. He was ordered, upon arriving in Moscow, to “beat the king with the kingdom of Siberia with his forehead”...
The Cossacks burst out a merry song when they sailed back to the Stone Belt along the familiar path along the Siberian rivers. The oars walked cheerfully in their hands, the consciousness of the great deed they had accomplished inspired them, and the sharp-chested Cossack canoes flew along the cold waves of the wide
The Tsar joyfully received Ivan the Ring. He forgave the Cossacks for all their previous robberies on the Volga, granted those sent money and cloth for clothes, allowed Ataman Koltso to recruit hunters in the Moscow land to populate Siberia, and ordered Mametkul to be sent to Moscow. Ermak and his comrades were granted a charter by the tsar.
In a royal letter, John IV graciously declared to the Cossacks the oblivion of old offenses and eternal gratitude to Russia for an important service. Ermak was named Prince of Siberia, he was entrusted with organizing the conquered land. To take over the Siberian cities, the governor, Prince Semyon Volkhovsky, and the head, Ivan Glukhov, were sent from Moscow with a detachment of the best Moscow streltsy soldiers.
Ermak’s military godson, Mametkul, turned out to be a brave warrior in Moscow. He rose to the rank of governor in the Russian troops, which corresponds to the current general, and fought with the Swedes, distinguished by courage and skill.
Siberia, donated to the Moscow state by the Don Cossacks, strengthened the Moscow Tsar and began to supply him with both bread and gold. But, at the same time, Ermak and the Don people gave vast lands to the Russian people. And when it became crowded in Rus', settlers flocked to the wide Siberian steppes, into the dense taiga and found excellent places to live there.
A. N. Radishchev
Bova (excerpt from a poetic story)
...I will breathe in that place where Ermak and his squad, boarding boats, rushed to that terrible, cold country, to that country where I was in the midst of disasters, but in the bosom of hot friendship I was blissful and where I left the tender half of my soul. I will sigh that there is no longer any strength, O Ermak, great soul, Sing your deeds! .A. A. Navrotsky
Ermak (excerpt)
He was a Cossack. Brega of his native Don He was raised in the green fields; Like a faithful son of a free brothel, he did not recognize the established authorities. ...Although there are many of them, godless pagans, the Volga robber, the miracle hero, He, at the head of his reliable comrades, descended into distant Siberia. Among the forests and abounding tundra, He walked boldly, meeting the enemy. The impulse of a free soul is invincible When it fights with a slave.P. N. Krasnov
Death of Ermak (excerpt)
Having sent Ataman Koltso to Moscow, Ermak left with the Cossacks to the north of Siberia. In all cities, he announced to the residents their submission to the Moscow Tsar and left the Cossacks for order. So, he spent the summer and winter of 1582 and the summer of 1583 in campaigns and labors. In the fall of this year, he returned to Isker, and here he was met by Ataman Ring, who had arrived from Moscow.
The meeting of the atamans was joyful. A circle of Cossacks gathered and the Don people listened with enthusiasm to the envoy's long story about the royal reception. The Siberian prince Ermak put on the heavy armor brought from the king, the Cossacks kissed each other, congratulated each other on the royal favors...
The hard winter began to come to an end. The sun shone brighter. It became warmer. Carts arrived from the surrounding villages. Ermak's army was encouraged. But the detachment was reduced by half.
The Tatars, meanwhile, were preparing treason. They flattered the Cossacks, bowed low to them, feasted with them, swore that they had become their brothers, and they themselves plotted cruel revenge. One summer, Ataman Ivan Koltso was visiting Mirza Karachi with 40 Cossacks. As always, we drank drunken booze and listened to how the blind singers sang mournfully to the sound of strings. We watched the slow dance of the Tatar women. At night, everyone carelessly went to bed, without sentries and without weapons... They forgot their Cossack skills... In the morning no one got up. Everyone was slaughtered, no one was spared by the cruel Karacha.
Before the sadness on this occasion had time to dissipate, a new misfortune fell on Ermak’s small detachment. His other ataman, the dashing Donetsk Mikhailov, died... He died on reconnaissance, killed in an ambush by an arrow.
The Cossacks were dying. The best warriors were killed. In June, the Tatars suddenly stopped paying tribute. A large army gathered near Karachi, and they besieged the city of Siberia with it. This time the Tatars were careful. They set up their abatis and stationed an army behind them three miles from the city. They decided to destroy Ermak and his squad by starvation. These are difficult days. Neither cannons nor Cossack rifles could reach the Tatar camp.
And in this difficult time, the Cossack valor awakened again. Ataman Meshcheryakov called the hunters to break through the Tatar camp and attack the Tatars from behind. Choosing a moonless night, he quietly left the city of Siberia and, sneaking up unnoticed to the main Tatar camp, rushed to slaughter the sleepy Tatars. Both of Karachi's sons were killed. In horror, the Tatars fled, and Meshcheryakov sat down with his detachment in the Tatar convoy. At dawn, Karacha gathered the Tatars and attacked the Cossacks. But the Cossacks met the Tatars with friendly fire from arquebuses and drove away the enemies. Moreover, they also rushed to pursue them and at noon returned to Siberia, liberated from the siege.
To punish the enemy and protect himself for the future, Ermak with 300 Cossacks set off on a new campaign across the Siberian kingdom. By winter he returned with rich booty. All the towns were brought to submission, and tribute was imposed on everyone.
Two years passed quietly. The Cossacks and Russians managed to establish trade with neighboring peoples. They reached Siberia, and from there caravans with tea came to Moscow from China, silk and cotton were brought from Bukhara, incense and spices were brought from distant India. Siberia grew rich from trade.
Having learned about this, old Kuchum, who was wandering in the upper reaches of the Irtysh, gathered an army in 1584, became an outpost and did not allow Bukhara merchants to enter the Siberian kingdom. This was reported to Ermak. Ermak took 50 Cossacks and sailed with them in boats up the Irtysh. For several days the Cossacks rowed between forests and gloomy rocks. They reached the outposts, but did not find the Tatars anywhere. Ermak, having spent the whole day searching, returned to the boats by the night of August 5-6 and settled down for the night. The night was dark, it was raining, the wind rustled the tops of the trees. The tired Cossacks fell into a deep sleep. The Tatars, who were watching the Cossack detachment from the other bank of the Irtysh, crossed the river and attacked the sleepy Cossacks. Only two woke up, Ermak and another Donetsk. Ermak desperately defended himself, but seeing that he was alone, that his faithful squad had died, he rushed into the Irtysh, hoping to swim to the boats. But the heavy armor given to him by John pulled him to the bottom, fatigue took its toll, his arms became weak, his head became foggy, and the Great Don, the Prince of Siberia, died before he could reach the plows.
E. A. Baratynsky
Ermak (excerpt)
...You see, traveler: many, many cold, stormy winters have passed, Since the great Irtysh was threatened with war. ... And then one night the night found Aliens here, on the Irtysh banks. Everything between them slept, Forgetting about vengeful enemies. They woke me up with arrows and drove away sleep with death! But the aliens' shuttles sailed Among the boiling, menacing waves. Their leader was bound from iron, And he was alien to our death! Into the Irtysh, the prey of a dark dream, Jumped, woke up and swam, And was close to the allied boats, Perhaps he could have reached them, The Irtysh seemed heavy: The Irtysh roared - he sank.A. A. Navrotsky
Ermak (excerpt)
...But the hour has come... No one among those created will ever escape it. A fierce horde attacked a handful of fighters, deep in sleep. Ermak is not afraid of attacks. He beat her as eagles beat their enemies: But, weakened, he sought salvation in the river And jumped into the waves from a stone cliff. He drowned, overwhelmed by the decoration, And the river took up his ashes; But he gave Rus' a vast kingdom, and she honors that feat of Ermak.A. V. Abramov (Shiryaevets)
Ermak (excerpt)
The cursed darkness of the Siberian night, The infidel howl, joyfully shrill... The flash of knives... More than one arrow rushes towards the chest of the freedom-loving... The sword is jagged... - Vatazhniki! come to me!.. - Not a single one!.. - Let's go, Irtysh, good luck!.. The waves are populated... It's heavy in the armor! And arrows pour from the shore, crying terribly... I didn’t hear how the Tatar din grew - He sailed to Rus' to the Volga shores!..P. P. Ershov
Death of Ermak
Heavy clouds covered the Siberian sky; The gusty wind made a gloomy noise among the pines; Crowned with foam, the Irtysh waves were boiling; The rain poured down like a river, and midnight thunder roared. The Cossacks sat calmly on the high bank, and the sound of bad weather brought drowsiness to their eyes. Their fearless leader, under the canopy of a branchy spruce tree, leaned on his saber and looked at the brave Cossacks. And an evil sadness lay on the hero’s heart, weighed on the head, stirred his hot blood. And the involuntary spirit of the cheerful leader was shackled with horror. Suddenly wild screams... Cossack blood began to flow... Ermak's damask steel sparkled - the crowd parted - And someone fell from the cliff into the boiling waves.K. F. Ryleev
Death of Ermak
The storm roared, the rain made noise, Lightning flew in the darkness, Thunder thundered continuously, And the winds raged in the wilds... Breathing passion for glory, In a harsh and gloomy country, On the wild bank of the Irtysh Ermak sat, overcome with thought. The comrades of his labors, victories and thunderous glory, slept carelessly among the pitched tents, near the oak grove. “Oh, sleep, sleep,” the hero thought, “Friends, under the roaring storm; At dawn my voice will be heard, calling for glory or death! You need rest; sweet sleep And in the storm it will calm the brave; In dreams it will remind you of glory and strength will double the warriors. Whoever did not spare his life, obtaining gold in robberies, will he think about it, dying for Holy Rus'? Having washed away with his own and the enemy’s blood All the crimes of a violent life And for victories having earned the Blessing of the Fatherland, Death cannot be terrible for us; We have accomplished our task: Siberia has been conquered by the Tsar, And we have not lived idle in the world!” But his fatal destiny Already sat next to the hero And looked with regret At the victim with a curious gaze. The storm roared, the rain made noise, lightning flew in the darkness, thunder roared continuously, and the winds raged in the wilds. The Irtysh boiled in the steep banks, Gray waves rose, And with a roar they crumbled into dust, The Cossack canoes hit the bank. With the leader, the brave squad tasted peace in the arms of sleep; With Kuchum there was only one storm, which did not sleep on their destruction! Fearing to enter into battle with the hero, Kuchum, like a despicable thief, crept towards the tents along a secret path of the Tatars, surrounded by crowds. Swords flashed in their hands, - And the valley became bloody, And the formidable squad fell in battle, Without drawing their swords... Ermak arose from sleep, And, dying in vain, rushes into the waves, The soul is full of courage, But far from the shore of the canoe! The Irtysh is worried more intensely - Ermak strains all his strength, And with his powerful hand he cuts through the gray ramparts... The shuttle is floating... already close - But the strength gave way to fate, And, boiling more terribly, the river Noisily swallowed up the Hero. Having deprived the hero of his strength to fight the furious wave, the heavy shell - the gift of the king - became the guilt of his death. A storm roared... suddenly the boiling Irtysh became silver with the moon, And the corpse, spewed out by the wave, lit up in copper armor. The clouds were rushing, the rain was noisy, And the lightning was still sparkling, And the thunder was still thundering in the distance, And the winds were raging in the wilds.*(The thief is a robber.)
I. I. Dmitriev
Ermak (excerpt)
...Peace be to your ashes, Ermak! May the Russians crown your image poured out of gold, worn out from the ribs of Siberia by your damask spear! But what did I say, O forgotten shadow! Where is your obelisk? - We don’t know where even your ashes were buried. Alas! he is trampled by a boar, Or the Ostyak runs along it Behind a fast and horned doe, Taking aim at her with a feathered arrow, But be comforted, hero! The soaring genius of poetry Every day with the golden Aurora, At the hours of divine apparitions, floats above your ashes And a sweet song says over it: “Great one! Wherever you were born, Even if in barbarian centuries Your feat of life was accomplished; Even if your very ashes disappeared; Even if your sons, descendants, Forgetting the loud deeds of their ancestor, Wandered in the wilds and forests But lived with greedy wolves - But you, a great man, Will walk in the ranks with the demigods From generation to generation, from century to century; And the ray of your glory will be eclipsed “When the light of the sun fades, the sky will fall apart with a crash and time will fall on the spit!”A. A. Leonov
In the palaces, in the wretched hut, In popular prints or in a golden frame With a majestically strict posture He stands forever, as if alive...P. N. Krasnov
Death of Ermak (excerpt)
Ermak died, died in the Irtysh, in a desperate battle with the Tatars, but only his mortal body died. He himself, the great Don Ataman, is still alive. Alive in Cossack songs old and new.
Ermak and his descendants did not forget. In Tobolsk, the main city of Western Siberia, the first to be conquered by Ermak, a monument was erected to him, at the behest of Emperor Nicholas I, in 1838 with the inscription: “To the conqueror of Siberia Ermak.” Another monument was erected in 1904 with donations from the Don people in Novocherkassk, in the Don Army, in Ermak’s homeland. On this monument there is an inscription: “To Ermak - Don people.” 3rd
The Don Cossack Regiment bears his glorious name. The 1st Siberian Cossack Regiment of Ermak Timofeevich also bears his name. On the Don there is the Ermakovskaya village, there are the Ermakov farms, and more than one Donetsk bears the glorious name Ermakov, as if in memory that his grandfathers went on a glorious campaign with Ermak and in a brave battle conquered the whole great Siberian kingdom of their native Rus'!
The years of Ermak Timofeevich’s life are not known for certain today. According to different versions, he was born either in 1531, or in 1534, or even in 1542. But the date of death is precisely known - August 6, 1585.
He was Cossack chieftain, he is called a National Hero. It was he who discovered a huge part of our country - Siberia.
According to one version, Cossack Ermak Timofeevich was born in the Middle Urals region. He looked like this: large, broad-shouldered, with a black beard, of average height, with a flat face. We do not know what surname Ermak bore. But one historian is sure that full name sounded like Vasily Timofeevich Alenin.
Ermak was a participant in the Livonian War, commanding the Cossacks. In 1581 he fought in Lithuania. Ermak also participated in the liberation of besieged Pskov. In 1582 he was in the army that stopped the Swedes.
Historical reference
The Siberian Khanate was part of the possessions of Genghis Khan. In 1563, Kuchum began to rule there, but this did not happen in an honest way. Having killed Ediger, a tributary of Moscow, he “pretended to be one of his own.” The government recognized him as a khan and also obliged him to pay tribute. But, having settled well in Siberia, Kuchum decided to make the Khanate independent and independent: he did not pay tribute and attacked other territories. And Moscow now faced the task of returning the Siberian Khanate under its control.
It should be noted that on eastern lands were colonized famous family Stroganovs, industrialists and merchants. Their activities were controlled by Moscow. The Stroganovs were unusually rich. They had their own detachments and fortresses beyond the Kama, which they themselves supplied with weapons. The earth had to be protected somehow. And now Ermak comes to their aid.
Ermak Timofeevich: the conquest of Siberia and the discovery of new lands
How it all began
One of the Siberian Chronicles tells that the Stroganovs sent a letter to the Cossacks. The merchants asked for help against the attacking peoples. A Cossack squad led by Ermak came to Siberia and successfully defended the lands from the Vogulichs, Votyaks, Pelymtsy and others.
Still, it remains unknown exactly how the “deal” took place between the Stroganovs and the Cossack army.
- The merchants simply sent or even ordered Cossack troops to conquer Siberia.
- Ermak and his army himself decided to go on a campaign and forced the Stroganovs to provide the necessary weapons, food and other things.
- Both of them made this decision on conditions beneficial to everyone.
Before the start of the campaign, the Stroganovs allocated weapons (guns and gunpowder), provisions, as well as people - about three hundred people. The Cossacks themselves numbered 540. The strictest discipline reigned in the detachment of eight hundred people.
The campaign began in September 1581. The detachment swam along the rivers, long and hard. The boats got stuck, the water was already starting to freeze. We had to spend the winter near the portage. While some were getting food, others were preparing for spring. The flood came, the boats quickly set off. And so the detachment ended up in the Siberian Khanate.
Getting closer to the goal
In the area of present-day Tyumen, which then belonged to Kuchumov’s relative, Epanch, the first battle took place. Ermak's army defeated the Epanchi Tatars. The Cossacks stubbornly moved forward. The Tatars could only flee and report the attacks to Kuchum. It should be noted that the Tatars did not have gunpowder weapons; they used bows. Therefore, the guns of Ermak’s detachment completely discouraged them, which they reported to the khan. But, on the other hand, the Tatars had a superiority in troops by twenty times or even more. Kuchum, although depressed, as a true leader, quickly gathered all the Tatars under the leadership of Magmetkul and ordered them to go against the Cossacks. And at this time he strengthened the borders of the city of Siberia - the capital of the Khanate.
Magmetkul and the Cossacks fought bloodily and cruelly. The weapons of the former were significantly inferior, so Magmetkul had to flee. Meanwhile, the Cossacks moved further and took a couple of cities. Ermak stops to decide how to proceed. The decision had to be made: go back or move forward. Ataman Ermak Timofeevich feared that there were too many enemies. It was already October 1582. The rivers will soon begin to freeze again, so it is risky to swim back.
And so, early in the morning of October 23, Ermak’s army, with the hope of God’s help, went on the offensive. The fight was incredibly difficult. Ermak’s army was unable to break through the Tatar defenses. But the Russians managed to break through, and the Tatars began to flee the battlefield. Kuchum, seeing all this, also fled, leaving Siberia.
And on October 26, Ermak with his Cossack detachment entered the capital, rich in precious metals and fur. Ermak's banner now fluttered in Siberia.
But it was too early to rejoice. Kuchum, hiding in the steppes, continued to attack the Cossacks. Magmetkul also posed a danger. First, he killed part of the Cossacks in November 1582. But Ermak made a very far-sighted act in the spring of 1853, sending part of the army to attack the Tatars and capture Magmetkul. Cossack army Although it coped with this task, it began to decrease in number and strength. Russian princes with an army of three hundred people were sent to help the detachment. After all, Kuchum did not calm down, and it was necessary to defend the conquered city
Death of Ermak Timofeevich
Here is how it was. Ermak and his detachment walked along the Irtysh. They spent the night at the mouth of the Vagai River. Unexpectedly, in the dead of night, Kuchum attacks the Cossacks and kills them. Only a part managed to escape. Survivors say that the ataman tried to swim to the plows (these are such ships), but drowned in the river. This happened, most likely, due to the heaviness of the armor (Ermak was wearing two chain mail shirts at that time). Of course, it is possible that he was also wounded.
Conquest of Siberia.
Secrets of Siberia. The mysterious grave of Ermak.
Mokrousova Olga
Creative research about the national hero of the Don land Ermak Timofeevich, with whose name many events significant for the entire Russian state are associated. The author of the work examines the image of Ermak in oral folk art, V fiction and in fine arts.
Many famous writers were also interested in the exploits of Ermak. P.N. Krasnov, P.P. Ershov, L.N. Tolstoy, Anatoly Ivanov, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.M. Karamzin described his life and campaigns in their works. The author of the work writes about the wonderful historical novel by V. Gnutov “The Feat of Ermak”.
The image of Ermak attracted the attention of not only writers, but also many artists. Perhaps the most famous painting about Ermak is V.I. Surikov’s painting “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak,” painted by him in 1895.“The Conquest of Siberia” is the best painting by Surikov in the State Russian Museum. The author of this creative work writes about her.
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Mokrousova Olga
11th grade student at MBOU gymnasium No. 76.
Teacher Balavintseva N.N.
CREATIVE WORK
The image of Ermak in folklore, literature and fine arts.
Ermak’s great service to his Motherland.
He is our true national hero
Academician A.P. Okladnikov.
Every person should know the history of their region, remember their heroes, their brave deeds. We need to look up to them, because, according to M. Gorky, there is a place for exploits in the life of every person.
There are many national heroes on the Don land. Many events significant for the entire Russian state are associated with their glorious names. One of these national heroes is Ermak, the conqueror of the Siberian Khanate, a Don Cossack. His feat still remains in people's memory. He truly became a folk hero.
In Novocherkassk, near the Ascension Cathedral, there is a wonderful monument to Ermak, and in the cathedral itself there is a unique fresco from which F.S. Kazachinsky painted the painting “Ermak’s Preparations for the Campaign to Siberia.” Having visited Novocherkassk with my parents for the first time and seeing the third largest cathedral in Europe, built in 1892-1905 according to the design of A.A. Yashchenko, I was shocked not at all by the huge and extraordinary beauty of the cathedral, but by the proud appearance of the mighty Cossack ataman, menacingly looking from a high bank at the quiet Don, flowing steadily among the free steppe. For several minutes I could not take my eyes off this unruly figure on a high pedestal in the center of the city. Of course, I had heard a lot about Ermak before, but never before had this personality interested me so much. Bronze Ermak in the clothes of a Cossack chieftain, with a banner in his hand, looked very impressive under the golden rays of the autumn sun. I shuddered at the thought that this man had once terrified the enemies of our country. And, of course, I did not miss the opportunity to get more detailed information about this important historical figure. In Novocherkassk there is a very large local history museum, which contains a lot of interesting and useful material about the history of the Don region. The museum staff were very kind and willing to help me in my search. After an extensive tour of the museum and a detailed excursion into the history of the Don Cossacks, I was advised to visit the local history department in the Novocherkassk library, which I did. After spending more than three hours in the library, I looked through a huge number of books telling about the exploits of Ermak and his squad, about their great campaigns. I took some books home, where I continued to study this topic. To my surprise, I learned that not only me was interested in the life of this hero.
The personality of Ermak has been worrying us for four hundred years. The Cossack chieftain, who made a heroic Siberian campaign with a small detachment, became a legend.
It is known that Ermak’s victory over Khan Kuchum removed the threat to Russian land from the east, strengthened the borders, and marked the beginning of the peaceful development of Siberia. But much of the distant 16th century remains a mystery. Disputes among scientists about the date and place of Ermak’s birth, about his life before the Siberian campaign, and about his appearance on the Don continue. In the memory of the people, Ermak remained a fair man, an honest and brave warrior, a state-minded ataman. From mouth to mouth, from ancestors to descendants, the Cossacks passed on epics and songs. The Cossacks went with them to long hikes, they were saved in their memory. Don song folklore is colorful and unique. “What sweeping poetry,” V.G. Belinsky wrote about the Don songs, “how much strength and spiritual spaciousness it has!” Judging by the song creativity of the Cossacks, Ermak Timofeevich is one of the most revered folk heroes.
The Don land glorifies the Cossack ataman Ermak, son of Timofeev. Songs, stories, legends about him still live. They are memorable for their connection with the past and at the same time modern with a deeply moral meaning: a person capable of high heroic deeds is exalted; actions motivated by pure feelings - dignity, pride, thirst for justice - are poeticized.
Common to oral works about Ermak is heroic content. Each of them glorifies deeds that are vitally significant for the entire people. Most of the songs on the Don are about freedom as the most cherished dream.
Like on the river, on the river, it was on Kamyshinka,
They gathered there, they came together, free people,
Free people gathered, they are passportless,
Either the Don Cossacks or the Greben Cossacks, or they are with the Yaik Cossacks.
Their chieftain, brothers, was Ermak Timofeevich, -
sung in one of the folk songs.
According to numerous legends, Ermak liberates the Don, populates it with fugitives, organizes the Don Army, invents gunpowder, helps take Kazan and Astrakhan, conquers Siberia so that there is somewhere to resettle the Cossacks from the Don.
No matter how the fact of the appearance of the Cossacks is explained in the legends, Ermak is given a primary role: Ermak Timofeevich led our ancestors to the Don under Grozny... Ermak led the first freemen... Before Ermak there were no Cossacks... The Cossacks came from Ermak... Ermak created the Cossacks...
One of the folk songs talks about how the Cossacks chose Ermak as ataman:
They kept guessing great thoughts,
They wondered about a strong Duma, united:
“That’s who of us, guys, should be an ataman,
But which of us, guys, can be considered a captain?
Yermil Timofeich will be the chieftain.”
When Ermak is chosen by the Cossacks as ataman, he shows the abilities of a leader, increases and strengthens his detachment. Ermak passes the test of power with honor. In any situation, he behaves like an ideal ataman in the popular understanding. Having gathered an army, Ermak opposes himself to both the tsar and external enemies, the fight against which the Cossacks consider their first business.
Thanks to the emotional imagery, the song acquires a special capacity and conveys the meaning of real events. The Don region, which has preserved its historical culture, is rightly called one of the most poetic. Songs and legends about Ermak, connected by ideological and artistic unity, convey a complete picture of the events of that era.
Many famous writers were also interested in the exploits of Ermak. P.N. Krasnov, P.P. Ershov, L.N. Tolstoy, Anatoly Ivanov, V.A. Zhukovsky, P.M. Karamzin described his life and campaigns in their works. Vasily Gnutov wrote a wonderful historical novel"Ermak's feat." The action of the novel covers the Don, Western regions of Russia, the Volga and Ural regions, and Siberia. The hero reveals himself in communication with the Cossacks, local residents, in battles, and in extreme situations of the campaign. The author thoroughly and objectively shows the transition of the Cossacks from a free, semi-robbery life to “state” service as an opportunity to earn “forgiveness of past guilt” and fulfill their duty to the Fatherland. “Taking Siberia before the onset of winter is our salvation... In Siberia we will find shelter and food and gain glory!” the Cossacks decide. Reading these lines, you involuntarily recall the words from the folk song “Ermak at Ivan the Terrible”:
Oh you goy, Ermak son Timofeevich,
Oh, you goy, military chieftain of the Don!
I forgive you and with your army,
For your faithful service to me,
And I grant you, Ermak, the glorious quiet Don!
In the descriptions of Ermak’s character by various authors, his nobility, courage and ability to competently use the power given to him are always emphasized. “With his brave soul, Ermak sensed that the Stroganovs were calling him for a glorious feat... And so, having gathered his daredevils around him, Ermak addressed them with the following speech:
Gay, you think, brothers, you think,
And me, Ermak, brothers, listen.
...We, brothers, will cross the steep mountains,
We will reach the kingdom of the Basurmans,
We will conquer the kingdom of Siberia,
We, brothers, will conquer it to the White Tsar
“...We love, Ermak Timofeevich, to go with you! It would be a pleasure to conquer the Tsar of Siberia and present him to the Moscow Orthodox Tsar! Love... Amen!..” - so in the novel “Ermak Timofeevich - conqueror of the Siberian kingdom. 1582." P.N. Krasnov shows the devotion of Ermak’s squad to their chieftain.
Several hundred Cossacks, led by Ermak, boldly entered the war with the Tatar Khan Kuchum, ruler of the Siberian Khanate. On October 25, 1581, after a fierce battle, Ermak occupied the capital of Kuchum, located on the Irtysh River. This was the first Russian victory in those parts. Apollo of Corinth writes about this glorious victory in his poem “The Flight of the Gods”:
And the Ob River swam on plows
Ermak is a victorious hero,
With a cross on his chest and a banner in his hands,
We accompany you in a fiery battle.
It is persistently mentioned in the Don legends that the cause of Ermak’s death was the chain mail received as a gift from Ivan the Terrible, “it was this that pulled him to the bottom.” In the literature, the authors adhere to the same point of view. K. Ryleev in the poem “The Death of Ermak” writes about this:
But power gave way to fate...
...Depriving the hero of his strength
Fight the furious wave
Heavy armor - a gift from the king -
Became the cause of his death...
The image of Ermak attracted the attention of not only writers, but also many artists. Perhaps the most famous painting about Ermak is V.I. Surikov’s painting “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak,” painted by him in 1895. The annexation of Siberia to Muscovite Rus' is an important event in the history of the formation of the Russian state. The decisive battle on the banks of the Irtysh served as the subject of a grandiose canvas. In the icy water of a Siberian river, two elements meet - Ermak’s squad and the Tatar army. Ermak, standing under the banner, confidently and decisively leads the attack. Surikov makes you feel that the Cossacks will emerge victorious from this battle. He achieves this using precise compositional techniques. The artist carefully paints the clothes of his heroes. Here are simple Cossack caftans, a patterned caftan of Yesaul, shiny armor of Ermak, fur-trimmed hats, heavy boots lined with large nails.
The artist M.V. Nesterov, one of the first to appreciate “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak,” wrote about his impression: “... I see a drama in which people beat each other in the name of something, give their lives for something dear to them, cherished. Severe nature aggravates harsh deeds... The impression grows, embraces me, like life itself..."
“The Conquest of Siberia” is the best painting by Surikov in the State Russian Museum. The richness of Surikov’s colorful palette is amazing. Gloomy gray and brown tones emphasize the harshness of the autumn Siberian nature and the tragedy of human struggle and death.
“Ermak died, died in the Irtysh, in a desperate battle with the Tatars, but only his mortal body died. He himself, the great Don Ataman, is still alive. Alive in the songs of the Cossacks, old and new, - “so P.N. Krasnov wrote about the great Cossack in the novel “The Death of Ermak.”
Ermak and his descendants did not forget. In Tobolsk, the main city of Western Siberia, the first conquered by Ermak, a monument was erected to him, at the behest of Emperor Nicholas I, in 1838 with the inscription: “To the conqueror of Siberia Ermak.” Another monument was erected in 1904 with donations from the Don people in Novocherkassk, in the Don Army, in Ermak’s homeland. On the Don there is Ermakovskaya village, there are Ermakov farms and more than one Donetsk bears the glorious name Ermakovo, “as if in memory that his grandfathers went on a glorious campaign with Ermak and in a brave battle conquered the whole great Siberian kingdom of their native Rus'!”
I believe that Ermak is truly our national hero, whose actions should not be forgotten. I am proud that I live in a region that has such glorious heroes.
