Battle of Chuvash Cape
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Chuvash Cape (October 23, 1582) led to the victory of a Russian expedition under Yermak Timofeyevich
and the fall of Siberia Khanate
and the end of Khan
Kuchum
's power. The battle took place near Qashliq
(Isker).
. Merchant Stroganovs
, who explored Ural
deposits, requested the Cossacks punish the Siberian Tatars
. They equipped 540 men with arms and ammunition; later, 300 men joined the expedition.
The Siberians under Mametqul counter-attacked the Cossack expedition. The Cossacks positioned themselves in a square formation, and riflemen in the center opened fire. The Khanty
and Mansi tribesmen who formed part of the Siberian ranks were mostly hunters; they had never participated in battles against soldiers equipped with firearms. Consequently, the tribesmen panicked and retreated. The rest of the Tatars proceeded with the offensive, but the Cossacks continued shooting, killing many Siberians. Mametqul was shot during the battle, and narrowly escaped capture; the Tatars evacuated him by boat.
After Mametqul was injured, the rest of the Siberian forces panicked and dispersed. Kuchum fled Qashliq
, but the Cossacks chose not to pursue him. Instead, they retreated to Atik-town for the night.
steppe
; however, most of locals refused to follow him. On October 26, the Cossacks entered Qashliq. The city was depopulated after the battle, although it was briefly repopulated from 1584 to 1586. After the battle, Siberia Khanate disintegrated, and most of its territory was annexed by Russia
.
The conquest of Siberia is often compared with the Spanish conquest of the Americas
. The conflict was provoked by individuals, as many conquistador
s were, not states. Another notable popular belief is that the Siberians, like Native Americans
, did not use fire-arms, leading to a Cossack victory. However, it is disputed.
Yermak Timofeyevich
Yermak Timofeyevich , Cossack leader, Russian folk hero and explorer of Siberia. His exploration of Siberia marked the beginning of the expansion of Russia towards this region and its colonization...
and the fall of Siberia Khanate
Siberia Khanate
The Khanate of Sibir were the patrilineal descendants of Shayban , the fifth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. The Khanate had an ethnically diverse population of Siberian Tatars, Khanty, Mansi, Nenets and Selkup people. Along with the Khanate of Kazan it was the northernmost Muslim state....
and the end of Khan
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
Kuchum
Kuchum
Kuchum khan Kuchum khan (Tatar: Küçüm, Күчүм, Russian: Кучум; in Sybyr Küçüm is pronounced approximately as /kytsym/ - Күцүм, English name comes from standard Tatar pronunciation)Kuchum khan (Tatar: Küçüm, Күчүм, Russian: Кучум; in Sybyr Küçüm is pronounced approximately as /kytsym/ - Күцүм,...
's power. The battle took place near Qashliq
Qashliq
Qashliq, Isker or Sibir was a medieval Siberian Tatar fortress, in the 16th century the capital of the Khanate of Sibir, located on the right bank of the Irtysh River at its confluence with the Sibirka rivulet, some 17 km from the modern city of Tobolsk.The fortress is first mentioned in...
(Isker).
Context
After Kuchum seized power in Sibir, he attacked the nearby lands of PermPerm
Perm is a city and the administrative center of Perm Krai, Russia, located on the banks of the Kama River, in the European part of Russia near the Ural Mountains. From 1940 to 1957 it was named Molotov ....
. Merchant Stroganovs
Stroganovs
The Stroganovs or Strogonovs , also spelled in French manner as Stroganoffs, were a family of highly successful Russian merchants, industrialists, landowners, and statesmen of the 16th – 20th centuries who eventually earned nobility.-Origins:...
, who explored Ural
Ural (region)
Ural is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It extends approximately from north to south, from the Arctic Ocean to the bend of Ural River near Orsk city. The boundary between Europe and Asia runs along the eastern side of...
deposits, requested the Cossacks punish the Siberian Tatars
Siberian Tatars
Siberian Tatars refers to the indigenous Siberian population of the forests and steppes of South Siberia stretching from somewhat east of the Ural Mountains to the Yenisey river...
. They equipped 540 men with arms and ammunition; later, 300 men joined the expedition.
Qashliq fortifications
The fortifications of Qashliq before the battle were deteriorating. Because a siege would be fatal for the Tatars, they decided to fight at the river bank, and hide ambushing forces behind the numerous fallen trees in the area. Although Tatar cannons were brought into position, they did not fire during the battle.Battle
The Cossacks approached the bank, firing at the Siberians; the Siberians answered with arrows. However, Russian fire did not inflict many casualties among the Tatars, who hid among the trees.The Siberians under Mametqul counter-attacked the Cossack expedition. The Cossacks positioned themselves in a square formation, and riflemen in the center opened fire. The Khanty
Khanty people
Khanty / Hanti are an indigenous people calling themselves Khanti, Khande, Kantek , living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, a region historically known as "Yugra" in Russia, together with the Mansi. In the autonomous okrug, the Khanty and Mansi languages are given co-official status with Russian...
and Mansi tribesmen who formed part of the Siberian ranks were mostly hunters; they had never participated in battles against soldiers equipped with firearms. Consequently, the tribesmen panicked and retreated. The rest of the Tatars proceeded with the offensive, but the Cossacks continued shooting, killing many Siberians. Mametqul was shot during the battle, and narrowly escaped capture; the Tatars evacuated him by boat.
After Mametqul was injured, the rest of the Siberian forces panicked and dispersed. Kuchum fled Qashliq
Qashliq
Qashliq, Isker or Sibir was a medieval Siberian Tatar fortress, in the 16th century the capital of the Khanate of Sibir, located on the right bank of the Irtysh River at its confluence with the Sibirka rivulet, some 17 km from the modern city of Tobolsk.The fortress is first mentioned in...
, but the Cossacks chose not to pursue him. Instead, they retreated to Atik-town for the night.
Aftermath
After the defeat, Kuchum and some of his subjugates escaped to the BarabaBaraba steppe
The Baraba steppe, also known as Barabinsk steppe, , is a grassland steppe and wooded flat plain situated in western Siberia.The steppe has an area of 117,000 km² and stretches between the Irtysh and the Ob Rivers. Barabinsk is the largest city on the steppe. The Baraba steppe also contains...
steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
; however, most of locals refused to follow him. On October 26, the Cossacks entered Qashliq. The city was depopulated after the battle, although it was briefly repopulated from 1584 to 1586. After the battle, Siberia Khanate disintegrated, and most of its territory was annexed by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The conquest of Siberia is often compared with the Spanish conquest of the Americas
Spanish conquest of Mexico
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The invasion began in February 1519 and was acclaimed victorious on August 13, 1521, by a coalition army of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan warriors led by Hernán Cortés...
. The conflict was provoked by individuals, as many conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s were, not states. Another notable popular belief is that the Siberians, like Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, did not use fire-arms, leading to a Cossack victory. However, it is disputed.