Siege of Kazan (1552)

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Siege of Kazan
Part of Russo-Kazan Wars
The illustration in chronicle
Date September 2, 1552 – October 13, 1552 Location Kazan, Kazan Khanate Result Decisive Russian victory, end of Kazan Khanate’s power, Kazan was ruined, population was massacred and displaced
Combatants
Muscovite Russia Qasim Khanate Taw yağı 1	Kazan Khanate Cheremis and Ar warriors Nogay cavalry
Commanders
Ivan IV of Russia Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky Andrey Kurbsky Shahghali	Yadegar Moxammat Yapancha bak † Zaynash morza Qolsharif †
Strength
150,000 men, 150 cannons unknown battleship some siege towers	33,000 men2- 50,000, including civilians3 unknown cannons
Casualties
15,3553-? unknown wounded	40,000-190,000 dead or missing (including civilians)3 more than 190,000 captured 3 many thousands displaced
1Involvement disputed 2Tatar Encyclopaedia 3 Kazan Chronicle; it's likely that this source underestimates Russian and overstates Tatar causalities

Russo-Kazan Wars
Suzdal – Vyatka – Kazan (1487) – Kazan (1506) – Moscow Protectorate – Kazan (1530) – Kazan (1545-50) – Sviyazhsk – Kazan (1552) – Kazan War (1552-56)

The siege of Kazan was the final battle of Russo-Kazan Wars. It led to the fall of Kazan Khanate, total destruction of the city and massacre of its population.(However, it was not the last battle on the khanate's territory. After the fall of Kazan, rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq, and a new khan was invited from the Nogais. This continuation guerilla war was ended only in 1558.)

Russian forces included Streltsy and Moscow and Qasim irregular feudal cavalry, but the main role was played by Russian artillery and sappers, both Russian and foreigners. At first they were opposed by the Tatar garrison of Kazan, 10,000 Nogay horsemen led by the khan of Kazan, who originated from the Nogai Horde. Cheremiss units and Kazan irregular feudal cavalry were based in forests north and east of Kazan respectively Their base was Archa stronghold. Before the battle Russians had a fortress on Volga, Ivangorod, later known as Sviyazhsk, some miles above Kazan. This fortress was built in 1551 when after the conclusion of peace the right bank of Khanate (i.e. Taw yağı) passed to Russia.

The 150,000 Muscovite army under Ivan IV came under Kazan's walls and besieged Kazan on August 22 (old style). Russian cannons shelled its walls from 29 August. Soon they smothered the fire of large-calibre Tatar cannons. In 30 August - 6 September Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky defeated the inner cavalry under Yapancha ad the Udmurt units and burned Archa. Andrey Kurbsky defeated Cheremiss troops. Sappers blewup the underground way to Kazan's underground drinking water source. Battery towers fired upon people inside the city.

On 2 October sappers (believed to have been led by Englishman Butler, also known as Rozmysl in Russian chronicles) blew up the wall near the Nogay and Atalıq Gates. Russian soldiers entered the city. The civil population as well as Kazan's army opposed them. After desperate slashing some survivors were blockaded in the citadel. Then, after khan Yadegar Moxammad and Nogai leader Zaynash were captured, the defenders of the citadel tried to escape to the northern forests, but they were defeated.

Ivan the Terrible sacked Kazan to pay his soldiers. As the result the rest of civil population was massacred or enslaved. The city was totally burned.^[1]

[edit] Gallery

The siege of Kazan (1552)

Qolsharif and his students defend their madrassa and the Cathedral Mosque.

Russian artillery

[edit] References and notes

1. ^ (Tatar) "Qazannıñ yawlap alınuı/Казанның яулап алынуы". Tatar Encyclopedia. (2002). Kazan: Tatarstan Republic Academy of Sciences Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia.