Astrakhan Khanate

The Astrakhan Khanate was formed in 1459/60, when it was headed by the former Khan of the Big Horde (the central part of the Golden Horde, with its capital in Sarai, became known as), Mahmud ^[2] , and from 1461 his son Kasim . After losing the struggle for power to his brother Akhmat , about 1460 he went to Hadji Tarkhan, where he created his own . Favorable location and lack of competition contributed to the restoration of Astrakhan trade ties with Khorezm , Bukhara , Kazan . Slaves from the Crimea , Kazan, the Great Horde, the Nogai Horde were brought to the slave market in Astrakhan. During the reign of Kashim, trade relations were established between Astrakhan and the Moscow principality . In particular, under Ivan III from Moscow along the Moscow , Oka and Volga rivers annually ships sent salt to Astrakhan ^[3] . The Astrakhan Khanate gained complete independence at the beginning of the 16th century, after the final defeat of the Great Horde by the Crimeans ( 1502 ). Prior to that, the rulers of Astrakhan recognized dependence on the Great Horde .

Astrakhan khans belonged to the Juchids , descendants of Tukay-Timur , the younger brother of Batu-Khan . From the latter, he received a lot, which included the Mangyshlak peninsula, the Caspian lowland (with Haji Tarkhan / Astrakhan) and the lands of the aces in the northern Caucasus . Probably, the descendants of Tukay-Timur and further controlled these territories, and later occupied the thrones in the Crimean , Kazan , Astrakhan, Bukhara and Kasimov khanates .

In 1554, with the help of Russian troops, Dervish Ali was put on the throne of the Astrakhan Khanate with the obligation to pay tribute to the Russian kingdom . Intrigues within the Nogai Horde and the complaint against Dervish-Ali, submitted by Khan Ismail to Ivan the Terrible , led to the aggravation of relations between Moscow and Astrakhan. Dervish Ali himself was accused of treason. June 2, 1556 a small detachment of Cossacks Ataman Lyapun Filimonov approached Astrakhan. Khan Dervish-Ali, taking the Cossack detachment for the vanguard of the Russian army, fled with the army in Azov to the Turks . Astrakhan was taken without a fight by the detachment of the governor Ivan Cheremisinov , who joined with the detachment of Filimonov, and the Astrakhan khanate ceased to exist.

The size of the Khanate was the smallest among all the Tatar states - the fragments of the Golden Horde . In the west, the territory of the Khanate stretched to the Kuban River and the lower reaches of the Don . In the east, the borders of the Khanate reached the Buzan River. Here the Khanate bordered on the Nogai Horde . In the south, the border of the Khanate reached the Terek River, and in the north reached the latitude of Perevoloki. Most of the state’s territory was occupied by barren saline steppes. The population of the Khanate was mainly concentrated in the Volga delta. The population was about 15-20 thousand people. The maximum number of armed forces of the Khanate was 3,000.

The Khanate was dependent on its stronger neighbors - the Nogai Horde and the Crimean Khanate. On the throne of the Khanate regularly established proteges of the Crimea , which contradicted the policy of the neighboring Nogai Horde, which also sought to establish control over the khanate.

After the conquest of the Kazan Khanate and the storming of its capital, Tsar Ivan the Terrible decided to subordinate his southern neighbor to his influence. The conquest of the Astrakhan Khanate would have allowed to gain control over the entire Volga basin and get direct access to the Caspian Sea. The reason for the start of hostilities was the capture of the Moscow ambassadors in Astrakhan by the local khan Yamgurchy.

In the spring of 1554, an army led by Prince Pronsky set off along the Volga towards Astrakhan. On June 29, 1554, the Russian avant-garde under the command of Prince A. Vyazemsky defeated the head detachment of Astrakhan near the Black Island. After that, Yamgurchey did not start a new battle and, as the Russians approached Astrakhan, he fled the city to the Turkish fortress of Azov. Russian troops occupied Astrakhan without a fight.

An enemy of Yamgurchay and an ally of the Moscow tsar, Khan Dervish-Ali, promised to support Moscow, reigned there. However, in 1556 this Khan went over to the side of the long-time enemies of Russia - the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire, thereby provoking a new Russian campaign against Astrakhan. He was headed by voivod N. Cheremisinov. First, the Don Cossacks of the detachment of ataman L. Filimonov defeated the Khan's army near Astrakhan, after which on July 2 Astrakhan was again taken without a fight. As a result of this campaign, the Astrakhan Khanate was completely subordinated to the Russian kingdom .

After the conquest of Astrakhan, the Russian influence spread to the Caucasus. In 1559, the princes Pyatigorsk and Cherkassky asked Ivan the Terrible to send them a detachment to defend against the raids of the Crimean Tatars and priests to maintain their faith. The king sent them two governors and priests who renewed the fallen ancient churches, and in Kabarda showed wide missionary activity, baptizing many into Orthodoxy.

During the existence of the Astrakhan Khanate from 1459 to 1556 there is a rule of 13 Khans in it.

Tukay-Timurids (Makhmudovich)

• 1. Mahmoud (Seid-Mahmud) - the son of Kichi-Mohammed , 1459 - 1476
• 2. Qasim I 1476–1495 - son of Seid-Mahmud
• 3. Abdul-Kerim 1495–1515 - son of Seid-Mahmud
• 4. Janibek 1515-1521 - son of Seid-Mahmud
• 5. Hussein 1521 - 1527 - the son of Janibek

Tukay-Timurids (Akhmatovichi)

• 6. Sheikh Ahmed Khan 1527-1528 - son of Ahmad Khan , son of Kichi-Mohammed
• 7. Kasim II 1528 - beginning of 1531 son of Seid-Ahmed-Khan , son of Ahmad-Khan

Girai

• 8. Islyam I Gerai 1531 (8-9 months) son Mehmed I Geraya

Tukay-Timurids (Akhmatovichi)

• 9. Kasim II 1531 - the beginning of 1532 (second time)
• 10. Ak-Kubek 1532 (several months) son Murtaza-khan , son of Ahmad-khan

Tukay-Timurids (Makhmudovich)

• 11. Abdul-Rahman 1533 - 1537 son of Abdul-Kerim

Tukay-Timurids (Akhmatovichi)

• 12. Dervish Ali 1537–1540 grandson of Sheikh Ahmad

Tukay-Timurids (Makhmudovich)

• 13. Abdul-Rahman 1540–1545 (second time)

Tukay-Timurids (Akhmatovichi)

• 14. Ak-Kubek 1545-1546 (second time)
• 15. Yamgurchi 1546–1547 grandson of Murtaza Khan
• 16. Yamgurchi 1549 (second time)
• 17. Dervish Ali 1550–1552 (second time)
• 18. Yamgurchi 1552–1554 (third time)
• 19. Dervish Ali 1554–1556 (third time)

• List of Astrakhan Khans
• Astrakhan Tatars
• Tatars
• Kazan Khanate

• Astrakhan kingdom // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : 66 tons (65 tons and 1 extra) / Ch. ed. O. Yu. Schmidt . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1926-1947.
• Astrakhan Khanate
• Finding Astrakhan . According to the materials "Astrakhan in the old years ...", P. Kh. Khlebnikov, 1907.