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169-612: The town was founded on the site of the Tatar town of Bitsik-Tura. In 1580, a group of Yermak Timofeyevich 's Cossacks initiated the Russian conquest of Siberia , pushing eastwards on behalf of the Tsardom of Russia . After a year of Tatar attacks, Yermak prepared for the conquest of the Khanate of Sibir and a campaign to take the Khanate's capital city, Qashliq . The Cossacks conquered

338-510: A Mongol leader who had assisted the Russian government approached the voyevoda of Tobolsk and asked for his assistance in obtaining an item in the Tatar's possession, believed to be Yermak's armor. The reason he approached the voyevoda was that he had previously been denied a trade by the Tatars after offering them ten slave families and a thousand sheep. The Tatars, despite being convinced that

507-515: A Cossack detachment for the tsar in the Livonian War of 1558–83 and plundering merchant ships. Based on legends and folk songs, for years, Yermak had been involved in robbing and plundering on the Volga with the hetman Ivan Kolzo and four other Cossack leaders. Historian Valerie Kivelson refers to Yermak's group as “his gang of thugs.” Like many other Cossacks, Yermak's gang was involved in

676-519: A band of men to free the traders. Finding the reports to be false, Yermak ordered a return to Qashliq . Whether because of an ongoing storm or because the men were tired from rowing upstream, Yermak's force stopped on a small island formed by two branches of the Irtysh and set up camp on the night of August 4–5, 1584. Convinced that the river offered protection, Yermak's men fell asleep with no guard. Kuchum, however, had been following Yermak's party and

845-496: A battle that marked the "conquest of Siberia". Yermak remained in Siberia and continued his struggle against the Tatars until 1584, when a raid organized by Kuchum Khan ambushed and killed him and his party. The specifics of Yermak's life, such as his appearance, background, and dates of events, remain points of controversy for historians because the texts that document his life are not reliable. However, his life and conquests had

1014-578: A brief respite to the Cossacks. However, in April 1583, he returned to the region. In an unfortunate twist of fate, Mahmet-kul was quickly ambushed and captured by a small party of Cossacks, whose numbers ranged from as little as 10 to as many as 50. A few days after his capture, Mahmet-kul sent a messenger to Kuchum stating that he was alive and in good health. He also requested that the Khan cease attacks on

1183-635: A copy or paraphrase of an authentic 17th-century document. According to the section of the chronicle entitled "On Yermak, and where he was born", it is stated that Yermak's grandfather, Afonasiy Grigor'yevich Alenin, came from Suzdal , north-east of Moscow. To escape poverty, he moved south to Vladimir where he became a coachman in the Murom forests. In the Murom forests, the voyevoda arrested him for driving unscrupulous passengers – robbers who had hired him. Afonasiy's son (Yermak's father) Timofey relocated to

1352-465: A decisive blow on December 20, when a Cossack party of twenty men were discovered and slain. Upon their failure to return, Yermak left the city to investigate, eventually finding that Mahmet-kul had recovered from their earlier battle and was responsible for the Cossacks’ murder. Yermak then entered into battle with Mahmet-kul and his forces, defeating him once again. The defeat of Mahmet-kul provided

1521-600: A different Siberian chronicle, the Yespiov Chronicle. The Stroganov Chronicle portrays the family as the motivating force behind Yermak's campaign while the Yesipov Chronicle fails even to mention the family. Perhaps the Stroganovs told the story in a way that would inspire the Russian people to feel just as indebted to them as to Yermak for the conquest of Siberia. Siberian historians are divided on

1690-646: A faith-healer who had great influence with the Romanov Imperial family. The city is located close to his birthplace Pokrovskoye . The town was also famous for confectionery companies run by Karelian immigrants. In March 1917, the February Revolution forced the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II , ending the Russian Empire . In August the new Provisional Government evacuated the imperial family and their retinue to Tobolsk to live in

1859-408: A force of 40 Cossacks. Karacha, however, was not to be trusted, as Kolzo and his men walked into an ambush and were all killed. Now without Kolzo, Yermak was left with a little more than 300 men. Sensing Yermak's waning power, the tribes previously under his control revolted, and Qashliq soon came under siege by a collective army of Tatars, Voguls , and Ostyaks. Cleverly, they encircled the city with

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2028-407: A foul mood. Upon reading the news born by Kolzo concerning the extension of his dominion, Ivan became overjoyed, immediately pardoning the Cossacks and proclaiming Yermak to be a hero of the first degree. The triumphant atmosphere extended across the city, as church bells were tolled throughout Moscow to glorify Yermak. Ivan then had many gifts prepared for Yermak, including his personal fur mantle,

2197-402: A gilded idol. Yermak's forces eventually prevailed; however, upon entering the fort, no idol was found. After dispersing a group of priests and warriors by brandishing their firearms, Yermak determined to subdue the most influential Ostyak prince of the region, Samar, who had joined forces with eight other princes. Yermak, noting that Samar had failed to place guards around his encampment, launched

2366-553: A goblet, two suits of armor emblazoned with bronze double-headed eagles, and money. Ivan also commanded that a band of streltsy be sent to reinforce Yermak. Reports differ on whether 300 or 500 men were sent. The Stroganovs were also ordered to support this group with an additional fifty men upon their arrival in Perm. Yermak was bestowed the title “Prince of Siberia” by Ivan, who also commanded that Mahmet-kul be sent to Moscow. Upon returning to Qashliq, Kolzo informed Yermak of

2535-478: A high river bank were proclaimed a national historical and architectural treasure in 1870. The principal monuments in the kremlin are the Cathedral of St. Sophia (1683–1686), a merchant courtyard (1703–1705), an episcopal palace (1773–1775; now a museum of local lore), and the so-called Swedish Chamber, with six baroque halls (1713–1716). The town contains some remarkable baroque and Neoclassical churches from

2704-491: A lieutenant. Not only were political and social activities carefully monitored and prevented, there was interference regarding religious convictions. Local clergy accused Prince Shakhovskoi of "heresy", due to his interest in natural sciences. Authorities investigated and restrained other Decembrists for not attending church. The regime thoroughly censored all correspondences, especially communication with relatives. Messages were scrupulously reviewed by both officials in Siberia and

2873-461: A line of wagons, both preventing passage to and from the city while protecting the attackers from the Russians’ firearms. Yermak, despite having limited supplies, was able to endure the blockade for three months. However, the Cossacks could not last forever, and on the cloudy night of June 12, 1584, Yermak decided to act. Stealthily penetrating the line of wagons, Yermak's men were able to surprise

3042-462: A new type of Cossack which, by virtue of its link to the government, would enjoy significant favor from future Russian rulers. Despite this new shift in orientation, it is worth noting that the Cossack name remained in place in Siberia and that soldiers sent as reinforcements often adopted this title. Furthermore, this realignment was not without criticism, however, and some saw Yermak as a traitor to

3211-746: A number of imperial sentence reductions, exiles started to complete their labor terms years ahead of schedule. The labor was of minimal travail; Stanislav Leparsky, commandant of Petrovsky Zavod, failed to enforce Decembrists' original labor sentences, and criminal convicts carried out much of the work in place of the revolutionaries. Most Decembrists left Petrovsky Zavod between 1835 and 1837, settling in or near Irkutsk, Minusinsk, Kurgan, Tobol'sk, Turinsk, and Yalutorovsk. Those Decembrists who had already lived in or visited Siberia, such as Dimitri Zavalishin, prospered upon leaving Petrovsky Zavod's confines, but most found it physically arduous and more psychologically unnerving than prison life. The Siberian population met

3380-501: A point at which the river broadened to a point of three or four versts, Yermak halted the expedition and returned his forces to Qashliq. Upon returning to Qashliq, Yermak decided to inform the Stroganovs and the tsar of his conquests. While his reasons for this are unclear, experts believe that, in addition to wishing to clear his name of earlier misdeeds, Yermak also desperately needed supplies. To his end, he sent his trusted lieutenant Ivan Kolzo with fifty men, two letters (one each for

3549-471: A precedent of Cossack involvement in Siberian expansion, and the exploration and conquests of these men were responsible for many of the additions to the Russian empire in the east. After the initial return of the Cossacks shortly after Yermak's death, an ambitious project of fortification began under the direction of Tsar Boris Godunov . Its achievements, including the extension of protection for Russians in

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3718-491: A profound influence on Siberian relations, sparking Russian interest in the region and establishing the Tsardom of Russia as an imperial power east of the Urals . There is less information about Yermak than most other notable explorers and historical figures. Much of what we know about Yermak is derived from folklore and legend . There are no contemporary descriptions of Yermak and all portraits are merely estimations. One of

3887-486: A public address, then stabbed by Yevgeny Obolensky . At the same time, a rebelling squad of grenadiers , led by Lieutenant Nikolay Panov, entered the Winter Palace but failed to seize it and retreated. After spending most of the day in fruitless attempts to parley with the rebel force, Nicholas ordered a cavalry charge by Her Sovereign Majesty Empress Maria Theodorovna's Chevalier Guard Regiment that slipped on

4056-478: A significant boost in fighting strength to the party. Despite the tumultuous state of the Tatar leadership and their newly received recruits, however, the Russians did not pursue another attempt on Qashliq. Instead, in a culmination of the events immediately following Yermak's fatal plunge, they founded a new settlement in 1587 on the site of what would become Tobolsk, a comfortable twelve miles from Qashliq. Although

4225-492: A significant impact on Russian policy towards Siberia and the colonization attempts that followed this shift. Prior to Yermak's agreement with the Strogonovs, the Russian attitude towards the Siberian expanse had been one preoccupied primarily with defense, not aggression. The top priority was the repelling of the Tatar hordes, and, as shown by Ivan's letter to the Strogonovs, the central government rarely involved itself unless

4394-421: A surprise attack, killing Samar and disbanding his forces. Yermak was then able to secure tribute from the eight other princes. After this conquest, he continued down the river, succeeding in capturing the key Ostyak town of Nazym . Yermak's friend, Ataman Nikita Pan, and several Cossacks lost their lives in the battle. Yermak then directed his forces down the river Ob, conquering several small forts. After reaching

4563-639: A unitary Poland (i.e., more or less the territory of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth ), without any Russian involvement in the affairs of these territories. In 1816, several officers of the Imperial Russian Guard founded a society known as the Union of Salvation , or of the Faithful and True Sons of the Fatherland. The society acquired a revolutionary cast after it was joined by

4732-517: Is a Russian symbol of the devotion of a wife to her husband. Maria Volkonskaya, the wife of the Decembrist leader Sergei Volkonsky, notably followed her husband to his exile in Irkutsk. Despite the spartan conditions of this banishment, Sergei Volkonsky and his wife Maria took opportunities to celebrate the liberalising mode of their exile. Sergei took to wearing an untrimmed beard (rejecting Peter

4901-461: Is moderate and is somewhat higher in summer than at other times of the year. Ethnic composition (2010): Tobolsk is the only town in Siberia and one of the few in Russia which has a standing stone kremlin ( Tobolsk Kremlin ): an elaborate city-fortress from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its white walls and towers with an ensemble of churches and palatial buildings spectacularly sited on

5070-599: Is uncertain whether Yermak's group was related in any way to the Yaik or Ural Cossacks , it is known that their company was previously outlawed by the Russian government. However, in sending his letter and his trusted lieutenant Ivan Kolzo to Ivan the Terrible, Yermak transformed the image of the Cossack overnight from a bandit to a soldier recognized by the Tsar of Moscow. Now, Yermak's Cossacks had effectively been incorporated into

5239-830: The Carpatho-Ukraine aka Zakarpattia ), Croatia, Serbia, Dalmatia , the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia , i.e. all Slavic & Vlach countries with the exception of Bulgaria and Macedonia , in the future. This society joined the Southern Society and adopted its program in exchange for the recognition of the Slavic federation zeal by the Southern society in September 1825. When Emperor Alexander I died on 1 December [ O.S. 19 November] 1825,

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5408-516: The Decembrists (Russian: декабристы , romanized:  dekabristy ). At first, many officers were encouraged by Tsar Alexander I 's early liberal reformation of Russian society and politics. Liberalism was encouraged on an official level, creating high expectations during the period of rapprochement between Napoleon and Alexander. The major advocate for reform in Alexander's regime

5577-548: The Russian Orthodox Church , and the seat of Tobolsk Diocese, the first Orthodox diocese in Siberia. Within the framework of administrative divisions , Tobolsk serves as the administrative center of Tobolsky District , even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is, together with one urban-type settlement , incorporated separately as the Town of Tobolsk —an administrative unit with

5746-578: The Tobol and Irtysh Rivers which belonged to the Muslim leader Kuchum Khan. The Stroganovs proceeded to launch expeditions eastward into non-Russian territories. They pushed into the khanate of Sibir , the sister state of the former khanate of Kazan, because it maintained control over Siberia's fur in the west. During the time of the Russian conquest of Kazan in the 1540s and 1550s, Sibir had been undergoing conflicts of its own with rival clans. The khanate

5915-777: The United States Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution may also have influenced Decembrists, as they did other nations. The constitution written by Nikita Muravyov was highly similar to the United States Constitution . But the Decembrists were against slavery in the United States . They worked to free any slaves and serfs from all countries in Russia immediately. Pestel and his followers opposed

6084-526: The archbishop of Tobolsk , Cyprian (Kipriyan). The text was formed based on oral tradition and memories of his expedition but almost certainly was affected by the archbishop's desire to canonize Yermak. The combination of forgotten details over time and the embellishment or omission of facts in order for Yermak to be accepted as a saint suggests that the Sinodik could be erroneous. Though Cyprian failed to canonize Yermak, he made an effort to immortalize

6253-850: The former house of the Governor-General . With the October Revolution three months later, the Russian Civil War began, and the Bolsheviks quickly came to power in Tobolsk. After troops of the opposing White Army approached the city in the spring of 1918, the Bolsheviks moved the imperial family west to Yekaterinburg . They were executed there in July 1918, together with several of their retainers. Following

6422-559: The khanate . After the takeover of Kazan, the tsar looked to the powerful and affluent Stroganov merchant family to spearhead the eastward expansion. In the late 1570s, the Stroganovs recruited Cossack fighters to invade Asia on behalf of the tsar. These Cossacks elected Yermak as the leader of their armed forces, and in 1582 Yermak set out with an army of 840 to attack the Khanate of Sibir . On October 26, 1582, Yermak and his soldiers overthrew Kuchum Khan 's Tatar empire at Qashliq in

6591-558: The serfs was considered from the very beginning; for that purpose, a majority of the nobility was to be invited in order to petition the Emperor about it. This was later thought of on many occasions, but we soon came to realize that the nobility could not be persuaded. And as time went on we became even more convinced, when the Ukrainian nobility absolutely rejected a similar project of their military governor. Historians have noted that

6760-444: The 18th and 19th centuries. Also noteworthy is a granite monument to Yermak Timofeyevich , constructed to a design by Alexander Brullov in 1839. The town's vicinity is rich in ancient kurgans and pagan shrines, some of which date back to the 10th century BCE. The Governor's Mansion , built in 1790, is a historical monument protected by the Russian federal government. It is built in the architectural style of classicism and one of

6929-481: The 9,000 loyal troops stationed outside the Senate building, with some desultory shooting from the rebel side. A vast crowd of civilian on-lookers began fraternizing with the rebels but did not join the action. Eventually, Nicholas (the new tsar) appeared in person at the square and sent Count Mikhail Miloradovich to parley with the rebels. Miloradovich was fatally shot in the back by Pyotr Kakhovsky while delivering

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7098-529: The Battle of Urmin near the River Ob , ending the Khanate of Sibir. The Russians had established control over the western Siberia region. Tobolsk was founded in 1587 by a group of Cossacks under the command of Daniil Grigor'yevich Chulkov  [ ru ] near the ruins of Qashliq. (Years of fighting had left Qashliq almost totally destroyed.) Tobolsk would become the center of the conquest of Siberia. To

7267-559: The Bolshevik victory and the formation of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , administrative reforms in 1920 resulted in the abolition of Tobolsk Governorate and the end of 218 years of Tobolsk serving as a provincial capital. Instead, the city became the administrative center of its own uyezd (county), Tobolsky District , in the new Tyumen Province. From 1921 to 1922, Tobolsk

7436-704: The Cathedral Square of Novocherkassk , the capital of the Don Cossack country. On the monument Yermak is shown holding his regimental banner in his left hand and the ceremonial cap of his rival Kuchum Khan in his right hand. The back of the monument reads: “To the Don Cossack Ataman Ermak Timofeyevich, the Siberia conqueror from the grateful posterity. In honor of Don Cossack Army 300th Anniversary. He passed away in Irtysh waves on August 5, 1584.” Some believe that Yermak

7605-651: The Chusovaya River on September 1, 1582, though other sources claim that he may have started his campaign in 1579 or 1581. When navigating down rivers , the crew used high-sided boats that originated in Russia. Throughout their journey, they encountered violent opposition from Kuchum Khan's native allies but the high sides of their boats acted as shields. When crossing the Urals, the Cossacks had to carry their possessions on their backs because they did not have horses. After two months, Yermak's army had finally crossed

7774-461: The Cossack name. Such detractors saw Yermak's death as punishment for turning away from the Cossack code and becoming a pawn of the tsar. Fittingly, then, it was his armor, the very symbol of the tsar, that dragged him down to his fate. Relics of Yermak also continued to command significant power and prestige years after his death. In particular, the search for his armor affected at least one element of Siberian relations. Decades after Yermak's death,

7943-516: The Cossacks and those bringing tribute to Yermak. Yermak, taking advantage of this lull in hostilities, set out down the Irtysh and Ob to complete his subjugation of the local tribal princes. He soon encountered the Ostyak prince Demian , who had fortified himself in a fortress on the banks of the Irtysh with 2,000 loyal fighters. It is reported to have taken Yermak and his men considerable time to break through their defenses due to Demian's possession of

8112-685: The Decembrist Revolt. The leaders of the society elected Prince Sergei Trubetskoy as interim ruler. On the morning of 26 December [ O.S. 14 December], a group of officers commanding about 3,000 men (elements of Life-Guards Moscow Regiment , Grenadier Life Guards Regiment, and Naval Equipage of the Guard) assembled in Senate Square , where they refused to swear allegiance to the new tsar, Nicholas I, proclaiming instead their loyalty to Konstantin. They expected to be joined by

8281-432: The Decembrist leaders and could have been aware of their clandestine organizations, notably Alexander Pushkin , Aleksander Griboyedov , and Aleksey Yermolov . On 25 July [ O.S. 13 July] 1826, the first party of Decembrist convicts began its exodus to Siberia. Among this group were Prince Trubetskoi, Prince Obolensky, Peter and Andrei Borisov, Prince Volkonsky, and Artamon Muraviev, all of them bound for

8450-588: The Decembrists fundamentally influenced Siberian life. Their presence was most definitely felt culturally and economically, political activity being so far removed from the "pulse of national life" so as to be negligible. While in Petrovsky Zavod, Decembrists taught each other foreign languages, arts and crafts, and musical instruments. They established "academies" made up of libraries, schools, and symposia. In their settlements, Decembrists were fierce advocates of education, and founded many schools for natives,

8619-653: The Decembrists lived in isolation, their scholarly activities encompassed Siberia at large, including its culture, economy, administration, population, geography, botany, and ecology. Despite restricted circumstances, the Decembrists accomplished an extraordinary amount, and their work was deeply appreciated by Siberians. On 26 August 1856, with the ascent of Alexander II to the throne, the Decembrists received amnesty, and their rights, privileges were restored. Their children obtained rights, privileges and even titles of their fathers (such as princes) even if their fathers' titles were not restored. However, not all chose to return to

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8788-429: The Decembrists sparked an intellectual awakening: literary writings, propaganda, newspapers, and books from European Russia began to circulate the eastern provinces, the local population developing a capacity for critical political observation. The Decembrists even held a certain influence within Siberian administration; Dimitry Zavalishin played a critical role in developing and advocating Russian Far East policy. Although

8957-409: The Decembrists with great hospitality. Natives played central roles in keeping lines of communication open among Decembrists, friends, and relatives. Most merchants and state employees were also sympathetic. To the masses, the Decembrist exiles were "generals who had refused to take the oath to Nicholas I." They were great figures that had suffered political persecution for their loyalty to the people. On

9126-832: The Decembrists';) was a failed coup d'état led by liberal military and political dissidents against the Russian Empire . It took place in Saint Petersburg on 26 December [ O.S. 14 December] 1825, following the sudden death of Emperor Alexander I . Alexander's brother and heir-presumptive Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich privately renounced his claim to the throne two years prior to Alexander's sudden death on 1 December [ O.S. 19 November] 1825. The line of succession therefore fell to their younger brother Nicholas, who would ascend to

9295-598: The Great 's reforms and salon fashion), wearing peasant dress and socialising with many of his peasant associates with whom he worked the land at his farm in Urik. Maria, equally, established schools, a foundling hospital and a theater for the local population. Sergei returned after 30 years of his exile had elapsed, though his titles and land remained under royal possession. Other exiles preferred to remain in Siberia after their sentences were served, preferring its relative freedom to

9464-411: The Ostyak tributes to feed his band of Cossacks throughout the winter. However, these supplies proved to be insufficient, and the Cossacks soon ventured into the wilderness to fish and hunt. The Cossacks’ task was not without trouble, as although Yermak had defeated the Tatars they continued to harass the Cossacks, preventing Yermak from establishing complete control over the region. The Tatars struck

9633-593: The Russian People of the XVI-XVII Centuries.” One song describes how “Yermak’s men kill the Muscovite ambassador to Persia named as Semen Konstantinovich Karamyshev” while others speak of Yermak's acts of piracy and pillaging with his Cossack brigade. Though most folk songs are not entirely consistent with the historical accounts of Yermak's life, there are many similarities and much overlap among

9802-410: The Russian author Yuri Semyonov, “Yermak had no cannon, and only a small number of his men carried firearms. The Cossacks had not a single horse, while Kuchum and his men were mounted. His cavalry could move quickly in any direction, while the Cossacks were tied to their rafts, which were laden with all their supplies.” Yermak first embarked on his journey through Siberia from a frontier fort in Perm on

9971-460: The Russian conquest under Ivan the Terrible, the Tatar khanate of Kazan became the Russian province of Perm . Ivan the Terrible had tremendous trust in the entrepreneurial prowess of the Stroganov family and granted them the province of Perm as a financial investment which would be sure to benefit Russia in the future. The tsar also gave the Stroganovs permission to expand into the territory along

10140-700: The Siberia Governorate was abolished and its remaining area split into two viceroyalties , with Tobolsk becoming the capital of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty. In 1796, Tobolsk became the capital of Tobolsk Governorate , and remained the seat of the Governor-General of Western Siberia until the seat moved to Omsk in the 1820s or 1830s. Acknowledging the authority of Tobolsk, many Western Siberian towns - including Omsk, Tyumen , and Tomsk - had their original coats of arms display

10309-473: The Siberian chronicles, the Remezov Chronicle , written more than one hundred years after Yermak's death describes him as “flat-faced, black of beard with curly hair, of medium stature and thick-set and broad-shouldered,” but even this detailed account is not reliable because the narrator had never seen Yermak. In addition to his physical features' being unknown, the details of Yermak's life and

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10478-626: The Stroganov lands on the Chusovaya in order to make money. Yermak worked in the Stroganovs' river fleet as a porter and a sailor transporting salt along the Kama and the Volga rivers. Growing tired of his work, he assembled a gang, left his employment, and moved to the Don region to become a river pirate . Among his fellow Cossack bandits, he acquired the nickname Yermak. Prior to his conquest of Siberia, Yermak's combat experience consisted of leading

10647-443: The Stroganovs and Ivan the Terrible), and a large assortment of furs for the tsar. The exact amount sent to the tsar is disputed, as descriptions range from 2,500 to 5,000 to sixty sacks of furs. Kozo's arrival at the Stroganovs was well-timed, as Maksim Stroganov had just received a letter from Ivan denouncing Yermak and threatening him and his followers with death. Kolzo, bearing news of Kuchum's defeat, Mahmet-kul's capture, and

10816-422: The Swedish Chamber in their honor. Many of them were not repatriated until the 1720s, while some of them settled permanently in Tobolsk. In 1719, Russian authorities began administrative reforms that resulted in Tobolsk's political importance declining as the Siberia Governorate's massive territory was gradually decentralized . New provinces were organized or territory was transferred to other governorates. By 1782

10985-444: The Tatar army. The Stroganovs realized that they could no longer expect their settlers to remain in the lands around Perm if they only fought a defensive battle. The tsar granted the Stroganov family permission to invade Asia. However, the tsar soon changed his mind and told the Stroganovs to retract from Siberia, fearing that Russia did not have the resources or manpower to topple Kuchum Khan's empire. The Stroganovs decided to ignore

11154-419: The Tatar city, no food or provisions had been left behind. The inhabitants had also fled the city, preventing their enlistment for aid. However, four days after Yermak claimed Qashliq the people returned, and Yermak soon befriended the Ostyak people. The Ostyaks would formally declare their allegiance to Yermak on October 30, complementing their pledge by delivering offerings of food to the city. Yermak used

11323-457: The Tatars from scoring a single Russian casualty. Yermak succeeded in capturing Qashliq and the battle came to mark the “conquest of Siberia.” The Stroganov Chronicle provides an account of Kuchum Khan's reaction to the attack on Qashliq and Yermak's success: Khan Kuchyum, seeing his ruin and the loss of his kingdom and riches, said to all his men with bitter lamentation: ‘O murzas and princes, let us flee without delaying…The Stroganovs sent men of

11492-407: The Tatars in the name of the tsar. Since Yermak had been the most illustrious of the recruits, he became the captain (ataman) of the “conquest of Siberia.” However, there remains the question as to whether Yermak, in fact, decided to fight the war of his own accord without being pursued by the Stroganovs. This question arose due to the discrepancy between the narratives of the Stroganov Chronicle and

11661-411: The Tatars quickly began raids against their familiar foe, after a short period they ceased, leaving the Russians to their new town. Yermak's heroic endeavors in the Russian East laid the groundwork for future Russian expansion and settlement. Soon after Yermak and his initial band set out for Siberia, merchants and peasants followed in their wake, hoping to harness some of the fur riches that abounded in

11830-426: The Terrible's first foreign objective upon rising to power was to take Kazan. Ivan the Terrible's modernized army proved successful at the beginning of October 1552 and Ivan proceeded to open up the east to enterprising Russian individuals, such as the Stroganovs. Anika Stroganov used the former khanate of Kazan as an entryway into Siberia and established a private empire on the southwest corner of Siberia. Following

11999-413: The Third Division of the political intelligence service at Saint Petersburg. This screening process necessitated dry, careful wording on the part of Decembrists. In the words of Bestuzhev, correspondence bore a "lifeless ... imprint of officiality." Under the settlement regime, allowances were extremely meager. Certain Decembrists, including the Volkonskys, the Murav'yovs, and the Trubetskoys, were rich, but

12168-567: The Tobolsk insignia, which Omsk continues to honor as of 2015. After the Decembrist Revolt in 1825, some of the Decembrists deported to Siberia settled in Tobolsk. In the 1890s the importance of Tobolsk declined further after the Trans-Siberian Railway line between Tyumen and Omsk bypassed the city to the south. In the early 1900s Tobolsk was noted as the administrative center of home province of Grigori Rasputin ,

12337-706: The Union of Prosperity, together with the members of the Union of Salvation. ) After a mutiny in the Semenovsky Regiment in 1820, the society decided to suspend activity in 1821. Two groups, however, continued to function secretly: a Southern Society , based at Tulchin , a small garrison town in Ukraine , in which Pestel was the outstanding figure, and a Northern Society , based at Saint Petersburg, led by guard officers Nikita Muraviev , Prince S. P. Trubetskoy and Prince Eugene Obolensky. The political aims of

12506-628: The United States' federal model in peaceful times as threatening to the would-be Russian/United Slavic federation; they only approved the US revolutionary model. While agreeing with Pestel that the American revolutionary model could be the best form for Russia, the Polish patriotic society would not agree to participate in establishing a federation. They wanted a United States-style republic or other state, with Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine to be included in

12675-486: The Urals. They followed the river Tura and found themselves at the outskirts of Kuchum Khan's empire. Soon they reached the kingdom's capital city of Qashliq. On October 23, 1582, Yermak's army fought the Battle of Chuvash Cape , which initiated three days of fighting against Kuchum's nephew, Mehmet-kul, and the Tatar army. Yermak's infantry blocked the Tatar charge with mass musket fire, which wounded Mahmet-kul and prevented

12844-608: The West. Some were financially inhibited, others had no family, and many were weak with old age. To many, Siberia had become home. Those that did return to European Russia did so with enthusiasm for the enforcement of the Emancipation Reforms of 1861. The exile of the Decembrists led to the permanent implantation of an intelligentsia in Siberia. For the first time, a cultural, intellectual, and political elite came to Siberian society as permanent residents; they integrated with

13013-593: The Winter Palace to be interrogated, tried, and convicted. Kakhovsky was executed by hanging, together with four other leading Decembrists: Pavel Pestel; the poet Kondraty Ryleyev ; Sergey Muravyov-Apostol; and Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin . A further 31 Decembrists facing the death penalty were instead imprisoned. Other Decembrists were exiled to Siberia , Kazakhstan , and the Far East . Suspicion also fell on several eminent persons who were on friendly terms with

13182-420: The account. With the onset and worsening of the food shortage, Yermak's people had now entered a time of famine. Kuchum, knowing this, set a trap. The most common account is that Kuchum purposely leaked information to Yermak, in which it was claimed that Bukharan merchants from Central Asia, traveling with large amounts of food, were being prevented from moving by Kuchum's men. In August 1584, Yermak set out with

13351-476: The armor had divine properties, agreed to the sale upon the involvement of the voyevoda. Soon after, the Mongol, convinced of the power of Yermak's armor, refused to service the Russian government because he no longer feared their might. Multiple statues and monuments have been erected in his honor throughout Russia. V. A. Beklemishev began his construction project for a monument dedicated to Yermak in 1903 in

13520-656: The cannon fire, many sank. The revolt in the north came to an end. There was a rumor that during the nighttime, police and loyal army units were detached to clean the city and the Neva river, as many of the dead, dying, and wounded had been cast into it. While the Northern Society scrambled in the days leading up to the revolt, the Southern Society (based in Tulchin) took a serious blow. The day before (25 December [ O.S. 13 December]), acting on reports of treason,

13689-463: The circumstances leading up to his excursion into Siberia are obscure. Russian writer Valentin Rasputin laments the lack of information that we have about Yermak considering the vast scope of his contributions to Russian society. Knowledge of Yermak's upbringing and voyages pales in comparison to that of other explorers. Historians encounter serious difficulties when attempting to piece together

13858-401: The city on 26 October 1582, sending Kuchum into retreat. Despite the conquest, Kuchum regrouped his remaining forces and formed a new army, launching a surprise attack on 6 August 1584, killing Yermak. There were a series of battles over Qashliq, and it passed between Tatar and Cossack control, before the city was finally abandoned in 1588. Kuchum was eventually defeated by the Cossacks in 1598 at

14027-446: The common people against me from their forts to avenge on me the evil I had inflicted; they sent the atamans and Cossacks, Yermak and his comrades, with not many of their men. He came upon us, defeated us and did us such great harm.’ While Yermak had succeeded in taking Qashliq, the battle had reduced his Cossack force to 500 men. Yermak also now faced a supply problem. While the army had found treasures such as fur, silk, and gold in

14196-413: The country and participated alongside natives in its development. With the failure of the Decembrists, Russia's autocracy would continue for almost a century, although serfdom would be officially abolished in 1861 and the parliaments in Russia and Finland would be established in 1905. Finland had a parliament since Alexander I, but the number of electors was limited. The Russian Constitution of 1905

14365-451: The court lifestyle, wearing their cavalry swords at balls (to indicate their unwillingness to dance), and committing themselves to academic study. These new practices captured the spirit of the times as a willingness by the Decembrists to embrace both the peasant (i.e., the fundamental Russian people) and ongoing reform movements from intellectuals abroad. Pavel Pestel identified reasons for reform: The desirability of granting freedom to

14534-562: The cover of his radical periodical Polar Star . Alexander Pushkin addressed poems to his Decembrist friends; Nikolai Nekrasov , whose father served together with Decembrists in Ukraine, wrote a long poem about the Decembrist wives; and Leo Tolstoy started writing a novel on that liberal movement, which would later evolve into War and Peace . In the Soviet era Yuri Shaporin produced an opera entitled Dekabristi (The Decembrists), about

14703-621: The crew came from the Lithuanian front. Nikita and Maksim Stroganov spent twenty thousand rubles of their riches to outfit the army with the best weapons available. This was especially to the advantage of the Russian detachment because their Tatar opponents did not have industrial weapons. According to Russian history specialist W. Bruce Lincoln, the Tatars’ “bows, arrows, and spears” went up against Yermak's team's “matchlock muskets, sabers, pikes, and several small cannons.” However, according to

14872-658: The different songs. There are often several versions of the same song that share certain details but differ on others. I. I. Dmitriyev (1760–1837) wrote the dramatic poem “Yermak” and K. P. Ryleyev (1795–1826) in 1821 wrote a poem entitled “The death of Yermak.” This article incorporates text from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia Decembrist Revolt Government victory The Decembrist Revolt ( Russian : Восстание декабристов , romanized :  Vosstaniye dekabristov , lit.   'Uprising of

15041-414: The director taps into the folk imagination and the landscape that he evokes is plainly the landscape of the epic. As the battle ends, the natural world itself expresses the majesty of Yermak’s achievement. Fire turns into lightning, and then the rain begins: the conquest of the elements is complete, as nature bows down in the face of Russian strength, and Siberia is conquered.” The montage then shifts to show

15210-534: The emperor even before the revolution. When the society consisting of Russian landlords had refused to kill the emperor based on such rumors, Yakushkin left the society. The more liberal Mikhail Muravyov-Vilensky created a new charter similar to that of Tugendbund . It did not have revolutionary plans and the society was called the Union of Prosperity. It was still considered illegal and similar to masonic lodges . (The small Order of Russian knights, excepting its prominent member Alexander von Benckendorff , also joined

15379-753: The emperor's vengeance in full. Sentenced by court-martial, many of these "commoners" received thousands of lashes. Those that survived went to Siberia on foot, chained alongside common criminals. Fifteen out of 124 Decembrists were convicted of "state-crimes" by the Supreme Criminal Court, and sentenced to "exile-to-settlement". These men were sent directly to isolated locales, such as Berezov, Narym , Surgut , Pelym , Irkutsk , Yakutsk , and Vilyuysk , among others. Few Russians inhabited these places: The populations consisted mainly of Siberian aborigines, such as Tunguses , Yakuts , Tatars , Ostyaks , Mongols , and Buryats . Of all those exiled,

15548-532: The first half of the century the fort of Yeniseysk was established in 1619, the city of Yakutsk founded in 1632, and the important feat of reaching the Sea of Okhotsk on the Pacific coast in 1639. Throughout these campaigns, Yermak's influence was undeniable, as the pace he had established for achievement in his relatively short time in Siberia heralded a new age of Russian pioneering. Yermak's life and conquests had

15717-554: The first of which opened at Nerchinsk. Schools were also founded for women, and soon exceeded capacity. Decembrists contributed greatly to the field of agriculture, introducing previously unknown crops such as vegetables, tobacco, rye, buckwheat, and barley, and advanced agricultural methods such as hothouse cultivation. Trained doctors among the political exiles promoted and organized medical aid. The homes of prominent exiles like Prince Sergei Volkonsky and Prince Sergei Trubetskoi became social centers of their locales. All throughout Siberia,

15886-538: The first school, theater , and newspaper in Siberia were founded here. During the Great Northern War , soldiers of the defeated Swedish army at Battle of Poltava in 1709 were sent in large numbers as prisoners of war to Tobolsk. The Swedes numbered about 25% of the total population and were popular among locals for their contributions to the city. A building of the Tobolsk Kremlin was named

16055-487: The first stone buildings built in the city. It is best known as having housed the last Tsar, Nicholas II , and his family after he abdicated the throne they were sent to exile by the Bolsheviks . The family was then moved to Yekaterinburg where they were later slaughtered. Tobolsk is twinned with: Yermak Timofeyevich Yermak Timofeyevich ( Russian : Ермак Тимофеевич , IPA: [jɪrˈmak tʲɪmɐˈfʲejɪvʲɪt͡ɕ] ; 1532 (supposedly) – August 5 or 6, 1585)

16224-406: The gathered forces in their sleep, killing a large number. As Karacha's forces had been caught completely unaware, Yermak was able to recover a substantial amount of provisions from the barricade. Karacha, having failed in his mission, was punished by Kuchum, who sentenced Karacha's two sons to death. Karacha, fueled by the loss of his sons, regrouped the native tribes and returned to assault Yermak

16393-412: The group's flight and had retaken the city almost immediately, preventing any peaceful reoccupation of their former stronghold. Although the Tatar position appeared strong, they were no longer led by Kuchum, who had lost his power, and were thus not as stable as before. Furthermore, another three hundred reinforcements from the tsar soon arrived to join the Russians. Led by Tchulkoff, this new force provided

16562-483: The guarding of prisoners, but it also allowed the Decembrists to continue to exist as a community. This was especially true at Chita. The move to Petrovsky Zavod, however, forced Decembrists to divide into smaller groups; the new location was compartmentalized with an oppressive sense of order. Convicts could no longer congregate casually. Although nothing could destroy the Decembrists' conception of fraternity, Petrovsky Zavod forced them to live more private lives. Owing to

16731-733: The harsh Siberian winters on the cliff side. Yermak makes an appearance in the 1947 film Tale of the Siberian Land ( Skazanie o zemle sibirskoi ) directed by Ivan Pyryev . The movie tells the story of a pianist named Andrei who moves to Siberia to work at a paper-processing plant after being wounded in World War II and losing his faith in music. Once in Siberia, Andrei reunites with a female singer with whom he had been in love in Moscow. When nothing comes of their second encounter, he heads far north in Siberia and becomes so enamored with

16900-405: The hero. By tracing the transformation of folk songs and poetry about Yermak since his death, it is possible to see how his status as a legendary figure has evolved over time. Over 150 songs about Yermak's exploits have been collected and spread throughout all of Russia since the 18th century. As many as 35 of these songs have been collected in a text by V. Th. Miller entitled “Historical Songs of

17069-573: The human rights, Muraviev-Vilensky and others). In 1826, Speransky was appointed by Nicholas I to head the Second Section of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery , a committee formed to codify Russian law. Under his leadership, the committee produced a publication of the complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire, containing 35,993 enactments. This codification called the "Full Collection of Laws" ( Polnoye Sobraniye Zakonov )

17238-411: The icy cobbles and retired in disorder. Eventually, at the end of the day, Nicholas ordered three artillery pieces to open fire with grapeshot ammunition to devastating effect. To avoid the slaughter, the rebels broke and ran. Some attempted to regroup on the frozen surface of the river Neva to the north. However, they were targeted by the artillery and suffered many casualties. As the ice was broken by

17407-468: The idealistic Pavel Pestel . The charter was similar to charters of the organizations of carbonari . Pestel was supported by Yakushkin when there were rumors that the emperor had intended to transfer the capital from Saint Petersburg to Warsaw , and to liberate all peasants without the consent of Russian landlords. They would not be able to influence a government based in Warsaw. Yakushkin intended to kill

17576-519: The interests of Russian landlords, i.e. with land to be retained by landlords, in a style similar to the abolition of serfdom in Baltic provinces. They also supported equality before the law. The Southern Society, under Pestel's influence, was more radical and wanted to abolish the monarchy, establish a republic, similar to the Union of Salvation, and contrary to the Union of Salvation plans, to redistribute land, taking half into state ownership and dividing

17745-577: The intervention of family members. This process of petitioning, and the resultant concessions made by the tsar and officials, was and would continue to be a standard practice of political exiles in Siberia. The chain of bureaucratic procedures and orders linking Saint Petersburg to Siberian administration was often circumvented or ignored. These breaks in bureaucracy afforded exiles a small capacity for betterment and activism. Wives of many Decembrists, as well as some nieces and sisters, followed their husbands into exile. The term Dekabristka ("Decembrist wife")

17914-408: The invaders and being wounded in the arm by a knife, Yermak, finding that their boats had been washed away in the storm, attempted to cross the river. Due to the weight of the armor gifted to him by the Tsar, Yermak sank to the bottom and drowned. At least one survivor, unburdened by such heavy armor, was able to flee across the river and return to Qashliq with news of Yermak's death. Yermak's body

18083-524: The land. This trend grew exponentially after Yermak's death, as his legend spread through the domain rapidly and, with it, the news of a land rich in furs and vulnerable to Russian influence. Colonization attempts soon followed, as Tyumen , the first known town after Yermak's death, was founded in 1586. The settling of this territory facilitated the establishment and development of Siberian agriculture. Most of these farmers were, in fact, soldiers, who grew their own sustenance out of necessity. Yermak had set

18252-564: The landscape as softer, flatter, and gentler. Andrei proceeds to describe the process through which Yermak's descendants continued to dominate Siberia. Ultimately, Yermak is portrayed as the hero who launched the conquest that shaped the whole of Russia. In 1996, directors Vladimir Krasnopolsky and Valeri Uskov produced the film Yermak , a historical drama about the conquest of Siberia which starred Viktor Stepanov , Irina Alfyorova , and Nikita Dzhigurda . There are many folk songs and much poetry about Yermak which contribute to our vision of

18421-615: The largest group of prisoners was sent to Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai , transferred three years later to Petrovsky Zavod , near Nerchinsk. This group, sentenced to hard labor, included principal leaders of the Decembrist movement as well as the members of the United Slavs. Siberian Governor-General Lavinsky argued that it was easiest to control a large, concentrated group of convicts, and Emperor Nicholas I pursued this policy in order to maximize surveillance and to limit revolutionaries' contact with local populations. Concentration facilitated

18590-477: The late 1500s, prior to Yermak's expeditions, the Russians attempted to push eastward into Siberia in search of furs. Under Ivan the Great , the Russians entered northwest Siberia but “to approach Siberia from that direction proved too arduous and difficult, even in the best of times.” The Russians decided that taking a southern route through the Tatar khanate of Kazan would allow them to penetrate Siberia more easily, but Kazan would need to be overthrown first. Ivan

18759-496: The loyalty of the revolting tribes, Yermak continued sailing up the Irtysh throughout the summer of 1584 to subdue tribes and demand tribute. Although he attempted to search for Karacha, Yermak was ultimately unsuccessful in this venture. Also, while Yermak had succeeded in regaining the loyalty of the tribes, his men were now almost completely out of gunpowder. To make matters worse, while his reinforcements arrived, they did so utterly exhausted and depleted by scurvy. Indeed, many of

18928-639: The majority of exiles had no money, and were forced to live off a mere 15 desyatins (about 16 hectares) of land, the allotment granted to each settler. Decembrists, with little to no knowledge of the land, attempted to eke out a living on wretched soil with next to no equipment. Financial aid from relatives and wealthier comrades saved many; others perished. Despite extensive restrictions, limitations, and hardships, Decembrists believed that they could improve their situation through personal initiative. A constant stream of petitions came out of Petrovsky Zavod addressed to General Leparskii and Emperor Nicholas I. Most of

19097-528: The matter, some believing that the Stroganovs were behind Yermak's campaign and others believing that they played no part in it. Yermak was officially enlisted by the Stroganovs in the spring of 1582. His quest was “to take de facto possession of the country along the Tobol and the Irtysh, which was already de jure in the Stroganovs’ possession under the Tsar's charter of 1574.” The Stroganovs’ ultimate goal

19266-449: The men, including their commanding officer, had not survived the journey. Thus, in addition to facing the problem of escalating hostilities, their food shortage was magnified by the arrival of more men. Eventually, it is reported the situation grew dire enough that Yermak's men turned to cannibalism, eating the bodies of the deceased. The precise details of Yermak's death are lost to history, but legend has preserved multiple variations of

19435-476: The midst of this confusing transition into Nicholas' reign , the Northern Society , a secret society of liberal revolutionaries, nobles, and military officials, organized a conspiracy to replace the Russian Empire's autocratic regime with a constitutional monarchy . To seize control of the government and implement a regime change , it sought to convince the military that Nicholas was usurping

19604-481: The might of Soviet construction projects that he composes a choral symphony entitled the ‘Tale of Siberian Land.’ Andrei is then reunited with his beloved who finds him in the depths of Siberia. The two travel to Moscow where Andrei's symphony is performed in the Conservatory . The symphony tells his life story while presenting the “mysterious, wild, silver grey” landscape of Siberia to the audience. In displaying

19773-431: The military system and were able to receive support from the tsar. This new arrangement also acted as a sort of pressure-relief valve for the Cossacks, who had a history of being troublesome on the Russian frontier. In sending as many of them as possible further east into unconquered lands, the burgeoning and extremely profitable lands on the borders of Russian territory were given respite. Yermak's call for aid thus spawned

19942-577: The mines at Nerchinsk . The journey eastward was fraught with hardship, yet for some it offered refreshing changes in scenery and peoples following imprisonment. Decembrist Nikolay Vasil'yevich Basargin was unwell when he set out from Saint Petersburg, but he recovered his strength on the move; his memoirs depict the journey to Siberia in a cheerful light, full of praise for the "common people" and commanding landscapes. Not all Decembrists could identify with Basargin's positive experience. Because of their lower social standing, "soldier-Decembrists" experienced

20111-482: The more Jacobin , centralizing program of Pavel Pestel or the pan-Slavic confederation-advocating revolutionaries of the "Society of United Slavs". The majority of Decembrists were not members of illegal organizations similar to the participants of palace revolutions . Some were members of the Union of Prosperity only, sympathetic to an official, pro-governmental fairly conservative program. But their revolt, unlike previous Romanov palace revolutions, has been considered

20280-400: The more moderate Northern Society were a British-style constitutional monarchy with a limited franchise . They envisioned that it could be replaced with a republic in the future but only according to the will of the people. They also believed there should be a legislative assembly and did not call for the execution of the imperial family. They supported the abolition of serfdom , according to

20449-476: The natives continued to spread, and in the 17th century such furs made up 25–33 percent of the income to the tsar's treasury. Thus, as soon as fifteen years after Yermak's death, the basin of the Ob River had truly become a region of Russian influence. Even so, the Russians did not rest on their laurels, and the attitude and pace of expansion pioneered by Yermak continued well into the 17th century. Indeed, within

20618-479: The next day. Karacha's forces, however, were soundly defeated, as the Cossacks were able to kill one hundred men with only two dozen deaths of their own. Defeated and disgraced, Karacha fled south to the steppes of the Ishim , where Kuchum waited. Freed from confinement, Yermak turned to the offensive, conquering many towns and forts to the east of Qashliq and extending the tsar's dominion. Having already regained

20787-536: The north Beryozovo (1593) and Mangazeya (1600-01) were built to bring the Nenets under tribute, while to the east Surgut (1594) and Tara (1594) were established to protect Tobolsk and subdue the ruler of the Tatars . Of these settlements, Mangazeya was the most prominent, and it was used as a base for further exploration eastward. The new city of Tobolsk, the second Russian town founded in Siberia (after Tyumen ),

20956-401: The people. Heeding these omens, the Tatars buried him as a hero, killing thirty oxen in his name. His prized armor was eventually distributed among the Tatar chiefs. Upon receiving news of Yermak's death, the Cossacks became immediately demoralized. The original band of men had dwindled to 150 fighters, and command now fell to Glukhoff, the leader of the initial group of reinforcements that

21125-522: The petitions were written by Decembrists' wives who had cast aside social privileges and comfort to follow their husbands into exile. These wives joined under the leadership of Princess Mariia Volkonskaia, and by 1832, through relentless petitions, managed to secure for their men formal cancellation of labor requirements, and several privileges, including the right of husbands to live with their wives in privacy. Decembrists managed to gain transfers and allowances through persuasive petitions as well as through

21294-435: The police arrested Pavel Pestel . It took two weeks for the Southern Society to learn of the events in the capital. Meanwhile, other members of the leadership were arrested. The Southern Society, and a nationalistic group called the United Slavs, discussed revolt. When learning of the location of some of the arrested men, the United Slavs freed them by force. One of the freed men, Sergey Muravyov-Apostol , assumed leadership of

21463-419: The presence of a large civilian crowd. A standoff ensued, during which Nicholas' envoy, Mikhail Miloradovich , was assassinated. The loyalists eventually opened fire with heavy artillery, scattering the rebels. In the aftermath of the coup attempt, many of the rebels were sentenced to hanging, imprisonment, or exile to Siberia . The individuals who participated in the conspiracy and coup attempt became known as

21632-424: The region, would drive even greater numbers of entrepreneurs to Siberia. In 1590, Tobolsk received a significant boost in prominence as it was dubbed the principal city and administrative center of the region. The fur trade also continued to grow, aided by the Cossacks, who in 1593 established the trading center of Berezof on the Ob River at the sixty-fourth latitude. The practice of collecting tributes of fur from

21801-613: The region. The town is connected with other cities of Tyumen oblast' and other Russian regions by trains, buses and since September 24, 2021 by air. Tobolsk has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) bordering on a subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfc ). Winters are very cold with average temperatures from −21.9 °C (−7.4 °F) to −13.1 °C (8.4 °F) in January, while summers are mild with average July temperatures from +13.4 to +23.9 °C (56.1 to 75.0 °F). Precipitation

21970-521: The reorganization of Russia's government. Because of increasing hostility, he was forced to flee into exile. Returning from exile in 1819, Speransky was appointed as the governor of Siberia, with the task of reforming local government. In 1818, the tsar asked Count Nikolay Nikolayevich Novosiltsev to draw up a constitution. The abolition of serfdom in the Baltic provinces was instituted between 1816 and 1819. However, internal and external unrest, which

22139-604: The rest among the peasants. The Society of United Slavs (also known as the Slavic Union – Pan-Slavism ) was established in Novohrad-Volynsky (now Zviahel ) in Ukraine in 1823. Its never-written program was similar to that of the Southern Society but the main emphasis was on the equal federation of Russia (including Ukraine), Poland, Moldavia (including Bessarabia) with the attachment of Wallachia , Transylvania, Hungary (including Slovakia, Slovenia, Vojvodina ,

22308-470: The rest of the troops stationed in Saint Petersburg, but they were disappointed. The revolt was hampered when it was deserted by its supposed leader Prince Trubetskoy. His second-in-command, Colonel Bulatov, also vanished from the scene. After a hurried consultation, the rebels appointed Prince Eugene Obolensky as a replacement leader. For hours, there was a stand-off between the 3,000 rebels and

22477-470: The revolt, with the libretto written by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy . It premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre on 23 June 1953. To some extent, the Decembrists were in the tradition of a long line of palace revolutionaries of 1725–1825 who wanted to place their candidate on the throne, but many Decembrists also wanted to implement either classical liberalism or a moderate conservatism contrary to

22646-438: The revolt. After converting the soldiers of Vasilkov to the cause, Muraviev-Apostol easily captured the city. The rebelling army was confronted by superior forces that were heavily armed with artillery loaded with grapeshot . On 15 January [ O.S. 3 January] 1826, the rebels met defeat, and the surviving leaders were sent to Saint Petersburg to stand trial with the northern leaders. The Decembrists were taken to

22815-453: The royal guards swore allegiance to the presumed successor, Alexander's brother Konstantin . When Konstantin made his renunciation public, and Nicholas stepped forward to assume the throne, the Northern Society acted. With the capital in temporary confusion, and one oath to Konstantin having already been sworn, the society scrambled in secret meetings to convince regimental leaders not to swear allegiance to Nicholas. These efforts culminated in

22984-552: The specifics of Yermak's life and exploits because the two key, primary sources about Yermak may be biased or inaccurate. These sources are the Stroganov Chronicle and the Sinodnik . The Stroganov Chronicle was commissioned by the Stroganov family itself, therefore it exaggerates the family's involvement in the conquest of Siberia. The Sinodnik is an account of Yermak's campaign written forty years after his death by

23153-452: The status equal to that of the districts . As a municipal division , the Town of Tobolsk is incorporated as Tobolsk Urban Okrug . The economy of modern Tobolsk centers on a major oil refinery and the petrochemical industry. Some traditional crafts, such as bone-carving , are also preserved. The main factory of the town and Tyumen oblast' is Sibur holding. It is also the biggest employer of

23322-450: The stifling intrigues of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and after years of exile there was not much for them to return to. Many Decembrists thrived in exile, in time becoming landowners and farmers. In later years, they became idols of the populist movement of the 1860s and the 1870s as the Decembrists' advocacy of reform (including the abolition of serfdom) won them many admirers, including the writer Leo Tolstoy . During their time in exile,

23491-512: The subjugation of Tatar lands, was thus well received by a relieved Maksim. Maksim provided Kolzo with lodging, food, and money before sending him on his way. Kolzo, upon reaching Moscow, was granted an audience with Ivan despite having a Muscovite bounty on his head. To the detriment of Moscow's interests, the Livonian War had just been ended and Ivan had begun receiving reports of local tribesman conducting raids in Perm, putting him in

23660-405: The sum of these differences, many simply paid tribute to avoid trouble, and it mattered little to whom the tribute was paid. Yermak's unique strength was thus in recognizing the bigger picture and playing it to his advantage, first identifying and then executing quick, efficient ways to establish influence in the region. The actions of Yermak also redefined the meaning of the word Cossack. While it

23829-405: The throne as Emperor Nicholas I . Neither the Russian government nor the general public were initially aware of Konstantin's renouncement, and as a result, parts of the military took a premature oath of loyalty to Konstantin. A general swearing of loyalty to the true emperor Nicholas was scheduled for 26 December [ O.S. 14 December] 1825 in Senate Square , Saint Petersburg. In

23998-452: The throne from Konstantin. On December 26th, Northern Society members led a force of approximately 3,000 troops into Senate Square to prevent the loyalty-swearing ceremony and to rally additional soldiers and officers to their cause. This group of rebels, although disorganized due to indecision and dissension among its leaders, confronted troops loyal to Nicholas outside the Senate building in

24167-458: The tribes succeeded in entering Russian territory. This, of course, changed with Yermak, whose triumphs showed that the Tatars could be put on the defensive and that Russia could now establish itself as an aggressive power in the East. Yermak also changed the involvement of the tsar in Siberian affairs. In reaching out to the tsar for assistance, Yermak gained the support of the government; indeed, it

24336-591: The truth. The Don Cossack warrior Yermak Timofeyevich was born by the Chusovaya River on the eastern fringes of the Muscovite lands. The only information about Yermak's upbringing comes from a source called the Cherepanov Chronicle . This chronicle, compiled by a Tobolsk coachman in 1760 – long after Yermak's death – was never published in full, but, in 1894, historian Aleksandr Alekseyevich "A.A." Dmitrieyev concluded it probably represents

24505-473: The tsar believed stemmed from political liberalization, led to a series of repressions and a return to a former government of restraint and conservatism. Meanwhile, the experiences of the Napoleonic Wars and realization of the suffering of peasant soldiers resulted in Decembrist officers and sympathizers being attracted to reform changes in society. They displayed their contempt of court by rejecting

24674-456: The tsar had delivered to Yermak. The Cossacks soon decided to abandon Qashliq and to retreat to Russia. Before traveling a great distance, they ran into a group of one hundred reinforcements that had been sent as additional strength from the tsar. With this upturn in fortune, Yermak's band resolved to return to Qashliq and refortify their position in accordance with the tsar's will. The fast-acting and perceptive Tatars, however, had been informed of

24843-456: The tsar's command that Mahmet-kul be delivered to him. Yermak, aware that doing so would eliminate Kuchum's only motive for peace, nonetheless obeyed the tsar and arranged for his transport. Unsurprisingly, Kuchum's forces began to increase the frequency of their raids. Yermak now found himself in a predicament, as a long winter had prevented the gathering of supplies and tributes and the tsar's reinforcements had not yet arrived. Under orders from

25012-638: The tsar's orders and, in the late 1570s, Anika Stroganov's grandsons Nikita and Maksim recruited Cossack fighters to wage war on their behalf. They elected the Cossack chieftain Yermak Timofeyevich as the leader of the Cossack brigades. According to the Stroganov Chronicle, on April 6, 1579, after hearing of Yermak's and his comrades’ “daring and bravery,” the Stroganovs sent a letter to the men asking them to come to their ancestral estates in Chusovaya and summoning them to fight against

25181-516: The tsar, the Stroganovs had contributed fifty cavalries to the reinforcement party. However, the horses had slowed the party to a crawl across the Siberia landscape, and they did not even cross the Urals until the spring of 1584. In September 1583, a call for help from a Tatar leader named Karacha was delivered to Yermak begging for assistance against the Nogai Tatars. Yermak, wary of Karacha but nonetheless disposed to help, deployed Kolzo with

25350-730: The understanding that it would be necessary to supplement their base payment with treasures and tributes gained from conquest. Without this system in place, it is unlikely such an arrangement would have come to fruition. Future explorers would also take notice of Yermak's strategy in approaching the Siberian lands, which, unlike those in many other colonization attempts, already had an established imperial power. However, Yermak wisely recognized that Kuchum's territories were not unified. Yermak noted that many of these peoples were nothing more than vassals and that they were quite diverse in terms of race, language, and religion. Unlike Kuchum and his Mohammedan Tatars, many of these groups were pagan . Due to

25519-472: The warrior, who he considered being the "Grand Inquisitor" of Siberia. These documents, along with the various others that chronicle Yermak's expeditions, are filled with contradictions that make the truth about Yermak's life difficult to discern. While the sources that exist on Yermak are fallible, those accounts, along with folklore and legend, are all that historians have to base their knowledge on; therefore, they are widely accepted and considered to reflect

25688-430: The whole, indigenous Siberian populations greatly respected the Decembrists and were extremely hospitable in their reception of them. Upon arrival at places of settlement, exiles had to comply with extensive regulations under a strict governmental regime. Local police watched, regulated, and notated every move that Decembrists attempted to make. Dimitri Zavalishin was thrown into prison for failing to remove his hat before

25857-483: The “extreme might of the land,” he conveys “the extreme heroism of the Russian and Soviet conquest of Siberia.” The symphony introduces Yermak as a mighty figure who “made his way through the fog and mist to do battle with Siberia.” The film then begins a visual montage which traces Russian history and the representation of the Russian landscape over time. Yermak is shown as a “pantomime hero” leading his forces into battle. Simon Franklin and Emma Widdis describe that “here,

26026-470: The “thieves” trade ( “vorovskim” remeslom ). It was typical of Cossacks to engage in piracy on the Sea of Azov or the Caspian Sea and to rob various envoys and Russian or Persian merchants. Though a bandit, Yermak earned a reputation as an eminent and loyal Russian fighter. Through his experience fighting in the Livonian War, he learned war tactics and excelled beyond the other hetmans in skill. In

26195-554: Was Count Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky . During his early years in the regime, Speransky helped inspire the organization of the Ministry of the Interior , the reform of ecclesiastic education, and strengthening the government's role in the country's economic development. Speransky's role increased greatly in 1808. From then until 1812, when they feared him as a liberal similar to Napoleon and his invasion, Speransky developed plans for

26364-423: Was a Cossack ataman and is today a hero in Russian folklore and myths. During the reign of the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible , Yermak started the Russian conquest of Siberia . Russians' fur-trade interests fueled their desire to expand east into Siberia . The Tatar Khanate of Kazan was established by Ulugh Muhammad as the best entryway into Siberia. In 1552, Ivan the Terrible's modernized army toppled

26533-474: Was a site of massive anti-Bolshevik peasant uprisings across Western Siberia by peasants associated with the Green Army . On November 3, 1923, the city became part of Ural Oblast ; on January 7, 1932, it was transferred to Omsk Oblast . From January 17, 1934, the city was part of Obsko-Irtysh Oblast, until it was abolished on December 7 that year and transferred to Omsk Oblast . On August 14, 1944, Tobolsk

26702-548: Was born in the village of Kachalinskaya on the Don. Though this region has long claimed Yermak to be one of its own, there is no evidence that he was born there or ever visited. There is also a statue of Yermak at Tobolsk and one in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg designed by Mark Antokolsky . Two icebreakers have been named after Yermak. The first , built in Newcastle, England , in 1898,

26871-430: Was borne down the river, where seven days later it is said to have been found by a Tatar fisherman named Yanish. Easily recognizable by the eagle on his armor, Yermak's corpse was stripped and hung on a frame made out of six poles, where for six weeks archers used his body for target practice. However, it is said that animals did not feed on him and his body produced no odor and that the corpse caused fear and nightmares in

27040-540: Was called "The basic laws" as the Decembrists had called it. Though defeated, the Decembrists did effect some change on the regime. Their dissatisfaction forced Nicholas I to turn his attention inward to address the issues of the empire. He included many Decembrists who had joined his forces on the Senate Square and did not ultimately support the revolt in spite of their participation in Decembrist meetings into his government (such as Benkendorf, appointed to supervise

27209-431: Was lying in wait. Kuchum's forces forded the river around midnight; their approach was hidden by the loudness of the storm and the dark of night. Kuchum's Tatars were upon Yermak's men so quickly that they could not use either their guns or weapons, and a slaughter ensued. In the ensuing chaos, it is reported that all but three men on the Russian side were killed, including Yermak. Legend has it that after fighting through

27378-594: Was named after the Tobol River . It was situated at its confluence with the Irtysh River , where the Irtysh turns from flowing westward to flowing northward. Tobolsk grew quickly, based on the importance of the Siberian river routes , and it prospered on trade with China to the east and with Bukhara to the south. In 1708 Tobolsk was designated as the capital of the newly-established Siberia Governorate ;

27547-541: Was on the precarious ground until the rise of Kuchum Khan, a descendant of the famed Chingis Khan , in the 1560s. Kuchum Khan built up allies among his neighbors and the Crimean Tatars in order to thwart the Stroganovs’ expansion across the Urals . In July 1572, Kuchum launched his first raid on Stroganov settlements, which resulted in almost one hundred deaths. In 1573, the Tatar army expanded and changed leadership. Kuchum's nephew, Mahmet-kul , assumed control of

27716-533: Was one of the first major vessels of that type ever built and the second, which entered the service in 1974, was the first of an impressive new type of ship. In commemoration of Yermak, there is a town named after him on the upper Irtysh. Similarly, a mountain in the Perm Region made up of three cliff stacks is called the Yermak Stone after Yermak. Legend has it that Yermak and his brigade passed one of

27885-491: Was presented to Nicholas I , and formed the basis for the "Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire" ( Svod Zakonov Rossiskoy Imperii ), the positive law valid for the Russian Empire. Speransky's liberal ideas were subsequently scrutinized and elaborated by Konstantin Kavelin and Boris Chicherin . Although the revolt was a proscribed topic during Nicholas' reign, Alexander Herzen placed the profiles of executed Decembrists on

28054-464: Was reinforcements from the tsar that solidified the Russian presence in the region immediately after Yermak's death. This newfound commitment and involvement in the area is best summarized by Ivan's acceptance of the title bestowed upon him by Yermak: “Tsar of Sibir.” Yermak's pioneering further enabled this system to exist because it depended on the success he achieved in gaining tribute from conquered peoples. Much like Yermak, future troops were sent with

28223-487: Was separated from Tobolsky District by the Tyumen Oblast Duma. In 2013, Tobolsk-Polymer opened the largest polypropylene production facility in Russia as part of an initiative to create a large petrochemical complex in the city. Tobolsk has also become a popular location for tourism in Siberia due to its historical importance, architecture , and natural landscapes. It is an important educational center of

28392-553: Was to open up a southern passageway to Mangaseya to access its furs. The Khanate of Sibir blocked the road from the Urals to Mangaseya. After overthrowing the khanate, the intended final destination of Yermak's five thousand mile journey was the Bering Strait. Yermak led a small army of 840 men, made up of 540 of his own followers and three hundred supplied by the Stroganovs. His army was composed of “Russians, Tatars, Lithuanians , and Germans.” The Lithuanians and Germans of

28561-716: Was transferred to Tyumen Oblast . A 2004 American book said a 1982 explosion in Tobolsk was caused by CIA sabotage. A former KGB officer said that the explosion was caused by improper installation. On July 10, 1987, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR , the city of Tobolsk was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honour . On November 4, 1996, Tobolsk became an independent city with town status when it

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