Kazan Khanate

The Kazan Khanate (Tatar: Qazan xanlığı; Russian: Казанское ханство) (1438-1552) was a Tatar state located in the territory of the former Volga Bulgaria with its capital in Kazan. It included the current Russian republics of Tatarstan, Mari-El, Chuvasia, Mordovia, and part of Udmurtia and Bashkortostan.

Geography and population

The territory of the khanate included the Muslim Bulgarian-populated lands of Bolğar, Cükätäw, Kazan and Qaşan and other regions that originally belonged to Volga Bulgaria. The Volga, the Kama and the Vyatka were the main rivers of the khanate, as well as the main trade routes. The majority of the population were Kazan Tatars. Their self-identity was not limited to the Tatars; many identified themselves simply as Muslims or as 'the people of Kazan'. Islam was the state religion.

The local feudal nobility was made up of ethnic Bulgarians, but the court and bodyguard of the Kazan khans were made up of steppe Tatars (Kipchaks, and later Nogais) living in Kazan. According to Ginghizide tradition, the local Turkic tribes were also called Tatars by the steppe nobility and, later, by the Russian elite. Part of the high nobility came from the Golden Horde. It included members of four important noble families: Arghin, Barin, Qipchaq and Shirin.

Among the peoples subject to the khan were the Chuvash, the Mari, the Mordva, the Mishar Tatars, the Udmurts and the Bashkirs. The Permians and some Komi tribes were also incorporated into the khanate. The Mishars had arrived during the Golden Horde period and gradually assimilated the resident Finnish Mordvins and Burtas. Its territory was ruled by ancient steppe Tatars. Some Mishar dukedoms were never controlled from Kazan and instead gravitated towards the Khanate of Qasim or Moscow Russia.

Most of the territory of the khanate was covered with forests, and only the southern part bordered on the steppe. The main population of the steppes were the nomadic Mangites, also known as Nogais, who sometimes recognized the rule of the Khan of Kazan, but more often carried out agricultural raids against Tatars and Chuvash, as they had done in the period of the Golden Horde. Later, the Nogais were transplanted and replaced by Kalmyks. More recently, this area was settled by Tatars, Chuvash and Russians, who erected defensive walls to guard the southern border. Since the khanate was established, Tatar Cossack troops defended it from the Nogais.

Russian sources indicate that at least five languages were used in the Kazan Khanate. The first and most important was the Tatar language, which included the middle dialect of the Kazan Tatars and the western dialect of the Mishares. Its written form (Old Tatar language) was the preferred language of the state. The Chuvash language was a descendant of the Bolgar language, spoken by the pagan Chuvash people. The Bolgar language also greatly influenced the middle dialect of the Tatar language. The other three were probably the Mari language, the Mordvin language and the Bashkir language, which also developed from the Bolgar and Kipchak languages.

Society

The khan ruled the State. He based his actions on the decisions and consultations of a cabinet council, or Diwan. The nobility included the ranks of bäk (beg), ämir (emir) and morza. The military establishments consisted of the uğlan (ulan), bahadir, içki (ichki). The Muslim clergy also played an important role. They were divided into säyet (seid), şäyex (sheikh), qazí (qazi) and imans. The ulema, or clerics, played a judicial role and maintained the madrassas (schools) and the maktabs (libraries).

The majority of the population was made up of qara xalıq (blacks), a free Muslim population. who lived on state lands. The feudal lands were mostly populated by çura (serfs). POWs were often sold to Türkiye or Central Asia. Occasionally they were sold within the Khanate as slaves (qol) and sometimes they were settled in feudal lands to later become çura. The Muslim and non-Muslim population of the Khanate had to pay the yasaq.

Privileged estates

In Kazan society, the most privileged classes were the nobility and the clergy. The most important people who were part of the Divan ("karachi") and emirs (ruling princes) had the greatest wealth and influence. The title of karachi belonged to the heads of the four most noble Tatar clans - Shirin, Baryn, Argyn and Kipchak - and was transmitted by inheritance. Karachi by their position were the closest advisors and royal co-emperors of the Khan of Kazan.

In the works of the Crimean historian Seyid-Muhammed Riza these two terms (karachi and emirs) are identified. The emirs, being descendants of the most noble clans of the feudal aristocracy, were very few. Among the Kazan aristocrats, the title of father was transmitted only to the eldest son. The remaining groups of the Kazan nobility were beks, murzy and foreign princes. The beks were placed one step below the emirs in the social structure of Kazan society. The youngest sons of the Beks were murzy (contraction of Arabic-Persian emir-zade, lit. princely son). Among the foreign princes, the strongest positions were occupied by the so-called " Princes of Arsk'. In the khanate there were many Chuvash, Votsk and Cheremiss princes.

The representatives of the Muslim clergy also occupied a privileged position. The spiritual chief - [[seyyid] - seyyid]] played an important role in the administration of the State. The khan had to take into account his advice and sometimes direct instructions, the head of state went out on foot to meet the seyyid on horseback, and in official documents the name of the seyyid was indicated before the name of the khan.

A privileged group of people who owned plots of land and were exempt from taxes and fees were called tarkhans. The Oglans and Cossacks belonged to the military class. The Oglans were commanders of mounted units and had the right to participate in the kurultai. The Cossacks were simple warriors. Sometimes they are divided into "courtesans" (who served in the capital) and "zadvornye" (who served in the provinces). The numerous and well-organized officers enjoyed a special privileged status.

Class of urban and rural residents

Among the representatives of the unprivileged class were ordinary urban and rural residents: merchants, artisans, self-employed workers and peasants. The Sahib-Giray label mentions 13 types of taxes and tributes that these population groups had to pay, but from which the tarkhans were exempt: yasak (10% income tax, klan (obrok), salyg, kulush, kultyka, bach, kharaj kharajat (trade tax), sala-kharaji (village tax), yer-khylasy i> (land tax), tyutynsyany (pipe tax), susun (food), gulufe (forage) and fasting. The existence of other taxes is also known: tamga (goods tax), weight tax and others.

Dependent peasants and slaves

The landowners' lands were cultivated by dependent peasants ("kishi"). The landowners also employed prisoner-of-war slaves, who were assigned to the estates. According to C. Herberstein, after 6 years a slave of this type became free, but did not have the right to leave the territory of the stateCitation error: Cite error: Opening code exists <ref> without its closing code </ref>, where he captured the city of Kazan the following year, expelling Khan Ali Bey from there, with the help of the local nobility. After taking Kazan, Ulug-Muhammed proclaimed himself independent khan, thus founding a new military-feudal state. Next to the poorly fortified old Kazan, the new khan built New Kazan, which became the capital of the new khanate (according to other sources, New Kazan was founded in 1402 by Altyn-bey, and under Ulug-Muhammed it was expanded and fortified considerably). There are signs that the transfer of power was completed under Mohammed's son Mahmud in 1445.

The khanate was marked by wars against Russia. The wars finally ended in 1552, when Ivan the Terrible conquered Kazan and incorporated it into Russia.

Early history

During the reign of Ulugh Muhammad and his son Maxmud, Kazan forces raided Muscovia and its subject lands several times. Vasili II of Moscow participated in the Great Feudal War against his cousins, was defeated in a battle near Suzdal and was forced to pay a ransom to the Kazan khan.

In July 1487, Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow occupied Kazan and placed a puppet leader, Möxämmädämin, on the throne. From then on, the Kazan Khanate became a protectorate of Moscow and Russian merchants were able to trade freely throughout its territory. Supporters of a union between the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate attempted to exploit the grievances of the population to provoke revolts (in 1496, 1500 and 1505), but with insignificant results.

In 1521, Kazan freed itself from Moscow rule and signed a treaty of mutual aid with the Astrakhan Khanate, the Crimean Khanate and the Nogay Horde. Next, the combined forces of Khan Muhamed Giray and his Crimean allies attacked Muscovy.

Khans of Kazan

The rulers of the Kazan Khanate were (the list is not complete):

• ? — Kazan Ghiasethdin - as ruler of Ghiasetdin Ulus (distrito), not kanato;
• 1438-1446 — Ulugh Muhammad (Olug Moxammat, Ulug Mohammad, Oluğ Möxämmät, Ulu Mukhamed);
• 1446-1466 — Maxmud (Mäxmüd, Mahmudek, Mahmud, Makhmud);
• 1466-1467 — Xalil (Xälil, Khalil ibn Mahmud);
• 1467-1479 — Ibrahim (İbrahim);
• 1479-85 — Ilham (İlham, bouräli, Ghali, Ali) (1st time);
• 1485-86 — Moxammat Amin (Möxämmät Ämin, Möxämmädämin, Muhammad Amin) (1st time);
• 1486-87 — Ilham (2.a.);
• 1487-96 — Moxammat Amin (2.a.);
• 1496-97 — Mamuq (Mamıq, Mameq, Mamuk);
• 1497-1502 — Ghabdellatif (boneäbdellatífAbd Al-Latyf, Abdul Latyf,
• 1502-18 — Moxammat Amin (3th time); Ends the dynasty of Olug Moxammat.

• 1518-21 — Shahgali (Şahğäli, Shah Ali) (1st time);
• 1521-25 — Sahib Giray (Säxibgäräy, Sakhib-Girey);
• 1525-32 — Safa Giray (Safagäräy, Safa-Girey) (1st time);
• 1532-35 — Cangali (Canğäli, Jan Ali, Can Ali);
• 1535-46— Safa Giray (2.a.);
• 1546 — Shahgali (2th time);
• 1546-49 — Safa Giray (3th time);
• 1549-51 — Utamesh (Utamesh Giray, Ütämeşgäräy, Ötemiş, Otemish, Utyamysh) Soyembika (Söyembikä) as ruler and regent;
• 1551-52 — Shahgali (3rd time);
• 1552 — Yadegar Moxammad (Yadegär Möxämmät, Yadigar Muhammad, Yadygar);