50 Facts About Yermak Timofeyevich

Yermak Timofeyevich is today a hero in Russian folklore and myths.

Yermak Timofeyevich 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.

Much of what we know about Yermak Timofeyevich is derived from folklore and legend.

One of the Siberian chronicles, the Remezov Chronicle, written more than one hundred years after Yermak Timofeyevich'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 Timofeyevich.

Russian writer Valentin Rasputin laments the lack of information that we have about Yermak Timofeyevich considering the vast scope of his contributions to Russian society.

Knowledge of Yermak Timofeyevich's upbringing and voyages pales in comparison to that of other explorers.

The Sinodnik is an account of Yermak Timofeyevich's campaign written forty years after his death by the archbishop of Tobolsk, Cyprian.

The combination of forgotten details over time and the embellishment or omission of facts in order for Yermak Timofeyevich to be accepted as a saint suggests that the Sinodik could be erroneous.

The Don Cossack warrior Yermak Timofeyevich was born by the Chusovaya River on the eastern fringes of the Muscovite lands.

Yermak Timofeyevich worked in the Stroganovs' river fleet as a porter and a sailor transporting salt along the Kama and the Volga rivers.

Yermak Timofeyevich was officially enlisted by the Stroganovs in the spring of 1582.

Yermak Timofeyevich's infantry blocked the Tatar charge with mass musket fire, which wounded Mahmet-kul and prevented the Tatars from scoring a single Russian casualty.

Yermak Timofeyevich came upon us, defeated us and did us such great harm.

However, four days after Yermak Timofeyevich claimed Qashliq the people returned, and Yermak Timofeyevich soon befriended the Ostyak people.

Yermak Timofeyevich used the Ostyak tributes to feed his band of Cossacks throughout the winter.

The Cossacks' task was not without trouble, as although Yermak Timofeyevich had defeated the Tatars they continued to harass the Cossacks, preventing Yermak Timofeyevich from establishing complete control over the region.

Yermak Timofeyevich then entered into battle with Mahmet-kul and his forces, defeating him .

Yermak Timofeyevich requested that the Khan cease attacks on the Cossacks and those bringing tribute to Yermak.

Yermak Timofeyevich, taking advantage of this lull in hostilities, set out down the Irtysh and Ob to complete his subjugation of the local tribal princes.

Yermak Timofeyevich soon encountered the Ostyak prince Demian, who had fortified himself in a fortress on the banks of the Irtysh with 2,000 loyal fighters.

Yermak Timofeyevich was then able to secure tribute from the eight other princes.

Yermak Timofeyevich then directed his forces down the river Ob, conquering several small forts.

Ivan then had many gifts prepared for Yermak Timofeyevich, including his personal fur mantle, a goblet, two suits of armor emblazoned with bronze double-headed eagles, and money.

Yermak Timofeyevich was bestowed the title "Prince of Siberia" by Ivan, who commanded that Mahmet-kul be sent to Moscow.

Yermak Timofeyevich 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.

Now without Kolzo, Yermak Timofeyevich was left with a little more than 300 men.

Yermak Timofeyevich, despite having limited supplies, was able to endure the blockade for three months.

Stealthily penetrating the line of wagons, Yermak Timofeyevich's men were able to surprise the gathered forces in their sleep, killing a large number.

Also, while Yermak Timofeyevich had succeeded in regaining the loyalty of the tribes, his men were now almost completely out of gunpowder.

The precise details of Yermak Timofeyevich's death are lost to history, but legend has preserved multiple variations of the account.

Legend has it that after fighting through the invaders and being wounded in the arm by a knife, Yermak Timofeyevich, finding that their boats had been washed away in the storm, attempted to cross the river.

Yermak Timofeyevich's body 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 Timofeyevich'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.

Colonization attempts soon followed, as Tyumen, the first known town after Yermak Timofeyevich's death, was founded in 1586.

Yermak Timofeyevich had set 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.

Yermak Timofeyevich changed the involvement of the tsar in Siberian affairs.

In reaching out to the tsar for assistance, Yermak Timofeyevich gained the support of the government; indeed, it was reinforcements from the tsar that solidified the Russian presence in the region immediately after Yermak Timofeyevich's death.

However, Yermak Timofeyevich wisely recognized that Kuchum's territories were not unified.

Yermak Timofeyevich noted that many of these peoples were nothing more than vassals and that they were quite diverse in terms of race, language, and religion.

The actions of Yermak Timofeyevich redefined the meaning of the word Cossack.

However, in sending his letter and his trusted lieutenant Ivan Kolzo to Ivan the Terrible, Yermak Timofeyevich transformed the image of the Cossack overnight from a bandit to a soldier recognized by the Tsar of Moscow.

Now, Yermak Timofeyevich's Cossacks had effectively been incorporated into the military system and were able to receive support from the tsar.

Yermak Timofeyevich's call for aid thus spawned a new type of Cossack which, by virtue of its link to the government, would enjoy significant favor from future Russian rulers.

Relics of Yermak Timofeyevich continued to command significant power and prestige years after his death.

In commemoration of Yermak Timofeyevich, there is a town named after him on the upper Irtysh.

Yermak Timofeyevich makes an appearance in the 1947 film Tale of the Siberian Land directed by Ivan Pyryev.

Yermak Timofeyevich is shown as a "pantomime hero" leading his forces into battle.

Andrei proceeds to describe the process through which Yermak Timofeyevich's descendants continued to dominate Siberia.

Ultimately, Yermak Timofeyevich is portrayed as the hero who launched the conquest that shaped the whole of Russia.

Over 150 songs about Yermak Timofeyevich's exploits have been collected and spread throughout all of Russia since the 18th century.