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Yermak Timofeyevich

Type Figure Region Siberia Time c. 1540–1585 Also known as Yermak

Cossack ataman from the Don or Kama region, funded by the Stroganov family, who led a firearms-equipped force over the Urals in the 1580s, defeated K…

Timeline

  1. c. 1579–1581Perm frontier, Chusovaya River forts · PermAfter operating as a Cossack ataman around the Volga and Kama, he was hired by the Stroganov family, who dealt in salt and furs, as an armed leader; from the Perm frontier he organized an expedition across the Urals along the Chusovaya River, aiming to open Siberian fur trade and commercial routes.
  2. 1582Kashlyk (Isker) · Tobol–Irtysh RiverEntering the khanate's heartland along the Tobol River, he routed the forces of Mametkul, Kuchum Khan's nephew, with a volley of muskets at Chuvash Cape, then captured the capital Kashlyk. Kuchum retreated to the steppe. This battle is later regarded as the beginning of Russia's conquest of Siberia.
  3. 1583–1585Mouth of the Vagay River on the Irtysh · Irtysh RiverHe sent men to offer land to Ivan IV, and the tsar dispatched troops in support. Mametkul was captured and sent to Moscow. In August 1585 Kuchum launched a night attack on the force camped at the mouth of the Vagay River; Yermak fell into the water while fleeing and, legend has it, drowned because the armor granted by the tsar was too heavy. The Cossacks withdrew for a time, but Russia subsequently built forts such as Tobolsk, and expansion was not interrupted.

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