THE LITTLE KNOWN VERSION ABOUT CONQUEST OF SIBERIA BY ERMAK IN THE WORKS OF EUROPEAN OF THE END 17th - 18th CENTURIES IN THE RUSSIAN PUBLICATIONS

Abstract

Purpose. It is analyzed in the article the historical data about campaign of the Cossack troop commanded by ataman Yermak into Siberia and about initial period of annexation of Western Siberian lands to the Czardom of Moscovy. They are contained in the works of the European authors, who wrote their essays in the second half of the 17-18^th century. It is recognized by many explorers, that major, the most reliable and informative source, where it is described the events of military campaign of the Russian Cossacks’ troop into Siberia, are the Russian «Siberian Chronicles». However, before those storytelling sources were studied and used by Gerhard Friedrich Miller for description of the history of annexation of Siberia to the Czardom of Moscovy, some data about development of that vast region by the Russian Cossacks and service class people had the great interest for the several other European authors, who wrote in their scientific works about campaign of the Cossack troop of ataman Yermak into Siberian lands. Results. It is contained in these works several little-known sometimes quite original not found in other sources’ data and authors’ opinions highlighting in non-traditional way the historical events, that are related to the campaign of the Russian Cossacks’ troop via the Ural Mountains to Western Siberia, as well as the descriptions of won by the Cossacks’ military successes over forces of the Tatars’ Khanate of Sibir. Some of these works contain data about takeover by the Cossacks of cities and strongholds, belonged to the Siberian Tatars, as well as about cases of capture in the course of hostilities of the Tatar leaders and their relatives, who were deported into Moscow thereafter. The several European authors, who wrote their works in that period about the Russian conquest of Northern Asia, were highly astonished at a quite small troop of the Russian Cossacks could subordinate West Siberian lands, populated by the Tatars. It was utilized quite a small military force for joining of the West lands of Western Siberia to the Czardom of Moscovy. A number of the European researchers have noted in their works that leader of the Cossack troop ataman Yermak was robbing for several years at the Volga River region before he departed to conquer the Tatars’ Khanate of Sibir. Therefore, fearing of persecution by the czarist authorities, later he was obliged to leave with his troop to the Northern Ural Region, and then he committed his well-known campaign to Western Siberia out of there. Conclusion. Data about historical events in the works of the European researchers, related to the conquest of the Khanate of Sibir, serve as an important supplement of historical materials that are contained in the Russian «Siberian Chronicles». Data about historical events, that are related to the period of annexation of Siberian lands to the Russian State and contained in the works of the European chroniclers the second half of the 17^th - the beginning of the 18^th century, can be used in preparation of synthesizing scientific works on history of Northern Asia.