Battle of Irmen

Battle of Irmen
Part of the Russian Conquest of Siberia
Date August 20, 1598 Location Verkh-Irmen, Novosibirsk, Russia 54°34′45″N82°14′30″E / 54.57917°N 82.24167°E / 54.57917; 82.24167 Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Khanate of Sibir	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Kuchum Khan	Andrey Voyeykov
Strength
~500	405
Casualties and losses
200-300 killed 150 captured	108 killed 153 wounded (according to the Remez Chronicle)

The Battle of Irmen was the final engagement fought between the forces of the Khanate of Sibir, led by Kuchum Khan, and the Tsardom of Russia, led by Andrey Voyeykov. ^[1]

Previous events

After the destruction of the detachment under Yermak Timofeyevich at the Battle of the Irtysh, Kuchum Khan managed to mostly restore his power, once more imposing tributes on many of the surrounding tribes in Western Siberia. By this time, the Russians had changed their tactics, making deep advances into Siberia, consolidating occupied territories through the construction of fortified strongholds and cities. For 15 years, Kuchum conducted active hostilities against Russian detachments, attempting to capture Russian forts in the region, only succeeding twice.

In the summer of 1598, by decree of Tsar Boris Godunov, Stephan Vasilyevich Kuzmin-Korovayev, the voivode of Tara, equipped a Russian detachment under the command of Andrei Matveevich Voeikov. The force consisted of 700 Cossacks and 300 Tatar mercenaries, totaling at 1,000 men. As said by Stephan himself, this army was to be used "in a campaign for Tsar Kuchum". ^[2] It is known that in Voeikov's detachment, there was an associate of the deceased Yermak by the name of Ivan Groza. ^[3]

Battle

Being in the area of Lake Ubinskoye, Voyeykov received information from the captured warriors of Kuchum about the location of Kuchum's position, where "he has sown bread". At the head of a cavalry detachment of 405 men, including 140 Tatar mercenaries. ^[4] Voyeykov travelled about 400 kilometers in 5 days, discovering and then attacking the Khan’s fortified camp at the confluence of the Irmen river and the Ob River (currently the vicinity of the village Verkh-Irmen, Ordynsky district, Novosibirsk region), in which there were an estimated 500 Siberian warriors.

The battle continued from sunrise on August 20 to noon, being characterized by ferocious fighting, with the Khan himself participating in the battle. The stam was taken by attack, the remnants of Kuchum's detachment were pressed to the shore of the Ob River. According to Voyeykov's report, Kuchum's brother Iliden, Arslan's son and two grandsons of Kuchum, 6 princes, 15 Murz and about 200-300 Tatar soldiers were killed in battle (some of them drowned in the Ob while trying to swim away - the Cossacks shot at the sailors following, and Voyeykov ordered up to 50 prisoners to be "cut or hung"). ^[5] Five younger sons of the Khan (Shaim, Asmanak, Babadshah, Kumysh and Molla), 8 wives from his harem with 6 daughters, five close relatives of the khan, and 150 warriors were captured. ^[6] Kuchum's relatives were sent to Moscow to Tsar Boris Godunov, who settled them there and ordered to issue "safe maintenance". ^[7]

According to the "Remezovskaya chronicle", the winners "" both with the wealth received and with the cattle returned healthy. And while many were injured, less were killed". ^{[8] [9]}

However, the Khan himself with a detachment of 50 warriors managed to break through. After a few days of persecution, this detachment was overtaken by the Cossacks and killed in the area of the future village of Nizhnechemskaya, but Kuchum managed to escape this time. ^[10] He and several people wandered around Altai and Kuznetsk forests, having lost all power, soon died in a skirmish with local tribal forces. ^[11]

Voyeykov, for this victory, was awarded by Tsar Boris Godunov with his salary tripled, being awarded with roughly 200 kilograms of gold, and several hundred experienced Cossack mercenaries, who had distinguished themselves in previous battles. ^[12]

Aftermath

The rule of Kuchum was completely lost, all West Siberian nomadic and settled tribes left him and swore allegiance to the Russian tsar, leading to the dissolution of the Khanate of Sibir. A huge territory from the Urals to the Ob River became part of Russia, which would move further east in the coming decades. ^[13]

The Battle of Irmen is the only historically reliable battle on the territory of the Novosibirsk region, not counting the events of the Russian Civil War. Currently, the place of the battle has been flooded by the Novosibirsk Reservoir. A memorial sign was erected on its shore at the place of the battle in 1993. Vacationers are taken there from the Turgrad recreation center. On August 20, 2014, a memorial to the participants of the battle was opened at the place of the battle ^[14]

References

1. In encyclopedic and historical literature, the erroneous name A. Voeykov voivode, who did not have this rank during his lifetime. The Tara voivode in 1598 was Stepan Vasilyevich Kuzmin-Korovaev, under whom A. Voeykov. By the end of his life, Voeykov himself had the ranks of yaselnichny and duma nobleman. See: Russian Historical Library. Vol II. - St. Petersburg, 1875. - Stlb. 129, 133. ; Review of columns and books of the Siberian Order (1592–1768) / Const. N. Ogloblin. H. 4. - Moscow, 1901. - P. 130. ; Discharge book 1475-1598 - M., 1966. - P. 514.
2. Historical acts collected and published by the Archeographic Commission of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Vol II. - St. Petersburg, 1841. - P. 6-20.
3. Slavic Encyclopedia. XVII century: in 2 volumes. / Author-comp. C C Boguslavsky. - Moscow: Olma-press, 2004. - ISBN 5-224-02249-5.
4. A number of authors mistakenly indicate the number of the Russian detachment completely corresponding to the number of the detachment that came out with A. Voykov from Tara. Such a mistake was made, in particular, by G. F. Miller, he also indicated some voivodes who arrived in Siberia a few years after its completion among the participants of the campaign to Kuchum.
5. Abdirov M. Khan Kuchum Known and Unknown. - Alma-Ata: Zhalyn, 1996. - 180 p. - S. 125.
6. "Unsubscribe" by A. Voeykova is fully published in: Historical acts, collected and published by the Archeographic Commission of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. Vol II. - St. Petersburg, 1841. - P. 1-5, 9, 17, 18, 20-22.
7. Nebolsin P. I. Conquest of Siberia. - M.: Veche, 2014. - 352 p. - (My Siberia). ISBN 978-5-4444-1403-3. - P.151-156.
8. "Siberian chronicles. Brief Siberian Chronicle (Kungurskaya). - Ryazan: Alexandria, 2008. - 646 p. - (Sources of history). - ISBN 5-94460-031-4". Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
9. Taking into account the fact that by A. Voyeykov, the battle was characterized by a fierce character and the "seve" with cold weapons lasted for several hours, this information is implausible. However, the documents of that time do not mention the data on the losses of the Russian detachment.
10. Sinyaev V. S. The final defeat of Kuchum on Ob in 1598. // Questions of Geography of Siberia. - Tomsk, 1951. - Sat. 2. - P. 141–156.
11. Trepavlov V. V. Enemies, friends and neighbors. Kuchum's last fight. // Siberian yurt after Yermak: Kuchum and Kuchumovichi in the struggle for revenge. - M., 2012. - P. 32–61.
12. Boyar lists of the last quarter of the XVI - early XVII centuries and painting of the Russian army in 1604. H. 1. - Moscow, 1979. - P. 141, 177.
13. History of Siberia from ancient times to the present day. In 5 volumes. / Editor's editor A. P. Okladnikov. - L: Science. Leningrad branch, 1968-1969. - Volume 2: Siberia as part of feudal Russia. - P.36-37.
14. "A cross was erected near Novosibirsk in honor of the accession of Siberia to Russia". 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved 2014-08-21.