“The reign of the Crimean khans Girey in Kazan is called the “era of national revival.” From the book of the 10th century Persian historian Mirkhond “Ravdatu-s-safa”

safa-weight

SAFA-GIREY (1510-49) Khan of Kazan from 1514, recognized vassal dependence on Turkey. He made independent and joint campaigns with Crimea and the Nogai against Russia.

Safa-Girey

(1510≈1549), Kazan Khan, son of the Crimean prince Fatykh-Girey. He took the Kazan throne after his uncle Sahib-Girey. Power S.-G. was limited to large feudal lords. He maintained close dynastic and political relations with Crimea and the Nogai Horde, and undertook campaigns against Russia (1535≈37, 1541≈42). Popular movements (1532, 1545≈46, 1549), the deepening of the process of feudalization and the strengthening of the influence of the Crimean feudal lords at the court weakened the power of S.-G. He was dethroned from his throne twice. Under him, the population of the “mountain side” of the Kazan Khanate (Chuvash, mountain Mari, etc.) accepted Russian citizenship.

Lit.: Khudyakov M. G., Essays on the history of the Kazan Khanate, Kaz., 1923; Zimin A. A., Russia on the threshold of the New Age (Essays on the political history of Russia in the first third of the 16th century), M., 1972.

Wikipedia

Safa-Girey

Safa-Girey (Safa Geray) (; ; 1510, Bakhchisarai - 1549, Kazan) - Kazan Khan (1524 - 1531, 1536 - 1546, July 1546 - March 1549), son of the Crimean prince Fetih Geray and Jalal Sultan, granddaughter of the Nogai Murza Hadzhike, nephew and successor of the Kazan Khan Sahiba Giray (1521-1524).

After the departure of his uncle Sahib Geray from Kazan to Crimea, 13-year-old Safa Geray took the khan's throne in 1524 with the support of the Kazan Karachibeks led by Bulat Shirin. He recognized himself as a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan and undertook a series of campaigns against Moscow (1536 - 1537, 1541 - 1542, 1548).

In 1531 he was expelled by the Kazan nobility. The Moscow protege Jan-Ali was installed as Khan. In 1535, Safa Geray regained the khan's throne in Kazan with the help of Crimean troops. He married Syuyumbike, the wife of Jan-Ali, the daughter of the Nogai biy Yusuf (1549-1554).

At the beginning of 1546, due to popular unrest, he was forced to retire to the Nogai Horde to his father-in-law, Biy Yusuf. In July 1546, with the help of the Nogai army led by the biy's son Yusuf, Yunus, he took Kazan. Shah Ali fled to Moscow. After being confirmed in power, Safa-Girey did not give Yunus the promised position of Mangyt Bek in Kazan.

Sons: Bulyuk, Mubarek, Utyamysh and a son from a Russian concubine.

Kazan Khan Safa-Girey died in 1549 under circumstances that are not fully clarified (Karamzin writes that the khan “killed himself drunk in the palace.” This version is questioned by Khudyakov.

Examples of the use of the word safa-girey in literature.

The threats of the Crimean Khan made an impression in Moscow: the ambassador was told that although the tsar wrote many unseemly speeches in the letter, his demands would be respected and if Safa-Girey If the Kazan man sends to the sovereign and wants peace, then the sovereign wants peace with him, as best he can.

In 1539, the army of the Kazan Khan Safa-Gireya reached Murom and Kostroma and although it inflicted great damage on the Russian army, it was repulsed.

Next year, 1540, in the month of December, Safa-Girey reappeared near Murom, but under the threat of an attack by the Vladimir governors and the Kasimov Tatars, led by Khan Shig-Aley, he went back.

Kazan received letters from ambassadors from Nizhny, then the nobles and all the Kazan residents expelled Safa-Gireya, his advisers, the Crimeans and Nogais, were killed, his wife was sent to her father, the Nogai prince Mamai, and they were sent to beat the Grand Duke with his forehead, so that he would give them as king not Shig-Aley, whom they fear, but his younger brother, Enalei, who owned the town of Meshchersky.

Safa-Gireyu We don’t want to serve: We died with Safa-Girey, but came to life with the sovereign’s salary.

The reason for the new aggravation of Russian-Kazan relations was the “dishonor and shame” committed by Khan Safa-Girey (reigned 1524-1531, 1536-1549) to the Russian ambassador Andrei Pilemov in the spring of 1530. The chronicler did not specify what the insult was. This incident overflowed Moscow's patience, and the Russian government decided to make another attempt to return Kazan under its control. Having covered the southern borders from a possible attack by the Crimean troops, Vasily III in May 1530 moved two armies against the Kazan Khanate - a ship and a horse. The river flotilla was commanded by governors Ivan Belsky and Mikhail Gorbaty. The horse army was led by Mikhail Glinsky and Vasily Sheremetev.

Kazan turned out to be prepared for war. Nogai troops under the command of Mamai-Murza and Astrakhan troops led by Prince Yaglych (Aglysh) came to the aid of the Khanate. A fort was built on the Bulak River near Kazan, which was supposed to complicate the actions of Moscow troops.

The ship's army made its way to Kazan without much difficulty. The cavalry regiments, having defeated the Tatars trying to stop them in several skirmishes, safely crossed the Volga and on July 10 united with the ship's army. On the night of July 14, the regiment of Ivan Ovchina Obolensky stormed the enemy fort, most of the garrison was killed. The successes of the Russian troops and the beginning of the bombardment of Kazan alarmed the townspeople. Many began to demand the start of negotiations with Moscow and an end to the fight. In the current situation, Khan Safa-Girey chose to flee the city.

However, the Russian commanders were in no hurry to launch a decisive assault, although there were almost no defenders left in the city, and a significant part of the townspeople were ready for negotiations. The military leaders entered into a local dispute, figuring out among themselves who should enter Kazan first. Suddenly a storm broke out and confused all the plans of the Russian command. The Tatars used this moment for an unexpected attack. It was successful: Russian troops suffered significant losses, 5 Russian commanders were killed, including Fyodor Lopata Obolensky, the Tatars captured part of the Russian artillery - 70 cannons. Having recovered from the enemy attack, the Russians resumed shelling the city, but without much success. After a successful foray, the Tatars were inspired and changed their minds about surrendering. On July 30, 1530, the siege was lifted. The Russian army went beyond the Volga. On August 15, the Russians reached their borders. Ivan Belsky was found guilty of this failure. He was sentenced to death, but then the governor was pardoned and sent to prison, where he remained until Vasily’s death.

True, even before the return of Safa-Girey, who fled to Astrakhan, the Kazan nobility began negotiations with Moscow about taking the oath to Emperor Vasily Ivanovich. In the autumn of 1530, the Kazan embassy arrived in Moscow. The people of Kazan, on behalf of the khan, asked the Grand Duke of Moscow to grant Safa-Girey “he made the king his brother and son, and the king wants to be in the sovereign’s will, and the princes and the whole land of Kazan people ... they want to serve forward directly and relentlessly be the whole land of Kazan to their bellies and their children." The Tatar ambassadors gave Emperor Vasily a shert record (shert - oath, contractual relationship), promising that it would be approved by Safa-Girey and all the Kazan princes and Murzas.

Russian ambassador Ivan Polev was sent to Kazan. He had to swear in the Khanate and demand the return of prisoners and guns. However, Safa-Girey refused to approve the oath. Negotiations resumed. Safa-Girey was stalling for time and putting forward new demands. At the same time, he persistently sought help from the Crimean Khan Saadet-Girey. The Crimean Khanate, weakened by the Nogai invasion and internal strife, was unable to provide direct assistance. True, the Crimean Tatars raided the Odoev and Tula lands. During the ongoing negotiations, the Moscow government was able to win over the Kazan ambassadors, Princes Tabai and Tevekel. With their help, the Russian authorities established contacts with the most influential princes in Kazan, Kichi-Ali and Bulat. They believed that it was impossible to continue the ruinous war with Moscow. In addition, they were offended by the fact that Safa-Girey surrounded himself with Nogai and Crimean advisers, pushing aside the Kazan nobility. The patience of the pro-Russian party was overflowing with the Khan’s idea to arrest and execute the entire Russian embassy. This decision led to a new war of extermination with the Russian state. A palace coup took place, almost the entire Kazan nobility came out against Safa-Girey. The Khan fled, the Crimean Tatars and Nogais were deported, and some were executed. A provisional government was created in Kazan.

The Moscow sovereign initially planned to restore Shah-Ali, known for his loyalty to Moscow, to the Kazan throne. He was sent to Nizhny Novgorod, closer to Kazan. However, the Kazan government, led by Princess Kovgar-Shad (sister of the deceased Khan Muhammad-Amin and the only surviving representative of the family of Ulu-Mukhammed, the founder of the Kazan Khanate), and princes Kichi-Ali and Bulat, refused to accept the unpopular ruler among the Tatars. The Kazan people asked Shah-Ali's younger brother Jan-Ali (Yanaley) to be their khan. He was 15 years old at that moment and throughout his short reign (1532-1535) he was under the complete control of Moscow, Princess Kovgar-Shad and Prince Bulat. With the permission of the Moscow Grand Duke Vasily, he married the Nogai princess Syuyumbika, who later played a prominent role in the Kazan state. Thus, a lasting peace and close alliance was established between Moscow and Kazan, which lasted until the death of Vasily Ivanovich.

On the Crimean border

On the border with the Crimean Khanate, during the Russian-Kazan War of 1530-1531, relative calm was maintained, which was occasionally disrupted by attacks from small Tatar detachments. Special attention continued to be paid to the protection of southern Ukraine. The slightest threat caused a quick response. The situation changed by 1533. The enmity of the two brothers, Saadet-Girey and Islam-Girey, unexpectedly ended with the victory of Sahib-Girey (Sahib I Giray, ruled 1532 - 1551), who was supported by the Porte. Saadet-Girey was forced to renounce the throne and leave for Istanbul. And Islam-Girey occupied the throne for only five months.

In August, Moscow received news of the start of a campaign against Rus' by 40 thousand. the Crimean horde, led by the “princes” Islam-Girey and Safa-Girey. The Moscow government did not have accurate information about the direction of movement of the enemy troops, and was forced to take emergency measures to protect the border areas. Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich stood with reserve troops in the village of Kolomenskoye. An army was sent to Kolomna under the command of Prince Dmitry Belsky and Vasily Shuisky. A little later, the regiments of princes Fyodor Mstislavsky, Pyotr Repnin and Pyotr Okhlyabin marched there. From Kolomna the light regiments of Ivan Ovchina Telepnev, Dmitry Chereda Paletsky and Dmitry Drutsky were sent against the Tatar raid detachments.

The Crimean princes, having received information about the advance of Moscow regiments to the border, changed the direction of the attack and attacked the Ryazan land. Crimean troops burned out the suburbs, tried to storm the fortress, but were unable to take the city. The Ryazan land suffered terrible devastation. The light regiment of Dmitry Chereda Paletsky was the first to enter the area of ​​​​operation of the Tatar detachments. Near the village of Bezzubovo, 10 versts from Kolomna, his regiment defeated a Tatar detachment. Then other light regiments came into contact with the enemy. Having met resistance, the Tatar driven detachments retreated to the main forces. The Crimean army attacked the Russian regiments, which were led by Ivan Ovchina Telepnev. The Russian light regiments held out in a difficult battle, but were forced to retreat. The military leaders of the Tatar army, fearing the approach of the main Russian forces, did not pursue the “light commanders” and began to retreat, withdrawing a huge force.

Break with Kazan. War with Safa-Girey

The death of Emperor Vasily (December 3, 1533) significantly complicated the foreign policy situation of the Russian state. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania entered the war with Moscow (Russian-Lithuanian War of 1534-1537), anti-Russian sentiments prevailed in Kazan. In the winter of 1533-1534. Kazan troops ravaged the Nizhny Novgorod and Novgorod lands and took away a large captivity. Then the raids on the Vyatka lands began. The Moscow authorities tried to reason with Kazan, but Khan Jan-Ali, who remained loyal to the Russian state, no longer enjoyed the support of the local nobility. Kazan residents felt the changing situation and the weakening of Moscow. The final break between the Russian state and the Kazan Khanate occurred on September 25, 1534. As a result of a palace coup organized by Princess Kovgar-Shad, Khan Jan-Ali and his Russian advisers were killed. Many leaders of the pro-Russian party were forced to flee to the Moscow state. Safa-Girey, a long-time and staunch enemy of Rus', returned to the Kazan throne.

The accession of Safa-Girey led to the start of a new big war on the Volga. The first serious clashes occurred in the winter of 1535-1536. In December, Tatar detachments, due to the careless service of the Meshchera governors Semyon Gundorov and Vasily Zamytsky, reached Nizhny Novgorod, Berezopolye and Gorokhovets. In January, the Tatars burned Balakhna and retreated when troops under the command of governors Fyodor Mstislavsky and Mikhail Kurbsky were transferred from Murom. However, it was not possible to overtake the main forces of the Kazan Tatars. The Tatars struck another blow at Koryakovo on the Unzha River. This raid ended in failure. Most of the Tatar detachment was destroyed, and the prisoners were executed in Moscow. At the end of July, the Tatars invaded the Kostroma lands, destroying the outpost of Prince Peter the Motley Zasekin on the Kusi River. In the fall of 1536, Tatar and Mari troops invaded the Galician lands.

At the beginning of 1537, the army of the Kazan Khan launched a new offensive. In mid-January, the Tatars unexpectedly came out near Murom and tried to take it on the move. Kazan troops burned out the settlements, but were unable to take the fortress. Three days later, after an unsuccessful siege, they hastily retreated, having received a message about the departure of Russian regiments from Vladimir and Meshchera under the command of Roman Odoevsky, Vasily Sheremetev and Mikhail Kubensky. From the Murom land, the Kazan army moved to Nizhny Novgorod. The Tatars burned the upper settlement, but were repulsed and went down the Volga to their borders. In addition, the sources note the appearance of Tatar and Mari detachments in the vicinity of Balakhna, Gorodets, Galician and Kostroma lands.

The Moscow government, alarmed by the increased activity of the Kazan Tatars and the weak cover of the eastern borders, begins to strengthen the border along the Volga. In 1535, a new fortress stood in Perm. In 1536-1537 build fortresses on the Korega River (Bui-Gorod), in Balakhna, Meshchera, at the mouth of the Uchi (Lubim) River. Fortifications are being updated in Ustyug and Vologda. Temnikov is moved to a new location, and after the fires, defensive structures in Vladimir and Yaroslavl are restored. In 1539, the city of Zhilansky was built on the border of the Galician district (in the same year it was captured and burned). The discharge records of 1537 for the first time contain a list of governors from the Kazan “Ukraine”. The main army under the command of Shah-Ali and Yuri Shein was stationed in Vladimir. In Murom the troops were commanded by Fyodor Mstislavsky, in Nizhny Novgorod by Dmitry Vorontsov, in Kostroma by Andrei Kholmsky, in Galich by Ivan Prozorovsky. Approximately the same deployment of troops at this line remained in subsequent years.

In the spring of 1538, a campaign against Kazan was planned. However, in March, under pressure from the Crimean Khan, the Moscow government began peace negotiations with Kazan. They lasted until the autumn of 1539, when Safa-Girey resumed hostilities and attacked Murom. The Kazan army, reinforced by Nogai and Crimean detachments, devastated the Murom and Nizhny Novgorod lands. At the same time, the Tatar detachment of Prince Chura Narykov devastated the outskirts of Galich and, having destroyed the Zhilinsky town, moved to the Kostroma lands. Russian regiments were sent to Kostroma. A stubborn battle took place at Pless. At the cost of heavy losses (among those killed were 4 Russian commanders), Russian troops were able to put the Tatars to flight and liberate the entire city. In 1540, 8 thousand. Chura Narykov's detachment again devastated the Kostroma lands. The Tatar army was again overtaken by the troops of governors Kholmsky and Gorbaty, but was able to fight back and escape.

On December 18, 1540, the 30,000-strong Kazan army, reinforced by Nogai and Crimean detachments led by Safa-Girey, again appeared under the walls of Murom. The siege lasted two days, the Russian garrison defended the city, but the Tatars captured a large town in the vicinity of the city. Having learned about the approach of the grand ducal regiments from Vladimir, Safa-Girey retreated, ravaging the surrounding villages and partially the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod places.

Military actions alternated with peace negotiations, during which Safa-Girey tried to avoid retaliatory attacks from the Russian army, and then again launched raids on the Moscow state. The Moscow government, disappointed in the ineffective fight against sudden raids of the Kazan Tatars, the pursuit of which was made difficult by forests, relied on the internal Kazan opposition. Moscow tried to eliminate the influence of Crimea, through the hands of the Kazan residents themselves. The search begins for those dissatisfied with the Khan’s policies and the dominance of the Crimean Tatars. The situation was eased by Safa-Girey himself, who accused part of the Kazan nobility of treason and began executions. Princess Kovgar-Shad was one of the first to be executed, then other prominent princes and Murzas were killed. Fear for their lives forced the Kazan nobility to oppose the khan and his Crimean advisers. In January 1546, an uprising began in Kazan. Safa-Girey fled to the Nogai Horde, to his father-in-law Bey Yusuf. The provisional Kazan government led by Chura Narykov, Beyurgan-Seit and Kadysh invited Moscow's protege Shah-Ali to the throne. However, they refused to let him into the city along with the 4 thousand who arrived with him. Russian detachment. Only Shah Ali himself and a hundred Kasimov Tatars were allowed into Kazan. Shah Ali's position was very precarious due to the unpopularity of the new khan. The new Kazan ruler lasted only a month on the throne. Yusuf gave Safa-Girey the Nogai army and he recaptured Kazan. Shah Ali fled to Moscow. War immediately began, which continued until the unexpected death of Safa-Girey in March 1549.

To be continued…

Safa Giray promised Yunus that after seizing power in the Kazan Khanate, he would make Yunus the Mangyt Bek. However, he did not fulfill his promise.

During the reign of Safa Giray, the Chuvash and Mountain Mari accepted Russian citizenship.

Safa Giray - the last outstanding Kazan khan

Khan Safa Giray ruled in the Kazan Khanate until his death, although he was overthrown from the throne twice, and in 1549 he died under unknown circumstances. His two-year-old son became the successor to power Utyamysh Girey, whose mother was Yusuf's daughter Syuyumbike.

As Khudyakov wrote, Safa-Girey was the last outstanding Kazan khan. He was broad-minded and a talented administrator. During his reign, the government managed to rise quite high in the eyes of foreigners.

The khan had two more legitimate sons ( Mubarak And Bulyuk) and one from a Russian concubine. In total, Safa Giray had five wives, but it is especially worth mentioning about Syuyumbik - after all, it was she who was in power as regent while her son was a minor.