Yermak’s Campaign in Siberia: A selection of documents translated from the Russian by Tatiana Minorsky and David Wileman

by Terence E. Armstrong (Editor)

The Russian conquest of Siberia was an event of which the consequences have only slowly become apparent. Already great, they may come to dominate much of our world; with today’s technology, a resource base of this size and richness confers immense power on the owner. The conquest was a gradual process of absorption. But if one had to assign a time and place for its start, then one would certainly choose the campaign of Yermak in the 1580’s. This enterprise was by no means wholly successful, and probably fewer than a thousand Russians participated in it. But it was the first entry in force into Siberia, and Russian historians have long regarded it as crucial. Among English-speakers, the events are not so well known. The object of this book is to provide the reader of English with translations of the most important documents relating to the campaign. There are several narrative accounts, collectively known as the Siberian the Stroganov, Yesipov; Remezov and New chronicles. The Remezov chronicle, written about 1700, is illustrated with 154 pen and ink drawings. These are of great historical and artistic interest, for very few Russian drawings of this period survive. All are reproduced here. The collection of documents is rounded out with seven charters or decrees of Ivan IV relating to the advance across the Urals. Dr Armstrong's introduction provides background on Muscovy's eastern frontier in the 16th century; the Stroganov family; the Cossacks, in particular Yermak Timofeyevich and his band; routes across the Urals; non-Russian peoples encountered; and the authorship and provenance of the chronicles. Mr William Harrison contributes an essay on Yermak as folk-hero. The frontispiece and map 1 are now printed at the end of the volume.

Genres: History

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Andrew Davis]

Just a few weeks ago I purchased a whole set of The Hakluyt Society published books, and this is the first one I have just finished.

Yermak’s Campaign in Siberia is a documentary history of the late sixteenth-century expedition that opened the way for Russian expansion across Siberia. Edited by Terence Edward Armstrong, the volume gathers and translates several of the most important early Russian accounts of the campaign led by Yermak Timofeyevich against the Siberian Khanate of Kuchum Khan. Rather than presenting a single continuous narrative, the book juxtaposes competing chronicles—especially those associated with the Stroganov family, Savva Yesipov, and Semyon Remezov—allowing readers to see how the same events were interpreted differently depending on political, religious, and cultural priorities. The campaign itself is depicted as a hazardous frontier venture driven by a mixture of commercial ambition, Cossack adventurism, and emerging Muscovite imperial interests.

This is not a conventional narrative monograph but a documentary compilation: translations of key early Russian sources (chronicles, charters, folklore materials) relating to Yermak Timofeyevich. Around 1581–1582, he led a band of Cossacks eastward across the Ural Mountains, probably with support from the wealthy Stroganov family, whose frontier lands were threatened by raids from the Siberian Khanate. Travelling through river systems that functioned as the highways of northern Eurasia, Yermak’s force defeated troops loyal to Kuchum Khan and captured the Khanate’s capital, Qashliq. Although Yermak himself later died during a counterattack and his expedition was precarious rather than decisive in military terms, it demonstrated that Muscovy could penetrate and eventually dominate the vast Siberian territories beyond the Urals.

Historically, the voyage matters less for the scale of the expedition than for its consequences. It became the symbolic beginning of the Russian conquest of Siberia, opening access to immense fur resources, river networks, and eventually the Pacific. In that sense, Yermak’s voyage occupies a place in Russian history somewhat analogous to the early Spanish in the Americas: a relatively small expedition whose symbolic and geopolitical effects far exceeded its immediate scale.

[Royce Ratterman]

I found this work of immense interest.
The compilation of historical accounts along with descriptive and informative footnotes, are of great value.
Explanations, including varying scholarly views and the plethora of ancient artworks depicting the material related in this book are fabulous.
Read for personal research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Ethan Mckenzie]

This is a series of translations, so not much really to review- they are concise and seem well done, with many helpful footnotes.