Those who are interested in the history of Russia in the Middle Ages and Modern times are probably aware of the Kasimov Khanate, a state formation that existed in the 15-17 centuries on the territory of the present Ryazan region. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it played a very important role in the formation and strengthening of the Muscovite state, which became the Russian Empire in the 18th century.

The question of the origin and status of this quasi-state entity is still debatable. The answer to it is hampered by the fact that so far no direct legislative acts on the formation of the khanate itself have been found. Therefore, some historians consider the Kasimov Khanate to be something like a feudal land allotment, a principality granted to the Tatar "prince" - Chingizid Kasim, who transferred from the Horde to serve the Grand Duke of Moscow and which all subsequent khans owned as a fiefdom. Others believe that it was a quasi-state with its own attributes of power, including the khan's court, which was in charge of the internal administration of this territory.

At the same time, a connection is being built between the Kasimov Khanate and the former ulus of Mokhshi, a Golden Horde state-territorial formation that existed in the 14-15 centuries on the Oka River near Kasimov.

The reason for the creation of the Kasimov Khanate as a territorial and political structure is the confrontation with the post-Horde states on the territory of the Great Steppe. As you know, the Russian princes were not Genghisides by birth, therefore their power status was lower than that of all the rulers of neighboring post-Horde states, and therefore, entering the struggle former territories of the Horde, in order to legitimize their claims to them, it was necessary to have "their own", loyal Genghisides – fortunately there was no shortage of them.

Since such a struggle was going on everywhere, one of its results was the exodus of individual representatives of various khan families who were defeated in it from the Great Steppe. He went not only to the territory of Muscovy, but also to Lithuania (Tokhtamysh), and to the growing strength of the Ottoman Empire (Mengli-Girey, Saadet-Girey).

The Kasimov Khanate became a place of concentration of fugitive Chingizids from various post-Horde states, starting with Kasim, who unsuccessfully fought for the Kazan throne. At different times, the Kasimov Khanate was ruled by representatives of the Kazan branch of the Chingizids (Kasim and his son Daniyar), the Crimean (Nur-Davlet and his sons Satylgan and Janai), the Greater Horde (Sheikh-Auliyar and his sons Shah-Ali and Jan-Ali, as well as widely famous Sain-Bulat (Simeon Bekbulatovich), Mustafa-Ali, Siberian (Arslan Khan, Sain-Bulat, Fatima-Sultan).

All of the above figures were used by Muscovy in building political relations with the same post-Horde states - the Kazan, Crimean and Siberian khanates. Shah-Ali and Jan-Ali even managed to be pro-Moscow Kazan khans.

The troops of the Kasimov khans were involved in all the wars of the Muscovite state against its neighbors: the Great Horde, the Crimean and Kazan khanates, Lithuania. Detachments of the Kasimov Tatars took an active part in the hostilities during the Time of Troubles - a civil war that broke out at the beginning of the 17th century, accompanied by foreign intervention.

Since the seizure of power by the boyar family of the Romanovs in the Russian state, a general political course has been taken to minimize the heterodox element in the power structures. With regard to the Kasimov Khanate, this was reflected in the curtailment of the powers of the khan, who gradually turned into a nominal figure, and real power flowed to the royal stolniks and governors appointed to Kasimov. In 1681, with the death of Fatima Sultan, the last ruler of the Kasimov Khanate, it was actually abolished and Kasimov became a county town.

Kasimov's serving Tatars became the founders of many noble Tatar families who joined the Russian nobility, including those who remained faithful to the fan of their fathers - Islam. Among them: Shakulovs, Alyshevs, Kikichevs, Semineevs, Tenishevs. Karamyshevs, Kudashevs, Mansyrevs and others.

In the 19th century, Kasimov was one of the centers of Islamic education in the Upper Volga region and nearby Mordovia and Chuvashia. It was there that the future mullahs from the Mishar villages went for knowledge.

It is worth noting that the Kasimov Khanate was an artificial political entity and could not take root deeply in the territory allotted to it. Its emergence and disappearance lay in line with the current state policy. Its changes and reorientation towards cooperation with the West put an end to its existence.

bbabo.Net