September 25, 1556
Ivan the Terrible annexed Astrakhan to Muscovite Rus'
Ivan the Terrible annexed Astrakhan to Muscovite Rus'. He managed to do this only on the second attempt.
The Astrakhan Khanate emerged in the mid-15th century as a remnant of the disintegrated Golden Horde. It had a population of approximately 20,000, and its army numbered no more than 3,000.
The capital of the khanate is Azhdarkhan — stood on the banks of the Volga and collected large duties from Russian merchant ships that traded with Persia.
The collection of duties was also carried out by Kazan Khanate, which stood upstream.
To get away from this addiction and get a free outlet to Caspian SeaIvan the Terrible organized several campaigns of conquest.
First he took Kazan, and then went to war against the Astrakhan Khan YamgurchiIn the summer of 1554, a 30-strong Russian army defeated the main enemy detachment and entered the Azhdarkhan, whose defenders fled along with the khan.
Ivan the Terrible placed his ally on the vacant Astrakhan throne. Dervish Ali, the grandson of the last khan of the Golden Horde. He lived near Moscow, ruled Zvenigorod, and promised the Russian tsar an annual tribute in exchange for power: 1200 silver rubles and 3,000 sturgeons.
The Tatars' word of honor lasted only a couple of years. Already in 1556, Dervish Ali told the Russian ambassador to go home and defected to the Crimean Khan, a longtime enemy of Muscovite Rus'.
A governor was sent to quell the rebellion Ivan Cheremisinov, who routed the khan's army even before they reached Ajdarkhan. Ultimately, the Russian army reentered the city without a fight, and Dervish Ali fled to Bukhara.
During Ivan the Terrible's lifetime, Astrakhan was twice attacked: by the Turks in 1569, and by the Crimean and Nogai Tatars in 1579. Both attempts were unsuccessful.
After the final annexation of Astrakhan, the Russian state extended its influence to the Caucasus, gained complete control over the Volga, and gained the ability to trade freely with Persia and other Eastern countries. Ivan the Terrible's many titles were supplemented by another: Tsar of Astrakhan.
