Post by Admin on Jun 20, 2024 21:17:00 GMT
Nizhny Novgorod Tatars: ethnic roots and historical destinies
Meshchera - the ancestral home of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars
1. Iski-yurt Meshchera
The history of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars is closely connected with Meshchera. The bulk of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars came from Meshchera. The Mishar people formed here. Not only the ethnonym “Mishar” is associated with Meshchera, but also the local name of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars “Nizhgar” as a consonant variant of the ethnonyms “Majar”, “Machyar” and “Mishar”. A new circle of movements began from Meshchera, spread further and further to the south and east - to the Don region, the Middle Volga region and the Urals and further to Siberia, where the first circle originates. The Tatar-Mishars, who settled in Bashkiria and Orenburg several centuries ago, were long called simply Meshcheryaks.
It is no coincidence that in the 15th century. The second, Turkic name for Meshchera – “iski-yurt” – entered the lexicon. The term “yurt”, meaning courtyard, village, in the 16th-17th centuries. becomes widespread in places of new settlement of Tatars (in particular, in the Don region, Lower Volga region, and later in the Nizhny Novgorod Volga region). In the North Caucasus, the book “Big Drawing” (M.-L. 1950, pp. 50, 91, 147) mentions “Mozharov yurt,” a term similar to “Meshchersky yurt.”
This circumstance requires a special consideration of the history of Meshchera, both the region and the “Meshchera” people. It is necessary to find out what Meshchera is like as a region, how its history developed, what place our ancestors occupied in it, what is the ethnic history of Meshchera. Finally, the question should be answered: “Are those whom we call Nizhny Novgorod Tatars Tatars?”
Meshchera as a region was first mentioned in historical documents in 1298, when it was captured by Bakhmet Useinov's son Shirinsky, who expelled Tsar Makhmet Osan-Ulanov's son Krymskov from Meshchera, along with many princes, Murzas and ordinary Tatars. From him came the family of princes Meshchersky. Bakhmet's son Beklemish, in the baptism of Mikhailo, set up a small town in Meshchera called Andreev, built a church in it and baptized many Tatars with him. Mikhailo had a son, Fyodor, and Fyodor, Yuri. It is said about the latter that he and his regiment participated in the Battle of Kulikovo on the side of Dmitry Ivanovich, where he died.
For the second time, Meshchera was mentioned in 1382 in the Russian chronicle as a land acquired by Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich from the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh, simultaneously with other Oka cities - Tarusa, Murom, N. Novgorod, located from the headwaters to the mouth of the Oka River.
Over time, the idea of Meshchera as a region changed. In ancient times, this concept included both sides of the basin of the middle reaches of the Oka, on the left bank - the eastern part of the Moscow, almost the entire Vladimir province, on the right bank - the Ryazan province. Then it was divided into Russian and Tatar parts - the northern Meshchera became Russian, and the southern - Tatar. Subsequently, Meshchera expands in a southeastern direction, covering the basins of the Tsna and Moksha rivers and the upper reaches of the Don. In the mentioned cases (1298 and 1382) we were already talking about the right bank of the Oka.
In the era of Russian colonization (XVI-XVII), Meshchera meant a relatively small territory located on the extreme southern bend of the middle reaches of the Oka River, including only the lower reaches of the Moksha and Tsna rivers. Considering the important strategic importance of Meshchera, in this territory, in addition to the Kasimov district, Kadomsky, Elatminsky, Shatsky, and Temnikovsky districts were established, although the Meshchera Tatars lived in the upper reaches of the Don, Tsna, Sura, in the basins of the Moksha, Bityug, Khoper rivers. These lands continued to be called Polish Ukraine.
It should be noted that the rule of the Meshchera princes suspended the offensive of the Russian princes on Meshchera, which began at the end of the 12th century, when attempts to capture the Meshchera city of Kadom (1173, 1209) ended in failure. At the same time, this opened the way for the Golden Horde khans, but did not stop the advance of the Christian Church.
The transition of Meshchera to Russian jurisdiction became possible thanks to the pro-Russian orientation of the Meshchera princes. But this meant, first of all, the right to own the city as one of the centers of the Meshchera lands. This is evidenced by the fact that the purchase and sale of Meshchera lands continues even after receiving a label for Meshchera. This was reminiscent of the situation with the transfer of N. Novgorod to Moscow. The Meshchera lands, like the Mordovian ones, remained as a self-governing region within the Golden Horde.
web.archive.org/web/20120608185207/http://kitap.net.ru/orlov4.php
Meshchera - the ancestral home of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars
1. Iski-yurt Meshchera
The history of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars is closely connected with Meshchera. The bulk of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars came from Meshchera. The Mishar people formed here. Not only the ethnonym “Mishar” is associated with Meshchera, but also the local name of the Nizhny Novgorod Tatars “Nizhgar” as a consonant variant of the ethnonyms “Majar”, “Machyar” and “Mishar”. A new circle of movements began from Meshchera, spread further and further to the south and east - to the Don region, the Middle Volga region and the Urals and further to Siberia, where the first circle originates. The Tatar-Mishars, who settled in Bashkiria and Orenburg several centuries ago, were long called simply Meshcheryaks.
It is no coincidence that in the 15th century. The second, Turkic name for Meshchera – “iski-yurt” – entered the lexicon. The term “yurt”, meaning courtyard, village, in the 16th-17th centuries. becomes widespread in places of new settlement of Tatars (in particular, in the Don region, Lower Volga region, and later in the Nizhny Novgorod Volga region). In the North Caucasus, the book “Big Drawing” (M.-L. 1950, pp. 50, 91, 147) mentions “Mozharov yurt,” a term similar to “Meshchersky yurt.”
This circumstance requires a special consideration of the history of Meshchera, both the region and the “Meshchera” people. It is necessary to find out what Meshchera is like as a region, how its history developed, what place our ancestors occupied in it, what is the ethnic history of Meshchera. Finally, the question should be answered: “Are those whom we call Nizhny Novgorod Tatars Tatars?”
Meshchera as a region was first mentioned in historical documents in 1298, when it was captured by Bakhmet Useinov's son Shirinsky, who expelled Tsar Makhmet Osan-Ulanov's son Krymskov from Meshchera, along with many princes, Murzas and ordinary Tatars. From him came the family of princes Meshchersky. Bakhmet's son Beklemish, in the baptism of Mikhailo, set up a small town in Meshchera called Andreev, built a church in it and baptized many Tatars with him. Mikhailo had a son, Fyodor, and Fyodor, Yuri. It is said about the latter that he and his regiment participated in the Battle of Kulikovo on the side of Dmitry Ivanovich, where he died.
For the second time, Meshchera was mentioned in 1382 in the Russian chronicle as a land acquired by Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich from the Golden Horde Khan Tokhtamysh, simultaneously with other Oka cities - Tarusa, Murom, N. Novgorod, located from the headwaters to the mouth of the Oka River.
Over time, the idea of Meshchera as a region changed. In ancient times, this concept included both sides of the basin of the middle reaches of the Oka, on the left bank - the eastern part of the Moscow, almost the entire Vladimir province, on the right bank - the Ryazan province. Then it was divided into Russian and Tatar parts - the northern Meshchera became Russian, and the southern - Tatar. Subsequently, Meshchera expands in a southeastern direction, covering the basins of the Tsna and Moksha rivers and the upper reaches of the Don. In the mentioned cases (1298 and 1382) we were already talking about the right bank of the Oka.
In the era of Russian colonization (XVI-XVII), Meshchera meant a relatively small territory located on the extreme southern bend of the middle reaches of the Oka River, including only the lower reaches of the Moksha and Tsna rivers. Considering the important strategic importance of Meshchera, in this territory, in addition to the Kasimov district, Kadomsky, Elatminsky, Shatsky, and Temnikovsky districts were established, although the Meshchera Tatars lived in the upper reaches of the Don, Tsna, Sura, in the basins of the Moksha, Bityug, Khoper rivers. These lands continued to be called Polish Ukraine.
It should be noted that the rule of the Meshchera princes suspended the offensive of the Russian princes on Meshchera, which began at the end of the 12th century, when attempts to capture the Meshchera city of Kadom (1173, 1209) ended in failure. At the same time, this opened the way for the Golden Horde khans, but did not stop the advance of the Christian Church.
The transition of Meshchera to Russian jurisdiction became possible thanks to the pro-Russian orientation of the Meshchera princes. But this meant, first of all, the right to own the city as one of the centers of the Meshchera lands. This is evidenced by the fact that the purchase and sale of Meshchera lands continues even after receiving a label for Meshchera. This was reminiscent of the situation with the transfer of N. Novgorod to Moscow. The Meshchera lands, like the Mordovian ones, remained as a self-governing region within the Golden Horde.
web.archive.org/web/20120608185207/http://kitap.net.ru/orlov4.php