2025, vol. 13, no. 4. Maslyuzhenko D.N.

2025, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 843-858

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-4.843-858

EDN: https://elibrary.ru/JHOWRX

   THE SHIBANIDS ON THE KAZAN THRONE IN THE 15th CENTURY

D.N. Maslyuzhenko
Kurgan State University
Kurgan, Russian Federation
denmas13@yandex.ru

Abstract. Objective: To identify possible real or imaginary cases of Shibanid rule on the Kazan throne in the 15th century.
Research Materials: The present work is based on the analysis of published sources (chronicles of various origins, the collection of chronicles of Utemish Hadji, dastan Kadir Ali-bek, historical writings of Sayyid-Muhammad Riza and Hurremi Chelebi) and unpublished sources (Siberian chronicle of Ivan Cherepanov).
Results and scientific novelty: In 2007, V.V.Trepavlov proposed the hypothesis of Moscow and Kazan citizenship of the Siberian yurt, which had a significant impact on subsequent historiography. It was built on the basis of an analysis of the embassy and chronicle sources of the 16th century, which reflected precisely the Moscow point of view on this extremely important issue during the annexation of Siberia. However, an analysis of Turkic-language sources of various origins indicates that, on the contrary, they reflected a different narrative: the real or imaginary rights of the 15th-century Shibanid dynasties to the throne of Kazan which, regardless, turned out to be dependent on the Siberian suzerains.
The difficulty of studying this narrative lies in the fact that the full list of such Shibanid rulers on the Kazan throne is available only in the Crimean sources of the 17th century. Here they include such famous political figures of this dynasty as Mahmud Khoja, Khizr, Abul-Khair, Sheikh Haider, Yadigyar, and Eminek, as well as a certain unidentified Bayan Khoja. At the same time, in other sources, none of these khans, except perhaps Abu-l-Khair, was directly related to the Bulgar or the Kazan throne although in different periods they acted as leaders of all the Sibanids. Apparently, this made them potential rulers of the Kazan yurt, especially before the formation of an independent dynasty there in the late 1430s and the first half of the 1440s.
Beyond the information of Crimean historians, there were more factual cases of occupation of the Kazan throne or some lands there by representatives of the Tyumen ruling Shibanid dynasty in the person of Hadji Muhammad and his grandchildren, Ibrahim and Mamuk. At the same time, the Siberian chronicle tradition of the late 17th and 18th centuries also reflected other views on this issue which, on the contrary, can be interpreted as a possible dependence of Kazan on Siberia.
Undoubtedly, this raises the question of the possible bias of political views, reflected in written sources, regarding the rulers’ claims to an important political symbol of power in the post-Horde world.

Keywords: Kazan Khanate, Kazan, Bulgar, Shibanids, Tyumen Khanate, Chimgi-tura, Turkic sources, Russian chronicles

For citation: Maslyuzhenko D.N. The Shibanids on the Kazan throne in the 15th century. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2025, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 843–858. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-4.843-858 (In Russian)

REFERENCES

  1. Aksanov A.V. Khan Mamuk’s campaign against Kazan in the light of the official Russian chronicle of the 16th century. In: Medieval Turkic-Tatar states. Collection of articles. Iss. 2. Kazan: Ikhlas, 2010, pp. 40–43. (In Russian)
  2. Aksanov A.V. On the issue of the power of the Shibanids in the Bulgar ulus on the eve of the formation of the Kazan Khanate. In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar states of Western Siberia. Materials of the III All-Russian (with international participation) scientific conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2017, pp. 46–49. (In Russian)
  3. Akhmedov B.A. The state of nomadic Uzbeks. Moscow: Nauka, Central Department of Oriental Literature, 1965, 196 p. (In Russian)
  4. Validi Togan A. History of Bashkirs. Ufa, Kitap, 2010. 352 p. (In Russian)
  5. Vorotyntsev L.V. The Northern transcontinental trade route in the Mongolian epoch (13th–15th centuries)]. Vestnik of Tomsk State University. History. 2019, no. 62, pp. 19–26. (In Russian)
  6. The Golden Horde in the sources. Arab and Persian writings. R.P. Khrapacheskiy [comp., introductory article and comments]. Vol. 1. Moscow, 2003. 448 p. (In Russian)
  7. Extract from the Turkish manuscript of the Society containing the history of the Crimean Khans. In: Notes of the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities. 1. 1884, pp. 379–392. (In Russian)
  8. Ioviy P. The Embassy from Vasily Ivanovich, Grand Prince of Moscow to Pope Clement VII. In: Library of foreign writers about Russia. 1. St. Petersburg, 1836, pp. 28–31. (In Russian)
  9. Iskhakov D.M. On the problem of ethnic and political ties between the Turks of Western Siberia and the Volga-Ural region in the XV century. In: Turkic peoples. Proceedings of the V-th Siberian Symposium “Cultural Heritage of the peoples of Western Siberia”. Tobolsk-Omsk: Omsk State Pedagogical University, 2002, pp. 173–181. (In Russian)
  10. Iskhakov D.M. Siberia and the Volga region. In: Tyumen and Siberian Khanates. Kazan: Kazan Federal University, 2018, pp. 92–98. (In Russian)
  11. Iskhakov D.M., Tychinskikh Z.A. On the shibanid “trace” in the Bulgar vilayet of the ulus of Jochi. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2013, 2, pp. 128–145. (In Russian)
  12. Kazan history. Moscow-Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences Publ., 1954. 195 p. (In Russian)
  13. Kyrymi Abulgaffar. Umdet ar-akbar. Book 2.: Translation. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2018. 200 p. (In Russian)
  14. Maslyuzhenko D.N. Khans Mahmud Khoja and Hadji Muhammad, or the “ulus of Shiban” in the first quarter of the XV century. In: Questions of the history and archeology of medieval nomads and the Golden Horde. Collection of scientific articles in memory of V.P. Kostyukov. Astrakhan: Astrakhan State University, 2011, pp. 88–101. (In Russian)
  15. Maslyuzhenko D.N. Political activity of the Siberian Sibanids in the first quarter of the 16th century (by correspondence with Moscow). In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar states of Western Siberia. Materials of the international conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2011, pp. 62–68. (In Russian)
  16. Maslyuzhenko D.N. South-Western Siberia in the part of the Jochi Ulus: the dynastic affiliation. In: History, Economics and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar States of the Western Siberia. Proceedings of the 3rd all-Russian (with international participation) scientific conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2017, pp. 15–21 (In Russian)
  17. Maslyuzhenko D.N. The “Siberian Tsardom” as a Concept in Russian Chronicles and Ambassadorial Documents of the second half of the sixteenth century. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2021, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 374–394. https://doi.org/
    22378/2313-6197.2021-9-2.374-394 (In Russian)
  18. Maslyuzhenko D.N., Ryabinina E.A. Siberian-Moscow relations. In: Tyumen and Siberian khanates. Kazan: Kazan Federal University, 2018, pp. 116–130. (In Russian)
  19. Maslyuzhenko D.N., Ryabinina E.A. The territory of the Tyumen and Siberian khanate on Western European maps of the XVI-early XVII centuries. In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar States of Western Siberia. Materials of the IV all-Russian (national) scientific conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2020, pp. 23–26. (In Russian)
  20. Maslyuzhenko D.N., Ryabinina E.A., Shusharina I.A. The dynasty of the Ishim Khans in the Chronicle of Siberia by Tobolsk coachman I.L.Cherepanov in 1760: publication of a source and some comments. In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar states of Western Siberia. Proceedings of the V All-Russian (National) Scientific Conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2023, pp. 3–10. (In Russian)
  21. Matveev A.V., Tataurov S.F. Ways of communication of Siberian khanates. Vestnik of Omsk University. 2011, no, 3, pp. 95–101. (In Russian)
  22. Materials on the history of the Kazakh khanate in the 15th-18th centuries (extract from the Persian and Turkic writings). Ed. Suleymenov B. Alma-Ata: Nauka, 1969. 655 p. (In Russian)
  23. Miller G.F. History Of Siberia. Vol. 1. Moscow: Vostochnaia literatura, 1999. 630 p. (In Russian)
  24. Mirgaleev I.M. The message of the Successor of “Chingiz-namè” of Temisha-Hadji late Shibanids. In: History, Economics and culture of a medieval Turko-Tatar States in Western Siberia. Materials of the II Russian scientific conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2014, pp. 64–66 (In Russian)
  25. Mustakimov I.A. On the question of the history of the Nogai presence in the Kazan yurt. In: National history of the Tatars: a theoretical and methodological introduction. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2009, pp. 185–189. (In Russian)
  26. Mustakimov I.A. Possessions of Shiban and Shibanids in the 13th–15th centuries. according to some Arabic sources. In: Medieval Turkic-Tatar states. Collection of articles. Iss. 2. Kazan: Ikhlas, 2010, pp. 21–32. (In Russian)
  27. Parunin A.V. The political history of the Tyumen Khanate in 1430–1508. Chelyabinsk: Southern Ural Public Foundation, 2023. 247 p. (In Russian)
  28. Pochekaev R.Y. Polyarchy in the Shaibanid state (experience of complex analysis). Numizmatika Zolotoy Ordy. 2014, no. 4, pp. 126–130. (In Russian)
  29. Rahim A. New lists of Tatar chronicles. In: Problems of the history of Kazan: a modern view. Collection of articles. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2004, pp. 555–594. (In Russian)
  30. Reva R.Y. Shibanid Khans and their coins. In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar states of Western Siberia. Materials of the III All-Russian (with international participation) scientific conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2017, pp. 25–36. (In Russian)
  31. Reva R.Yu., Tishin V.V. “Kara Tavarikh” as a source about the first rulers of the Vilayet of Tura (in comparison with numismatic data). In: History, economy and culture of the medieval Turkic-Tatar states of Western Siberia. Materials of the IV All-Russian (national) Scientific Conference. Kurgan: Kurgan State University, 2020, pp. 40–51. (In Russian)
  32. Riza Sayyid-Mohammed. Seven planets in the news about the Tartar Tsars. Book 1: Transliteration. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2019. 364 p. (In Russian)
  33. Sabitov J.M. Khizr Khan: chronology of his reign. Nauchny Vestnik Stolitsy. 2011, nos. 4-6, pp. 109–111. (In Russian)
  34. The Siberian Chronicles. The publication of the Imperial archaeographic Commission. St. Peterburg: Tipografiia I.N. Skorokhodova, 1907. 462 p. (In Russian)
  35. Trepavlov V.V. The History Of The Nogai Horde. Moscow: Vostochnaia literatura, 2002. 752 p. (In Russian)
  36. Trepavlov V.V. Moscow and Kazan “allegiance” of Siberian Yurt. In: X Suley­manovskie readings. The collection of materials of Russian scientific-practical conference. Tumen: CITY PRESS, 2007, pp. 101–102. (In Russian)
  37. Tychinskikh Z.A., Turova N.P., Muratova S.R. Tobol-Tura: on the Siberian cities of the middle ages. In: Integration of archaeological and ethnographic research. Omsk: Nauka, 2018, pp. 136–140. (In Russian)
  38. Utemish-khadzhi. Kara tavarih. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2017, 312 p. (In Russian)
  39. Khisamieva Z.A. The language of Kadyr Ali-bek dastans. Kazan: Marjani Institute of History of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, 2022. 244 p. (In Russian)

INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Denis N. Maslyuzhenko – Cand. Sci. (History), Associate Professor, Director of the Institute of Humanities, Kurgan State University (63, building 4, Sovetskaya Str., Kurgan 640020, Russian Federation); ORCID: 0000-0001-8302-1277, ResearcherID: J-9551-2017. E-mail: denmas13@yandex.ru

Received  15.09.2025
Revised  19.11.2025
Accepted  02.12.2025