CZM Book Club: "Yermak, the Conqueror of Siberia" by Leo Tolstoy

nineteen seventeen. And there's this one character who's loomed larger in the background of that story, larger than any other. And it's not Rasputen, it's Leo Tolstoy. Well, he's loomed the largest without taking center stage, at least as a

political thinker. He's loomed really large because Leo Tolstoy, one of the most famous novelists of all time, didn't quite start the Christian pacifist anarchist movement that was all the rage in Russia the nineteenth century, but instead he had become its central theorist and the most influential propagandist of it.

And so he's just like woven his way through all of these narratives and soon enough, with Coolson Media book Club and with my own cool people did cool stuff, I'll be leaving Mother Russia behind and learning about and talking about other places. But I figured last week I told Cossack fairy tales, and today I'm going to read a folk story written by Tolstoy himself that's about the Cossacks, and it's kind of about the origin of the Cossacks

politically within Russia. I found this story from eighteen ninety nine in a book called Fables for Children, and if this is the stuff that children were reared on, it sort of explains a thing or two about how Russia went pretty immediately after. It's a story called Yurmak, the Conqueror of Siberia. It's set in the sixteenth century in Russia. Well it's not Russia at the time, it's Siberia at the time time until it becomes Russia that see the

title conquer Siberias, but a guy who conquered Siberia. I like this story one because it's kind of fun, well my version of fun, and because I think it's useful to help people understand how colonization is older than the concepts of the state, how everywhere is conquered in controlled space. How capitalism has been part of colonization since before capitalism was even a word. And also the story reads is something between a Conan and Wild West adventure, only written

by a Christian anarchist pacifist novelist. In Russia, here it is You're Mac the Conqueror of Siberia by Leo Tolstoy. In the reign of Ivan Vasilovich the Terrible, there were the rich Mertens, the Stroganovs, and they lived in perm on the River Kama. They heard that along the River Kama, in a circle of one hundred and forty versts of verses about two thirds of a mile, there was good land. The soil had not been plowed for centuries, the forests

had not been cut down for centuries. In the forests were many wild animals, and along the river fish lakes, and no one was living on that land, but only Tartars passed through it. The Stroganovs wrote a letter to the Tsar, Give us this land, and we will ourselves build towns there and gather people and settle them there, and will not allow the Tartars to pass through it. The Tsar agreed to it and gave them the land. The Stroganovs sent out clerks to gather people, and there

came to them a large number of roving people. Whoever came received from the Stroganov's land forest and cattle, and no tenant pay was collected. All they had to do was live and in the case of need, to go out in mass to fight the Tartars. Thus the land was settled by Russian people. About twenty years past. The Stroganovs grew richer yet, and that land one hundred and forty fives surround was not enough for them. They wanted

to have more land. Still, About one hundred versts from them were high mountains, the Ural mountains, and beyond them they had heard there was good land, and to that land there was no end. This land was ruled by a small Siberian prince, Kuchum by name. In former days, Kuchum had sworn allegiance to the Russian Tsar, but later he began to rebel, and he threatened to destroy Stroganov's towns. So the Stroganovs wrote to the Tsar, you have given us land, and we have conquered it and turned it

over to you. Now the Thievish tsarling Kuchum is rebellion against you and wants to take that land away and ruin us. Command us to take possession of the land beyond the Ural mountains. We will conquer Kuchum and bring all his land under your rule. The Tsar assented and wrote back, if you have sufficient force, take the land away from Kuchum, only do not entice many people away

from Russia. When the Stroganovs got that letter from the Tsar, they sent out to collect more people, and they ordered them to persuade mostly the Cossacks from Volga and the Dawn to come. At that time, many Cossacks were roving along the Volga and the Dawn. They used to gather in bands of two, three or six hundred men and to select an ottoman, and to row down in barges to capture ships and rob them. And for the winter

they stayed in little towns on the shore. The clerks arrived at the Volga, and there they asked who the famous Cossacks of the region were. They were told, there are many Cossacks. It is impossible to live for them. There is Mishka, Tchernishenin and Sarasmin. But there's no fiercer one than yar Maktimofitch the Ottoman. He has a thousand men, and not only the merchants and the people are afraid of him. But even the Czarin army does not dare

to cope with him. And the clerks went to Ermak the Ottoman and began to persuade him to go to the Stroganovs. Ermak received the clerks, listened to their speeches, and promised to come with his people about the time of the assumption of the Blessed Virgin. Near the holiday of the Assumption, there came to the Stroganov six hundred Cossacks with their ottoman Yermak Timofitch, and at first Stroganov

sent them against their neighboring Tartars. The Cossacks annihilated them. Then, when nothing was doing, the Cossacks roved in the neighborhood and robbed. So Stroganov sent for Yermach and said, I will not keep you any longer if you are going to be so wanton. But Jermach said, I do not like it myself, but I cannot control my people. They are spoiled. Give us work to do so Stroganov said, go beyond the Ural and fight the Kuchum and take possession of his land. The Tsar will reward you for it,

and he showed the Tsar's letter to Ermach. Irmach rejoiced and collected his men and said, you are shaming me before my master. You are robbing without reason. If you do not stop, he will drive you away. And where will you go? Then at the Volga there is a large Tzarin army. We shall be caught, and then we shall suffer for our old misdeeds. But if you feel lonesome, here is work for you. And he showed them the Tsar's letter, in which it was said that Stroganov had

been permitted to conquer land beyond the Earl. The Cossacks had a consultation and agreed to go. Yermak went to Stroganov, and they began to deliberate how they had best go. They discussed how many barges they needed, how much grain, cattle, guns, powder led, how many captive Tartar interpreters, how many foreigners as masters of gunnery. Stroganov thought, though it may cost me much, I must give them everything, or else they

will stay here and ruin me. Stroganov agreed to everything, gathered what was needed, and fitted out Yermak and the Cossacks. On the first of September, the Cossacks rode with Yermak up the river to Savayah on thirty two barges with twelve men in each. For four days they rode up the river, and then they turned into the Seabernaya River.

Beyond that point it was impossible to navigate. They asked the guides and learned that from there they had to cross the mountains and walk overland about two hundred versts, and then the rivers would begin again. The Cossacks stopped, built a town and unloaded all their equipment. They abandoned the boats, made carts, put everything upon them, and started overland across the mountains. All those places were covered with forests, and nobody was living there. They marched for about ten

days and struck the river Zaranaya. There they stopped again and made themselves boats. They landed, they loaded them and rowed down the river. They rowed five days, and then they came to more cheerful places, meadows, forests, lakes. There they had plenty of fish and animals and animals that had not been scared by hunters. They rowed another day and sailed into the river Tura. Along the Tura, they

came upon Tartar people and towns. RMK sent some Cossacks to take a look at a town to see what it was like and whether there was any considerable force in it. Twenty cossacks went there, and they frightened all the Tartars and seized the whole town and captured all the cattle. Some of the Tartars they killed, and others they brought back a live. Yurmak asked the Tartars through his interpreters what kind of people they were and under

whose rule they were living. The Tartars said that they were in the Siberian Kingdom and that their king was Kuchum. Yumak let the Tartars go, but three of the more intelligent he took with him to show him the road they rode on. The farther they rode, the larger did the river grow. And the farther they went, the better did the places become. They met more and more people, only they were not strong men. And all the towns

that were near the river, the Cossacks conquered. In one town, they captured a large number of Tartars and one old man who was held in respect. They asked him what kind of a man he was, and he said, I am Tazik, a servant of my king Kuchum, who has made me a commander in this town. Yermak asked Tazak about his king, how far his city of Cyber was, whether Kuchum had a large force, whether he had much wealth.

Tazak told him everything. He said, Kuchum is the first king in the world of Cyber is the largest city in the world. In that city, he said, there are as many people and as many cattle as there are stars in the heaven. There is no counting his force, and not all the kings in the world can conquer him. But you know what can conquer you is advertising gets into everyone's heads, slips into the middle of stories. And

we're back. Yermak said, we Russians have come here to conquer your king and take his city and put it into the hands of the Russians. Are we have a large force. Those who have come with me are only the advance guard. Those that are rowing down behind us in barges are numberless, and all of them have guns. Our guns pierce trees, not like your bows and arrows. Just look, and Yrmak fired at a tree and pierced it. The Cossacks began and to shoot on all sides. Tazak,

in fright, fell on his knees. Yrmak said to him, go to your king Kutchum and tell him what you have seen. Let him surrender, and if he does not, we will destroy him. And he dismissed Tazik. The Cossacks rode on. They sailed into the river Tobul and were getting nearer to the city of Cyber. They sailed up a small river, Babasan, and there they saw a small town on its bank, and around the town a large number of Tartars. They sent an interpreter to the Tartars

to find out what kind of people they were. The interpreter returned and said, that is Kuchum's army that has gathered there. The leader of that army is Kuchum's own son in law, Mametku. He has commanded me to tell you that you must return or else he will destroy you. Urmak gathered as Cossacks landed on the bank and began to shoot at the Tartars. The moment the Tartars are the shooting, they began to run. The Cossacks ran after them and killed some and captured others. Mametku barely escaped.

The Cossacks sailed on. They sailed into a broad rapid river, the irtysh Down Irtysh River. They sailed for a day and came to a fair town, where they stopped. The Cossacks went to the town. As they were coming near, the Tartars began to shoot their arrows and wounded three Cossacks. Then Irmak sent an interpreter to tell the Tartars that they must surrender the town or else they would all be killed. The interpreter went and he returned and said,

here lives Kuchum's servant at Tikmerza Kharchara. He has a large force, and he says he will not surrender the town. Yarmak gathered the Cossacks and said, boys, if we do not take this town, the Tartars will rejoice and will not let us pass on. The more we strike them with terror, the easier it will be land all and attack them all at once. So they did. There were many Tartars there, and they were brave. When the Cossacks rushed at them, the Tartars began to shoot their arrows.

They covered the Cossacks with them. Some were killed and some wounded. The Cossacks became enraged, and when they got to the Tartars, they killed all that they could lay their hands on. In this town, the Cossacks found much property, cattle, rugs, furs, and honey. They buried the dead, rested themselves, took away much property, and sailed on. They did not sail far when they saw on the shore like a city, an endless number of troops, and the whole army surrounded by

a ditch, and the ditch protected by timber. The Cossacks stopped. They deliberated. Earmot gathered a circle around him. Well, boys, what shall we do? The Cossacks were frightened. Some said that they ought to sail past, while others said they ought to go back, and others said they should take advantage of these sweet, sweet deals. God, I yep, your's ads, and we're back. They look gloomy and began to scold Irmak.

They said, why did you bring us here? Already a few of ours have been killed, and many have been wounded, and all of us will perish here. They began to weep. But Rmak said to his Subottoman Ivan Colsteau, well, Vanya, what do you think? And Colstou said what do I think? If they do not kill us today, they will tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, we shall die anyway on the oven. In my opinion, we ought to go out in the shore and rush in a body against the Tartars. Maybe

God will give us victory. Irmak said, you are a brave man, Vanya. That is what must be done. Oh you boys, you are not cossacks but old woman. All you are good for is to catch sturgeon and frighten Tartar women. Can't you see for yourselves? If we turn back, we shall be destroyed. If we stay here, they will destroy us. How can we go back? After a little work, it will come easier. Listen, boys, My father had a

strong mare. Downhill, she would pull. In an uneven place, she would pull, but when it came to going uphill, she became stubborn and turned back, thinking it would be easier. But my father took a club and belabored her with it. She twisted and tugged and broke the whole cart. My father on hitched her from the cart and gave her a terrible whacking. If she had pulled the cart, she would have suffered no torment. So it is with us, boys. There is only one thing left for us to do,

and that is to make straight for the Tartars. The Cossacks laughed and said, Timofitch, you are evidently more clever than we are. You have no business to ask us fools. Take us where you please. A man does not die twice, and one death cannot be escaped. And your Mak said, listen, boys, this is what we shall do. They have not yet seen us all. Let us divide into three parts. Those in the middle will march straight against them, and the other two divisions will surround them on the right and

on the left. When the middle detachment begins to walk toward them, they will think that we are all there, and so they will leap forward. Then we will strike them from the sides the way. Boys, if we beat these, we shall not have to be afraid of anybody. We shall ourselves be kings. And so they did. When the middle detachment with Yermak advance, the Tartars screamed and leaped forward. Then they were attacked by even Colsteaux on the side

and by Meshcheryakov, the Attaman on the left. The Tartars were frightened and ran. The Cossacks killed a great many of them. After that, nobody dared to oppose your Mak. Thus he entered the city of Sibir, and there Rmak settled down as though he were a king. Then Kinglets came to see Rmak and bowed to him. Tartars began to settle down in Sibir, and Kuchem and his son in law Mamat Koul were afraid to go straight at him, but kept going around in a circle, wondering how they

might destroy him. In the spring, during high water, the Tartars came running to your Mok and said, Mamatkoul is going against us. He has gathered a large army and is making a stand near the river vargay Yrmak made his way over rivers, swamps, brooks and forests, stole up with his cossacks, rushed against Mamat Koul, killed a large number of Tartars, and took Mamotkoul alive and brought him

to Sibir. After that there were only a few unruly Tartars left, and yr Mak went that summer against those who had not yet surrendered, and along the Irtish in the ab Yrmak conquered so much land that one could not march around it. In two months, when Yermak had conquered all that land, he sent a messenger to the Stroganovs and a letter. I have taken Kuchum city, he said, and have captured Mamat Koul and have brought all the people here under my rule. Only I have lost many Cossacks.

Send people to us that we might feel more cheerful. There is no end to the wealth in this country. He sent them many costly furs, fox marten and sable furs. Two years passed after that. Hyrmak was still holding Sibir, but no aid came from Russia, and a few Russians were left with Irmak. One day, the Tartar Karacha sent a messenger to your Mak, saying, we have surrendered to you, but now the Nogays are oppressing us. Send your brave

men to aid us. We shall together conquer the Nogays, and we swear to you that we shall not insult your brave men. Yurmak believed their oath and sent forty men under Ivan Costeau. When these forty men came there, the Tartars rushed against them and killed them, and there were still fewer Cossacks left. Another time, some Bukhara merchants sent word to Yrmak that they were on their way to the city of Sibir with goods, but that Kuchem had taken his stand with an army and would not

let them pass through. Yrmak took with him fifty men and went out to clear the road for the Bukhara merchants. He came to the Irtysh River, but did not find the Bukharans. He remained there over night. It was a dark knight and it rained. The Cossacks are just lain down to sleep, when suddenly the Tartars rushed out and threw themselves on the sleepy men and began to strike them down. Irmak jumped up and began to fight. He was wounded in the hand. He ran toward the river.

The Tartars after him. He into the river. That was the last time he was seen. His body was not recovered and no one found out how he died. The following year came the Tsar's army and the Tartars were pacified. The end. What a good story for kids, I, you know,

can't imagine any other story I'd rather tell children. And the thing I find interesting about it, There's so many things I find interesting about it, and one of them is that, like, Okay, this is you know, presented as a story for kids, because your Mak, the conqueror of Siberia, was almost certainly a real person, but he also is completely shrouded in mystery. And the first sources, the original sources, there's a word here that I should know, and I

normally do know. The prime sources are contradictory and not conclusive. And I'm, you know, haven't done a wild deep dive into this particular historical figure or time. But I just I find it so interesting. I find how this story feels like it kind of be anywhere in the world so fascinating to me. For a full blown history episode, I'll go deeper on my sources in Wikipedia, but for now I'm going to reference the Wikipedia page on the historical Yarmak. I've talked a lot of my podcasts recently

about the Cossacks. How culturally that label meant something between the name of an ethnic group and the name for mercenary groups of bandits loyal to the czar. And I had no idea where that had come from, right, that was just always presented as like, oh, of course the Cossacks, you know, they're loyal to the czar, even though they're

this nomadic people who do war. I'll probably not get into the nomadic war machine concept by delusion quatari, but this story is like the best example and I've ever seen in my life. If you ever want to lose yourself to strange continental philosophy that reads like poetry and halfway makes sense, read nomadology by losing kwatari about the

concept of the nomadic war machine. And anyway, and so this story, not this version of it, but your mock and this conquering is where the distinction came from about what Cossacks mean in sort of more modern contexts. To quote Wikipedia, your mock transformed the image of the Cossack overnight from a bandit to a soldier recognized by the

Czar of Moscow. Your Mack's call for aid thus spawned a new type of Cossack, which by virtue of its link to the government, would enjoy significant favor from future Russian rulers. And so you have this idea. Oh, I said, I wasn't going to get into the nomadic war machine, but here I am doing it. There's this idea. It's a philosophical idea. It's not a like true, guaranteed science. Thing that we tend to think of violence is the

thing that the state does. But there's this idea that the thing that does the violence is often a force that's outside the state, and specifically, it's often a nomadic war machine. It is a tool that is used by the state to enact violence. And the reason that they are distinct is that the state doesn't want chaos, right, It wants control. It wants everything to be the same, and predictable violence and war are kind of the opposite of that. And so the modern state exists on some way.

Again we're talking philosophically rather than like true or whatever. The modern state exists by balancing this calm center, right, this non chaotic space, with a harnessed war machine. And it's interesting because in that same way, what can undo the state also lies there and you will see this a lot in say, for example, most famously the Mexican Revolution, where a lot of the more important revolutionary figures actually came from banditry. And you know, banditree is a sort

of classic nomadic war machine. The Cossacks are sort of a classic nomadic war machine, only in this case they're primarily for the state, you know. And you have exceptions, like some of the Cossacks ended up fighting in Ukraine against all of the armies except the Black Army Maknos Black Army, and fighting for a society of equals and things like that, and you have like there's like roots

of democracy. You have this like violent force. The Cossacks in this story, right, they're running around and they're colonizing and they're killing all these people. But their atomon, their leader, is clearly not an authoritarian leader. He is saying like, well, boys, what do we do? How are we going to do this? You know, and they all have to sort of give

their assent. And I am not yet an expert on exactly how that what their decision structures were, but this is the kind of thing that we see again and again, most famously in a Western sensed the pirates of the Golden Era of piracy, and I think all that stuff's neat and I hope you did too, So thanks for listening. See you next week with another cool Zone Media book Club, the only book club where you don't have to do

the reading because I read it to you. Unfortunately, you don't get to say as much about what happened because I also do the interpretation for you. That part doesn't seem fair. So if you want to go on Reddit, that sentence doesn't start anything good. If you want to go on Reddit to the subreddit, then you could talk about the stories in the books that we talk about on Coolzone Media book Club, and that is one way

you can talk about it. Otherwise you're stuck with my interpretation by It Could Happen Here as a production of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website coolzonmedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated monthly at Coolzonemedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.