After the overthrow of Abdul-Latif Khan (Kazan Khan in 1497-1502) and his exile in Beloozero, his elder brother Muhammad-Amin (ruled in 1484-1485, 1487-1496 and 1502-1518) was re-seated on the Kazan throne.). Despite the regular help from Moscow, which he was given to seize the Kazan throne, in the last year of Ivan the Great's life he got out of control, and in 1506 he defeated a punitive army sent by the new Grand Duke Vasily III near Kazan. In March, an agreement was signed between Moscow and Kazan, which confirmed the complete independence of the khanate. In 1510 - 1511 through the mediation of the khansha Nur-Sultan and her stepson Sahib Girey (the future Crimean khan), Muhammad-Amin concluded a new treaty with Vasily III, in which he recognized the supremacy of the Moscow sovereign. Muhammad-Amin died on December 18, 1518, leaving no sons behind. With his death, the Ulu-Muhammad dynasty (founder of the Kazan Khanate in 1438) was suppressed.
On December 29, the embassy of Kul-Derbysh arrived to Grand Duke Vasily III, reporting the death of the Khan and asking to welcome Kazan as a new sovereign. Muhammad-Amin's closest relatives were his half-brothers. However, one of them, Khudai-Kul, received Orthodox baptism and lost his rights to the Kazan throne. The Moscow government did not want to see other half-brothers of the deceased from the Crimean Giray dynasty in Kazan, which was afraid of the dream of the Crimean Khan Muhammad Giray (Mehmed I Giray) to unite all Tatar khanates and steppe possessions under the rule of Bakhchisarai. After his father defeated the Great Horde, the task of uniting under the rule of the Crimean horde of fragments of the Golden Horde, which had completely disintegrated by that time, looked quite real. Therefore, Moscow made a choice in favor of the 13-year-old Kasimov prince Shah-Ali, the grandson of Bakhtiar, the brother of the Great Horde Khan Akhmet. In 1516, after the death of his father, he received the Kasimov throne. In April 1519, the Russian ambassador Fyodor Karpov and the voivode Vasily Yuryevich Podzhogin, who arrived in Kazan with a military detachment, were present at the ceremony of placing on the Kazan throne. As a result, relations with Bakhchisarai, who insisted on the candidacy of his brother Sahib-Girey, were completely ruined. A big war was brewing. It began in 1521.
The situation in the southern Russian "Ukraine"
The situation on the southern borders was already tense. Crimean Tatars in 1507, in the midst of another Russian-Lithuanian war, raided these territories, however, they were defeated and fled. This forced the Crimean Khanate to abandon further attacks until 1512. In late 1511 - early 1512, an alliance of the Crimean Khanate with Lithuania and Poland, which was very dangerous for Moscow, began to form. In May 1512, the sons of Mengli-Girey, Akhmed-Girey and Burnash-Girey, attempted to break through the defenses of the southern borders and invade deep into Russian territory. Vasily III sent troops under the command of Mikhail Shchenyatev to the Seversk land to help the Starodub governor Vasily Shemyachich. However, the troops had to turn to the Ugra, since the Crimean detachments, having passed the Starodub lands, came to the Belevsk and Odoy places. Moscow is sending another army under the command of Daniil Shcheni. Trying to stop the further advance of the Tatars, the Russian regiments advanced not only to the Ugra, but also to Kashira and Serpukhov. Enemy detachments were constantly changing their deployment, escaping from the blows of the Grand Duke's troops. Separate Tatar detachments went to Kolomna, reached the environs of Aleksin and Vorotynsk. From Moscow, new regiments were sent to Tarusa, led by the appanage prince Andrei Staritsky, the okolnich Konstantin Zabolotsky. The troops of Prince Yuri Dmitrovsky strengthened the defense of Serpukhov, Ivan Shuisky was sent to Ryazan. All these measures were in vain. The Tatar detachments safely left for the steppe, taking away a huge full.
This lesson was not in vain. Vasily III ordered to tighten the defense of the southern "Ukraine", for which troops were concentrated on the Ugra under the command of Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov and Ivan Chelyadnin. The concentration of troops on the Ugra River and some other "Ukrainian" places was timely: in 1512, the Crimean Tatars invaded Russian borders three more times. In June, the detachments of Akhmed-Girey tried to attack the outskirts of the Bryansk cities of Bryansk, Putivl and Starodub, but suffered a heavy defeat. In July 1512, troops under the command of Muhammad-Girey approached the borders of the Ryazan land. However, having learned that Prince Alexander of Rostov was building on the Sturgeon River with regiments, the Tatars hastened to retreat. Another attack was made by the Crimean Tatars in the fall, when the Russian commanders no longer expected it. On October 6, the army of the Crimean "tsarevich" Burnash-Girey suddenly reached Pereyaslavl-Ryazan (Ryazan) and defeated the Ryazan posad. The Tatars laid siege to the fortress, but could not take it. A few days later, the Crimean detachments with a full force went into the steppe.
It was later revealed that all three raids were carried out at the request of the Lithuanian government. This led to the beginning of a new Russian-Lithuanian war of 1512-1522. Moscow had to wage a difficult ten-year war with a constant eye on the southern border. It is possible that the first trip to Smolensk took place in the winter of 1512-1513 for this very reason. Moscow's plans for a quick victory and the capture of Smolensk did not come true, the Russian army retreated. In mid-March 1513, a decision was made on a new campaign against Smolensk, while significant forces were sent south. In Tula, the regiments of Prince Alexander of Rostov, Mikhail Zakharyin and Ivan Vorotynsky, on the Ugra - Mikhail Golitsa Bulgakov and Ivan Ovchina Telepnev. In addition, a significant detachment under the command of Ivan Ushaty and Semyon Serebryansky was sent to defend the Seversk land. But, despite the measures taken, the Tatars still managed to pass through the Putivl, Bryansk and Starodub places. This delayed the Grand Duke in Borovsk until September 11, 1513, when he received news of the Crimean Tatars leaving for the steppe. Only after this did the Moscow sovereign go to Smolensk, which he again could not take. They were able to capture the city only during the third campaign on July 29, 1514. However, during it, too, large forces had to be sent to the southern border. The troops were commanded by Prince Dmitry Uglitsky, his regiments were stationed in Tula and on the Ugra. The Seversk lands were covered by the detachments of Vasily Shemyachich and Vasily Starodubsky. In the fall of 1514, they repulsed the attack of the Tatar "prince" Muhammad-Girey, in whose army there were also detachments of the Polish king.
In March 1515, the Crimean and Lithuanians repeated their attack on the Seversk "Ukraine". Together with the Crimean detachments of Muhammad-Girey, the troops of the Kiev governor Andrei Nemirovich and Yevstafy Dashkevich acted. Crimean-Lithuanian troops besieged Chernigov, Starodub and Novgorod-Seversky, but could not take and retreated, capturing a large full. In the context of the ongoing war with Lithuania, the Moscow government decided to settle the conflict with Bakhchisarai through diplomatic means. However, the death of Khan Mengli-Girey (Mengli I Giray) on April 13, 1515, further complicated the Russian-Crimean relations. Mukhemmed-Girey, known for his hostile attitude towards the Russian state, ascended the Crimean throne. Vasily III, alarmed by the news he had received, left with his chief governors for Borovsk. There he was found by the Crimean ambassador Yanchura Duvan. On September 1, 1515, he handed the Moscow sovereign an ultimatum, in which the promise of "friendship and brotherhood" was accompanied by a demand to transfer the Seversk lands and cities to the Crimean "tsar": Bryansk, Starodub, Novgorod-Seversky, Putivl, Pochep, Rylsk, Karachev and Radogoshch. In addition, Moscow was supposed to release the Kazan "tsarevich" Abdul-Latif to the Crimea and return Smolensk to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is clear that these conditions were not acceptable, so Vasily Ivanovich delayed the answer. Only on November 14, Ivan Mamonov went to Crimea. The Moscow ambassador conveyed Moscow's consent only to the granting of Abdul-Latif by one of the Moscow cities to feed and offer joint action against Lithuania. Despite a rather firm refusal to obey the demands of Bakhchisarai, there was no immediate start of the war with Moscow. The new Crimean Khan tried to enlist Moscow's support in the fight against the Nogai horde. Vasily Ivanovich managed to evade the fulfillment of this Khan's demand.
Relations between the two states were heading towards a big war. The number of Tatar raids increased. The border volosts were attacked by small Tatar detachments, which bypassed the fortresses and cities, hurried to seize the "polon" and go to the steppe. Only a constant demonstration of the power and military skill of the Russian forces concentrated on the border of the "Wild Field" could postpone a major invasion. For the time being, the Russian governors coped with this task: small detachments were pursued and destroyed, larger ones were driven away. In mid-September 1515, the Azov detachment attacked the Mordovian places, hunting for the "polon". The raid into the same lands was repeated in late autumn - early winter. In June, the son of the Crimean Khan Bogatyr-Saltan attacked the Ryazan and Meshchera lands. The campaign of 1517 became more ambitious; it was paid for with the gold of Lithuania. In addition, Bakhchisarai wanted to put pressure on Moscow in connection with the disagreements over the succession of the Kazan throne - Khan Muhammad-Amin was dying in Kazan, and, in the opinion of Crimea, Abdul-Latif was to succeed him. The Moscow authorities did not agree to release the "tsarevich" Abdul-Latif, who was kept under honorable guard in Moscow, to Kazan or Crimea. On November 19, 1517, the "tsarevich" died (it is believed that he was poisoned), his body was allowed to be taken to Kazan and buried there.
They knew about the impending invasion of the Tatars in Moscow, so they managed to prepare for the meeting of the Crimean army. The Crimean 20-thousand horde was led by Tokuzak-Murza. Russian regiments under the command of Vasily Odoevsky, Mikhail Zakharyin, Ivan Vorotynsky and Ivan Telepnev stood behind the Oka, near Aleksin. In August 1517, the Crimean army crossed the Russian border and began to "fight the lands" near Tula and Besputa. The governors Odoevsky and Vorotynsky sent a detachment of Ivan Tutykhin and the Volkonsky princes against the Tatars. The Tatar murzas did not accept the battle and began to retreat to the steppe. With the help of the "Ukrainian footmen", the enemy suffered significant damage. Having suffered heavy losses (out of 20 thousand troops, about 5 thousand people returned to the Crimea), the Crimeans escaped into the steppe. In this battle, the Russian commanders were able to recapture the entire Aleksinsky full. In November, the Crimean detachments tried to attack the Seversk land, but were overtaken and defeated by the troops of V. Shemyachich.
The defeat of the troops of Tokuzak-Murza forced the Crimean Khan to temporarily abandon plans to prepare a major invasion against the Russian state. In addition, the strife that began in the khanate prevented the start of a big war. Akhmat-Girey opposed Mohammed-Girey, who was supported by the beylik of one of the most noble Tatar princely families - Shirin. The situation in the Crimean Khanate stabilized only in 1519, when the rebel was defeated and killed.
The reason for the war and its beginning
The reason for the next crisis in relations between Moscow and Bakhchisarai was again the situation in the Kazan Khanate. After the death of Muhammad-Amin, the Russian government managed to install the Kasimov prince Shah-Ali on the throne. The new khan ruled the Kazan land under the control of the Russian ambassador. The restoration of a complete Russian protectorate caused a sharp rejection among the Kazan nobility, which sought an alliance with the Crimean Khanate. Bakhchisarai believed that the legitimate heir to the Kazan throne was Sahib-Girey, the half-brother of the deceased Muhammad-Amin and Abdul-Latif. The extreme unpopularity of Khan Shah-Ali among the population played into the hands of the Crimean party. His loyalty to Moscow, distrust of the local nobility, ugly appearance (weak physique, big belly, almost a woman's face) showed that he was not fit for war. As a result, a conspiracy arose in Kazan, led by oglan Sidi. The conspirators sent an invitation to Tsarevich Sahib-Giray to take the Kazan throne to Bakhchisarai. In April 1521 Sahib-Girey with a small detachment of 300 horsemen approached Kazan. An uprising began in the city. The Russian detachment was killed, the Moscow ambassador and merchants were captured, Shah Ali was able to escape.
Sahib-Girey was the complete opposite of Shah-Ali, being a courageous warrior, an unshakable enemy of the “infidels”. Having occupied the Kazan throne, he declared war on Moscow and agreed on joint actions with his brother, the Crimean Khan Muhammad-Giray, who raised his troops on a large campaign.
