M.A.SAFAROV THE SHIRINSKY FAMILY CHRONICLES THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES Marat Abyasovich Safarov, Institute of Economics and Management in Industry, 8 Pyatnadtsataya Parkovaya Str., Moscow, 105203, Russia, [email protected]. The history of the ancient Tatar dynasty of the Shirinskys dates back to 1298 and reflects different political events in the Horde and post-Horde periods. While holding the key positions in the Tatar khanates authority system, the Shirinskys in many ways kept the unity and connections between the vestiges of the Golden Horde. The Shirinskys viewed the territory of Meshchersky Yurt as a special sacred territory because it was there where the dynast, Bakhmet Shirinsky, first came from the Black Sea region. After the abolition of the Qasim Khanate the Shirinskys managed to keep some of their historical settlements in Meshchersky area while the Kadom and Kasimov branches of the dynasty got actively involved in merchantry. The paper presents a retrospective analysis of the political role of the ramified structure of the Shirinsky dynasty in different Tatar khanates. The author mainly focuses on the Kadom branch of the family that, even after the abolition of the Qasim Khanate, remained in their ancestral lands. In late 19th – early 20th century, due to successful entrepreneurial and charity work, many Kadom Shirinskys managed to restore their high status in the Tatar communities. As a case study, the paper studies the persona of Khusain Shirinsky, a fur merchant, who created a sort of a no- ble estate in his family settlement Bogdanovo near Kadom. The case is exemplified by the memories of Muslim students about the daily life in Bogdanovo and the local Jadid maktab, published in the ‘Vakyt’ newspaper in 1914. Key words: the Shirinskys, genealogy, source studies, shajara, post-Horde states, murza, merchan- try, Meshchera, Kasimov, Kadom. The interest in genealogical research and his- cists and memoirists are to be followed by profes- tory of ancient Tatar families has recently resulted sional historians. in various publications on the topic. The genuine In this regard, authentic studies on Tatar gene- revival of modern Tatar genealogy evidently goes alogy are of special value. The most distinguished back to the old tradition of constructing genealogi- ones are fundamental works by M.I.Akhmetzya- cal tables, shajara, connected with profound his- nov, who has been publishing the results of his ge- torical memory of Tatar people, general processes nealogical, epigraphical and archeological re- of reviving interest in the past, including specific searches for several decades [2-3]. M.I.Akhmet- chapters and micro-histories. zyanov also set up a tradition of extensive collec- However, the majority of publications on ge- tions and studies of Tatar family trees of I.Khalfin, nealogy are amateur and ignore the integral princi- Sh.Mardjani, K.Nasiri, Kh.Amirkhanov, R.Fakh- ple of source studies. Genealogical works probably retdinov, as well as using the works of V.V.Ve- differ from other historical publications in their lyaminov-Zernov, N.F.Katanov, V.V.Radlov etc. diffuse boundary between professionalism and dil- There are conferences held in modern Tatar- ettantism. In the works of this kind genealogy loses stan dedicated to the history of famous Tatar dy- its status of supplementary historical discipline and nasties, materials from which are being actively in- actually turns into the reason to summarize an in- troduced into scientific discourse [4]. Scholars complete and contradictory history of a family. As gradually turned to the study of families that had an example, there are publications of A.B.Be- special significance to the Tatar history, where, for lyayev, a local lore specialist from Moscow, dedi- instance, tales and factual information are inter- cated to the family history of Qasim Tatars, which twined with various stages of development of Tatar is in fact a study case of folk-history [1]. Medieval states. The family trees of such famous This pre-scientific stage is probably an inevita- dynasties, as the Shakulov Saids, and their influ- ble process contributing to the introduction of new ence on the political processes in the late period of data, outlining a range of sources, general under- the Qasim Khanate (the middle – second half of standing of a dynasty history. The work of publi- the 17th century) are worth of a separate research. 156 TATARICA: HISTORY AND SOCIETY The same is true for the ancient family of Shirin- dreyev town located near Kadom, which was also skys which dates back to 1298. known as the place of settlement of local Kadom Different branches of Shirinsky family are his- Tatars and old patrimonies of the Shirinskys [7: torically traced back to the Crimea, Kazan, and 12]. Mishar settlements in Kadom, Qasim. Some of The Shirin family emerged on the historical them had Russian lines converted to Orthodoxy, scene as an influential clan in the 15th century, at others were loyal to Islam, some were ennobled, the time of the Crimean Khanate’s consolidation, others received an aristocratic status of Murzas but its connection with the aristocratic elite of among Tatars. They all have one origin and are Tatar khans can be traced back to the previous cen- closely tied to Medieval political history of Mos- tury. In fact, the Shirins, holding the key positions cow Rus and Tatar khanates. in the crucial Tatar khanates, ensured a particular According to the Velvet Book1, the family interrelation between the post-Horde states. For in- originates from Bakhmet Usain (Muhammad Khu- stance, the hierarchy of the Crimean nobility was sain) Shirinsky, who arrived to the Meshchery headed by the powerful Shirin clan, who along lands in 1298 and later received an allotment in with other Turk families led by the Giray dynasty Eastern Meshchera. The same was written in ‘His- laid a foundation of Crimean sovereignty. For tory of the Principality of Ryazan’ by the famous many centuries the Shirins played a crucial role in pre-Revolution historian, D.I.Ilovaisky, who point- the military political life of the Crimea. The Cri- ed out that ‘the Shirinsky Princes had revolted mean Giray khans married off their daughters and against the Tsar of the Great Horde and left it to sisters to prominent state activists, commanders, nomadise in the Volga Region in 1298. One of who were members of this clan. The Shirins had them, Bakhmet, son of Usain, arrived in Meshche- luxurious palaces that were as good as Khan’s es- ra, conquered it and stayed there as Prince’ [5: tates; the cities Eski Qirim (Staryi Krym), and later 156]. Karasubazar (modern Belogorsk) were their patri- The arrival of the Shirinsky in Meshchera from monies. Some historiographers, including the noto- the Black Sea region is confirmed by a number of rious traveler P.Pallas, have opined that Tokhta- family tales about some brothers from the Crimea, mysh, the Khan of the Golden Horde, granted the as well as by Mishar Tatars with the surname Shirins land plots in the eastern part of the penin- Krymskiye (Crimean) living in the family settle- sula so as to protect Staryi Krym and Khan’s land ment of the Shirinsksys, Bogdanovo near Kadom. from the Genoese attacks. The early history of the Shirinsky family is According to M.G.Khudyakov, in the Khanate closely connected with a specific Meshchera estab- of Kazan, ‘Khan’s power was deemed to be unlim- lishment, the borders and status of which are a sub- ited, but it was slightly moderated by the Counsil ject of discussion in historiography. According to (Diwan) that comprised the most important citi- I.L.Izmailov, the Khanate of Qasim (from the mid- zens. The members of this council were called “ka- dle of the 15th century) was a successor of the rachi”, which,according to Abul-Gazi,originated Meshchera Yurt, formed by the second half of the from the word “karamak”, i.e. “to look”. In this 13th century [6: 162]. case the word “karachi” means “a keeper”. It ends Various attempts to narrow down the location with ‘’chi’’ similar to other words denoting a per- of the centre of Meshchera lands, a mysterious son performing action, for instance, tamgachi, town of Andreyev, often mentioned in Medieval yamchi, tufankchi, ilchi etc. Similar councils ex- sources, have been unsuccessful (among those isted in other Tatar states as well, in the Crimea, mentioned were Yelatma, Stary Posad in Kasimov, Siberia, the Qasim Khanate… “Ulu karachi” (a ancient town Temgenevskoye near the modern senior karachi) stood out among the others. Prince town Sasovo in the Ryazan Oblast). The historian Bulat Shirin held the title “Kazan karacha senior” M.I.Smirnov, in particular, suggested that An- and his son Nurghali “senior Kazan karacha” [8: 674]2. The Shirins, along with the Baryns, Argyns, 1 The Velvet Bookis a register of genealogies of Rus- sia’s most illustrious boyar and noble families. It was 2 In 1519, Bulat Shirin took part in negotiations with compiled in 1687 after the abolishment of the old sys- Moscow about the exaltation of Shahghali, whereas in tem of ranks (1682) and the practice of composing old 1531, he plotted against Khan Safa Giray. An interim pedigree books. In 1787 the Velvet Book was published government which was created and led by zharevna by N.I.Novikov under the name ‘Genealogical Book of Gauharshad included Kichi Ali and Bulat Shirin. During Russian and Emigré Princes and Nobility’ and is a valu- the reign of Khan Changali, Bulat Shirin was in charge able document for genealogical research. of the external policy of the Kazan Khanate. 157 M.A.SAFAROV Kypchaks and Mangyts, were among the leading this estate is kept in order. Khusain afande himself families of the Qasim Khanate, however, as noted is now a merchant prince in Moscow, a founder of by B.R.Rakhimzyanov, ‘the leadership belonged to the charity society and a social activist.