Over the course of the 17th century, the Russians advanced thousands of kilometers from the Urals to the Pacific coast.
"Boiled Gold" Mangazea
Fur mining is considered to be one of the main reasons why Russia expanded so rapidly to the east. mink was one of the most expensive Russian exports from the 15th to 17th centuries. In addition, due to the lack of precious metal , Russian monarchs often paid their nobles and staff in mink. The same furs formed part of the king's gifts to foreign monarchs and their ambassadors.
Sable is a prized fur now and centuries ago
Originally, Siberian furs were brought to Russia through barter trade by Siberian natives. At the end of the 15th century, the Muscovite province first imposed yasak - a fur tribute - on Khanty (Ostyaks) and Mansi (Voguls) on the lower reaches of the Ob River. In the 16th century, somewhere in Western Siberia (still not fully established; the location is believed to have changed several times), the Mangazeya trading post was established, buying up to 85,000 sable skins from indigenous people each year. Because of this, Mangazeya is known as "boiled gold" even though there is no real gold there - trade is barter.
Mangazeya's Modern Reconstruction
Russian merchants traded the locals' furs for what they said were trivial items - fire-making equipment, bow ropes, iron knives, pots, etc. (But these goods were vital to the locals under the conditions of the Far North) – and they then resold them, making huge profits for themselves (profits in the tens or even hundreds of thousands).
Resource Depletion
At the end of the 16th century, the sable population near Western Siberia was severely depleted due to overhunting caused by demand for furs in Russia and abroad. According to some, this prompted the Russians, led by Yermak, to conquer the Siberian Kingdom for the first time. In the 17th century, the territory of the Russian Kingdom expanded eastward particularly rapidly.
Ermak's conquest of Siberia in V. Surikov's painting of the same name, 1892
The conquest of Siberia initially led to a dramatic increase in sable production, followed by an equally steep decline in the 18th century due to uncontrolled hunting. But by then, other interests had emerged first in Russia's eastward expansion: the development of farmland, ore and the deportation of prisoners.
" Cossacks " not for "soft garbage", but for freedom
Not everyone agrees that only the pursuit of the "red beast" can push millions of Russians beyond the Stone Belt ( Ural Mountains ). Sable hunting is just an excuse to leave the habitable lands of the European part of Russia for unknown and harsh lands. There is no doubt that the opportunity to get rich quickly on extracting sable attracts many people. But first, something had to force these people to leave their hometowns and their usual way of life. This "thing" was the growing oppression of the state and the feudal class.
Many people go to the East to find a new life.
Each year, state taxes, dues, and the host's workload increase. Life in Russia is becoming unbearable for more and more people. The most agile and enterprising people threw the earth and went to the "Cossacks". Who went to the Don and down to the Volga who, like the comrades of Yermak, were tempted by the prospect of getting rich at the same time and went to Siberia despite the severe cold of the local land. Of course, "soft trash" inspired Russia's version of the "gold rush" - while thousands of Europeans, lured by tales of Inca treasure, headed to South America in search of the new Eldorado . .But whether there or here, the main causes of colonial expansion were the dislocation of native life, growing property inequality, and social oppression.
