There is a well-known saying: “Scratch a Tatar and you will find a Russian.” “Scratch a Russian and you will find a Tatar”

Scratch any Russian and you will find a Tatar...

There is a well-known saying: “scratch any Russian and you will find a Tatar”... In the literal, “biological” sense, it can be considered quite justified: in Russian blood there is a significant admixture of Tatar. And this did not harm us.
Without specifically doing genealogy, but comprehensively studying the era of Tatar rule and being interested in the entirety of Russian-Tatar connections in the past, I met and wrote down from various historical sources and documents 92 princely, 50 boyar, 13 count and more than three hundred ancient noble families dating back to from Tatar ancestors...

There is no doubt that from the provincial genealogical books it would not be difficult to extract several hundred more noble families of Tatar origin. Unfortunately, no records were kept of the non-nobles and it is impossible to identify them, but undoubtedly they number in many thousands.
All these numerous descendants of the Tatar ancestors, already in the second or third generation, turned into people who were purely Russian in spirit and upbringing. They served the Fatherland honestly and faithfully, not only fighting for it in countless wars, but also in all fields of peaceful life gave it many outstanding and even brilliant people who glorified Russian culture. I will give only the most famous examples.

In the field of science, the descendants of the Tatars were the brilliant Russian scientists Mendeleev, Mechnikov, Pavlov and Timiryazev, historians Kantemir and Karamzin, explorers of the North Chelyuskin and Chirikov. In literature - Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Derzhavin, Yazykov, Denis Davydov, Zagoskin, K. Leontiev, Ogarev, Kuprin, Artsybashev, Zamyatin, Bulgakov and a number of other talented writers and poets. In the field of art, only among its brightest luminaries can be named ballerinas Anna Pavlova, Ulanova and Spesivtseva, artists Karatygina and Ermolova, composers Scriabin and Taneyev, artist Shishkin and others...

The Tatars gave Russia two kings - Boris and Fyodor Godunov (and before them there was Semyon Bekbulatovich - note by E.K.), and five queens: Solomonia Saburova - the first wife of Vasily Sh, Elena Glinskaya - his second wife, Irina Godunova - the wife Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich "Blessed", Natalya Naryshkina - the mother of Peter the Great and the second wife of Alexei Mikhailovich and Marfa Apraksina - the wife of Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich Romanov. Evdokia Saburova was also the wife of Tsarevich Ivan, who was killed (in a fit of anger) by his father, Ivan the Terrible.

It is also interesting to note that several Tatars were canonized as Orthodox saints by the Russian Church. The most famous of them is St. Peter Ordynsky is the nephew of Khan Batu, who converted to Orthodoxy and later monasticism. Another Tatar - St. Peter the Martyr of Kazan.

It is worth mentioning that Batu allowed his eldest son and heir, Khan Sartak and his wife, to convert to Orthodoxy. This case well illustrates Tatar religious tolerance and once again refutes the completely erroneous, but firmly rooted opinion that the Tatars were religious fanatics and persecutors of Christianity. If not for the early death of Sartak, poisoned by his rival, Batu’s brother, an Orthodox man would have established himself on the throne of the great khans.”

In this long quote from the largest researcher of the Golden Horde M.D. Karateev, we involuntarily trace the process of formation of the Russian nation. We can add only one general phrase to what has been said here: that the formation of the Great Russian nation proceeded through the unification of feudally isolated Russian principalities, initiated by the idea of consolidating the Orthodox community of the Golden Horde province, which were cemented by a powerful human influx from the Golden Horde, that is, the Tatars.

As for the Crimean Tatar nation, its consolidation followed the same laws - the unification of disparate ethnic groups or feudal entities under a single new state formation and a common unifying idea. For the Crimean Tatars, this idea was getting rid of the claims to power in Crimea by the rulers of Sarai, that is, the liberation movement.

For Muscovite Rus', the idea of consolidation was Orthodoxy as opposed to Islam, which established itself in the metropolis during the reign of Uzbek (1312 - 1341). In Rus', it was the clergy who initiated the separation from the metropolis and the formation of a nation. The secular princely power only followed the lead of the clergy. And if Orthodoxy had become the dominant religion in the Golden Horde, then it is unknown what the further fate of the Golden Horde and its northern province of Rus' would have been. In any case, Moscow would not become the center of consolidation.

But as for Crimea, it would still have achieved independence, regardless of the religious preferences of its population. Moreover, spiritual preferences did not exist in Crimea: Crimea was multi-confessional. During the period of Hadji Giray's arrival in Crimea, four religions were equally widespread there, not counting the pagans. These are Jews who took root in Crimea during the period of dominance of the Khazar Khaganate, Karaites, whom religion identified as a special ethnic group, Muslims and Christians.

Moreover, Christians were of the most diverse persuasions: Nestorians, and Orthodox Christians of the orthodox direction, and iconoclasts, and Catholics of also different movements, that is, the most contradictory marginal currents of Christianity found shelter here, getting along in the closest neighborhood, because never in Crimea, even in period of Islamic rule, there was no religious intolerance. Crimea has always been different in this way. It was simply impossible to imagine an irreconcilable war between Orthodox and Catholics in Crimea, although in other regions of Europe, for example, in France, where the Night of St. Bartholomew drowned thousands of Huguenots in blood, this was seen as a completely common and normal phenomenon. And Russia, from the very beginning, was intolerant of both Catholics and Muslims, although less so of the latter. This was especially true for the Moscow diocese. It was so before, and it remains so to this day.

There were relatively few Muslims among the indigenous population of Crimea, that is, among the highlanders and the population of coastal cities and territories, before the arrival of the Gireys. But among the Tatars who captured the steppe part of Crimea (the Horde people were called Tatars), besides Muslims, there were no other people of other faiths. Tatar and Muslim, starting with the Uzbek Khan, have already become inseparable concepts.

The appearance of Devlet-Hadji-Girey in Crimea brought about fundamental changes not only in the state structure of Crimea, but, what is especially noteworthy, in the mentality of people. The struggle for provincial independence shook up not only the top of society. She did not leave even the most ordinary resident indifferent. The authority of the new ruler of Crimea became so high that it was considered an honor for every vassal to convert to his religion.

Many feudal lords of Crimea from among the indigenous population did just that. The feudal lord's subordinates followed their example. So very quickly Islam conquered Crimea. And since Muslim and Tatar were synonymous, anyone who converted to Islam was automatically called a Tatar, which suited the converts quite well. Therefore, all the Cimmerians, Taurians, Scythians, Alans, Goths, Greeks, Armenians, Italians, Circassians, etc., who converted from Christianity or paganism to Islam, began to be called Tatars.

And since everyone in Crimea spoke different dialects of the Turkic language for a long time (since the 6th century - Vozgrin, 1992), people differed only in religion. For example, in Christian churches, services were conducted in the Turkic language, which was noted by many witnesses of that era. By the way, a single language is one of the reasons for such a rapid unification of Crimea into a single state. Therefore, after the declaration of an independent state, the process of nation formation became irreversible.

Thus, by the end of the 15th century, new nations began to form in the newly emerging state formations on the territory of the collapsing Golden Horde. These are Crimean Tatar and Great Russian. Moreover, the distinctive feature of both young emerging nations was not language, but religion. In the north-west of the Golden Horde Empire this became Orthodoxy, and in the south-western province - Islam, to which the population of the multi-religious Crimea began to convert en masse.

However, while the nominally Golden Horde empire existed, the fate of the newly proclaimed states remained uncertain, because the ruler of Sarai could put an end to this process at any moment. Everything depended on its military-economic potential. But he hesitated all the time, threatening the sovereignty of both states. That is why both Moscow and Crimea in that period invariably supported each other in the face of a common enemy. Personal relations between the rulers of Crimea and Moscow were then the most friendly. In lively correspondence between themselves, they invariably called each other “my beloved brother.”

As for the Sarajevo khans, they really could not calmly look at the strengthening of their formal vassals. The historian Velyaminov-Zernov cites the texts of two letters written in 1487 by the last king of the Golden Horde, Murtaza, to Ivan III and Nur-Devlet, who reigned in the Kasimov kingdom, where Murtaza’s desire to restore his dominance over the provinces of the empire that were leaving his power is clearly visible. In particular, he asks the Grand Duke to release Nur-Devlet to the Golden Horde in order to elevate him to the Crimean throne, and to Nur-Devlet he writes: “We are of the same kind with you, our fathers fought, but then made peace. Mengli-Girey, your brother ", having betrayed his oath, again ignited the war."

It is interesting to compare both letters of Murtaza. To Ivan Sh he writes a label, a decree, very briefly and concisely. Nur-Devlet is treated as an equal king and sends him a long letter written in respectful and flattering terms. But the goal is the same - to pit two brothers against each other in order to weaken Crimea, and then restore the dominance of the metropolis there.

Murtaza's intrigue was so transparent that there was no reaction to it. The only thing that Prince Ivan did was to inform Mengli-Girey in detail about the ongoing machinations of the Sarajevo ruler. “Murtaza’s proposal did not correspond to Ivan’s views,” writes Velyaminov-Zernov. “An alliance with Mengli-Girey was much more profitable for him: Mengli-Girey, fighting with the Akhmatov children, served as an assistant to Ivan, whose direct calculation, like Mengli-Girey, was "To destroy the Golden Horde. This Horde was equally hateful for both sovereigns..."

But neither ruler alone dared to “destroy the hated” Horde: everyone had equal strength. Mengli-Girey offered Ivan the option of uniting the military forces of Moscow and Crimea, but for some reason such an alliance did not happen. In the end, Mengli-Girey came up with a brilliant plan. And I was just waiting for an opportunity to implement it.

This case turned up in 1502, quite possibly provoked by Mengli-Girey himself.

Overwhelmed by hatred of Mengli-Girey, Murtaza in this fatal year for him gathered a huge army, deciding once and for all to put an end to even the very recollection of Girey in the Crimea. Mengli-Girey came out to meet him, but did not accept the battle, but began to retreat, imitating the confusion and unpreparedness of the army for the decisive battle. Enraged, Murtaza rushed to pursue the hated enemy, not realizing that he was being lured into a trap. Thus maneuvering the opposing troops crossed the entire Crimea from north to south and reached the seashore. Then suddenly Mengli-Girey’s troops scattered across the mountains and Murtaza decided to camp on the shore of the azure sea. This is all Mengli-Girey sought.

Suddenly, a Turkish fleet appeared from behind the cape, the existence of which the Horde did not even know. Meanwhile, the fleet, in front of the astonished spectators, formed a battle formation and, without hesitation, opened heavy fire on the Horde camp.

The effect turned out to be beyond all Mengli-Girey's expectations. The ship's batteries tore the entire Horde camp to smithereens, forcing people to flee in panic beyond its borders. But they were met by Crimean cavalry who appeared from nowhere and carried out a formal beating of the Horde who had lost their morale. Only a limited part of the once formidable army was able to escape from the encirclement. However, Mengli-Girey foresaw this option as well. In pursuit, he sent pre-prepared cavalry, designed for a long pursuit, which walked on the tail of the retreating remnants of the troops right up to Sarai. And this was also planned.

On the Kulikovo field, the Mamaevites, defeated by Russian-Tatar cavalry that jumped out of an ambush, were pursued by them for about twenty miles. This was enough to complete the defeat. But Mengli-Girey set the goal not just to defeat the Golden Horde, but to destroy it forever. Therefore, he used a different tactic: he drove the retreating enemy without respite to the very heart of the empire, bursting into Sarai literally on the shoulders of a panicked fleeing army. No one was waiting for him in the Sarai. Taking advantage of the factor of surprise, he captured the city without resistance and staged a real pogrom there, destroying everything and everyone.
This was the end of the empire. “The Horde, defeated by Mengli-Girey, no longer rebelled, and its very name disappeared,” writes the author of the Brief History of Russia V.V. Velyaminov-Zernov (1883).

However, I’m lying. Once during my vacation, I did move further than a hundred meters from home.

This is me to Agavr agavr went to Radio Culture to discuss Bushkov’s book “Genghis Khan. Unknown Asia". The book is complete, sorry, ge with a capital G, but that’s not what I’m talking about now.

The cover of this book by a famous whistleblower of historians is decorated with a quote:

“Scratch a Russian and you will find a Tatar. A. Pushkin».

I didn't like the signature right away. No, no doubt, after Lenin was abolished, all quotes are traditionally attributed to our everything, but I somehow doubted that Pushkin was engaged in Tatar research.

And I started digging. I discovered a lot of interesting things. The quote is more than popular; as usual, all famous personalities ranging from Homer to Panikovsky are named as authors. But most often those who quote, without further ado, simply declare it a proverb. For example, Putin, almost our everything, put it this way: “We, you know, they say: “If you rub every Russian properly, a Tatar will appear there.”

An aside - I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks this saying evokes allusions to the fairy tale about Aladdin, where the role of the lamp is Russian, and the role of the genie is Tatar?

But I digress. In general, it seemed that there was no way to find the end - they blurted out the quote and used it. But there are no barriers to an inquisitive mind, especially if this mind does not want to shake a rattle in front of the heiresses, justifying itself by preparing for a radio appearance.

I won’t bore you with the history of my searches, I’ll go straight to the main thing - I finally dug up the original source. And as a result, he added to his collection of distorted quotes.

You know, I am becoming more and more convinced that there are practically no exact quotes left in popular use. At all. All popular expressions are either shamelessly distorted, or cut off to the point of distorting the meaning, or originally had a completely different meaning.

“Russian with Tatar,” as it turned out, belong precisely to the third category. To make it clear what this category is, let me remind you of the famous: “Religion is the opium of the people.” Formally, the quotation from Marx is practically not distorted (he said “Religion is the opium of the people”), but de facto the meaning has been considerably changed. In the original, the bearded mind spoke not about the intoxicating, but about the analgesic properties of opium (Religion is the sigh of an oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world...), which, you see, considerably shifts the emphasis.

So, about the Tatars. As a result of the research, it turned out that Putin was wrong. This is not what we say at all.

The expression “Scratch a Russian and you will find a Tatar” came to us from the French language, and in the original it sounds like this: “Grattez le Russe, et vous verrez un Tartare.” There this saying is also very popular, so much so that the authorship has not yet been accurately established; this catchphrase was attributed to various historical figures: Joseph de Maistre, Napoleon I, Prince de Ligne, etc.

But the meaning put into this saying by the French is very specific and completely different.

In fact, the phrase about the Russian and the Tatar is just a short version of the famous quote from the famous essay “La Russie en 1839”. The same one that was given to the world by the famous marquis, freemason and pederast Astolphe de Custine. For those who haven’t read it, let me remind you that the book “Russia in 1839” still retains the title of “the bible of Russophobes.” Well, Custine speaks, naturally, about his own, about his obsession. This is how his thesis sounds in expanded form:

“After all, a little more than a hundred years ago they were real Tatars. And under the outer veneer of European elegance, most of these upstart civilizations retained the bearskin - they just put the fur on it inside. But just scratch them a little and you will see how the wool comes out and bristles.”

It is as a kind of quintessence, a kind of distillation of Russophobia, that our European educated classics loved to quote the phrase “Scratch a Russian and you will find a Tatar.” In particular, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky often sinned with this, exposing the machinations of evil Europeans - both in the “Diary of a Writer” and in “The Teenager”... It was from their writings that this aphorism went to the people.

Well, our people, as usual, have distorted everything. As a result, the dubious maxim “Under the thin shell of feigned culture, Russians still hide cannibalistic savages” turned into a peaceful and generally true thesis “A Russian and a Tatar are brothers forever.”

Sorry if I'm afraid

Scratch any Russian and you will find a Tatar...

This case turned up in 1502, quite possibly provoked by Mengli-Girey himself.

“Dig for a Russian and you will find a Tatar!” - Napoleon I Bonaparte(about Denis Davydov and Mikhail Kutuzov).

The famous poet and hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 led his family
from the Tatar Murza Minchak, who left for Rus' at the beginning of the 15th century.

I went on a feat of arms - and a Tatar beat me,
He returned to capital Kyiv - and his wife was lured by a Khazarian,
I wanted to gallop away, but the Mongol stole the horse...
Perhaps I was wrong to go after the Tatar at first?

***
For us Tatars, it's like vodka or a machine gun - as long as it knocks us off our feet!
We Tatars don’t care what to love, what to fight, just to lie on top!
We Tatars don’t care whether we love to drag anyone or drag anyone away!
We Tatars don’t care whether it’s a sanatorium or a crematorium - as long as it’s warm!
We, the Tatars, have one thing...: no matter the war, no matter Sabantuy, it’s still a fight!
We Tatars don’t care whether we drink tea or kick the samovar, just to get sweaty!

A Varangian guest is worse than a Tatar.
One in the field is worse than a Tatar.
An unexpected nail is worse than a Tatar.
An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar.
Especially in Tatarstan. From there you need to drive away the uninvited guests in three necks.
An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar, but better than a snotty Russian.

Friendship of peoples is when Little crest, Russian And Tatar get together and go get wet Jew.

Litigated Tatar With Jew, Prosecutor They gave me 10 years of strict regime.

Ermak Timofeevich. Portrait of the early 18th century.

In 2000 Kazan passed celebrations on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences(Russian Academy of Sciences).

Second day, morning, Anniversary Scientific Session. Several excerpts from local speeches academicians:

President of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, academician of the Academy of Sciences M.Kh. Khasanov:
- Let me congratulate you on the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan!
- It seems to me, and I already think, that this event is important not only for Russia, but for the whole of Tatarstan!

Academician of the Academy of Sciences M.Z. Zakiev, Institute of Language, Literature and Art of the Academy of Sciences:
- learned ancestors of modern Tatars...
- in the 13th century, scientists and thinkers developed..
- Only the Bulgarian military arts were completely defeated at the foot of the Zhiguli Mountains, and the hordes of Genghis Khan were defeated.
- Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences were actively involved in humanitarian and general problems...
- We have already begun to publish works jointly with relevant scientists.
- According to history, after the decree of 1944, our origins did not dare to go beyond the borders of Tatarstan.
- they wanted to create one in architectural art, but.. I understood.
- coordination of the work of scientists with this science
- It is necessary to complete the history of the Tatar people!

Sergey Efoshkin. "For Holy Rus'!"

Proverbs:

A Tatar was born - a Jew began to cry.
A Tatar is the same Jew, but with a mark of quality.
If you want to have a shepherd, get a Tatar wife.

Teasers:

The Tatar master is sharpening his teeth and wants to eat us!

Jokes:

There was a shipwreck in late autumn. Only two Tatars survived. But they ended up on two neighboring islands. They live slowly, get used to it, shout at each other.
But soon there was another shipwreck. And a woman swam out to one of the Tatars. A few days later, he decided to share his joy with his fellow sufferer:
- Hey, Mustafa, swim here! There's something here that you probably dream about every night.
Mustafa threw himself into the icy water shouting:
- My jumpers!!!

Ilya-Muromets comes to Social Security.
- Have you heard, noblewoman, benefits are granted to us, participants in the Battle of Kulikovo?
- Definitely! Bring a certificate that the participant will fix everything right now: rent, electricity, telephone...
- Where can I get it, a certificate?! Looks like everyone died in such a time!
- N-n-n-n-u-u! Don't know! The Tatars are found somewhere!

We left somehow Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich And Alesha Popovich in an open field. We looked around - no one. Suddenly two frail Tatars appeared from behind a hillock.
Dobrynya Nikitich says - it’s time to get out, brothers!
Why? - asks Ilya Muromets.
There are two of them, and we are ONE, answered Dobrynya.

10 Tatars and 1 Russian are walking through the desert. The Russian always tells jokes about the Tatars. They get tired of it and they warn him that if he tells another joke about the Tatars, they will kill him. He thought and said:
- New joke. Walking through the desert 3 blacks: Shamil, Farid and Rafael.

The teacher reads an excerpt from an essay to the class Vovochki:

- “I imagine him as a narrow-eyed, yellow-faced horseman, galloping with squeals and hooting on his lathered horse. He usually lives in a yurt, in Asia. Before the revolution he was completely illiterate, and after the revolution the Russians taught him to read and write, build houses and to wear jeans..."
Vova, the essay was written without errors, but the topic of the essay was “How do I imagine Gagarin", not "How I imagine Tatar".

During a Tatar language lesson, the teacher says:
- Vovochka, tell us in Tatar about the death Chapaeva.
Vovochka says passionately:
- Machine gunner: “Tra-ta-ta-ta!”, Chapaev: “Ulyam!”

Walking through the village for Easter pop. And towards him Tatar, so sad, looking at the ground. Pop says:
- Hey, Tatar, listen, Christ resurrected
The Tatar raises his head and slowly breaks into a smile:
- Ay, Well done!

We argued Tatar With Jewish about something. When all the arguments were over, they turned to personalities, as usual.
Jew and says:
- You in general us They were kept under the yoke for two hundred years.
The Tatar answers him:
- And you, and you... Why do you our Christ crucified?!

Tatarstan appealed to the Russian parliament with a complaint about the proverb “Uninvited guest worse Tatar".
Parliament considered the complaint and decided:
- From now on say: "Uninvited guest" better Tatar".

Father Tsar, the Tatars have arrived. They ask for bribes.
- Bribe?! - Write my decree:
Give to the Tatars bribes!

When the Tatars attacked Great Rus', they said:
- Russians, give up, we are the Horde!!
And the Russians answered them:
- And we are the army!!!

Ilya-Muromets in an open field peers into the distance, putting his palm to his forehead and squinting in the sun.
A Tatar passing by became interested:
-Where are you looking, Ilyushenka?
- Yes, I’m looking for a good place.
- Eh, don’t you know, it’s good where we are not.
- Well, I’ll look where you Tatars are not there.

The performance is in Tatar:
Nadezhda Konstantinovna:
- Kaya barasyn, Vladimir Ilyich?
Lenin:
- Saunarkumga, Nadezhda Konstantinovna, saunarkumga!

TEN SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE COME TO VISIT THE WRONG WHERE:

1. When you appear, everyone lies face down and without tricks.
2. Your gift is stupidly, but carefully examined.
3. The bottle of vodka that you brought is drunk while you take off your coat.
4. The owners hang your coat and hat on the bell button.
5. The owner’s good-natured bull terrier hangs on your hip all evening.
6. The owner has been looking at you strangely through the peephole all evening.
7. As soon as you entered, everyone starts beating you, and one of them screams heart-rendingly: “It’s not him, it’s not him!”
8. They ask you: “I hope there was no tail behind you?”
9. After your knock, you can hear from behind the door: “Oh, Lord! Pogrom again!”
10. You... Tatar.

How to determine what nationality you are?

1. If during a tourist trip to any eastern country you experience a feeling of superiority, and during a trip to a western country you experience an inferiority complex, then you - Russian.
2. If you have a small jar with cut-off eggs of a captured soldier stored in your basement, then you - Chechen.
3. If every mention of lard infuriates you, then you - Ukrainian.
4. If as a child, after a school history lesson about the Mongol invasion of Rus', you returned home with a black eye, then you - Tatar.
5. If your native language is broken Tatar, but you do not consider yourself a Tatar, then you are - Bashkir.
6. If you regularly listen to Armenian radio programs, but they Not make you laugh, then you - Armenian.
7. If you regularly listen to Echo of Moscow radio programs, and they they'll make you laugh, then you - Jew!