nurbook
Siege of Kazan 1552: Ivan the Terrible Breaks the Kazan Khanate: 426
Author(s): Mark Galeotti (Author), Angel García Pinto (Illustrator)
- Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
- Publication Date: 7 May 2026
- Language: English
- Print length: 96 pages
- ISBN-10: 1472868439
- ISBN-13: 9781472868435
Book Description
The Khanate of Kazan, one of the greatest Turkic successor states to the Mongol Golden Horde, had for generations been a thorn in Muscovys side, raiding its lands for slaves and plunder. The newly crowned Ivan IV, who would become known as Ivan the Terrible, was determined to end the threat once and for all, leading a massive army against Kazan in 1552, comprising the Streltsy (musketeers), Russias first standing army, and a massive artillery and engineer train, including an English expert in siegecraft.
Kazan was finally taken and brought directly into Muscovys control, making it a truly multi-ethnic empire. The next four years would see a bitter guerrilla war against the Russians, but they were committed to the march south – going on to conquer the Astrakhan Khanate and the move east into Siberia, setting the scene for the rapid expansion of the Russian Empire under Ivans Romanov successors.
In this gripping tale of Russian history, expert historian Mark Galeotti explores the major land and river offensive that saw Kazan fall to Ivan the Terribles Army. With colourful battlescenes, detailed 2D maps and 3D diagrams, this book showcases how this siege marked the rise of Muscovy and ultimately helped lead to the Russian state today.
Editorial Reviews
Review
About the Author
Mark Galeotti is a scholar of Russian security with a career spanning academia, government and business, a prolific author and frequent media commentator. He heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy and is an Honorary Professor at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies as well as holding fellowships with RUSI and the Institute of International Relations Prague. He has been Professor of Global Affairs at New York University, a Senior Research Fellow at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and a Visiting Professor at Rutgers-Newark and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Angel García Pinto was born in Madrid in 1968. He attended University in the Faculty of Fine Arts (Madrid) and worked for Spanish newspapers for 15 years, primarily creating portraits. In recent years, he has specialized in historical and military historical subjects.