Russian Cortes

Remember, there was such an adventurer, Conquistador Ernan Cortes. Joining the huge territories to the Spanish crown. At the same time, he did this with relatively small forces and in a short time.

Cortes

He went down in history as a cruel conqueror of Central America, destroying the empires and state that existed there. In history, it is served in a negative way. He has several monuments that are constantly attacked by vandals, and periodically demand them to demolish, because he is not worthy of them.

And what Russia, we had such a Cossack Ermak, who conquered Siberia, expanded the expanses of our country. An exceptionally positive character, in whose honor both the monuments are named, and the ships call.

Ermak

So how really were these two people and their affairs really different?

Let's compare them:

Place of action:

Cortes is Central America (the territory of modern Mexico).

Ermak is Western Siberia.

Time of active conquering campaigns:

Cortes - 1519–1525.

Ermak - 1581–1585. (The difference is only 60 years old.)

Army size at the initial stage:

Cortes - 600 people + 300 sailors and slaves.

Ermak - 840 people.

Armament:

Cortes - 13 Arkeibuz (such as rifles), 14 guns and fawners, 16 horse knights, crossbows, but mainly cold weapons.

Ermak - several guns and up to 300 piccals, i.e., most with cold weapons.

Opponents:

Cortes is the Aztec empire, the emperor of Monteesum II, the army up to 100 thousand. The population is 15 million.

Ermak - Siberian Khanate. Khan Kuchum, Army of 10 thousand people. The population of the entire Khanate was several tens of thousands of people.

The population, of course, is a significant difference.

Cortes and Yermak supported the peoples conquered by the Aztecs and Tatars.

Cortes and Ermak lost most of his army in the first years of the war.

Trophies:

Cortes - gold, jewelry. Gold was one of the main reasons for his campaign.

Ermak - many treasures were taken in Tyumen: silver, gold and precious Siberian furs. Some sources write that the purpose of the campaign was not the conquest of Siberia, but the usual raid to receive military booty. Just circumstances forced to act according to another scheme.

As we see, the campaigns of Yermak and Cortes have a lot in common: the time, the size of the armies, the balance of power with the enemy, the goal.

Cortes was opposed by a significantly large army, but the Indians caused panic horror of firearms and horses of the Spaniards, the Indian armies fought without any tactics. Plus, the Spaniards almost immediately entered into an alliance with the enemies of the Aztecs, and they provided them with their warriors. Almost the entire company in the army of Cortes of the Indians was more than the Spaniards.

The assault Tenochtitlan

Ermaku was opposed by a more serious enemy. The Tatars knew their enemy well, because the skirmishes were constantly happening, they were familiar with firearms, and Kuchum even had several guns. If the horses scared the Indians, there were the other way around - the Tatars were actively used. Despite this, they could not fight back, the forces of the Tatars were scattered, their large army was “smeared” in the enormous territory of the khanate, Yermak, in fact, defeated relatively small detachments.

The conquest of Siberia

Ermak, like Cortes, was not a humanist during his campaigns. He also burned and robbed settlements. The captured lands taxed. The historian Karamzin spoke like this: “This is a mysterious and gloomy personality, who inspired horror with his own name, was a person without a clan and a tribe. No people can bear any moral responsibility for him. ”

Ermak and his followers are the same conquistadors (conquerors in the era of colonization), only acted not in America, but in Siberia.

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