History of Chuvashia facts for kids

The history of Chuvashia tells the story of the land and people of the Chuvash Republic. It covers everything from the first people who lived there, called Finno-Ugric peoples, to when it became part of the Russian Empire and later states.

Ancient Times in Chuvashia

The very first people who lived in the area now known as Chuvashia were from a group called the Comb Ceramic Culture. They might have been Finno-Ugric peoples. Later, another group, possibly Indo-European people from the Battle Axe Culture, moved in and built villages. These two groups mixed together and formed the Hillfort Culture in the Middle Volga Area. They traded a lot and shared some language with people from the southern steppes, like the Scythians and Sarmatians.

The ancestors of today's Chuvash people were Turkic groups called Bulgars and Suars (Sabirs). They lived in the Northern Caucasus region between the 5th and 8th centuries. In the 7th and 8th centuries, some Bulgars moved to the Balkans. There, they joined with local Slavs to create the country we now call modern Bulgaria. Another group moved to the Middle Volga Region, forming Volga Bulgaria. The Bulgars who did not become Muslims became part of the Chuvash people.

During the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria, the Suars, who lived on the steppes, moved north. This area was home to Volga Finnic tribes like the Mordvins and Mari. The Chuvash believe they are descendants of these Suars, who mixed with the Mari people.

The Chuvash became subjects of the Golden Horde in 1242. This happened after a big uprising that the Mongols put down very strongly with an army of 40,000 warriors. Later Mongol and Tatar rulers did not interfere much in local matters. This was as long as the Chuvash paid their yearly tribute to Sarai. A war between Tokhtamysh and Timur (1361–1395) greatly harmed the Suar people. When the Golden Horde's power weakened, local Mişär Tatar leaders from Pyana and Temnikov tried to control the Chuvash area.

Chuvashia Under Russian Rule

During Ivan the Terrible's war to conquer the Khanate of Kazan, in August 1552, Chuvash and Mari leaders promised their loyalty to the Grand Duchy of Muscovy. This happened at Alatyr on the Sura River. This ended nearly 120 years of rule by the Khanate of Kazan. In return, Ivan promised to respect all historic land rights of the Chuvash and Maris. These lands were on both sides of the Volga River, from the Kerzhenets to the Sviyaga River. Ivan also gave the Chuvash and Mari leaders five years without having to pay tribute. The Chuvash provided 15,000 soldiers and the Mari 10,000 to Ivan's army. This helped in the final attack against Kazan, giving the Muscovites 100,000 soldiers against the Khanate's 30,000 Nogai Tatars defending the city.

Some Chuvash people were unhappy with Russian rule. They rebelled and joined the Mari during the Kazan War of 1552–1594. During a difficult time in Russian history called the Time of Troubles, they joined the troops of the False Dmitri.

Within the Russian Empire, the area of modern Chuvashia was split into two parts. The northern part was under the Kazan Governorate, and the southern part was under the Simbirsk Governorate. The border ran roughly from Kurmish to Buinsk.

The Chuvash and Mari joined the rebellions led by Stenka Razin (1667–1671) and Pugachev (1773–1775). During these years, the Volga area was in open revolt. Many Chuvash people moved east to the southern Urals to escape.

Between 1650 and 1850, the Russian Orthodox Church sent missionaries who spoke Chuvash. They tried to convert the Chuvash people to the Orthodox faith. Some of these missionaries created a written Chuvash language. The first Chuvash grammar book was published in 1769. Before this, Chuvash was written using a Runic script or the Arabic alphabet. A new Cyrillic alphabet for Chuvash was first introduced in 1873 by Ivan Yakovlevich Yakovlev. The Latin alphabet has also been used. Most Chuvash who stayed in the area became Orthodox Christians, but some kept their traditional beliefs.

Many Russian noble families received large estates in the Chuvash lands. This was a reward for their service to the Tsar. The Chuvash peasants, who used to own their own land, became serfs. This meant they were tied to the land and worked for rich Russian landowners. Russian became the official language. There were few efforts to provide basic education in the Chuvash language. All higher education was taught in Russian.

After Alexander II ended serfdom, many Chuvash peasants needed land. They moved to other areas in Russia to find their own land. Between 1860 and 1914, almost half of the Chuvash population left their home areas. The last big wave of migration happened during the Stolypin agrarian reforms.

Chuvashia in the Soviet Era

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a sense of national identity grew among educated Chuvash people. They connected with other groups in the middle Volga area who wanted more independence. Ideas about Marxism became popular among the poorest farmers and factory workers. On May 15, 1917, the Chuvash joined the Idel-Ural Movement. In December 1917, they joined the short-lived Idel-Ural State. An agreement was made with Tatar representatives to set the eastern border of Chuvashia at the Sviyaga River.

The Chuvash promised to respect the Islamic religion of the Tatars. They also promised to give them local and cultural independence within the League of Idel Ural States. The southern border with the Mordvins was set along the Sura River. Equal rights were promised to Chuvash people living west of the Sura. In the south, the border followed the Barysh, Bolshoi Akla, and Tsilna Rivers between the Sura and Sviyaga. In the north, there was a disagreement with representatives of the Mari-populated Tsykma (Kozmodemyansk) and other areas in Chuvashia.

In 1918–1919, the Russian Civil War affected the area. The Bolsheviks won this war. They were mainly ethnic Russians and had strong support from troops from Nizhny Novgorod. The local Chuvash politicians who wanted independence lost their lives.

To gain support from the local people, Lenin ordered the creation of a Chuvash state within the Russian SFSR. On June 24, 1920, the Chuvash Autonomous Oblast was formed. This became the Chuvash ASSR in April 1925.

The Communist campaign against wealthy farmers, called "kulaks," in 1930–1931, greatly hurt farming in the Chuvash ASSR. These farmers were sent to Gulag prison camps, and independent farms were removed. The Great Purge in 1936–1938 also deeply affected educated Chuvash people. Many lost their lives or were sent to prison camps. Most local Chuvash teachers were removed, making it hard to teach Chuvash. Russian teachers who replaced them did not know the language. Ethnic Russians kept control of the area, and the process of making the Chuvash and Mari peoples more Russian became stronger.

From 1930 to 1940, the region shifted from mostly farming to more industry. By 1940, the Chuvash ASSR produced a lot of electricity, raw timber, sawn timber, cotton cloth, hosiery, leather footwear, and animal fats.

During the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and the time of industrial growth after the war, more and more Russians moved to the growing towns of Chuvashia. The people in the countryside remained mostly Chuvash and Kuruk Maris, who focused on farming. In the south of the republic, Russians and other groups like Ukrainians moved in to work in the new Chuvash Forest Industry Combinate.

By 1964, the Chuvash ASSR produced even more electricity, timber, cotton cloth, hosiery, leather footwear, and animal fats. On January 1, 1966, the population of the Chuvash ASSR was 1,178,000 people. In 1990, the republic was renamed the Chuvash Soviet Socialist Republic.

Chuvashia Today

In 1992, the republic was given its current name: the Chuvash Republic.

The Chuvash Republic is an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. This means it has more power than other areas of Russia to decide its own local rules and ways of doing things. Nikolay Fyodorov, who used to be Russia's minister of justice, was elected the first President of the Chuvash Republic in 1994. He was known for supporting market reforms and encouraged the region to build stronger economic ties with other countries. He also supported the growth of small businesses. The mayor of Cheboksary, Anatoly Igumnov, also wanted to work with international companies. Both the republic and city governments have departments that work with foreign businesses.

As of 2011, the President of the Republic was Mikhail Ignatyev.

Literature

• Т.Н. Таймасова, В.В. Степанов, «Краткая история Чувашии и чувашского народа», Чувашское книжное издательство. Чебоксары, 2019.

Images for kids

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  Church in Cheboksary