lettered by Abraham Ortelius, 1570
Place · polity

Russian Empire

St Petersburg

What the sources say here: 4 passages

Daily lifeRussian frontierc. 1238

Conquered men made to fight, and the rest 'called Tartars'

Editorial contextJulian explains how the Tartar army grows: they kill the rulers of conquered lands at once, drive the strong men into battle in front of them, leave the weaker men to farm, give each of them ten or more women of the dead, and order that 'from now on they be called Tartars'. Soldiers who retreat are killed by the Tartars, so they prefer to die fighting. Instead of storming strong castles they strip the land and force the local people to attack the castle.

assigning ten or more to each, and they order them that from now on they be called Tartars. … They do not storm fortified castles, but first lay waste the land and plunder the people, and compel the gathered people of that same land to fight to take the castle.

Working translation

Original wording

cuilibet decem vel plures assignantes et imponunt eisdem, ut de cetero Tartari nuncupentur. … Castra munita non expugnant, sed prius devastant terram et populum depredantur et ejusdem terre populum congregatum compellunt ad pugnam ad expugnandum ipsum castrum.

Friar Julian of Hungary, O.P., report to the bishop of Perugia (c. 1238), in the text printed by Hormayr (1842)
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About Tartars (Mongols) and conquered peoples

Keep in mind

Reported by refugees and the duke of Suzdal, not seen by Julian himself.

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Continue in this sourceLetters of 1241 on the Mongol invasion, printed in the Golden Chronicle of Hohenschwangau1241 · 11 passages
The nameRussian frontier (Suzdal)1237 to 1238

Friar Julian: the Tartars' first land was 'Gothia'

Editorial contextFriar Julian, a Hungarian Dominican who had travelled to the edge of Rus' looking for the pagan 'Greater Hungarians', tells the papal legate what he learned 'from many': that the Tartars once lived where the Cumans now live, are 'in truth' called Ishmaelites but wish to be called Tartars, and came out of a land called 'Gothia'. He then tells a tangled origin story of a duke named Gurgutha whose vengeance war launched their conquests.

For it is reported by many that the Tartars, who formerly lived in the land the Cumans now inhabit, are in truth called Ishmaelites, but now wish to be called Tartars. The land from which they first came out is called Gothia

Working translation

Original wording

Relatum est enim a pluribus, quod Tartari, qui prius inhabitabant terram quam Cumani nunc inhabitant, dicuntur in veritate illi Ysmahelite, volunt nunc Tartari appellari. Terra autem de qua prius sunt egressi Gothia vocatur

Friar Julian of Hungary, O.P., report to the bishop of Perugia (c. 1238), in the text printed by Hormayr (1842)
See the original page

About Tartars (Mongols)

Keep in mind

Hearsay gathered on the Russian frontier; the 'Ishmaelite' label is biblical classification, and the Gurgutha story has no basis in Mongol history. The OCR is badly garbled and the wording is reconstructed from it.

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Continue in this sourceLetters of 1241 on the Mongol invasion, printed in the Golden Chronicle of Hohenschwangau1241 · 11 passages
The nameRussian Empire1807

A name Tatars called dishonourable

Editorial contextIn the written instructions the Academy gave Klaproth, a scholar remarks that peoples sometimes adopt names their neighbours use: just as the Tartar nations in Russia call themselves 'Tartars' for outsiders, though at home they consider the name dishonourable.

They perhaps assume it for the purpose of accommodating their neighbours, as the Tartar nations in Russia give themselves the name of Tartars, which in their own countries they consider as dishonourable.

Instructions for Klaproth from the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences (section II, probably by A. C. Lehrberg or Ph. Krug), printed in Klaproth's Travels
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About Tatar peoples of Russia

Continue in this sourceJulius Klaproth's travels in the Caucasus and Georgia1807 to 1808 · 14 passages
Daily lifeRussian frontierc. 1238

They seem to rain arrows rather than shoot them

Editorial contextJulian's report on how the Tartars fight: they shoot farther than other nations, and in the first clash 'do not seem to shoot but to rain arrows', while swords and lances are said to be less suited to them. Their army is organised so that one Tartar commands ten men and a centurion commands a hundred, so that spies cannot hide among them.

it is said that they shoot farther than other nations are accustomed to. In the first clash of battle, it is said, they do not shoot, but seem as it were to rain arrows.

Working translation

Original wording

dicitur, quod longius jaciunt, quam alie consueverint naciones. In prima congressione belli, ut dicitur, non sagittant, sed quasi pluere sagittas videntur.

Friar Julian of Hungary, O.P., report to the bishop of Perugia (c. 1238), in the text printed by Hormayr (1842)
See the original page

About Tartars (Mongols)

A note on this quote

The scan is too rough to double-check this quote by machine. Compare it with the page.

Continue in this sourceLetters of 1241 on the Mongol invasion, printed in the Golden Chronicle of Hohenschwangau1241 · 11 passages

On the old maps

Maps that name Russian Empire.

Map: Manuscript silk scroll of four Qing frontier maps, anonymous Qing court painter, c. 1697c. 1697anonymous Qing court painterManuscript silk scroll of four Qing frontier mapsMap: New geographical description of Great Tartary, eastern and western, in its particular and…, Strahlenberg, 1720s1720sStrahlenbergNew geographical description of Great Tartary, eastern and…Map: General Map of the Russian Empire, composed as accurately as possible by the labour of…, Kirilov, 17341734KirilovGeneral Map of the Russian Empire, composed as accurately as…Map: Atlas Russicus, Atlas Russicus, 17451745Atlas RussicusMap: Imperium Russicum omnisque Tartaria, Lotter, c. 1762c. 1762LotterImperium Russicum omnisque TartariaMap: Geographical Atlas of the Russian Empire, 83 sheets, St Petersburg 1820-1827, Pyadyshev, 1820–18271820–1827PyadyshevGeographical Atlas of the Russian Empire, 83 sheets, St…Map: Huangchao yitong yudi quantu, Li Zhaoluo, 18321832Li ZhaoluoHuangchao yitong yudi quantu

11 sources and maps name this place

  1. c. 1697approximate
    Manuscript silk scroll of four Qing frontier maps
    Manonymous Qing court painterofficial or contemporary recordM115
  2. 1720swithin a decade
    New geographical description of Great Tartary, eastern and western, in its particular and general…
    MPhilipp Johann von StrahlenbergmixedM080
  3. 1734exact year
    General Map of the Russian Empire, composed as accurately as possible by the labour of Ivan Kirilov, St…
    MIvan Kirilov, St PetersburgcompilationM056
  4. c. 1739approximate
    Map of the Russian Empire and of all Tartary, both the Greater Asiatic and the Lesser European, compiled from…
    MHomann Heirs, NurembergcompilationM084
  5. 1745exact year
    Atlas Russicus
    MImperial Academy of Sciences, St PetersburgcompilationM100
  6. 1760swithin a decade
    Qing neifu yuditu suo moben
    MLiu YancompilationM111
  7. c. 1762approximate
    Imperium Russicum omnisque Tartaria
    MTobias Conrad LottercompilationM055
  8. 1776–1780a range
    Description of All the Nations of the Russian Empire, their way of life, religion, customs, dwellings…
    WJohann Gottlieb GeorgicompilationW282
  9. 1820–1827a range
    Geographical Atlas of the Russian Empire, 83 sheets, St Petersburg 1820-1827
    MV. P. Pyadyshev, Military Topographic DepotcompilationM101
  10. 1832exact year
    Huangchao yitong yudi quantu
    MLi ZhaoluocompilationM110
  11. 1842exact year
    Record of the Sacred Military Exploits
    WWei YuancompilationW135