Olla Billa: the Tartar war cry
Editorial contextFletcher describes Tartar raiders setting dummy riders on spare horses to look more numerous, and charging with the cry 'Olla Billa' (Allah, bi-llah), which he translates 'God help us'. He contrasts their refusal to surrender with the behaviour of Russian and Turkish soldiers.
When they make any onset their manner is to make a great shoote, crying all out together, Olla Billa, Olla Billa, God helpe us, God helpe us. They contemne death so much as that they chuse rather to die then to yeeld to their enimie, and are seene when they are slaine to bite the very weapon
About Crimean Tartars
Pigs as a border defence
Editorial contextRussian borderers, Fletcher says, kept almost nothing but pigs, because Muslim Tartar raiders would not touch or drive them off. He also notes that the Crimean khan was now largely picked by the Ottoman sultan and paid him a tenth of his war booty.
The Russe borders (being used to their invasions lightly every yeere in the sommer) keepe fewe other cattel on the border parts save swine onely, which the Tartar will not touch nor drive away with him ; for that he is of the Turkish religion, and will eate no swines flesh.
About Crimean Tartars
Two horses each: one to ride, one to eat
Editorial contextTartar soldiers, says Fletcher, bring two horses, one to ride and one to eat, and horseflesh is their main food. He adds something he saw himself: when the Crimean prince Kiriach Murza came to Moscow with 300 Tartars, he was welcomed with two fat horses, ready skinned, for supper.
every man with his two horse at the least, the one to ride on, the other to kill, when it commeth to his turne to have his horse eate. For their chiefe vittaile is horse flesh, which they eate without bread or any other thing with it.
About Crimean Tartars
Keep in mind
The general claim is hearsay; the Moscow banquet for Kiriach Murza is what Fletcher himself witnessed.
Felt idols on the doors of their wagons
Editorial contextFletcher says that, unlike Turks, Tartars keep silk or cloth human figures fastened to the doors of their 'walking houses' as house guardians, made by religious women, and bow to a huge image of their khan when the army marches. He also calls them much given to witchcraft and omens.
Herein they differ from the Turkish religion, for that they have certeine idole puppets, made of silke or like stuffe, of the fashion of a man, which they fasten to the doore of their walking houses, to be as Janusses or keepers of their house. And these idols are made not by all, but by certeine religious women
About Crimean Tartars (as described by Fletcher)
Keep in mind
This closely follows 13th-century friars' descriptions of pagan Mongols; the Muslim Crimean Tatars of 1590 are unlikely to have kept such idols.
Three hundred Tartars drowned in a forced baptism
Editorial contextFletcher reports that Russians offered captured Tartars their lives if they accepted baptism, but few agreed. The year after the 1571 fire, a captured Tartar noble and 300 of his men refused, and were 'baptized' by being knocked on the head and thrust into the river.
The yere after Mosko was fired by the Chrim Tartar, there was taken a Dwoymorsey, one of the chiefe in that exploit, with 300 Tartars more : who had all their lives offered them, if they would be baptized after the Russe manner. Which they refused all to doo … they were all baptized after a violent manner, being thrust downe with a knock on the head into the water.
About Crimean Tartar prisoners
The Tartars are the old Scythian shepherds
Editorial contextAfter a harsh description of Tartar looks and singing, Fletcher identifies the Tartars with the 'Scythian nomads' of Greek and Latin writers. Following the Byzantine historian Laonicus Chalcocondylas, he adds that the Turks may have sprung from the Crimean Tartars, since 'Turk' was said to mean shepherd.
They are the very same that sometimes were called Scythae Nomades, or the Scythian shepheards, by the Greekes and Latines. Some thinke that the Turkes tooke their beginning from the nation of the Chrim Tartars.
About Tartars in general; Crimean Tartars
Keep in mind
A bookish identification drawn from classical and Byzantine writers.
Nogais, Cheremis, Mordvins and 'Chircasses': other 'Tartars'
Editorial contextFletcher files several quite different peoples under 'Tartar': the Nogais (the best warriors, but the most savage), the Cheremis (actually the Finnic-speaking Mari), the Mordvins (also Finnic) and the 'Chircasses'. He says they differ more in name than in way of life, except the Chircasses, who border south-west towards Lithuania, follow Polish fashions, are far more 'civil', and are partly subject to the king of Poland and Christian. That description fits the Dnieper Cossacks, whom Russians called Cherkasy, better than the Circassians of the Caucasus.
There are divers other Tartars that border upon Russia, as the Nagais [Nogais], the Cheremissens, the Mordwites, the Chircasses, and the Shalcans, which all differ in name more then in regiment or other condition from the Chrim Tartar, except the Chircasses
About Nogai, Cheremis (Mari), Mordvins, 'Chircasses' (probably the Dnieper Cossacks, Russian Cherkasy)
Keep in mind
A good example of 'Tartar' as a catch-all: the Mari and Mordvins are not Turkic peoples at all, and the Christian 'Chircasses' near Lithuania were probably Cossacks.
The Tsar feeding the khan's horse from his cap
Editorial contextFletcher says the Crimean khan claimed Moscow itself as his right, and repeats a Russian story that the Russian ruler once had to stand on foot and feed the khan's horse with oats from his own cap as yearly homage. On the next page he says this homage was later turned into a tribute of furs.
that tell of a certeine homage that was done by the Russe emperour every yeare to the Great Chrim or Cham, the Russe emperour standing on foot and feeding the Chrims horse (himselfe sitting on his back) with oates out of his owne cap, in stead of a boule or maunger
About Crimean khan and Russian rulers
Keep in mind
A story Fletcher gives 'by the report of the Russes themselves'. Margin notes break the OCR of this passage and have been removed; check the page image.
'Away with those new devils and their thundering puffs'
Editorial contextHorsey claims he persuaded Ivan IV to arm captured Scottish mercenaries and send them against the Crimean Tartars. Twelve hundred Scots with guns, he boasts, did better than 12,000 Russian archers, and the Tartars, unused to firearms, fled crying out against the 'new devils'.
Twelve hundred of them did better service against the Tartor then 12 thowsand Russes, with their shortte bowe and arowes. The Crim, not knowinge then the use of peece and pistolls, stroken dead of their horses with shott they sawe not, cried : " Awaye with those new divells that com with their thunderinge puffs ;"
About Crimean Tartars
Keep in mind
A boastful anecdote; the Crimean khanate had firearms and Ottoman gunners by this time.