The Re Enactor, issue 52

The Military Flying Show

A Huey-Will be taking part in The Military And Flying Machine Show August 2013

Features This Month 1 The Mutton Battle 2 Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc

3 Military and Flying Machines Show

4 The Little Battle of Chalons

5 Event Information

Greetings All

Welcome to issue 52

The weather is trying to improve here in the

UK with a few days of warm sunny

weather but it isnrsquot lasting long enough-but

we keep praying that it will stay warm

I am at Hay Castle this bank holiday

weekend during the main Hay Festival so I

expect it to be busy

I am after more reports stories and details

of what you are doing as I really want to

have more content for each new issue-So

get writing and emailing me your details

The events list has grown so do take a look

through and see what is happening near

you if you see that an event you know of

isnrsquot in the list please let me have the details

and I will be sure to add it

Please send all correspondence to the

following email address

thereenactorbtinternetcom

Competitions

All competitions are free to enter

Winners will be selected at random on the 24th

of

each month for the relevant competition

Winners will be notified via email shortly after

the draw takes place

No correspondence will be entered into

The editorrsquos decision is final

The views and opinions expressed in the articles in

this ezine are those of the individual authors

themselves and not those of the Editor

Note If you have any questions

queries thoughts or ideas for and

about the magazine please do feel

free to contact me and we can discuss

them

To receive notification of each new issue

send your email address to

thereenactorbtinternetcom

Next Month I hope to run a competition to win one of five copies of Giles Christianrsquos new

book and also to print the interview I had with the author recently

For more details about Giles and his work check out his website

httpwwwgileskristiancom

The Mutton Battle or the Battle of the Samara Bend

Historical Background

The Mongols began a 4-year-long campaign in the spring of 1220 to pursue and destroy

Muhammad II of Khwarezm Following the Mongol invasion of Central Asia and the

subsequent collapse of the Khwarezmian Empire a Mongol force under the command of

generals Jebe and Subutai advanced into Iraq-i Ajam Jebe requested permission from the

Mongol leader Genghis Khan to continue his conquests for a few years before returning to

the main army via the Caucasus While waiting for Genghis Khans reply the duo set out on a

raid in which they attacked Georgia and killed its king Genghis Khan granted the duo

permission to undertake their expedition and after making their way through the Caucasus

they defeated a coalition of Caucasian tribes before defeating the Cumans

The Cuman Khan Koumlten fled to the court of his son -in-law Prince Mstislav the Bold of

Galich who he convinced to help fight the Mongols Mstislav the Bold formed an alliance of

the Rus princes including Mstislav III of Kiev

In May 1223 the combined Rus army at first defeated the Mongol rearguard For several

days the Rus pursued the Mongols but became spread out over a large distance The

Mongols stopped and assumed battle formation on the banks of the Kalka River Mstislav the

Bold with his Cuman allies attacked the Mongols without waiting for the rest of the Rus

army and were defeated on the 31st of May 1223 Then the Mongols turned their hordes

backto Asia

(DV Zyabkin Battle of the Kalka River httpwwwneizvestniy-

geniyruimagesworksphoto201210749679_1jpg )

Subutai after his victory over the Russians was instructed by Genghis Khan to search

for his son Jochis army of 20000 men and link up in an effort to defeat the Volga Bulgars

The Mongol army crossed the Volga River near modern-day Volgograd and passed in

reconnaissance through Volga Bulgaria reconnoitering the land and the possibilities for the

future large-scope invasion [12]

Volga Bulgaria

Volga Bulgaria or VolgandashKama Bolghar was a historic Islamic Bulgar state that existed

between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama

rivers in what is now European Russia (mostly the territory of the present-day Tatarstan

Chuvashia part of Ulyanovsk Samara and Penza oblasts)

httpenwikipediaorgwikiFileVolgaBulgariajpg

The population was mostly Bulgars who had conquered Finno-Ugrics and Turkic speakers of

the region The population had been pagan but Islam was adopted as the state religion in the

early tenth century by Almış the iltaumlbaumlr (king) who united the Bulgar state and received the

famous embassy from Baghdad headed by Ibn Fadlan

Most scholars agree that the Volga Bulgars were subject to the great Khazarian Empire until

Khazarias destruction and conquest by Sviatoslav in the late 10th century after which Volga

Bulgaria grew in size and power Sometime in the late 9th century unification processes

started and the capital was established at Bolghar (also spelled Bulgar) city 160 km south

from modern Kazan

It is thought that the territory of Volga Bulgaria was originally settled by Finno-Ugric

peoples including Mari people The Bulgars moved from the Azov region in about AD 660

commanded by Kotrag Kubrats son They reached Idel-Ural in the eighth century where

they became the dominant population at the end of the 9th century uniting other tribes of

different origin which lived in the area

A large part of the regions population included Turkic or Iranic groups such as Suars Barsil

Bilars Baranjars and part of Burtas (by ibn Rustah) Modern Chuvashes descend from Suars

and Kazan Tatars descend from the Volga Bulgars Another part comprised Finnic and

Magyar (Asagel and Pascatir) tribes from which Bisermaumlns probably descend Ibn Fadlan

refers to Volga Bulgaria as Sakaliba which is a general Arabic term for the people of Volga

Bulgaria and it is probably related to ethnic name Scythian (or Saka in Persian) According to

the modern estimates based upon Abu Zayd al-Balkhirsquos data for Bolghar and Suar the

population of Volga Bulgaria at its peak amounted to about 15 ndash 2 mln people

Commanding the Volga River in its middle course the state controlled much of trade

between Europe and Asia prior to the Crusades (which made other trade routes practicable)

The capital Bolghar was a thriving city rivalling in size and wealth with the greatest centres

of the Islamic world Other major cities included Bilaumlr Suar (Suwar) Qaşan (Kashan) and

Cuumlkaumltaw (Juketau) Modern cities Kazan and Yelabuga were founded as Volga Bulgarias

border fortresses [3]

Devils Tower in Yelabuga 12th century httpnin-

grebnevayarurepliesxmlitem_no=44766

The Volga Bulgars mastered smelting pig iron and steel and were famous for their

metalwork Their builders erected stone and wooden mosques palaces with central heating

and plumbing as far back as in the 9th century In Central Asia and Iran the best leather is still

called Bulgarian [4]

Modern leather boots made according to the medieval technology and patterns

httpwwwrusskiymirrurusskiymirrucataloguerussiadetails16detail3html

The Volga Bulgars were also known for their skill in jewellery and ceramics Volga Bulgaria

also exported excellent furs Trade connections of Volga Bulgaria extended from Vikings

Bjarmland Yugra and Nenets in the north to Baghdad and Constantinople in the south from

Western Europe to China in the East

Gold temple ring (Volga Bulgaria late 11

th ndash early 12

th century)

httpkulturarusiruremesla-v-volzhskoy-bolgarii

Pectoral Volga Bulgaria 11

th century

httpserebnitiruforumviewtopicphpf=14ampt=19ampstart=3105ampsid=1c2bccb09d3636f0079

7bca179e27dc0ampview=print

Voga Bulgaria had its own science and literature In the first half of the 12th century Ya`qucircb

ibn Nogman al-Bulgari wrote his ldquoHistory of Bulgariardquo Scientist Burkhan ad-Din Ibrahim

ibn-Yūsuf al-Bulgari (d 1204) wrote treatises about medicines and rhetoric Philosopher

Abu-l-Alja Khamid ibn Idris al-Bulgari (12th

c) was well-known in the Islamic world for his

khadises The epic poem ldquoQiacutessai Yosıf (Tale of Yusuf)rdquo by Qol Ghali (between 1219 and

1233) is now considered to be one of the masterpieces of Turkic poetry (The poet was

probably killed in 1236 during the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria) [5 6]

Rich and prosperous Volga Bulgaria vied with Russian principalities for the control over the

Volga River trading intriguing waging military campaigns Under Russian pressure from

the west the Bulgars had to move their capital from Bolghar to Bilaumlr In 1220-1221 Rus

principalities and Volga Bulgaria waged a large-scale military campaign with mixed success

What We Do Know About the Battle

In September 1223 (late 620 Hijri year according to Ali ibn al-Athir ndash due to the intricacies of

Hijri chronology the accurate date is unknown autumn of 1223 or 1224) near the present-day

Samara an advance guard of Genghis Khans army under command of Uran son of Subutai

Bahadur entered Volga Bulgaria at the southern border

An army led by the Bulgar iltaumlbaumlr (king) Ghabdulla Chelbir including the armies of allied

Mordvin princes Puresh and Purgaz ambushed and defeated Subutaiss vanguard forces in

1223 at the Battle of the Samara Bend near the Bulgar city of Kernek There are also some

vague mentions of building special fortifications near the present-day Zhiguli Mountains in

the oral tradition

Ali ibn al-Athir wrote that when the Bulgars learnt about the approach of the Mongol army

they arranged ambushes in several places marched against the Mongols engaged them and

retreating lured them to the place of the main ambush Then the Bulgars struck from the rear

closing the pincers on the enemy After Mongols were rounded up the Bulgars massacred

them and only 4000 managed to escape according to local legends and proven from Arabian

chronicle (the Khwarizmian historian Shihab ad-Din Mohammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasawi) The

surviving Mongols fled to Saqsin This is considered the only major failure of the Mongols

during the rule of Genghis Khan

The captured Mongol troops were later sent back in exchange for live stock This was

unusual for the period as captives were usually executed or sold into slavery Al-Nasawi says

that one Mongol captive was humiliatingly exchanged for one ram that is why the battle is

also known as the Mutton Battle

The details about the Bulgar ambush and the Mongol victory at the Kama river have not

survived It is highly unlikely that even with Jochis reinforcements Subotais army

numbered more than 30000 men since Subotai and Jebes army combined was estimated to

only be between 25000-30000 men at the start of their western reconnaissance raid in 1220

His and Jebes decisive defeats of the numerically superior Georgian Cuman and Russian

armies with less than 3 tumens (30000) makes it reasonable to assume that Jochis

reinforcements were an effort to bring back Subotais depleted army to its original strength

[7 8]

Ospreys Armies of the Volga Bulgars amp Khanate of Khazan 9th-16th centuries by

Vyacheslav Shpakovsky and David Nicolle illustrated by Gerry Embleton

httpwwwarmchairgeneralcomforumsshowthreadphpp=1958748

The crushing defeat of the Mongols can be explained by two main reasons their considerable

losses during the previous battles of the campaign (especially during the Battle of the Kalka

River) and by the well-organized intelligence and tactical skill of the Bulgars They actually

turned the Mongolsrsquo weapon against the Mongols themselves performing feigned retreat

followed by the strike of the ambush force The main Bulgar-Chuvash heroes of the battle

whose names stayed in the legends are Jalal al-Din Altynbek Alan [13] brother of Ghabdulla

Chelbir the future king of Volga Bulgaria after his brothersrsquo death (1229 1230-1236)

generals Savrush Bator Ubi Bator and Sugut Bator [11]

Kazan museum of regional studies armour of a Bulgar warrior

httpforumna-svyazirushowtopic=375983ampst=90

The Mystery of Kernek

Where is Kernek Or at least where WAS Kernek Surely the people must

remember the place where the invincible Mongols were put to shame the place of Bulgar

glory We know what happened to Kernek Kernek was razed to the ground in 1236 by the

returning Mongols But unfortunately we do not know where Kernek was It is known

however that Kernek founded in the 10th century stood to the south of Bolghar on the left

bank of the Volga somewhere near the Samara Bend

Alexei Domnenko an enthusiast of the local history of the Samara oblast has come

up with a very plausible hypothesis as to the exact place of the mysterious Kernek

According to his theory the only place on or near the Samara Bend where the

mountains might play the part of natural fortifications and where therersquos a field between the

Volga and the Zhiguli Mountains large enough to accommodate two large armies is the

stretch of land between the present-day villages Shelekhmet and Podgory In all the other

places the Zhigili Mountains steeply descend right into the Volga Analyzing the features of

the landscape and taking into account the existing Bulgar barrows in the area he has come to

the conclusion that Kernek might be associated with the present-day Tornovoye

Though Tornovoye is on the right bank of the Volga and not on the left therersquos a

formidable reason for the Mongols being interested in the place Through the place passed an

ancient tract connecting Asia and the East European Plain (on estimate the tract may now be

4000 years old) and near Tornovoye before the Volga changed its course in 1637-1638

moving closer to the Sokolyi Mountains (Falcon Mountains) and the River Samara forming a

new chute there existed a ford or at least a waftage the only place to cross the Volga more or

less conveniently for hundreds of miles (even now there are only 11 bridges across the Volga

from Kazan to Astrakhan and 6 ferries the closest one in the present-day Kamyshin almost

near Volgograd) The Volga flowed fast at the time as there were no artificial water storage

basins and hydroelectric power stations so there may have been even fewer places for safe

crossing then Then the tract crossed the Samara Bend from south to north coming close to

the present-day village of Zhiguli (near the village there still can be found the remains of a

large Bulgar city which according to the archeological finds was ruined and burnt in 1236

Archeologists say that the cityrsquos population when it perished was 10000 people ndash the same as

the population of London at that time The name of the city is yet unknown though therersquos a

hypothesis that it might be Shugal Muran or Banju (On the whole there are 2 cities 11

hillforts and 39 pre-Mongol Volga Bulgar settlements on the Samara Bend) [16] The tract

itself is now almost impassable on the Samara Bend as it is now in the territory of the

Zhiguli Forest Preserve and the Samara Bend National Park but it was still in use as recently

as the 19th century) So the tract was literally the road to Volga Bulgaria to Rus and further

on westwards Bearing in mind that Ghengis Khan was planning a massive invasion in the

western lands it seems crucial for the Mongol army to reconnoiter the lay of the land the

ford or the waftage and the defences built by the locals as well as their battle skill and

resilience Even if Tornovoye was not THE Kernek it still might be a place of a massive

battle engagement as it actually protected the ford

The map dates back to 1824 The tract going from right to left across the Samara Bend

and turning north is shown in brown Tornovoye is opposite Samara on the Samara Bend on

the bank of the Volga - httpsamaranamecontentview155

Behind the big field between Novinki and Tornovoye near Tornovoye there rises the

Tornovsky branch of the Zhiguli Mountains in front of it therersquos a ravine (which is

suspiciously even straight and uniform throughout its whole course ndash see the green arrows in

the picture below) and the swampy Volga mortlakes The ravine suddenly turns into a high

rampart when it joins the natural wall of the Zhiguli Mountains The ravine also takes its

beginning near this wall circles the hillfort makes a loop and then ends abutting the natural

wall again In one area adjoining the suspicious ravine Bulgar burial mounds are concentrated

(circled with red)

httpsamaranamecontentview155

How an abatis ravine might be used httpsamaranamecontentview155

And there exists another minor ravine or a trench for abatis that meets the first one at a sharp

angle to the left of the group of barrows It looks like an ideal place for an ambush If the

Bulgar armies stood along Ravine 1 leaving the settlement behind them and the Mongols

attacked from the right the place looks like a funnel The second half of the Bulgar forces

may have been hidden in the forest nearby this natural funnel and struck the Mongols from

the left (and probably the joined forces may have met and taken the enemy into pincers) The

white dots on the right are the barrows

Both photos from httpsamaranamecontentview155

The burial mounds (about 21 in number) [14] by custom were erected on the place

where the heroic warrior fell And by Tornovoye they are concentrated along the supposed

line of the second part of the Bulgarsrsquo army attack supposedly where the Bulgar cavalry cut

into the trapped Mongol army The resistance of the cornered Mongols must have been

especially fierce here Archeologists say that the barrows near Tornovoye contain nothing but

bones and weapons On the field nearby one can easily find animal and human bone

fragments (though therersquos been little or no attempt to define their exact age)

Burial mounds on the alleged battlefield The trees behind the barrows are forest plantation

going straight along the abatis Ravine 1 httpsamaranamecontentview155

Volga Bulgarian ceramics found there httpsamaranamecontentview155 [9]

Alexei Domnenkorsquos hypothesis may not be able to give the final answer to the

question of the exact site of Kernek but it at least draws attention to this historical site and

possibly identifies the place of at least one of the ambushes made by the Volga Bulgars in

1223-1224 as mentioned in the medieval chronicles

But the Tornovoye hypothesis is not the only one

According to the local lore the inhabitants of the Chuvashian village Staraya Sakhcha

situated not far from Dimitrovgrad (Ulyanovsk oblast) consider themselves to be the

descendants of Kernek inhabitants [10]

If we assume that Kernek (near Staraya Sakhcha) guarded the road to Suar (near

present-day Kuznechikha Spassky district Tatarstan) then we must also remember that

though it was situated on the LEFT bank of the Volga river (and in this respect meets the

description of the city left in the medieval chronicles) then the Mongols were to pass the

Samara Bend and turn away from the Zhiguli Mountains to get to the place

Volga Bulgaria the place of the battle of 1223 is marked by the cross In this map the cross is

definitely near Staraya Sakhcha

httphulkanlivejournalcom31586html

Unfortunately little or no attempt has been made to find Kernek and to excavate on

the sites where the city may have stood to prove or disprove any of the hypotheses

httptainynet7103-padenie-velikoj-bulgariihtml Volga Bulgar ornamented battle axe

httpwwwtatarovedruobrazovanietext

books22

Volga Bulgar arrows and knife httpsimbir-

archeonarodruArcheoBulgars10coshurovo1htm

What Happened After 1223

The Mongols learnt their lesson They returned to fight the stubborn Volga Bulgars

twice ndash in 1229-1232 and in 1236 In 1229 on the orders of the new ruler of the Mongols

Oumlgedei Khan Subutai attacked Volga Bulgaria with a 30000-strong army Though many

Bulgar cities were destroyed iltaumlbaumlr Altynbek mounted a strong resistance The Mongols

suffered another defeat on the River Jayıq (now the Ural) in the Lower Volga Region [15] in

1229 and in 1232 unable to take the superbly fortified stronghold of Bilaumlr [15] the Mongol

army turned home

However in 1236 the funeral bells rang for the medieval Volga Bulgaria as an

independent state The colossal horde of 250000 warriors under Batu Khan and Subutai

came pouring westwards this time razing most of the cities of Volga Bulgaria to the ground

finally destroying its capital Bilaumlr in November 1236 and making many surviving Bulgars

flee northwards and to Rus King Altynbek and the leading general Bochman perished in

battle and the kingrsquos daughter Altyn-chach is said to have assumed command over the

remaining unvanquished warriors of Volga Bulgaria The legend says she died in battle in the

city of Banju somewhere near the present-day Samara (on the Samara Bend) a year later

She became a national heroine of the Volga Bulgars warmly remembered up till now

Kernek was also taken but its rulers Boyan (Puyan) and Dinekku (Jiku) rose in

rebellion as soon as the Mongols turned their back on them [10] In 1237 the Mongols

concentrated on the campaign against the principalities of Rus and this offered Boyan and

Dinekku a good chance for success The rebellion was supported by the Mordvins and the

Burtas The Mongols had to send troops to quench the rebellion in late 1239 - early1240 [12]

The battle-bled and devastated Volga Bulgaria became part of the Ulus Jochi of the Mongol

Empire Its heroic resistance to the Mongol conquerors delayed their attack on Rus and

Europe

Compiled and translated from Russian by Inna Drabkina

After

1 Поход Джэбэ и Субэдэя httpruwikipediaorgwikiПоход_Джэбэ_и_Субэдэя

2 Battle of the Kalka River httpenwikipediaorgwikiBattle_of_the_Kalka_River

3 Volga Bulgaria httpenwikipediaorgwikiVolga_Bulgaria

4 Дмитрий Чулов Падение Великой Булгарии httptainynet7103-padenie-velikoj-

bulgariihtml

5 Волжская Булгария httpwwwkcnrutat_ruhistoryh_bulgruhtml copy 1995-2008

Казанский Государственный Университет

6 Сведения об ученых и писателях вышедших из Волжской Булгарии (Scholars

and writers from Volga Bulgaria) Из Приложения 5 книги ГМ Давлетшина

Волжская Булгария духовная культура (Домонгольский период X - нач XIII

вв) Казань 1990 стр 172 httpgroznijattripodcomfadlanv_bulgarshtml

7 Battle of Samara Bend httpenwikipediaorgwikiBattle_of_Samara_Bend

[4052013]

8 Монгольско-булгарское сражение (12231224)

httpruwikipediaorgwikiМонгольско-булгарское_сражение_(12231224)

9 Алексей Николаевич Домненко Еще одна тайна Самарской луки Найдено

место где была разбита непобедимая армия Чингиз-Хана

httpsamaranamecontentview155 18092009

10 Кернек httpruchuvashnwwwruchuvashorged09ad0b5d180d0bdd0b5d0ba

11 МНЮхма Раскрытая настежь душа народа

httpwwwchuvrdubrubasebasehtmlmode=txtampid=94ampaut=1

12 Гагин ИА (доцент кандидат исторических наук) Булгаро-монгольские войны

первой половины XIII в (по материалам персидских и арабских нарративных

источников) httpwwwi-gaginrucontent_art-18html

13 Списък на владетелите на Волжка България

httpbgwikipediaorgwikiСписък_на_владетелите_на_Волжка_България

14 История Тольятти httptolyattinecnarodrukristolhtm

15 ИСТОРИЯ ТАТАРСТАНА (учебное пособие) (ФХХузин ИА Гилязов ВИ

Пискарев БФ Султанбеков ЛАХарисова ААИванов АГГаллямова)

httphistorytatru4167html

16 Введение в Самарское краеведение - Учебное пособие (Храмков ЛВ)

httpbookmetacombook289-vvedenie-v-samarskoe-kraevedenie-uchebnoe-

posobie-xramov-lv27-2-volzhskaya-bolgariyahtml

Notes

1) Muhammad II of Khwarezm

httpenwikipediaorgwikiMuhammad_II_of_Khwarezm

2) The Khwarezmian Empire httpenwikipediaorgwikiKhwarezmian_Empire

3) Jebe httpenwikipediaorgwikiJebe

4) Subutai httpenwikipediaorgwikiSubutai

5) Iraq-i Ajam httpenwikipediaorgwikiIraq-i_Ajam

6) Khan Koumlten httpenwikipediaorgwikiKoumlten

7) Prince Mstislav the Bold of Galich httpenwikipediaorgwikiMstislav_Mstislavich

8) Mstislav III of Kiev httpenwikipediaorgwikiMstislav_III_of_Kiev

9) Jochi (Juji) httpenwikipediaorgwikiGenghis_KhanJochi

10) Abu Zayd al-Balkhi httpenwikipediaorgwikiAbu_Zayd_al-Balkhi

11) Qol Ghali httpenwikipediaorgwikiQol_Ghali

12) Almış httpenwikipediaorgwikiAlmış

13) Ahmad ibn Fadlan httpenwikipediaorgwikiIbn_Fadlan

14) Sviatoslav httpenwikipediaorgwikiSviatoslav_I_of_Kiev