Kazan and Moscow: The Origins of the Kazan Wars of Ivan the Terrible

Russian-Kazan contacts in the second half of the 15th century to the first third of the 16th century were a mix of military confrontation, behind-the-scenes struggles in the best traditions of "Game of Thrones", as well as close cultural and economic cooperation. It is enough to say that the lion's share of coins preserved in the archaeological layers of Kazan from the khanate period are of Moscow origin. Of course, such intense interaction did not occur in a vacuum: it was influenced by many external forces. The struggle between the Grand Duke of Moscow and the Crimean Khan for the right to call Kazan their yurta alone was significant.
This book does not merely chronicle the history of Russian-Kazan contacts during the reign of Ivan III and his son Vasily III. The study reveals in detail the military, political, diplomatic, and economic aspects of these relations. It characterizes the place of both states in the system of international relations and their significance to each other. The book raises such important questions as the reasons for Tatar raids on Russian territories and the roots of the constantly growing Moscow expansion in the Middle Volga during the period in question. Special attention is paid to what the Kazan Khanate represented and what the balance of power was between the two states.