Yugra

Yugra or Iuhra (Old Russian Югра Jugra; Byzantine Greek

Οὔγγροι Oὔggroi; Latin: Ongariae[1]) was a collective name for
lands and peoples in the region to the east of the northern Ural
Mountains (modern north-west Russia), in the Russian annals of
the 12th–17th centuries. During this period the region was
inhabited by the Khanty (a.k.a. Ostyaks; Hanty) and Mansi (Vogul;
Maansi) peoples. Yugra was also the source for the name of the
Ugric language family (including both the Khanty and Mansi
languages, as well as Hungarian).

In a current context, the word "Yugra" generally refers to a political

constituent of the Russia Federation formally known as Khanty-
Mansi Autonomous Okrug–Yugra, located in the lands historically
Yugran principalities in the 15th
known as Ioughoria. In modern Russian this word is rendered
century.
"Югория" (Yugoria) and is used as a poetic synonym of the
region.

Contents
History
Modern history
Yugrian Principalities and relations with the Tatars and Russians
Hungarian Urheimat
See also
References

History
The 12th century missionary and traveller Abu Hamid al-Gharnati gives one of the earliest accounts of the
region, which he calls Yura in Arabic:

But beyond Wisu by the Sea of Darkness there lies a land known by the name of Yura. In
summers the days are very long there, so that the Sun does not set for forty days, as the
merchants say; but in winters the nights are equally long. The merchants report that Darkness
is not far (from them), and that the people of Yura go there and enter it with torches, and find a
huge tree there which is like a big village. But on top of the tree there sits a large creature, they
say it is a bird. And they bring merchandise along, and each merchant sets down his goods
apart from those of the others; and he makes a mark on them and leaves, but when he comes
back, he finds commodities there, necessary for his own country ... (Al Garnati:32)
The Golden Lady of the Obians was apparently an idol of the
Yugrans. The first reports of the Golden Lady are found in the
14th-century Novgorod Chronicles, with reference to Saint Stephan
of Perm. Next, the golden idol is mentioned in the 16th century by
the subjects of the Grand Duke of Moscow, commissioned to
describe the trade and military routes of the expanding Russia. The
first non-Russian known to have examined the Golden Lady is
Maciej Miechowita, a professor at Cracow University. The golden Yugra (Iuhra), "the place of origin of
idol appeared on Sigismund von Herberstein's map of Moscovia Hungarians" (inde ungaroru origo) on
published in 1549, and on a number of later maps, e.g. Gerhard Sigismund von Herberstein's 1549
Mercator's "Map of the Arctic (1595)", where it is labeled Zolotaia map of Moscovia. Herberstein placed
Baba (from Russian Золотая баба – "Golden Lady" or "Golden the label Iuhra east of the Ob River,
Idol"). while a statue of Aurea anus (Latin:
"Golden Old Woman"), a.k.a. Slata
In connection with Yermak's campaign, the Siberian Chronicle also baba ("Golden Idol") can be seen
mentions the golden woman: a hetman of Yermak's, by the name of west of the Ob.
Ivan Bryazga, invaded the Belogorye region in 1582 and fought
the Ob-Ugrians there, who were defending their holiest object – the
golden woman. (See Karjalainen 1918:243–245, Shestalov
1987:347.) And Grigori Novitski's statement that in earlier days
there used to be in one shrine in Belogorye together with the
copper goose "the greatest real idol", and that the superstitious
people "preserved that idol and took it to Konda now that idol-
worshipping is being rooted up", has also been regarded as relating
to the golden woman (Novitski: 61).

Of the "Copper Goose" Novitski wrote the following:

The goose idol very much worshipped by them is cast

of copper in the shape of a goose, its atrocious abode
is in the Belogorye village on the great river of Ob.
According to their superstition they worship the god of
waterfowls – swans, geese and other birds swimming
on water  ... His throne in the temple is made of Bronze-cast offering items attributed
different kinds of broadcloth, canvas and hide, built to the Mansi people.
like a nest; in it sits the monster who is always highly
revered, most of all at the times of catching waterfowls
in nests  ... This idol is so notorious that people come
from distant villages to perform atrocious sacrifice to it
– offering cattle, mainly horses; and they are certain
that it (the idol) is the bearer of many goods, mainly
ensuring the richness of waterfowls ...

Comparisons of different Yugran traditions indicate that the goose was one of the shapes or appearances of
the most popular god of the "World Surveyor Man", and that Belogorye is still sometimes referred to as his
home. Novitsky also describes a site for worshipping this "World Surveyor" or "Ob Master":

The home of the Ob Master was presumably near the stronghold Samarovo in the mouth of the
river Irtysh. According to their heathen belief he was the god of the fish, depicted in a most
impudent manner: a board of wood, nose like a tin tube, eyes of glass, little horns on top of the
 head, covered with rags, attired in a (gilt breasted) purple robe. Arms – bows, arrows, spears,
armour, etc – were laid beside him. According to their heathen belief they say about the
collected arms that he often has to fight in the water and conquer other vassals. The frenzy
ones thought that the atrocious monster is especially horrifying in the darkness and in the large
waters, that he comes through all the depths where he watches over all fish and aquatic
animals and gives everyone as much as he pleases.

— Novitsky: 59.

Modern history
The Christianization of the Mansi en masse started at the beginning of the 18th century. Grigory Novitsky
describes the Christianization of the Pelym Mansi in 1714 and the Konda Mansi in 1715. The words of the
village elder and the caretaker of the sanctuary Nahratch Yeplayev have been recorded:

We all know why you have come here – you want to pervert us from our ancient beliefs with
your smooth-tongued flattery and damage and destroy our revered helper, but it is all in vain
for you may take our heads but this we will not let you do.

— Novitsky: 92–93

Novitsky describes the above-mentioned idol as follows:

The idol was carved of wood, attired in green clothes, the evil looking face was covered with
white iron, a black fox skin was placed on its head; the whole sanctuary, especially his site
which was higher than anywhere else, was decorated with purple broadcloth. Other smaller
idols nearby which were placed lower were called the servants of the real idol. I think there
were many other things in front of him – caftans, squirrel skins, etc.

— Novitsky: 93

It seems that a compromise was reached whereby the idols would be saved – for now at least – and at last
Nahratsh who had consulted the elders of the village proposed a compromise:

We will now obey the ruler's regulations and ukase. So we will not discard your teaching, we
only beg you not to reject the idol so revered by our fathers and grandfathers, and if you wish
to christen us, honour also our idol, christen it in a more honourable manner – with a golden
cross. Then we will decorate and build a church with all the icons ourselves, as a custom goes,
and we will place ours also among these.

— Novitsky: 94–95

This arrangement seems to have lasted for a while, but later it is recorded that this agreement was broken
and the totems and idols so sacred to the Mansi and Khanty were burned by Russian Christian zealots.
Many of these totems were not destroyed, but hidden, their locations kept secret over the generations. Even
during repression of the 1930s many of these sacred sites remained undiscovered by the authorities and
some can be found today.

Yugrian Principalities and relations with the Tatars and Russians

There are three or four known proto-states of the Yugran
inhabitants, both Khanty and Mansi. The Principality of Pelym was
located in the basin of the Konda river and stretched from the
mouth of the Sosva River near Tavda up to Tabory. The stronghold
of the Pelym princes was also a significant religious centre; a sacred
Siberian larch grew in its surroundings and even in the 18th century
people used to hang the skins of sacrificed horses on its branches.
Near the sacred tree was a worship storehouse with five idols of
human figure, and smaller storehouses with high pillars and human-
faced peaks around it for storing sacrificial instruments. The bones
of sacrificial animals were stored in a separate building (Novitski:
81).
The coat of arms of Kondia.
The Principality of Konda (mainly Mansi) formed a large semi
autonomous part of the Pelym principality, according to the tax
registers from 1628/29 it was inhabited by 257 tax-paying Mansi. The treasures of Prince Agai of Konda
who was imprisoned by the Russians in 1594 gives us a good picture of the wealth of the Yugran nobles of
this period. Namely, the Russians confiscated two silver crowns, a silver spoon, a silver beaker, a silver
spiral bracelet, "precious drapery" and numerous pelts and precious furs (Bahrushin 1955,2:146). The third
part of the Pelym principality was the region of Tabary, in which inhabited 102 adults in 1628/29.
Preceding the coming of the Russians the Mansi of this region were farmers and according to the tradition
Yermak collected tribute in the form of grain (Bahrushin 1955, 2:147).

It is believed the Yugran people or Ob-Ugrians had made trade with many countries far and wide since the
earliest times. This trade was described in journals attributed to Abu Hamid al-Gharnati the Arab traveller
during the 12th century:

And from Bolghar merchants travel to the land of heathens, called Wisu; marvellous beaver
skins come from there, and they take there wedge-shaped unpolished swords made in
Azerbaijan in their turn… But the inhabitants of Visu take these swords to the land that lies
near the Darkness [Yugra] by the Black Sea [now known as the White Sea], and they trade the
swords for sable skins. And these people take the swords and cast them into the Black Sea; but
Allah the Almighty sends them a fish which size is like a mountain [a whale]; and they sail out
to the fish in their ships and carve its flesh for months on end.

— Bahrushin 1955,2: 58–59

According to some sources, Novgorod launched military campaigns against the Yugrans "living with the
Samoyeds in the Land of Midnight" already at the end of the first millennium (Bahrushin 1955,1:86). At
that time, the Russians probably came into contact with the Mansi who were still living in Europe, along
the upper course of the river Pechora, in the neighbourhood of the ancient Komi realm of Great Perm. The
Novgorod Chronicle tells of a military campaign under the leadership of Yadrei of Novgorod in 1193,
which ended in the destruction of the Novgorod forces. The defeat was blamed on some Novgorodans who
had reportedly "been in contact with the Yugrans" (Bahrushin 1955,1:75).

From the 13th to 15th centuries, Yugra was supposed to pay tribute to Novgorod. But taxes could be
collected only by means of armed forces. The chronicles describe several campaigns, mentioning the strong
resistance of Yugran princes who took shelter in their strongholds. After the annexation of Ustyug by
Moscow in the 14th century, Muscovite campaigns began instead of the Novgorodan ones.
In the 15th century, the most important Russian stronghold in Permland and the starting point for all
expeditions going to the East was the diocese established on the Vym River by Stephan of Perm. In
1455,the Mansi of Pelym launched a campaign under the command of Prince Asyka. Moscow reciprocated
by forming an alliance with Prince Vasily of Great Perm who together with the warriors of Vym who took
part in the 1465 expedition to Yugra (Bahrushin 1955,1:76). It is recorded in the Russian Chronicles that, in
1465, as a result of this raid, two minor "Yugrian" princes (Kalpik and Chepik) were compelled to submit
to the Russians and pay tribute. They were soon deposed. In 1467, during a second campaign, Prince
Asyka himself was captured and brought to Vyatka (Bahrushin 1955,2:113). In 1483, Moscow sent forth
another expedition against the princes of Yugra and Konda where the "grand duke" Moldan was captured
(Bahrushin 1955,2:113).

In 1499, Moscow dispatched a great force against "Yugra" (Pelym; led by Prince Semyon Kurbski), Konda
or Koda (led by Prince Pyotr Ushatyi), and the "Gogulichi", the free Voguls or Mansi). The 4000 strong
army, using dog and reindeer teams, reached the Lyapin stronghold of the Khanty, located on the river of
the same name (Bahrushin 1955,1:76–77). In the source it is told that 40 strongholds were taken and 58
Khanty and Mansi princes captured in the expedition. At the end of the 15th century the Grand Duke of
Moscow assumed the honorary title of Prince of Yugra. By the 16th century, several Yugran princes were
paying tribute to the Siberia Khanate and participated in their military ventures against Russian settlers
protected by Cossacks and Komi auxiliaries who were chasing the Yugran natives from their homes.

In response the Khanty and Mansi of Pelym continually sent forth counter-campaigns to the lands of Great
Perm. Thus, the year 1581 went into history as the year of the raiding of Kaigorod and Cherdyn.
According to Russian estimates, the army of the Mansi and their allies, the Tartars, stood 700 strong
(Bahrushin 1955,1:99; 2:144). Continuing resistance to border conflagration led to the launching of a
campaign in 1582–84 arranged and financed by the Stroganovs and led by the Cossack leader Yermak
Timofeyevich, which began with the destruction of a Mansi war band that had invaded the Russian settlers
territory and ended as a punitive expedition against the Pelym Mansi and their ally the Siberian Khan. In
some sources, Alach, Prince of Koda figures as an important ally of the Siberian Khan Kuchum Khan and
is said to have been awarded one of the Yermak mail-coats taken from the enemy (Bahrushin 1955, 1:114).

In 1592, another Russian campaign against the Mansi of Pelym was launched. It ended in 1593 when the
stronghold of Prince Ablegirim of Pelym was taken, the prince and his family captured and a Russian
fortress erected in the heart of the stronghold. Although in the following year the Pelym principality
suffered the loss of its lands lying on the Konda River, the Mansi did not give up resistance. In 1599, they
once again brought "war, theft and treachery" to the banks of the Chusovaya River and Kurya River and
plundered the Russian settlements there (Bahrushin,2:143–144).

The close connections between the Yugrans and the Turkic Tartars are also demonstrated by the fact that
even in the 1660s, the idea of restoring the Kuchum Khanate was still popular with the Khanty of
Beryozovo (Bahrushin,2:143–144). It was only in the middle of the 17th century that Moscow succeeded
in subduing Yugra.

In the 18th century, the successors of the Principality of Pelym and Principality of Konda – princes Vassili
and Fyodor – lived in Pelym. They became Russianized and performed various duties for the Tsarist
government. The Mansi, however, considered them still as their rulers. The fact that the ancient family of
princes ruled on in Konda is also proved by a tsar letter from 1624:

He, prince Vassili and prince Fyodor have close brothers in Big Konda – our tax-paying
murzas, and our simple Voguls are ruled by them in Big Konda, the brothers of prince Vasily,
the murzas." (Bahrushin 1955,2: 148
Prince Kyntsha of Konda received a deed of gift from the Tsar in 1680 which confirmed his noble position.
Even in the 18th century the Konda princes were known for their relative independence. It is assumed that,
as late as 1715, Prince Satyga of Konda and his 600 armed men made an attempt to impede the
Christianisation of the Konda Mansi (Novitski: 98). From 1732–47, Konda was ruled by Satyga's son
Prince Osip Grigoryev, followed by his own son Prince Vlas Ossipov. According to recent research by
Aado Lintrop, one of the great-grandchildren of Satyga, the teacher of the Turinsky community school,
Aleksander Satygin claimed the title "Prince of Konda" as late as 1842.

Hungarian Urheimat
Yugra and its vicinity to the south are considered to be
the place of origin of the Hungarians (in Hungarian
magyar őshaza). One hypothesis says that the name
Hungary is a variety of the name Yugra (the
Hungarians also were known in several languages
under the name of Ugri, and are still known under this
name in Ukrainian).

The Hungarian language is also the closest linguistic

relative of Khanty and Mansi. It is believed that
Hungarians moved West from Yugra, first settling on
the western side of the Urals, in the region known as
Magna Hungaria (Great Yugria). Then they moved to
the region of Levédia (present-day east Ukraine), then Migration of the Hungarians from what is now
to the region of Etelköz (present-day west Ukraine), Russia
finally reaching the Carpathian Basin in the 9th
century.

See also
Name of Hungary
Ugrians

References
1. Introduction into the Latin epigraphy (Введение в латинскую эпиграфику) (http://padaread.
com/?book=48746&pg=218).
Bakhrushin 1955, 1 = Bakhrushin S. B. Puti v Sibir v XVI-XVII vv. Nautshnyje trudy III.
Izbrannyje raboty po istorii Sibiri XVI-XVII vv. Tshast pervaja. Voprosy russkoi kolonizatsii
Sibiri v XVI-XVII vv. Moscow 1955, ss. 72–136.
Bakhrushin 1955, 2 = Bakhrushin S. B. Ostjatskyje i vogulskije knjazhestva v XVI i XVII vv.
Nautshnyje trudy III. Izbrannyje raboty po istorii Sibiri XVI-XVII vv. Tshast vtoraja. Istorija
narodov Sibiri v XVI-XVII vv. Moscow 1955, ss. 86–152.
Al Garnati = Puteshestvije Abu Hamida al-Garnati v Vostotshnuju I Tsentralnuju Jevropu.
Moscow 1971.
Pieksämäki, The Great Bear = The Great Bear. A Thematic Anthology of Oral Poetry in the
Finno-Ugrian Languages. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran Toimituksia 533. 1993.
Karjalainen 1918 = Karjalainen, K. F. Jugralaisten usonto. Suomen suvun uskonnot III.
Porvoo.
 Karjalainen 1922 = Karjalainen, K. F. Die Religion der Jugra-Vöaut;lker II. FF
Communications 44. Porvoo.
Novitsky = Novitskij G. Kratkoe opisanie o narode ostjackom. Studia uralo-altaica III. Szeged
1973.
Shestalov 1987 = Shestalov J. Taina Sorni-nai. Moscow.
Shestalova-Fidorovitsh 1992 = Svjashtshennyi skaz o sotvorenii zemli. Mansiiskie mify.
Perevod O. Shestalovoi-Fidorovitsh. Saint Petersburg, Khanty-Mansiysk.
Sokolova 1983 = Sokolova Z. P. Sotsialnaja organizatsija khantov i mansi v XVIII-XIX vv.
Problemy fratrii i roda. Moscow.
Aado Lintrop, The Mansi, History and Present Day (1977)
Endangered Uralic Peoples, RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the
North) – sourced at hunmagyar.org

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yugra&oldid=1084266228"

This page was last edited on 23 April 2022, at 14:31 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0;

additional terms may apply. By
using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.