The image of Yemelyan Pugachev in Tatar historical folklore

Abstract

This article examines samples of the Tatars’ non-fairy tale prose, which reflects the historical figure of the popular uprising leader in the Urals and the Volga Region, Yemelyan Pugachev. The author summarizes the popular assessment of the Peasant War leader’s actions, found in the historical tales of the Tatars from the republics of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and other regions of Russia. Based on the analyzed sources, it is possible to obtain valuable information about those socio-political clashes that have left deep traces in the worldview and psychology of the local population. The relevance of the research topic is due to the need to understand the role of one of the key personalities for the Bashkortostan Tatars, Yemelyan Pugachev, as well as the need to replenish the knowledge about the local history specifics and the national policy of the tsarist government. The object of the study is the Tatar people’s historical tales about uprisings and riots. The subject of the study is the image of Yemelyan Pugachev in Tatar historical tales. The purpose of the work is to identify the features reflecting the image of Yemelyan Pugachev in Tatar tales and the prerequisites that form the basis of the popular assessment of this hero’s deeds. The objectives of the article are to review historical tales about popular uprisings, unrest and riots and their leader, to identify the specifics, reflecting people’s indignation based on the transformation of the dissenter’s image, an opponent of state power in the oral folk art of the Tatars living in various regions of Russia, in particular in the Volga Region and the Urals. The article concludes that despite the strengths and weaknesses of Yemelyan Pugachev’s personality, the people portray him with respect, recognizing his strength and charisma, but they are in no hurry to take the “oath of allegiance”; at the same time, through the description of everyday events, he reveals himself, first of all, as a Person.