- a very interesting expression. An orphan is understandable, but why Kazan? Are there any special orphans in Kazan?

Word orphan means a person, a child without one or both parents. Such children, deprived of parental care and support, as a rule, eked out a poor existence. Therefore, the word orphan in Russian also has the connotation of “poor, destitute, left without means of subsistence.”

But why Kazan orphan, and not Moscow or Tver? This expression is very accurate historical origin.

Khanate of Kazan, as a state entity, arose as a result of the collapse of the Golden Horde. The location for the Tatar capital was chosen very well - the middle reaches of the Volga just above the confluence of the Kama, which allowed the Kazan people to control the most important trade routes and huge rich regions. It is not surprising that the Kazan Khanate quickly grew and posed a real threat to the economic and political interests of the Moscow principality. The confrontation between Moscow and Kazan lasted 135 years, and, as a rule, the advantage was on the side of the Kazan people. And if the Tatars did not set the goal of destroying Moscow, but only wanted to control it and receive tribute, then Moscow was determined to destroy the Kazan Khanate, which blocked its trade transport arteries and the possibility of expansion to the east.

After three unsuccessful campaigns against Kazan, caused mainly by the chaos and poor control of the Russian army, Tsar Ivan the 4th and his military leaders, in after all, developed a plan, the main principle of which was strict adherence to all elements of the preparation of this plan. The Russians gradually cut off Kazan from its sources of supply, besieged it on its distant approaches, and blocked all access routes for help. And the most interesting thing is that they succeeded. Even the troops of the Crimean Khan, who suddenly arrived to the aid of Kazan, were completely defeated by the Russians at the distant approaches. From a military point of view, the capture of Kazan was flawlessly designed and executed military operation. Moscow also succeeded in the political arena; it supported pro-Moscow Murzas in Kazan, bribed and supported them, so the Moscow government was fully aware of Kazan affairs. In a word, at approximately equal forces The organization of the entire event, rare for Russians, yielded results - Kazan was taken and the Kazan Khanate was destroyed.

Moreover interesting fact- on the eve of the assault on the city, the walls of Kazan were blown up and nothing prevented the Russians from immediately launching an invasion of the fortress. But according to the plan, the assault was scheduled for the next day, and Tsar Ivan, continuing to insist on systematic action, ordered the army to rest and the next morning, with fresh forces, Russian forces burst into the city and systematically destroyed everything and everyone.

But some of the Kazan influential people loyal to Moscow were not touched, but on the contrary, they gave them all sorts of gifts, accepted them into the royal service, received estates, in a word, they were treated kindly (which, by the way, the Moscow authorities had done before, spending large sums of money on the maintenance of their Kazan " friends"). But, despite the generous rewards, the remnants of the Kazan elite constantly complained to the tsar about their plight and begged for more and more favors. It was these people who received the ironic nickname “orphans of Kazan” in the circles of the Moscow nobility. That's why Kazan orphan they talk about those people who are not really in dire need, but are speculating on their supposedly plight.

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Do you know, my dear readers, the meaning of the phraseological unit “Kazan orphan”? Surely you have heard this expression! Or maybe they themselves used it in speech, addressing someone with irony?

Let's find out together the origin of this phrase. After all, it sometimes happens that you know the meaning and meaning, you understand its definition and what it means. But it would be interesting to know the exact historical origin of the expression “Kazan orphan” and where it came from.

If with the first word of this catchphrase Everything is more or less clear, but with the second it’s somehow not very good. Why is the orphan from Kazan, and not Moscow or, for example, Krasnodar? Are there some special orphans in Kazan, or what? 😆

Questions, questions... And there are answers to them too, and even several. And they are all connected with the history of the Russian state, with Russian rulers.

The first version is the most common and plausible. As a result of only the fifth attempt, Ivan-4 managed to take the city of Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate. Even from the defeat, the defeated Tatar princes - the Murzas - decided to extract more benefits for themselves.

Having already once received material gifts from the king for their humility and obedience, some of them regularly sought a royal audience. Making yourself look very unhappy and impoverished, while complaining about your hard life, which was, of course, not true, they begged for additional favors.

Some openly flattered the king, and some voluntarily accepted Christianity, as this was encouraged by rich gifts and high positions. It was precisely such hypocritical “poor people” and such complainers who were mockingly nicknamed the Kazan Orphans.

From there it went: those who call themselves poor, disadvantaged, constantly complain about their hard lot in the hope of getting some benefit for themselves, but, in fact, are not, are called an orphan, and even an orphan from Kazan.

Most often, this expression is used with sarcasm.

Version No. 2. How they profited from someone else’s misfortune

There is another option for explaining this generally widespread phraseological unit. Here, too, we couldn’t do without Ivan-4. After the Russian Tsar managed to destroy the Kazan Khanate and capture its capital, he showed everyone his character. It’s not for nothing that Grozny was called formidable.

A few days after Kazan began to belong to the Russians, by order of the Tsar, an old cart or cart was rolled out into the central square of the city. The entire male population of the city was forced to pass by this cart.

The condition was this: anyone who was taller than the wheel of this cart, and therefore was already an adult who could well take part in the battle against Russian troops and defend the city, was immediately executed and beheaded. The city was drowned in blood. The only survivors were women, old people, fatherless children and orphans.

And then the king ordered them to go and talk everywhere about the fall of the Khanate. So the children walked around in groups of several people, telling everyone about who they were and where they came from, begging for alms. This is how this expression appeared. Seeing poor, hungry children, people said: “This is the Kazan orphan.” Naturally, they took pity on the children, helped them, gave them food and clothes.

But over time, people began to speculate on this and, together with, indeed, Kazan orphans, everyone, both Kazan and non-Kazan, went and begged, while telling fictitious “compassionate” stories.

The people found out about this, and attitudes changed. After this, they began to say with mockery: “There comes the Kazan orphan,” which means a deceiver, a rogue. Does this remind you of our days? The world has changed little over the centuries... 😀

Version No. 3. Not the orphan of Kazan, but the Empress of Russia!

There is another version, something like a historical anecdote. Another crowned person is already participating here: Catherine-2. If you tell it briefly, you get the following story of the origin of this generally widespread phraseological unit.

When the Empress arrived in Kazan, she was greeted with numerous gifts and honors. To which she allegedly said: “You greet me with such pomp, as if I had nothing myself. It’s like I’m an orphan from Kazan.”

By the way, the memory of this visit to the royal person was preserved in Kazan for many centuries. There are still many objects in the city’s museums as reminders of this event.

One of these historical exhibits is the carriage of Empress Catherine II. The original is kept in the museum, but a life-size copy is now available to anyone. It is located on the famous pedestrian Bauman Street in Kazan, where everyone can feel like a king or queen by taking a photo while sitting in a “royal” place.

These are the options for what the expression means and why they say “Kazan orphan”. But choosing what to believe and what not is entirely up to you.

Well, if you are going to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, then you will definitely not regret the days spent here. will not leave anyone indifferent. There are a great variety of them here, and they can satisfy any tourist’s interests. The places I was able to visit are marked on this map.

Or maybe you have other information: where did this expression come from, what events preceded its occurrence. Write about it in your comments. I will be very happy and grateful.

Expression"Orphan Kazanskaya“Today it is quite common, but it is used rather in the form of good ridicule. A similar phraseological unit is used to those people who are always whining and complaining about their lives, pretending to be helpless, deprived and offended. These people with their complaints try to put pressure on their interlocutor, try to provoke sympathy, for some kind of own, most likely selfish, purpose.

Let's figure out where this phrase first appeared " Orphan Kazanskaya". If no questions arise with the word "orphan", then the word "Kazanskaya" causes bewilderment. Why "Kazanskaya", and not, for example, "Tula", "Voronezh" or "Vladivostok"?
It turns out that all the answers are hidden in the history of the Russian Empire. A long time ago, back in 16 century, when autocrat Ivan 4 ruled in Rus', the city of Kazan belonged to the Kazan Khanate. This rich city was ruled by special people who were called Murzas.
When Ivan the Terrible decided to deal with this small khanate near me and sent an army there, then the khanate was finished once and for all.
However, there remained the Murzas, who were accustomed to eating deliciously and sleeping sweetly. In the new conditions, when Kazan began to belong to the Russian Tsar, the Murzas needed to adapt and they hastened to express their affection to their new master. Most of them became subjects of Ivan the Terrible. Moreover, the Murzas constantly They went to the capital and begged for all sorts of benefits and other preferences, while constantly complaining about their poor life, about their bitter fate, about the fact that their children were starving. In this way they tried to evoke pity from the king and many of them succeeded.
The people quickly noticed all these begging and humiliation and gave these moraz an apt nickname " Orphan Kazanskaya".

About a hundred years after the events described in 17 century, when Alexei Mikhailovich ruled on the throne of the Russian state, most high-ranking Tatars changed their faith. It must be admitted that they changed not because they realized, but because they were quite generously rewarded for changing their faith. Researchers of Russian history find many examples of these nosy and cunning Murzas, ingratiating themselves with the trust, were rewarded with horses, velvet, satin, fur coats, cups, pearls, and so on. Such concern for an alien tribe is easily explained. First, it is worth mentioning flattery and fawning, which always makes a favorable impression on the interlocutor due to vanity Moreover, this policy made it possible to make the majority of noble Tatars loyal to the new government.

However, unlike democratic Western countries, which would cut out all Tatars at the root, politics Russian state in relation to small nations, which allows them to have their own faith and their own language brings much more benefit. That is why " Orphans of Kazan"who at first glance should be completely exterminated, now live in Russian Federation and do not experience any harassment.

Well, really, how can I explain what it means? "orphan of Kazan"? Its allegorical meaning is clear and understandable:

- Well, why are you whining like an orphan from Kazan?

I myself used to say this phrase to those who seem to have everything in order, they have everything, but they whine and beg for something else, pretending to be deprived and unhappy. He said something, but he didn’t know the origin of this expression, as I think many people still don’t know. So let's figure out where it came from and what it meant.

But first of all, let’s try to understand what the word “orphan” meant in ancient times. Now it is clear that this is a person, most often a child, left without the care of close relatives, as a rule, having lost one or both parents. But in ancient times this concept had another additional meaning - a poor, indigent person, left without a means of subsistence.

Let's try to travel back to the distant year 1552 from the Nativity of Christ. A huge Russian army besieged the capital of the Kazan Khanate, which continuously annoyed Rus' with its devastating raids. The strengthened Russian state needed to eliminate this fragment of the once powerful Golden Horde, which was preventing normal development.

Many Tatar squads also opposed their compatriots. As a rule, for the most part, such detachments were headed by numerous children of the Tatar Murzas, who, in their opinion, were deprived of the division of their parental property. There were many similar ones in the besieged city. The Russian Tsar, skillfully playing on the thirst for power and money, promised all those who would come over to his side princely titles, money, estates, in general, full honor and respect. This largely decided the outcome of the siege in favor of the Russian army.

Some of these newly minted Russian princes, the remnants of the Kazan elite, settled at the Russian court, where they so often complained about their unenviable life, begging for more and more favors for themselves, that they remained in history with the ironic nickname “Kazan orphans.”

And finally, let’s remember Karabas-Barabas from the beautiful feature film“The Adventures of Pinocchio,” especially the scene where he asked the police chief to help the unfortunate orphan. For me, this literary and film hero is the one who pretends to be offended and unhappy in order to pity someone for selfish purposes. This same Karabas-Barabas is one of the best illustrations of this curious concept - the Kazan orphan.

Well, now let's look from bottom to top:

- Well, you Versta Kolomenskaya, - this is how people often turn to someone tall man towering above the people around him.

What is a mile, we know there was one in pre-revolutionary Russia a measure of length, slightly more than a kilometer. But why Kolomenskaya and how a measure of length can be applied to a tall person - this is the question to which I want to get an answer.

Let's figure out where it came from. And it turns out that it was like this...

In ancient times, the word “verst” also meant concepts such as “line, row, order.”

So the Russian sovereign, the second representative of the Romanov family on the throne, Alexei Mikhailovich, nicknamed “The Quietest,” decided to restore order on all the main roads in the country, and to do this, install special pillars indicating the distances from Moscow. These pillars, so that they were clearly visible, were painted alternately black and white, so that the stripes are inclined, but the numbers are written on the hewn front surface. These pillars were placed strictly at a distance of one mile from each other, so they were called mileposts, which, after the transition to the metric system, began to be called kilometer pillars. And the roads on which the pillars were installed have since become called pillar roads.

This is all clear, isn't it? But, as with everything, a shortening of this phrase immediately appeared, because why pronounce “milestone” when it is much shorter to simply say “milestone”. Pushkin has the following stanza in his beautiful poem “Winter Road”:

No fire, no black house...
Wilderness and snow... Towards me
Only miles are striped
They come across one.

And this, it seems, is also clear, we have sorted it out. Well, where did this adjective “Kolomenskaya” come from, and how does this special mile differ from the usual, striped one?

The whole point is that both now and in the old days the mighty of the world This is why they loved to relax in their country estates, now such super-elite places are dubbed “Rublyovka”. (In many years, people will puzzle over what “Khrushchevka” and “rublevka” are; now it’s clearer, but in centuries, I think, the fundamental principle will be lost.) In those distant times, everything was exactly the same, and the Tsar of Moscow and All Rus', also having such a small dacha - the village of Kolomenskoye, ordered that everyone should know where this road from the Kremlin leads, and so that they stay away from it, to install milestones much higher than usual. That’s how the people called them - Kolomna, and later all the tall and thin people received the same nickname.

Now shut up and listen. Look at the trills coming from the bushes.

- Well, you are right Kursk nightingale“You’re getting excited,” they say about some particularly talkative talker.
- So, is it always only negative? - a particularly corrosive reader will ask.
“Of course not,” I answer immediately, “singers with an unusually beautiful voice are also called Kursk nightingales.”

The traditional question: what does the nightingale have to do with it, and what does the Kursk one have to do with it?

Everything is clear with the nightingale; it is the most songbird of all the songbirds living in the vastness of our, and not only our, country. I think this is a truth that everyone agrees with. But where did the epithet “Kursk” come from? Much here is shrouded in darkness.

There is only one explanation - this is what songbird lovers decided among themselves, comparing the voices of nightingales that grew up in different regions. If this is exactly what happened, then we can only agree. After all, in reality singing Kursk nightingale has from 8 to 24 knees, and in some of the most vocal ones it reaches up to 40 knees, while in nightingales from other regions it rarely exceeds 12.

So he soared high, becoming a symbol of the Kursk region.

Why is the orphan always from Kazan? (Origin famous expressions)

The ancient Jews had a ritual for the remission of sins. The priest laid both hands on the head of a living goat, thereby, as it were, transferring the sins of the entire people onto it. After this, the goat was driven out into the desert. This is where the expression “scapegoat” comes from.

The expression “first come first” comes from the old school, where students were spanked every week, regardless of what was the reason or not. And if the mentor overdoes it, then the spanking lasts for a long time, until the first day of the next month.

This is where the expression “register Izhitsa” comes from. Marks of spanking on famous places careless students were very similar to this letter.

The expression “topsy-turvy” is associated with a once very shameful punishment: in the time of Ivan the Terrible, a guilty boyar was put backwards on a horse with his clothes turned inside out and, in this disgraced form, was driven around the city to the whistling and jeers of the crowd.

“The Way” in Rus' was the name given not only to the road, but also to various positions at the prince’s court. The falconer's path is in charge of princely hunting, the hunter's path is in charge of hound hunting, the stableman's path is in charge of carriages and horses. They tried to get themselves a “way”, that is, a position, by hook or by crook. And those who did not succeed were said about them with disdain: a good-for-nothing person.

The expression “orphan of Kazan” appeared after the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. The Mirzas (Tatar princes), finding themselves subjects of the Russian Tsar, tried to beg various concessions from him, complaining about their orphanhood and bitter fate.

The expression “being led by the nose” is associated with fairground entertainment. Gypsies led bears by a ring threaded through their noses. And they forced them to do tricks, but they were not given any treats.

There is nothing bloodthirsty in the expression “hack oneself to death.” “Nos” was the name given to a tablet or stick carried with them, on which illiterate people made notes or notations for memory.

“As tall as a falcon” is usually said about someone who is very poor. However, the falcon bird is not naked at all! "Falcon" was the name of an ancient military battering gun. It was a completely smooth (“bare”) cast iron block attached to chains.


Lyasy (balusters) are turned figured posts of railings at the porch. Only a true master could make such beauty. So, at first, “sharpening balusters” meant conducting an elegant, fancy, ornate (like balusters) conversation. But over time, the number of people skilled at conducting such a conversation became fewer and fewer.

In the old days, trained bears were brought to fairs. They were accompanied by a dancing boy dressed as a goat, and a drummer accompanying his dance. It was, indeed, a goat drummer. Sometimes it happened that he was removed from the business for his worthlessness, and he became a retired goat drummer.