Ibrahim of Kazan
Ibrahim Khan of Kazan ruled the Kazan Khanate from 1467 to around 1479 (died 1479 or about 1486). He was the son of Mäxmüd, crowned after Xälil’s death, and married to Nur Sultan. He had at least two wives and several children, including Ilham Ghali, Möxämmädämin, Ghabdellatif, and Gawharshat.
He pursued a policy of non-intervention in Muscovy politics and released Russian prisoners after a treaty with Ivan III. He fought Muscovy in 1467–1469 and again in 1478. In 1467 Ivan III began war with Kazan, sending Ibrahim’s uncle Oglan Kasim as a pretender. Ibrahim defeated Russian forces along the Idel (Volga). The opposition at home was led by mirza Gabgul-Mumin, and the Russians decided not to cross the Volga. In response, Ibrahim conducted winter raids into the border areas around Galich Merskoy.
In 1468 Ivan III sent large garrisons to Nizhniy Novgorod, Murom, Kostroma, and Galich and began military actions in Kazan territory. The campaign was brutal toward civilians, aimed at drawing Kazan into a larger war. Ibrahim sent armies in two directions: toward Galich and toward Nizhniy Novgorod–Murom. On the Galich route, Kazan forces captured Kichmeng and two Kostroma volosts. On the Nizhniy Novgorod–Murom route, Muscovy stopped the Tatars with Khadzhi-Berdy’s troops. The Russians also opened a third front from Khlynov, with ushkuyniks raiding Kama from Vyatka. In response, Ibrahim’s forces captured Khlynov, the capital of Vyatka land.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:01 (CET).