Alexander Karnaukhov’s painting portrays Queen Suyumbike, who ruled the Kazan khanate in the 16th century, and her son Utamish. According to explorers, the two persons behind them are thought to be servants.
Queen Suyumbike and her family
Creation period
1913
Dimensions
76,5x55,5 cm
Technique
canvas, oil
Exhibition
6
Open in app#1
Alexander Karnaukhov
Queen Suyumbike and her family
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#3
Karnaukhov’s picture, dated 1913, was a copy of a painting by an unknown 16th -18th century artist. As he replicated the old subject, the painter altered a few substantial details in the picture: he portrayed Suyumbike wearing a waistcoat and a dress with a dome-like skirt, in line with the late 19th – early 20th century fashion, and made the interior look like his contemporary.
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Queen Suyumbike was among the most prominent figures in Kazan khanate history. She was born in the early 16th century to the family of Yosef Bey, who had ruled the Nogay Horde for a few centuries.
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When she turned 12, Suyumbike was married to the 17-year-old khan Jan Ali (Canghali) of Kazan. The marriage was not happy as the couple had no children; also, Jan Ali was generally indifferent to his wife, which Suyumbike often complained about in her letters to her father. Yosuf Bey was discontented with his daughter’s lot and began to urge the Kazan nobility to overthrow the khan
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During the coup of 1535, Jan Ali was killed, and the Kazan khanate got a new ruler, Safa Giray of the Crimean dynasty. He married Suyumbike, and soon she gave birth to the khan’s heir, Utamish.
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In 1549, Safa Giray suddenly died. One legend has it that he stumbled and had an unfortunate fall; another claims he had a sudden stroke. Of the khan’s children, the two-year-old Utamish was the only one who could claim the Kazan throne. He was proclaimed khan during the same year, but the country was actually ruled by Suyumbike as a regent during the minority of her son.
The queen reigned for two years only. After a Kazan population mutiny against Crimean Tatars, whose military assistance Suyumbike had relied on, the nobility turned over the regent and her son to Ivan the Terrible. The family was separated. Utamish was left at Ivan IV’s court; later, he was converted to Orthodox Christianity and baptized as Alexander. He spent a few years in the military and died at the age of 20.
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Suyumbike was forced to marry Shah Ali, the khan of Qasim and her first husband’s brother, and she spent the rest of her life in Kasimov. Explorers have failed to confidently establish the location of her burial place, but some scholars suppose that the queen could be buried in Shah Ali’s vault.
#9
National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan
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Queen Suyumbike and her family
Creation period
1913
Dimensions
76,5x55,5 cm
Technique
canvas, oil
Exhibition
6
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