Overview
Yadigar Muhammad, a prince of the Astrakhan dynasty, was the last khan of Kazan. Invited by the anti-Russian party in March 1552, he led the defence of the city against Ivan IV's siege and was captured when Kazan fell on 2 October 1552.
Rise to Power
After the Kazan nobles expelled Moscow's khan Shah Ali in early 1552, they invited Yadigar Muhammad, a son of Qasim II of Astrakhan, who came with Nogai support.
Rule and Achievements
- Prepared Kazan to resist the Russian army
- Led the defence during the siege from August 1552, when Russian sappers mined the walls
Legacy
Kazan was stormed on 2 October 1552 and its defenders massacred. Yadigar Muhammad was taken to Moscow, baptised as Simeon Kasayevich in 1553, and lived there until his death in 1565. With him ended the Kazan Khanate, the first of the Golden Horde's successor states to fall to Moscow.