“Gold-Boiling” Mangazeya — A Legendary City of the Russian Arctic

For centuries, the Russians have been persistently developing the northern territories, moving further and further eastwards both by land and by sailing across the northern seas. The main goal of these journeys was furs, the trade of which brought huge profits to both industrialists and the state, being the main export item. Gradually, as reserves were depleted, the center of production shifted to the north and east, where enterprising industrialists actively penetrated, followed by the sovereign’s people, who taxed local tribes. At the end of the 16th century, the state, represented by Tsar Boris Godunov, realized the need to establish control over the territories beyond the Ob River, which were called Mangazeya, where Pomor merchants and industrialists were uncontrollably extracting furs. For this purpose, by Godunov’s decree of 1600, the city of Mangazeya was founded on the Taz River, which for several decades became the main stronghold and capital of the vast Mangazeya district. A huge flow of “soft gold” passed through the city, bringing income to the treasury and enriching enterprising people. From Mangazeya, detachments of industrialists and Cossacks went further east, to the Yenisei and Lena rivers, founding new strongholds, securing Siberian lands for the Russian state. The wealth of the northern territories attracted the interest of foreign invaders, who planned to seize these lands under various pretexts, taking advantage of the weakening of the Russian state during the Time of Troubles.