Siege of Kazan The Siege of Kazan in 1552 was the final battle of Russo - Kazan Wars . It led to the fall of Kazan Khanate . However , it was not the last battle on the khanate ' s territory . After the fall of Kazan , rebel governments formed in Çalım and Mişätamaq , and a new khan was invited from the Nogais . This continuation guerilla war was ended only in 1556 . The siege . The Russia n forces included Streltsy as well as Moscow and Qasim irregular feudal cavalry , but the main role was played by Russian artillery and sapper s , both Russian and foreigners . At first they were opposed by the Tatar garrison of Kazan , 10 , 000 Nogay horsemen led by the khan of Kazan , who originated from the Nogai Horde . Cheremiss units and Kazan irregular feudal cavalry were based in forests north and east of Kazan respectively . Their base was Archa stronghold . Before the battle Russians had a fortress on Volga , Ivangorod , later known as Sviyazhsk , some miles above Kazan . This wooden fortress was built in 1551 by Russian military engineer Ivan Vyrodkov , when after the conclusion of peace the right bank of Khanate ( Taw yağı ) passed to Russia . It would serve as a strong point for the capture of Kazan by the Muscovite army . The 150 , 000 Muscovite army under Ivan IV came under Kazan ' s walls and besieged Kazan on August 22 , 1552 ( Old Style ) . Russian cannons shelled its walls from 29 August . Soon they smothered the fire of large - calibre Tatar cannons . During 30 August – 6 September Alexander Gorbatyi - Shuisky defeated the inner cavalry under Yapancha and the Ar units and burned Archa . Andrey Kurbsky defeated Cheremis troops . Sappers blew up the underground way to Kazan ' s underground drinking water source . A 12 - metre high siege tower ( referred to also as a " battery - tower " to distinguish it from the pre - gunpowder siege engines ) was built by Ivan Vyrodkov out of wood on site for mounting siege cannon . This revolutionary new design could hold ten large - calibre cannon and 50 lighter cannon , allowing a concentration of artillery fire on a section of the wooden wall or city , which played a crucial role in shattering Tatar resistance . However , it is certain that the few cannon defending Kazan would first have to have been put out of action in order for the tower to be effective , as it would otherwise have been an obvious target for any remaining artillery . On 2 October sappers ( believed to have been led by Englishman Butler , also known as Rozmysl in Russian chronicles ) blew up the wall near the Nogay and Atalıq Gates . Russian soldiers entered the city . The civil population as well as Kazan ' s army opposed them . After desperate slashing some survivors were blockaded in the citadel . Then , after khan Yadegar Moxammad and Nogai leader Zaynash were captured , the defenders of the citadel tried to escape to the northern forests , but they were defeated . A number of Russians who had been captured in military campaigns from the Russian borderland and held captive in the Khanate were released , and a large massacre of Kazan Tatars took place , as well as the destruction of almost all Tatar libraries and buildings , including mosques . Ivan the Terrible before the seizure of Kazan encouraged his army by the examples of Georgian Queen Tamar ' s battles by describing her as : " The most wise Queen of Iberia , endowed with the intelligence and courage of a man " .