3 September 01, 2025

Abstract:
This article presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the Bashkir uprising of 1704–1711, during which Bashkir leaders invited members of the Jochid dynasty to assume khanate leadership in alliance with Kazakh and Karakalpak forces. Their authority was based on the ikta-asaba contractual tradition, rooted in Turkic-Muslim public law. The legitimacy of the invited khans was affirmed by the Bashkir tribal assembl y (jiyin) and recognized through investiture by the Caliph. This challenges the characterization of the Bashkir Horde as a stateless chiefdom, supporting instead its interpretation as a sultanate with a representative political structure. The view of the “Bashkir Horde” as a stateless chiefdom is disputed. Despite the fact that the servants of the empire called the rebels “thieves” and “utter traitors,” the Horde was not an “akephaly,” since the status of the sultanate was confirmed by the investiture of the caliph, with the legitimization of representative khan authority within the framework of Turkic-Muslim public law.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756730632.pdf
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Abstract:
Social support for military personnel and their families in Russia in the 17th – 19th centuries is an important component of the process of transforming the army into a powerful tool for the modernization of Russian society. In conditions when a person's status was determined by his social origin, the life of a soldier's family was regulated not by its traditional role, but by the position of the head of the family on active service. In return, military service provided the wife and children of lower ranks with rights and freedoms inaccessible to other members of the community, providing it with a special legal status. The reverse side of this process was the transformation of the soldier's family into the property of the military department, deciding their life and fate based on their own ideas about the needs and capabilities of the state. According to them, the army, in addition to its main purpose, turned into a kind of social institution with a slowly forming system of social security, the actions of which were completely insufficient for the effective solution of the tasks set and demonstrated the inability of pre-reform Russia to meet the state's needs through spontaneous development. Nevertheless, the awareness of the growing responsibility of the state to the lower ranks and the expansion of the number of duties towards them, with a constant burden on the state budget, demonstrated the paternalistic approach that permeated the imperial social order. When the opportunities offered by the state did not correspond to real conditions, they defined new types of activity legally available to an individual member of the soldier's family. Using the offered opportunities, despite all the cruelty and contradictions of the state policy in a state of forced social mobilization, the families of the lower ranks developed new strategies, attempted to find conditions for satisfying their needs and independently adapting to changing living conditions. Their fates reflected the dynamics underlying the interaction of the state, society and its institutions and determined ideas about the rationality and effectiveness of the existing social order.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756723399.pdf
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Abstract:
This article is devoted to the source-based and historical-geographical analysis of the territory of present-day Kazakhstan as represented on the “Carte de Perse” (Map of Persia), compiled by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle in 1724. The study focuses particularly on the Noghai tribal groups of Yemboiluk and Edisan, recorded for the first time in the European cartographic tradition, as well as on the Kazakhs, Kalmyks, and a number of cities located within the territory of modern Kazakhstan. The article examines the content and structure of Delisle’s map, the features of its representation of ethnopolitical and geographical entities, and the potential sources employed in its compilation. The relevance of the study lies in the need for a deeper source-critical and cartographic analysis of Western European maps of the 18th century as independent historical sources reflecting European scholarly perceptions of Central Asia. In particular, the information regarding Noghai confederations, as presented on Delisle’s map, remains understudied, especially with regard to their localization and the origins of the data. The research is based on a wide range of sources, including archival materials and the works of Russian and Kazakhstani scholars. This comprehensive approach allows for a re-evaluation of the ethnopolitical transformations that took place in the steppes of present-day Kazakhstan during the 17th–18th centuries. The introduction of Delisle’s cartographic data into scholarly circulation and its critical comparison with Russian, Turkic, and Western European textual and cartographic sources help to fill existing gaps in the reconstruction of the region’s ethnopolitical landscape and to trace the evolution of geographic knowledge within the Western European cartographic tradition. The analysis demonstrates that the Carte de Perse constitutes a valuable historical source, reflecting the Western European perception of Central Asia in the 18th century, based on a synthesis of Eastern, Russian, and European data.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756723475.pdf
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Abstract:
In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the activities of the Turkestan Circle of Archaeology Enthusiasts and the Imperial Russian Geographical Society played a significant role in the establishment of the first museums in Kazakhstan. The development of museology was influenced by the cultural policy of the Russian Empire. The first objects of study for Russian researchers who entered the Kazakh steppes were stone sculptures from the Turkic period. These monuments, being the most prominent and visually striking, became the first exhibits. The significance of these artifacts for historical science was recognized, along with a pressing need for their preservation and popularization. The aim of the study is demonstration of the transformation Turkic stone sculptures from natural landscape elements into full-fledged museum exhibits. Particular attention is given to the stages of museification of Turkic stone statues, from the earliest archaeological explorations and artifact collection in the 18th century to the establishment of museums. The research applies chronological and historical-genetic methods, as well as source analysis and content analysis of documents for comparative purposes. Museums evolved from simple repositories into active centers for the preservation, study, popularization of archaeological findings and tools for educational engagement.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756751464.pdf
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Abstract:
The manuscript is devoted to the study of the structure of Masonic organizations in the Russian Empire in the XVIII century. The material of the work includes memoir sources, published documents (interrogation materials), as well as pre-revolutionary, foreign and modern historiography. The research is based on such methods of historical research as historical-systematic, classification, synthesis and content analysis. In conclusion, the authors note that the structure of Russian Freemasonry of the XVIII century included three types of Masonic lodges: – The "English" system of Masonic lodges. The earliest three–stage system in Russia, in which members ascended the steps of “pupil” – “apprentice” – “master”. – The Yelabuga system of Masonic lodges. The next in terms of time of appearance in Russia. It is associated with the name of I.P. Yelabugin. Four more new degrees have been added to the first three degrees, which does not allow it to be fully called the "English" system. In general, there is reason to call it the "Russian" system of Freemasonry. It included the Grand Provincial Lodge and 14 subordinate lodges. It became very widespread in the Russian Empire. – The “Swedish” system of Masonic lodges. The most recent system that appeared in Russia. It is a complex, strictly centralized hierarchical system, which retains the original three-stage system, but the number of levels has been increased to three. Brought to Russia by P.B. Reichel. It was based on the Zinnendorf Charter. After the French Revolution, Catherine II began prohibitive activities against Freemasons, and her son Pavel began her policy of restricting Freemasonry in the Russian Empire.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756723613.pdf
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Abstract:
The article examines Bashkir-Kazakh relations in the 1730s–1740s against the background of several interrelated events. The extensive construction of defensive lines and fortresses along the eastern and southern borders of the Bashkir territory, which complemented the Old (mid-17th century) and New (early 1730s) Transamian fortified lines previously erected in the west, became a key factor leading to one of the largest and bloodiest armed conflicts of the 18th century - the Bashkir Uprising of 1737–1742, also known as the Russian-Bashkir War (the Karasakala movement). The Bashkir nobility clearly realized that the successful implementation of the tasks assigned to the Orenburg expedition would mean a dense ring of military fortifications around Bashkiria, the transformation of the region into an internal province of the Russian Empire and a serious restriction of traditional ties with the Kazakhs and other neighboring peoples. For the Bashkirs, the situation was also aggravated by the systemic colonization policy of the authorities, carried out in the run-up to the uprising. Among the most significant government measures were: the mass resettlement of non-indigenous people to the region, especially after the decree of February 11, 1736, which allowed the alienation of Bashkir patrimonial lands in favor of Russian nobles, industrialists, officers, knights and other “foreigners”; a sharp increase in the tax burden and duties; as well as economic restrictions, including interference traditional environmental management, in particular the right of access to forest resources. The article also examines contradictory accounts regarding the role of Karasakal in the uprising, analyzes the causes and circumstances of Kazakh involvement in the Bashkir uprising, including the presence of Khan Sameke and Sultan Barak in Bashkortostan in 1737, the Bashkirs contacts with Khan Abulkhair and Sultan Abylai, the migration of some Bashkir groups to Kazakh territories, and the activities of Russian authorities who attempted to use Kazakh allies loyal to the empire to suppress the rebellion. Special attention is paid to the appeals made by the Bashkir rebels to the Kazakh khans, requesting that a representative of the Jochid dynasty be sent to rule over them. This reflects the continued influence of late-Horde traditions of clan-based self-governance under the nominal leadership of a “khan-pupil”. The article further explores joint actions taken by Kazakh and Bashkir leaders against imperial forces and Bashkir units loyal to the Russian crown, as well as the motivations behind the decisions of Kazakh khans and Bashkir rebel commanders. These events are analyzed within the broader context of the complex foreign policy dynamics of that era.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756735080.pdf
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Abstract:
This article examines the foreign policy activities of Abylai Khan, his role in defending the interests of his subjects, and maintaining independence before the Russian Empire. The article draws on sources, analyzes office documentation, numerous letters from Abylai, extracted from archives, collections of documents, giving an idea of the whole range of Kazakh-Russian relations near the fortresses that were built by the Russian Empire on the territory of the Kazakh Khanate. As a result of the study of written sources, letters from Abylai sent to Russian officials and officers, numerous historical facts related to violations of the rights of Kazakhs were revealed. The article presents diverse conflicts in the border zone between the Kazakhs, Bashkirs, Kalmyks, Cossacks, and the military, which led to the Russian authorities illegally capturing Kazakhs, stealing cattle, hiding fugitive Kazakh subjects, and violating property rights and religious rights of the autochthonous population. The article reveals the active diplomatic correspondence carried out by Abylai, demonstrates the desire to maintain parity in Kazakh-Russian relations, the requirements for compliance with existing agreements with the Russian Empire shows his independence and initiative, responsibility in making difficult decisions. A generalization of numerous facts allows the authors to conclude that Abylay, throughout the entire period of his reign as a sultan and then as a khan, was an outstanding statesman who scrupulously defended the interests of his people. Realizing all the military-technical power of the Russian Empire, trying to protect his people and preserve the independence of the Kazakh people, he chose the diplomatic path of resolving all controversial and conflict situations without exposing the population to the risk of military conflict.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756731854.pdf
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Abstract:
This article presents the history of one of the Russian military fortresses of the XIX century – the Aktau Fortification, built in the Kazakh steppes. The fort stands out due to its unusual shape, layout, and location far from the main Russian defensive line constructed in the XVIII–XIX centuries along the northern and eastern borders of Kazakh nomadic territories. The purpose of the article is to reveal the functional role of military fortifications in the expansion and consolidation of Russian state borders, as well as in the creation and maintenance of transit trade routes from Eastern Europe to the Near and Central Asia. The research objectives are: to show the Russian Empire’s experience in colonizing new territories through the construction of military fortification lines; to explain the selection of the central Kazakh steppes as the site for the Aktau fortification; to demonstrate the level of military engineering from the XVIII to the early XX centuries; to examine the role of military fortresses in promoting Russian trade capital in Central Asian lands; and to provide a brief archaeological description of the site as a historical and cultural heritage monument. The article employs the chronological method for describing specific historical events, as well as the reconstructive method that complements standard Russian military projects with elements of steppe military architecture. Typological, cartographic, and structural analysis methods are also used to enhance material perception. Innovative approaches include GIS methods and digital technologies used to interpret dimensional data from satellite and photo imagery of landscape-preserved structures. As a result of studying the history of the Aktau fortification, the reasons for its construction and eventual decline have been reconstructed. Archival scientific and governmental documents from the XVIII to the XX centuries provide insight into how fortresses were used in asserting and consolidating Russian authority in the Asian territories of the empire.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724025.pdf
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Abstract:
The article explores and analyzes the evolution of religious policy of Tsarist Russia in the Kazakh steppe at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Drawing upon the extensive historical sources and contemporary studies, the study focuses on identifying and discussing the character and peculiarities of each period of religious policy of the Russian Empire in the Kazakh steppe. The study employs the theory of a civilizing mission because Russian political elites and ideologists of Russian colonialism viewed the empire’s religious policy as an integral part of a civilizing mission and a cultural project. Russian rulers considered religion as a powerful unifying and civilizing force that would bring various alien populations under the control of Russia and facilitate their rapprochement and merge with the Russian people. The relevance and significance of the topic are linked to the peculiarities of religious policy of tsarist Russia vis-à-vis the Kazakh nomads. Specifically, Catherine II and her successors through religious tolerance and patronage of Islam sought to pacify and civilize the Kazakhs. The bottom line of Catherine’s policy of instrumentalizing Islam was that the unruly and warlike Kazakhs could be tamed and brought under Russian control through Islamization. Yet by the mid-19th century, Russian elites, intellectuals and clergy came to understand that the state sponsorship of Islam had failed to integrate the nomad Kazakhs into the general imperial space. Therefore, they ardently advocated a drastic policy change from the stateorchestrated Islamization of the nomads to Christianization policy. However, a critical analysis of historical sources and literature illustrates that despite Russian authorities in conjunction with Orthodox missions having placed a tremendous emphasis on reversing the Islamization process in the steppe and converting the Kazakhs to Christianity, the new policy failed to yield desired outcomes.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724235.pdf
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Abstract:
For the Russian Empire, the exploration of Siberia and the Far East was strategically important in economic and political aspects. In this context, the activities of local officials who closely interacted with the indigenous peoples are significant. It was their work that initiated the study of Siberia and the Far East. The purpose of this article is to examine the Tungus-Manchu peoples in the works of some of the first researchers-employees of Siberia – G.I. Spassky and A.P. Stepanov. The materials selected were the personal archive of unpublished manuscripts, essays and notes of G.I. Spassky in the State Archives of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and his publications in the “Sibirsky Vestnik”, as well as the work of the first Yenisei governor A.P. Stepanov: “Yenisei Province” in 2 parts. The main method in this article was comparative analysis. The works of two researchers were compared according to a number of criteria, as a result, the specific approaches of G.I. Spassky and A.P. Stepanov were recorded. The Tungus-Manchu peoples in the archives of these contemporaries are presented from different positions, determined primarily by the characteristics of their activities: G.I. Spassky appears to a greater extent as a scientist-educator, while A.P. Stepanov as a statesman.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724614.pdf
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Abstract:
This study is devoted to the analysis of the confessional policy of the Russian Empire in the Kazakh steppe at the turn of the 18th–19th centuries, which was an important tool for integrating the local population into the empire-wide environment. The article examines the main directions of the empire's religious policy, including measures to control Islamic institutions, bureaucratization of the Muslim clergy, restriction of the Hajj and regulation of religious education. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of the Russian administration with the Tatar clergy, which played a significant role in the formation of the religious traditions of the Kazakhs, as well as an assessment of the perception of the imperial religious policy in Kazakh society. The study is based on a wide range of sources, including archival documents, decrees, governors' reports, correspondence with the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly, as well as the works of domestic and foreign researchers. The methodological basis of the work is based on historical and comparative analysis, which allows to identify the specifics of confessional policy in the Kazakh steppe in comparison with other Muslim regions of the empire. The results of the study demonstrate that the policy of the Russian Empire towards Islam was dual in nature. On the one hand, a high level of religious autonomy was maintained, on the other hand, targeted steps were taken to regulate Islamic institutions and integrate them into the administrative system of the empire. The paper presents conclusions about the long-term impact of these processes on the socio-religious structure of Kazakh society, which contributes to further study of the imperial policy towards ethnoconfessional groups.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724667.pdf
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Abstract:
This paper analyzes the legislative initiatives of Pavel I Petrovich in the field of social, financial and economic policy. The material for the study was the laws of Paul, published in lifetime collections of laws and available in electronic form, as well as scientific research on the reform of the “Pavlovian” period. The methodology includes historical-genetic, historical-systemic, historiographical, historical-comparative, structural-diachronic, retrospective and other methods. During the reign of Pavel I Petrovich, 2,179 legislative acts were signed, or an average of 42 per month, which was four times more than during the reign of his predecessor, Catherine II. These statistics indicate a very energetic legislative activity. At the same time, pre-revolutionary, Soviet and modern historians point to its inconsistency. Pavel Petrovich's legislative initiatives in reforming the legal status of the peasant class turned out to be positive, since the situation of serfs was insignificant, but still facilitated; first of all, it is important that the law began to see peasants as individuals, not property. Legislative initiatives in the financial and economic sphere were rational and very urgent, but foreign policy activities (namely, the confrontation with revolutionary France in Italy) negated all the advantages of financial reform. Assessing the legislative activity in relation to the nobility, we note that many of the initiatives of Paul I had a rational grain, strengthened the centralization of power, tried to force the nobility to take up estates and pay taxes, thus returning the original position of the nobility primarily as a servant, rather than a privileged class. Many historians, including us, believe that social legislative initiatives against the nobility led to the conspiracy and coup of 1801.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724717.pdf
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Abstract:
The article examines the features of the ethnographic description of the urban population of Kazan province in the 19th – early 20th centuries. The methodological and methodical approaches used by the authors in the 19th century are presented, as well as the changes that took place in the ethnography of the city during the period under review. The object of the study is the Russian population of the Kazan province, which made up the bulk of the townspeople for almost the entire century. The statistical parameters and cultural characteristics reflected in the publications of the studied time are noted. The authors focus on the fact that the formation of urban ethnography largely took place within the framework of the formation of national ethnography as an independent branch of knowledge with its own subject and research tools. At the same time, for a long time urban ethnography was not institutionalized within the framework of Russian ethnography as an independent field, which left its mark on modern research. The belated design of urban ethnography led to the effect of lagging development and slowed down the emergence of authentic theoretical approaches, and as a result, the formation of a specialized national school.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724755.pdf
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Abstract:
This manuscript is devoted to a brief analysis of men's gymnasium education using the example of the Perm Men's Gymnasium. Such methods of historical research as the classification method, historicalsystemic and historical-genetic methods, the synthesis method and the method of historiographical analysis have become the methodological basis. The materials of the work were works on the history of gymnasium education in the Russian Empire, including studies of the Perm Men's Gymnasium. Perm Men's Gymnasium was founded in 1808 and operated on the basis of a number of charters regulating secondary education, in particular the Charters of 1804, 1828, 1864 and 1871. The gymnasium's activities were conducted in accordance with the principles of pre-revolutionary gymnasium education, namely, gender segregation of students (education in the Perm Men's Gymnasium was available only to boys), fee-based gymnasium education, continuity of educational levels, and others. An important component of the model was its network organization: the program (meaning the content of education) and the course of study (meaning the number of years of study) were approved by the Ministry of Public Education and were practically uniform throughout Russia; Perm Gymnasium was no exception. The average level of gymnasium education required a lower education for admission and was necessary for higher education. Perm Men's Gymnasium became an example of an exemplary institution of this type thanks to the efforts of directors N.S. Popov, Ya.I. Alfionova and others, giving Russia such famous figures of economics, science and culture as I.I. Sviyazev, I.N. Berezin, D.D. Smyshlyaev, A.A. Dmitriev, S.P. Diaghilev, I.G. Kamensky, V.V. Sapozhnikov and others.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724811.pdf
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Abstract:
The view of the Caucasian War in Soviet historiography was not uniform. The events in the region were always viewed from the perspective of Marxist-Leninist ideology, emphasizing national liberation struggles and class conflicts, but the actual content of these ideologies could vary significantly. While in the 1920s and 1930s, negative assessments of imperial Russia and positive assessments of freedom-loving mountaineers were dominant, since the 1940s, there has been a gradual shift towards blaming the mountain aristocracy, interpreting Russia's role as objectively positive, and emphasizing the external instigation of the mountaineers to engage in armed conflict. In the 1980s, a concept emerged that emphasized the responsibility of the mountain side for the outbreak of the Caucasian War. The contradictory assessment was not spared by the political leaders in the events under consideration. Consequently, the preconditions for the subsequent “war of historiographies” surrounding the Caucasian War were established during the Soviet period. It was at this time that, on the one hand, a vast body of scientific research was created that denounced the colonial policy of the Russian Empire in the Caucasus and, to some extent, glorified the national liberation movement of the highlanders. On the other hand, there was a tendency to reevaluate this interpretation of the Caucasian War.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724920.pdf
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Abstract:
In the first half of the 19th century a specific practice developed in the Orenburg borderland. According to it, foreign slaves (we use this term to designate slaves who weren’t Russian Empire’s subjects) were to be granted freedom as well as a choice whether to return home or convert to Orthodoxy and become Russian subjects. However, in the materials of the Joint State Archive of Orenburg Region we have found several deviations from this practice. Based on microhistorical analysis of these cases we will attempt to reconstruct the logic of Russian officials, which would allow us to understand the nuances of their attitude towards Central Asian slavery and everyday life of the Orenburg borderland. In 2 chronologically earliest cases the runaway slaves were asked to be returned by influential and loyal to Russia nomad rulers. In connection to this, Orenburg Border Commission analyzed imperial legislation and found out that it permits unconditional emancipation only to those foreign slaves who were captured by their owners. Runaway foreign slaves who were bought by their owners were to be returned to them if they didn’t convert to Orthodoxy and become Russian subjects. Later 2 other slaves bought by their owners were declined emancipation precisely on this basis. Furthermore, it turned out that the legislative act to which Orenburg authorities previously referred to while freeing slaves (the Collegium of Foreign Affairs decree of 26th February 1752) did not only become outdated, but contains an opposite directive – to return runaway slaves to their masters. At the same time, there is no reason to suspect willful falsification. Apparently, Central Asian slavery was stigmatized in the eyes of Orenburg officials by 1820s, and it simply didn’t occur to them that the Russian Empire could’ve acted as its accomplice. In favor of this speaks the fact that Orenburg Border Commission eventually freed 2 of the slaves whom we mentioned earlier (1 on the grounds of converting to Orthodoxy and becoming Russian subject, and 1 on the grounds of his owner emancipating him). The fate of 2 more slaves is not established, but it appears that Orenburg Border Commission spoke in favor of their emancipation. The only one Russian official who took concrete position in accordance with the law, even if it went in conflict with abolitionist values, was the Orenburg military governor P.K. Essen – who, however, had decisive influence on the matter.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756724971.pdf
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Abstract:
This study highlights some pages of the history of the Orenburg Neplyuevsky Cadet Corps/college/gymnasium. The chronology of the study: 1825–1917. The research materials were archival documents of the Joint State Archive of the Orenburg Region, as well as historiography on the history of the educational institution, including famous personalities associated with it. The methods used are historicalsystemic, historical-genetic, structural-diachronic methods, as well as methods of content analysis, classification, etc. The Orenburg Neplyuevsky Cadet Corps was founded in 1825 and since then, until the 1917 revolutions, it was one of the main secondary military institutions for the nobility. Initially, the building was called a college, then a cadet corps, then a gymnasium and again a cadet corps. The institution's specificity was the narrowly focused and in-depth study of Oriental languages and culture, since Orenburg province was located on the eastern borders of the Russian Empire, and Orenburg Fortress itself was the main Russian military outpost in the region. The first head of the Cadet corps, G.F. Gens, as well as the military governor, P.P. Sukhtelen, played an outstanding role in determining the specifics of the institution. Realizing the need for high-quality military and civilian translators, as well as officials who dealt with representatives of different Turkic peoples, they immediately determined the direction of the school's activities, namely the in-depth study of Tatar, Persian and Arabic languages. Graduates of the Neplyuevsky Cadet Corps mostly became famous as commanders of the White Movement, although there were future scientists and cultural figures among the cadets.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725025.pdf
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Abstract:
This article examines how interpretations of trade and economic relations during the Mongol period evolved in pre-revolutionary Russian historiography. The authors seek to: determine the methodological frameworks and ideological premises of XIXth – early XXth century scholars; reconstruct the composition and structure of their source base; and trace the interpretive dynamics of key topics such as merchant diasporas, monetary circulation, and yarlyks (decrees). The study employs a comparative-historiographical approach, which reveals the specific methodological perspectives and ideological stances of various authors, alongside textual and historical-comparative analyses. The source base is characterized by the use of monographs and publications by pre-revolutionary authors (Nadezhdin, Keppen, Murzakevich, Kovalevsky, Fren, Grigoriev, and others). The authors highlight the significance of numismatic sources and yarlyks as tools for reconstructing trade routes and the economic policies of Mongol khans. A key feature of this study is its integrative use of textual, archaeological, and numismatic data to systematically reveal research focal points and hidden interdisciplinary links between scholars. The article concludes by emphasizing the need to reassess the methodological contributions of pre-revolutionary historiography through the lens of contemporary scholarly approaches and digital technologies. This reevaluation can help integrate the heuristic potential of early publications into current interdisciplinary research projects.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725076.pdf
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Abstract:
The article, based on a number of archival materials and documentary sources, examines the imperial policy of integrating Caucasian highlanders by recruiting them for military service in the 1830s–1870s. Ensuring the loyalty of the mountain population to the imperial authorities and incorporating the mountain elites into the Russian privileged service class become significant political tasks. The integration of the highlanders was flexible, based on respect for faith, linguistic and cultural characteristics, and was distinguished by trust. A sign of trust was the involvement of representatives of the Caucasian nobility in escort service at the highest court as part of the Life Guards Caucasian-Mountain Half-Squadron. During this period, a number of systematic steps were taken to organize training on special terms for noble mountain youths in the St. Petersburg and then Moscow cadet corps. Irregular cavalry units were formed from among the mountain population. At the final stage of the Caucasian War, a practice was formed that gave the opportunity to the offspring of a noble mountain family to enter regular military service with the subsequent possibility of promotion to officer. At the end of military operations, police units from the local population are created to ensure security and public order. The involvement of highlanders in military service, despite significant difficulties in staffing the units being formed, cases of defection to the enemy, the presence of cultural, linguistic and religious barriers, contributed to the solution of the political problem of incorporating local elites into the service class of the empire, and also helped to ensure the loyalty of broad sections of the population and form a system of local government.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725120.pdf
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Abstract:
In the 19th century, the formation of academic science in the Russian Empire was completed and sustainable development began. In this direction, history and other humanities began to be considered from a deep scientific point of view. The special attention was paid to oriental studies. The history of the Golden Horde, considered one of the largest states in the history of Eurasia, aroused the same interest among both Orientalists and those who studied the history of Europe. Russian chronicles play an important role in the study of the history of the Golden Horde. With the help of chronicles, we gain access to extensive data on the political and administrative structure, military management system, and trade services of the Golden Horde. Although the study of the history of the Golden Horde through the Russian chronicles began in the 18th century, it could not become a fundamental scientific problem. Thanks to the works of Russian researchers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the historiography of the history of the Golden Horde was formed. Russian historians began publishing publications that collected sources on the history of the Golden Horde and conducted a scientific analysis on them. We see that the academic environment of the Russian Empire reflected the view of the history of the Golden Horde as a political and cultural system striving to unite East and West. In addition, one of the features of historiography that developed during this period went beyond certain ideological principles. This article provides a scientific analysis of the role of historians of the Russian Empire in the formation and development of historiography of the history of the Golden Horde. An assessment of the continuity of this historiography with modern research is also given.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725184.pdf
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Abstract:
This biographical article tells the reader about the Archpriest Vasily Gavriilovich Rozhdestvensky (1839–1917), his theological and polemical writings, and pedagogical activities in late 19th – early 20th centuries. Although Rozhdestvensky has for decades held professorial positions in two main institutions of higher education in St Petersburg, his life and works remain sadly understudied. He held the chair of the department of New Testament at the St Petersburg Spiritual Academy and he was Professor of theology at the Imperial St Petersburg University from 1874 to 1915. Despite the broad range of topics he chose for his published works (from New Testament Lower Criticism to pedagogy) he was, primarily, an apologist throughout his entire career. The university course of the Orthodox Christian theology was compulsory for all undergraduates but had no officially approved standard, which left some freedom with the lecturer. Rozhdestvensky treated this subject as a course in systematic apologetics. He treated theology as a solid science that guards the morale of a personality and of society as well. Rozhdestvensky’s long professorial career in the Imperial St Petersburg University may, at least partly, indicate that his opinion of the university theological instruction was viewed as acceptable by the Russian Imperial authorities of public education.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725224.pdf
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Abstract:
The article, based on the personal texts of the leaders of the Kazakh intelligentsia and their sociocultural environment, substantiates the influence of the traumatic experience of the community on the involvement in the performance of the functions of colonial intermediaries on the eastern outskirts of the empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The choice of the chronological framework of the study is due to the actualization of the tasks of empire-building on the eastern periphery of Russia, the shift of the vector of colonization from Western and Eastern Siberia to the Steppe Region – a region in which the autochthonous population was numerically predominant. The need for social and cultural incorporation of autochthonous peoples, primarily the Kazakhs, leading a nomadic lifestyle, initiated the practice of mobilizing local elites who were actively involved in various spheres of life in the region. The position of the imperial authorities consisted in Russification and assimilation of the descendants of titled aristocratic families who demonstrated political loyalty, and the use of the group to solve current problems of overcoming cultural differences between the Russian and non-Russian populations. The study established that the desire of the imperial authorities to Russify and assimilate ethnic elites, with their endowment with the functions of colonial intermediaries, was aimed at creating a model for the incorporation of non-Russians into Russian society. At the same time, representatives of the titled national aristocracy accepted the identity of the new social and ethnic environment, fragmentarily, while maintaining strong relationships with their fellow tribesmen. The personal and professional formation of future leaders of the Kazakh intelligentsia was realized in the context of the wide popularity of the ideas of the Enlightenment. The belief in the ideals of progress, the evolutionary development of society, the "maturation" of backward peoples and the importance of "civilizing" in relation to them, placed the Kazakh intelligentsia educated according to European standards in an initially discriminatory situation of social, legal and cultural restrictions. The experience of trauma acquired by Kazakh intellectuals at all stages of their biographies significantly modified their ideas about the scale and significance of mediation tasks in the service of the Russian Empire, contributed to the formation of an identity crisis, which was expressed in the formulation of special strategies and practices for adapting to new life circumstances. In the late 19th – early 20th centuries, many leaders of the Kazakh intelligentsia were forced to abandon the continuation of a military or administrative career, moving into socio-political activity, including engagement with reformist and liberal currents of the time, which significantly removed them from the sphere of mediation tasks emanating from the imperial power.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725271.pdf
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This research is dedicated to studying data from Russian sources of the 40s – 50s of the 19th century on the historical geography of the Syr Darya region of Kazakhstan, which played an important role in the establishment and development of regular trade relations between the Russian Empire and Central Asia. The main caravan routes leading to Orenburg, Troitsk, and the Orsk fortress led through the Syr Darya valley. The article’s authors researched scientific reports, reports, dispatches, and memos of officials of the Russian Empire, particularly those who served in the Orenburg Border Commission. The official documents of the mid-19th century emphasized the physical and socio-economic geography of the Syr Darya lands. From them, one can get detailed information about water and land resources, the peculiarities of natural and climatic conditions, and the flora and fauna of this region. Russian researchers provide names of large and small settlements, with descriptions of their locations, as well as indications of communication and caravan routes. Scientific works and service reports provide valuable material that significantly expands our understanding of the economic structure and various types of activities of the local population, leading sedentary and nomadic lifestyle. Individual texts of archival documents have been published, but a significant portion of them still needs to be thoroughly researched and introduced into scientific discourse. The identified factual material once again shows that information from Russian sources is of primary importance for researching the historical geography of Central Asia in the modern period.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725420.pdf
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For a long time, the territory of Siberia had specific features related to the peculiarities of the population, the territorial organization of government, the preservation of traditional foundations and customary law. M.M. Speransky's transformations were the first comprehensive reform that covered various spheres of life and took into account the specifics of the territory. The nomadic organization of farming by indigenous peoples and the absence of settlements made it impossible to extend the existing management methods in the Russian Empire to this population. A special feature of this reform was the creation of two management systems for migrants and indigenous peoples under a common provincial government. The article analyzes the reasons for the creation of a specific management system. As a result of the reform, a system of foreign government bodies was created based on the generic organization of society. The levels of foreign control and the functions of foreign organs are considered. For the foreign management system, the principle of vertical subordination, partial autonomy and the preservation of traditional regulators were used. The study used official data, archival materials, and foreign organ solutions. The reform was aimed at a phased administrative and legal “development” of Siberia, so the elements of traditional governance were integrated into the established system of government.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756732614.pdf
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Abstract:
As a result of the gradual conquest of Central Asian territories by the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century, the Imperial government undertook systematic measures to resettle and accommodate European populations from the central and western gubernias of the Empire into the newly acquired territories. Individuals representing various social groups, including military personnel, peasants, workers, and other occupational categories, were involved in these resettlement processes. The ethnic composition of the migrants was equally diverse, encompassing representatives of numerous nationalities and ethnic groups. Upon their relocation to Turkestan, these settlers were compelled to adapt to unfamiliar conditions, including the climate, interactions and cooperation with the indigenous population, diverse religious beliefs, and the peculiarities of irrigated agriculture. Members of various ethnic groups, originating from different regions, had to establish friendly neighborly relations and cooperate closely with local communities. This article provides a scholarly analysis of the lifestyle, social characteristics, and ethnic composition of populations relocated from various regions of the Russian Empire to Turkestan. The findings of the research reveal that from the earliest stages of the Russian Empire's penetration into the region, people of various ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, and religious beliefs entered Turkestan under the collective name of “Russian”. Although restrictive measures were applied towards specific national and religious groups, representatives of diverse ethnicities and religions continued to settle in the region, especially if their presence served imperial interests or contributed to mitigating social tensions within the central gubernias.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725552.pdf
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This article is dedicated to analyzing the tax policy of the Kokand Khanate in the second half of the 19th century – a period marked by internal instability and increased feudal fragmentation. The focus is on the characteristics of taxation, mechanisms for tax collection, and their impact on the socio-economic conditions of the Khanate's population. The tax system of the Khanate included both Islamic taxes (ushr – a tithe on the harvest, and zyakat – a wealth tax) and secular levies, including tributes, emergency duties, and taxes on artisans and merchants. A significant portion of taxes was collected in kind. Meanwhile, the centralized financial system was underdeveloped, and local administrators – beys and governors played a key role in tax collection, which fostered corruption and abuse. The increased tax burden, driven by constant military campaigns, the maintenance of the Khan’s army, and efforts to tighten control over regions, led to growing social tension, peasant flight, and the decline of productive relations. Based on the analysis of archival documents, historical chronicles, and contemporary memoirs, the article reveals the causes of the tax system’s crisis and its role in weakening the statehood of the Kokand Khanate. Particular attention is paid to the positive role of the Russian Empire, whose intervention helped organize tax administration, reduce local abuses, and gradually transition to more rational and sustainable forms of governance. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the socio-economic processes in Central Asia on the eve of its integration into the Russian Empire. The primary objective of this article is to examine the structure of the Kokand Khanate’s tax system in the latter half of the 19th century, identify its characteristics and dynamics of change, as well as assess the influence of tax policy on the development of society and the economy. The main research method is the comparative-historical approach, which allows for synthesizing information from various sources regarding tax policy in the Kokand Khanate.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1757073570.pdf
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Abstract:
The study is devoted to the history of compiling a detailed geological map of the Donets Coal Basin in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The problem of scientific and industrial development of this region has become especially important for Russia in the era of industrialization. Donеts Coal Basin was the main strategic source of fuel in the European part of the country. However, until the end of the 19th century, there were no detailed geological maps of the region that would meet the needs of developing industry and transport. The Geological Committee in St. Petersburg, founded in 1882 under the Mining Department of the Russian Empire, played a key role in solving this problem. One of its leading specialists, the outstanding Russian geologist Feodosii Nikolaevich Chernyshev (1856–1914), was appointed as the head of this colossal project. The purpose of the presented study is to establish the circumstances related to Chernyshev's participation in the work on the compilation of the map, as well as to determine the nature and degree of his influence on the course of events and the final result. The research was based on documents from the fund of the Geological Committee, stored in the Russian State Historical Archive.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1757072410.pdf
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Abstract:
The relevance of the study is due to the increase in public and scientific attention to logistics problems, both due to climate change and in connection with significant negative transformations in the global economy and large-scale geopolitical conflicts. In these conditions, it is of particular interest to identify domestic historical experience in using the state organizational and economic mechanism for the development of large logistics corridors that contributed to the comprehensive development of outlying territories and their inclusion in the general economic contour of the country. The study is devoted to the analysis of the development of the transport infrastructure of the busiest freight and passenger artery of the Russian Empire – the Volga-Caspian transport corridor – during the first Russian industrialization of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The participation of the state in this process is revealed, which was manifested through the creation of private-public partnerships in the form of railway and shipping jointstock companies, work with the business elite at congresses and meetings of entrepreneurs, speeches in the press by opinion leaders, stimulation of ship owners to create large shipping companies (encouraging railway companies to the detriment of shipping companies), etc. The study was carried out of archival office documents, allowing a better understanding of the organization of shipping companies work, the structure of cartel and syndicate agreements between shipping companies, the working conditions of workers and management personnel, and the principles of entrepreneurial activity.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725772.pdf
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Abstract:
The article examines key changes in the education system of the Turkestan region in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of traditional Muslim educational institutions (maktabs and madrassas), the spread of new-method schools (usul-i jadid) and the establishment of Russian-native institutions. The issues of girls' participation in the educational process and the ethnic structure of students are considered. Special emphasis is placed on the formation of a network of secular educational institutions. As a result of the analysis, it was established that the educational sphere of the region underwent significant changes, becoming an arena of interaction and rivalry between the colonial administration of the Russian Empire, Muslim reform movements (jadids) and traditional religious institutions. New-method schools became an important element in the modernization of Muslim communities and for the first time provided girls with access to secular education, which marked profound social shifts. An analysis of the national composition of students revealed a significant participation of Uzbeks, Tatars, Tajiks, Kazakhs and representatives of other ethnic groups, which indicates the beginning of the formation of a pan-regional Muslim educational space. The work uses archival documents, statistical reports and works of domestic and foreign researchers. Quantitative data on the number of educational institutions, students, teachers and national and gender composition are provided. The article shows that educational reforms in the Turkestan region became part of a broader process of modernization of Central Asia and the preparation of a new national intelligentsia, which played a key role in the subsequent political and cultural transformations of the region.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725839.pdf
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The article examines the development of gymnasium education, both for men and women, under the last Emperor of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II. It provides quantitative indicators of literacy among the population and those with education. The article identifies the reasons that led to the reform of secondary education in the early 20th century. In addition to the general characteristics of the changes that took place in the field of education during this period, and the main areas of focus, the authors examine the educational process, changes in curricula, the procedure for passing exams, the transfer from lower to higher grades, the procedure for admission of graduates of gymnasiums to higher educational institutions, the list of documents required for admission to universities, and the powers of pedagogical councils. Special attention is given to the procedure for appointing teachers in gymnasiums. The study covers both public and private gymnasiums. The changes that occurred in the educational process and their relationship to changes in the curriculum are noted.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756725894.pdf
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Abstract:
The goal of this paper is to identify and show the dynamics of historiographic innovations in the interpretation of the political and legal ideology of Siberian regionalists. An attempt is also made to periodize and classify the historiographic narratives of regionalism, which we understand as a system of views on the state, power, law and territorial structure of Russia, formed in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century and actively existed until the beginning of the 20th century among the diverse intelligentsia in Siberia. The study was conducted based on the axiological approach, the principle of holism and the historicalcomparative method. Such a comprehensive toolkit will allow us to identify the value orientations of scientists in the field of “regional studies”, to consider them in unity and integrity, to compare historiographic narratives of the political and legal doctrine of Siberian regionalists on substantive and other grounds. The material for the study was a corpus of research works by historians, philosophers, sociologists, lawyers, political scientists and philologists on the problems of political and legal views of representatives of the regionalist ideology. It was established that pre-revolutionary interpretations of the ideal of Siberian regionalists in the field of politics and law were carried out by the participants of the regionalist movement themselves in the Soviet period; all sorts of distortions and frequent caricature forms in the interpretations of the program of Siberian activists were markers of ideological positioning. In the era of “democratic transition”, that is, the end of the 1990s – beginning of the 2000s, fruitful attempts at commemorative work on the legacy of the leaders of the Siberian regionalists movement, a sharp increase in the number of publications, dissertation research and scientific and practical conferences were made. A characteristic feature of the modern body of research on the problems of the political and legal ideology of regionalists is the growth of interdisciplinary work among not only historians, but also art historians, lawyers, philosophers, sociologists, philologists.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726199.pdf
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The major subject of research of the present paper is the problem of the attitude of the Russian intelligentsia to political terror in Russia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The work is based on the use of authentic sources: diaries, letters, recollections, memoirs, articles by the representatives of the intelligentsia of the period reviewed. The reasons for genesis of terrorism are analyzed, which consisted in incompletion of reforms, incapability of intelligentsia to deliver on their potential in any of the fields of activity, and the lack of political representation of intelligentsia in management structures. It was found that abusive policy towards revolutionaries on the part of the government contributed to the expansion of the support base for political terror. The nature of terror evolution in Russia and the social composition of participants in terrorist activities, represented by the intelligentsia, the nobility, students, and workers, were addressed. The dominant role of intelligentsia in terror was substantiated, which stood at its origins and of which it was the product. Glorification of the image of a revolutionary terrorist contributed to the formation of a social stereotype of a person sacrificing himself for the greater good, which in turn promoted involvement of new adherents in terror. The study revealed that intelligentsia, having no generally agreed position regarding the terrorist acts, mostly treated them more than loyally, justifying its position by the unreasonable, cruel policy of the authorities and inability to exercise control over it in any other way. Terror did not get unequivocal moral condemnation from intelligentsia, played its destructive role and drastically affected the socio-political development of Russia.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726368.pdf
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Abstract:
The article explores the commemorative sites of the Pavlodar Irtysh region, documented on topographic maps dating from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, it examines military outposts, sacred landmarks, and places connected with the activities of the Kazakh nobility, stressing that these locations fulfilled not only administrative functions but also significant symbolic roles. The study draws on expedition reports, archival records, the works of prominent scholars and ethnographers, and topographic maps. Special attention is paid to sacred sites – including mosques and mausoleums—linked to notable religious figures and members of the elite. These landmarks fostered unique cultural spaces that united various social groups. The authors emphasize that cartographic materials captured more than geographical realities; they also documented elements of the spiritual landscape, revealing how local communities perceived and inhabited their environment. Viewing commemorative sites as intersections of history, culture, and collective memory highlights the multilayered character of the Pavlodar Irtysh region’s historical and cultural heritage. Such research not only safeguards historical memory but also lays a foundation for developing cultural tourism in the region.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726432.pdf
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Abstract:
This article represents a comprehensive historical-anthropological study of social practices and cultural mechanisms in the perception of mental illness in the Yenisei Province during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The primary focus is on the process of initial identification of mental disorders in the region, which was based on community diagnosis without the involvement of medical professionals. Special attention is given to the role of local community authorities in detecting cases of mental illness and their influence on the subsequent fate of the mentally ill. The research employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining principles of anthropological approach to history, “new social history”, local history and microhistory. The source base consists of previously unpublished archival materials from the collections of the State Archive of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, including peasant verdicts, police reports, court case materials and correspondence of provincial institutions. All this made it possible to reconstruct institutional and everyday challenges in dealing with the mentally ill in society. During the studied period, interpretations of the causes of mental illness in the region were both social (such as alcoholism, physical injuries and postpartum complications cited as factors that contribute to the development of insanity) and ethnocultural (mystical explanations of madness among foreign population). Community diagnosis involved observing behavioral deviations and making collective decisions. The coexistence of traditional views on normality and pathology with bureaucratic practices reflected the incomplete modernization processes in the Yenisei Province during the imperial times. Society balanced between tolerance and isolation of the mentally ill, while decisions regarding treatment or maintenance were often based on economic feasibility and the level of danger posed by the afflicted.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726503.pdf
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Abstract:
Volost courts in pre-revolutionary Russia were the most important judicial bodies. Their emergence is associated with the judicial reform of the second half of the 19th century. Volost courts were the lowest judicial instance in which peasant disputes were considered. They applied not only the norms of positive, but also customary law. They were also an important link in the state justice system associated with peasant selfgovernment. Legal customs occupied a significant place in the regulation of land relations in prerevolutionary Russia among the peasant class of the Moscow province, complementing positive law, ensuring the stability of agrarian relations and promoting the effective use of land. Volost courts relied on them in their decisions, considering disputes that arose among peasants. When making decisions, volost courts also relied on such customary legal principles as equality, justice, the labor principle, which secured the right to use the land and its fruits. The volost courts, based on the current norms of customary law, took into account the attitude of the participants in the trial to work and the degree of their invested labor when making decisions. The peasants did not divide the right of ownership into elements known to modern doctrine, did not separate the right of possession from the right to use land and from other types of property rights, which is reflected in the judicial practice of the volost courts. They often based their decisions on the norms of customary law, which allowed transactions with land plots, even if they were not the private property of the seller, applied the custom of prescription, the custom of recognizing the right to an erected building on the estate land and other customs.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726562.pdf
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Abstract:
This study examines the administrative-colonial reforms that institutionalised Russian rule in Kazakhstan during the 1867–1868 “Provisional Regulations”, which declared all Kazakh lands state property and enabled accelerated confiscation of fertile steppe territory for peasant resettlement. Drawing on newly retrieved archival records and pre-revolutionary press, we reconstruct the policymaking and field practices of the West Siberian and Orenburg Governor-Generalships, the bodies responsible for directing military colonisation and supervising migration flows. We trace the creation of a province-level hierarchy comprising governor-generalships, districts, volosts and aul administrations, designed primarily to meet imperial military needs, while simultaneously facilitating agrarian colonisation. Analysis shows how these administrations orchestrated cadastral surveys, issued land-grant charters to immigrant communities and compelled Kazakh pastoralists to relocate, undermining nomadic grazing cycles and fragmenting customary land tenure. The rapid influx of Russian and Ukrainian peasants, coupled with fiscal burdens and grazing restrictions, precipitated a deep structural crisis in the Kazakh economy, eroding traditional social relations and accelerating socioeconomic stratification. The article demonstrates that colonial regulatory measures not only dispossessed Kazakh households but also entrenched patterns of inequality and ecological stress across the steppe. Our findings refine understandings of imperial tsarist frontier governance and its enduring impact on Central Asian rural development.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726614.pdf
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Abstract:
This article examines the strategy and tactical methods employed by the troops of the Russian Empire in suppressing Kazakh uprisings in the second half of the 19th century, with a particular focus on the events of the 1869 and 1870 uprisings in Western Kazakhstan. The study analyzes a number of factors influencing the choice of combat tactics in the Kazakh Steppe, including geographical conditions, the number of troops and armaments on both sides, as well as the political objectives of the empire. The uprising itself was a reaction against the intensification of colonial oppression. The actions of the Kazakh militias, their cohesion and organization as a whole, reflected a growing level of national consciousness. The relatively large number of participants – around 20,000 – indicates that the majority of clans in the region were involved in the uprisings. Although the uprising was ultimately suppressed, there remained a significant potential for the repetition of the 1869–1870 events, which forced the Russian authorities to considerably soften their initial demands. The armed clashes of the second half of the 19th century were a response to the increasing pressure from the Russian Empire. The authors analyze the consequences of the use of various tactical approaches to suppress Kazakh society, including changes in the social structure, migration processes, and the emergence of new forms of resistance.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756726680.pdf
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Abstract:
This work examines the emergence and evolution of ribbons in the American Masonic order of Knights Templar in the second half of the 19th century. The study’s source base incorporates a collection of ribbons at Cherkas Global University’s Museum of the History of the American Knights Templar. The study’s findings revealed that one of the first ribbons in the American Masonic order of Knights Templar emerged in 1874 in connection with the 26th anniversary of the establishment of Raper Commandery No. 1. In 1875, as many as several commanderies presented their ribbons at the 62nd Annual Conclave of the Grand Commandery of New York. Subsequently, the order’s leadership gave the green light to the use of ribbons at its triennial conclaves as well. The first triennial conclave to witness extensive use of ribbons was the one held in 1877 in Cleveland, Ohio. Subsequent to 1877, all of the organization’s 19th-century triennial conclaves, namely those held in 1880, 1883, 1886, 1889, 1892, 1895, and 1898, witnessed extensive use of ribbons. At that time, it became a common practice to adorn ribbons (e.g., with a fringe or tassel), as well as add artistic value to them. The order’s tradition of producing ribbons endured for more than 50 years (there is a ribbon that was produced in connection with the Triennial Conclave of 1940).

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756727559.pdf
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Abstract:
The research is devoted to carpet production, one of the most famous handicrafts of the Turkmen people, who have carried the secrets of carpet weaving through centuries and millennia. The beauty and grace of Turkmen carpets, the purity of colors, the strength of the fabric, and the symmetry of drawings and figures have not only fascinated the most discerning connoisseurs of oriental art at all times, but have also made Turkmen carpets a sought-after exhibit at exhibitions around the world and the subject of enthusiastic appreciation by all visitors. The author notes that after the entry of the Turkmen lands into the Russian Empire and overcoming the civilizational isolation in the life of the indigenous population, entrepreneurs of various stripes began to intensively buy up the best carpet products woven before the annexation of the region for resale in domestic Russian and foreign markets. The carpet boom has also led to the emergence of enterprising customers, who have significantly accelerated carpet production in Turkmen villages to the detriment of its traditional quality. Despite the fact that since the mid-90s of the 19th century, the cities of Merv and Ashgabat have become major centers of trade in Turkmen (Tekin) carpets, and their main producer is the Merv Oasis, the decline in the quality of Tekin carpets under the influence of entrepreneurship and market needs seriously concerned the administration of the Transcaspian region, which began to take decisive measures to maintain and the development of this valuable and extremely important branch of local production. The article analyzes these measures, which, in the author's opinion, are of scientific interest to fill in the gaps in the history of the Transcaspian region and Russian-Turkmen relations.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756727606.pdf
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Abstract:
Based on an analysis of materials from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, this article examines the factors, content, specific features, and outcomes of the establishment and development of the Penza department of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. In the author's interpretation, the history of this public organization appears as a predetermined pattern of partnership between the state and society, externally initiated as an adaptive resource for assimilating the values of civil society. The subsequent evolution of this new element of the provincial public sphere followed a trajectory of democratizing its social composition and strengthening the position of the clergy. This is evidenced by the formal withdrawal of the governor from the management structure and the reduced presence of civic elements independent from the diocesan leadership. At the same time, while remaining "diocesan" in character, the local department became the largest organization in the province with a cultural, educational, and spiritual-moral focus. It played a leading role in engaging the local population in processes of solidarity and the formation of national identity, particularly through organizing Palestine Readings and collecting donations. The department’s membership grew steadily until the early 20th century. However, with Russia's entry into the war with Japan and the deepening internal crisis of social systems, there was a decline in both new memberships and donations. The society managed to regain its former standing by the beginning of the second decade of the 20th century. The year 1913 was especially significant in terms of building communication networks and developing a multi-level system for holding Palestine Readings (from the provincial center to district towns and individual settlements). In the post-revolutionary period, a notable and independent area of the association’s activity became the organization of pilgrimages (through the sale of pilgrimage booklets).

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1757072486.pdf
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Abstract:
This article is devoted to revealing the biography of the little-known Russian archaeologist Kassian Nikolaevich Lyubarsky (1886–1920), who was shot by order of the Arkhangelsk Department of the All- Russian Emergency Commission in 1920. As the study showed, K.N. Lyubarsky was not only a professional archaeologist, but also a true citizen of his country. The creation of a life portrait of an extraordinary personality, which was K.N. Lyubarsky, determines the relevance of this article. The work was carried out on the basis of practically unused materials that are stored in the archeologist's archive, which determines its novelty. The chronological framework of the work covers the scientist's life from birth to the revolutionary events of 1917–1918. The purpose of the work is not only to reconstruct the biography of K.N. Lyubarsky, but also to characterize him as a scientist and a person. An analysis of archival materials has shown that K.N. Lyubarsky from a young age established himself as a thorough and attentive researcher who used methods new to archaeology at that time, such as photographing objects. During his expedition to the Caucasus in 1915, K.N. Lyubarsky carefully describes and photographs the studied objects, independently performs graphic reconstructions and plans of temples and fortresses. The absence of drawings and photos of burials in his diaries can be explained by the imperfection of the excavation methodology that existed in his time, the inferiority of which he was aware. The scientist saw the main goal of his life in the preservation of historical and cultural monuments, for which he actively fought until his last days. K.N. Lyubarsky was an outstanding poet, artist, and composer. He had a keen sense of the nature of the places where he had to work, possessed high moral qualities, was a loyal friend and a grateful student. During the Russian Civil War, he selflessly fought to preserve the monuments of the Russian North from destruction and plunder, and sought to inspire others with an understanding of love for antiquities and a sense of patriotism. On false charges of collaborating with the French interventionists, he was sentenced to death by firing squad, repeating the fate of many science enthusiasts who died during a difficult time for Russia.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756727748.pdf
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Abstract:
This article tested the historical facts about the age composition of officials in the Yenisei province from 1887 to 1917. The main source of the work was the historical database “Biographical information about officials in the Yenisei province from 1887 to 1917”, compiled on the basis of service records obtained from the funds of the State Archives of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The methodology of the work was based on general scientific and special historical methods, as well as mathematical and information scientific methods, which made it possible to establish the dynamics and patterns of the professional and age composition of officials of local government bodies of the Russian Empire using the example of the Yenisei province. As part of the work with officials as a social group, employees of the provincial and district/district administration were divided by age and categories of ranks. The results of the study were the following theses: the civil servants were mainly middle-aged (the number of civil servants aged 35 to 49 in the total number increased from 33.9 % to 51.3 % between 1890 and 1917); the number of civil servants aged 25 to 34 was highest in the 1890s, then decreased significantly (from 47.3 to 14.1 %), which indicates the “aging” of local civil servants; the share of young people under 24 in positions in the local government system was low (low proportion of youth); leadership positions were occupied by middle-aged and older civil servants (46-70 years). A pattern was established that the key factor in career advancement was education received, not length of service. At the same time, the increase in the share of mature age groups may indicate the preservation of the agerelated changes in the late 19th – early 20th centuries at the level of Siberia, a stable position for officials, which was considered prestigious and ensured financial stability.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756727879.pdf
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Abstract:
The paper examines how the intra-school environment influenced the psyche and behavior of students using the example of events that took place in the Orenburg boys' gymnasium at the end of the 19th – early 20th centuries. The organization of education and upbringing in the gymnasium acts as an objective circumstance of the daily life of gymnasium students. The psyche and behavior of students, as components of their everyday life, are examined through the prism of the life of one of the gymnasium students, Vladimir Belavin, who committed suicide in October 1908. The source base of the research is the materials from the Orenburg press, which describe this event in detail, as well as a personal source – the memoirs of N.A. Krasheninnikov, who studied at the same gymnasium several years earlier. An analysis of available sources allows us to state the crisis state of Russian secondary schools during the specified period. Students were required to strictly adhere to harsh disciplinary rules in addition to mastering an ever-increasing amount of information. For teenagers, such mental stress often proved to be completely unbearable. In addition to this, children were generally forbidden to openly experience psychological crises and personal problems that the school teaching community considered insignificant, caused by insufficient diligence or laziness of the student. Many teachers treated students in an inappropriate, disrespectful, or even downright cruel manner. Possible reasons for these patterns of behavior could include a significant age gap between teachers and students, the high social and intellectual standing of teachers, as well as the fact that they may have been overworked and experiencing professional burnout, and possibly personal hostility towards some gymnasium students. During this period, parent committees were only in their initial stages of development and could not adequately protect the interests of students. Unfortunately, these committees often began active work only after cases of teenage suicide. Such tragedies prompted parents to appeal to the leadership of school districts, resulting in the dismissal of some of the most odious teachers. Overall, based on our analysis of historical experience, we find that teachers' judgments of students were subjective, that the severity of school punishments did not match the offenses committed, and that there was no visible correlation between a failing grade for behavior and positive changes in the behavior of gymnasium students.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756727933.pdf
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The article, based on the author's calculation and interpretation of the data of the First General Population Census of the Russian Empire, an array of current statistics, previous historiography and individual archival sources introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, reveals and specifies the social stratification of the population of the Steppe Region and part of Turkestan. The author comes to the conclusion that the final inclusion of the Kazakh region into the Russian Empire required serious political, administrative, economic, legal and social reforms in the vast expanses of the acquired territories. One of the main tasks was the transformation of traditional Kazakh society, the elimination of archaic class division in it, its adaptation to the realities of the society of the Republic of Ingushetia, which itself was in the process of modernization transition to a higher level of development. In the course of the study, it was established that modernization began to influence all strata of society, both among the indigenous population and the migrants. By the beginning of the 20th century the social structure became more differentiated due to the emergence of new strata, i.e. elements reflecting categories of the population united by a social characteristic. The Russian Empire, which itself was experiencing the process of developing capitalist relations, had a huge impact on the modernization of the agrarian society of the Steppe Region, its adaptation to new conditions and gave a significant acceleration to its dynamics and transformation.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1757072533.pdf
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Abstract:
The article is devoted to the analysis of the system of land use in the territory of Northern Kazakhstan in the late XIX–early XX centuries on the example of Petropavlovsk uyezd. The study is aimed at revealing the nature of interaction between the Russian agrarian policy, implemented within the framework of colonial development of steppe territories, and local practices of Kazakh land use, reflecting the aspiration of local communities to adapt to changing economic and legal conditions. Under increasing pressure on land resources, there was a gradual shift away from traditional forms of farming and the formation of new models of land use. Particular attention is paid to the processes of haymaking development and the expansion of lease relations, previously little characteristic of the region and poorly represented in historiography, despite their significant role in changing land practices. These processes were accompanied by significant changes in the structure of economic activity and ways of regulating access to land. New forms of land use were formed at the intersection of administrative initiatives on the part of the state and adaptive strategies developed by local communities. Thus, the transformation of the agrarian system in the region acquired a complex and multilayered character, combining elements of external pressure and internal dynamics.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756728463.pdf
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The article analyzes for the first-time archival materials from the so-called “Yudin collection” – the personal archive of the Siberian industrialist and bibliophile G.V. Yudin, stored in the State Archives of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, notes the great importance of this collection for the history of Krasnoyarsk in 1900– 1910 as a representative of the East Siberian cities of the Russian Empire of this period. New materials have been studied that allow us to reconstruct key aspects of life in Krasnoyarsk in the 1900–1910s, based on documents from the collection, which include reports, selected periodicals, manuscripts (typescripts), drawings and sketches, a description of the processes of city improvement, features of public organization and elements of intellectual life is given. The history of the modernization of the urban environment is revealed, reflected in archival documents on water supply, electrification, architecture and urban planning. The history of the improvement of Krasnoyarsk is considered in the context of historical urban studies. The content of the archival documents, which are published for the first time, is interpreted in the context of the historical dynamics of the urban space, including political and social movements, the development of educational and cultural infrastructure. An analysis of sources related to the functioning of private and public libraries, art exhibitions, periodicals, as well as the dissemination of academic knowledge and practices (including ethnographic) is carried out, which allows us to judge the formation of a sustainable urban community of active citizens involved in improving the urban space in Krasnoyarsk in 1900–1910.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756728528.pdf
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Abstract:
This article is devoted to Nikolai Leopoldovich Korzhenevsky's research on the Pamir Mountains and its glaciers in 1903–1914, based on his expedition diaries, archival documents, and publications. The author analyzes Korzhenevsky's contribution to the study of the Fedchenko Glacier, the largest in Central Asia, emphasizing its significance as a symbol of scientific and imperial exploration. Korzhenevsky's contributions to glaciology, geology, meteorology, botany, and ethnography are examined. Particular attention is paid to the difficulties of the expeditions: the harsh climate, the impassable terrain, and the geopolitical rivalry between the Russian and British empires in the context of the “Great Game.” The sociocultural context, including protests by the local population against taxes in the Western Pamirs, highlights the dual nature of N.L. Korzhenevsky's research, which combined scientific and military objectives. Korzhenevsky's diaries and publications remain a valuable source for contemporary research, reflecting his contribution to cartography, geography, and understanding of historical processes in Central Asia, as well as his achievements in the study of Pamir glaciers, particularly the Fedchenko Glacier.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756728616.pdf
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Abstract:
The article examines the essence and content of discussions on the problem of the introduction of zemstvo self-government in Siberia in the period 1904–1906 (before the beginning of the work of the First State Duma). The research is based on materials from the leading Siberian periodicals of the period under review, as well as on projects of the Siberian public. The paper considers the main established approaches to the problems of the expediency of establishing zemstvo institutions in Siberia, the territorial organization of zemstvo self-government (including the establishment of a Siberian-wide zemstvo and a small zemstvo unit), as well as the concept of forming a zemstvo electoral system. The main arguments in favor of the need to establish zemstvos in the provinces and regions of Siberia are highlighted. The article shows the controversy surrounding the inclusion of certain Siberian regions among the territories with zemstvo self-government. The role of natural, geographical and spatial factors in substantiating the need to introduce a small zemstvo unit is considered. The connection in individual projects is indicated between the issue of reform of peasant self-government and the establishment of a small zemstvo unit. The arguments of supporters and opponents of the organization of zemstvo elections on the basis of electoral qualification or universal suffrage are characterized. It is shown that the proposals to use a tax qualification instead of a land qualification were caused by the peculiarities of the estate composition of the inhabitants of Siberia, the absence of local nobility, as well as the need to introduce representatives of the local intelligentsia into the electorate.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756728820.pdf
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Abstract:
The article presents previously unpublished materials from the report of Konstantin Aleksandrovich Maslennikov, a student of the ethnographer, political figure, publicist, and writer Vasily Ivanovich Anuchin, about the expedition to the Turukhansk region in 1905. V.I. Anuchin and his associate K.A. Maslennikov made several trips to this region in 1905–1908, which resulted in unique information about the Yenisei Ostyaks, northern shamanism, geography, ethnography, and socio-economic situation of the Turukhansk region. The results of his research were highly praised by specialists from a number of scientific organizations in the Russian Empire. However, until now, only brief reports by V.I. Anuchin himself about the 1905 expedition were known, mainly concerning the ethnography of the Yenisei Ostyaks. New information obtained as a result of studying archival materials allows us to clarify the source study base of the history of Siberian territories, the history of northern and Siberian peoples, the history of ethnographic research in the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. The article examines the assessment of the Turukhansk expedition of 1905 in the discussions of the Russian Committee for the Study of Central and East Asia in Historical, Archaeological, Linguistic and Ethnographic Relation, the Kunstkamera (Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography) and the Krasnoyarsk subdepartment of the East Siberian Department of the Russian Geographical Society (these organizations allocated financial and other resources for the Turukhansk expedition of 1905 and received collection materials as a result of it). The inconsistency of these assessments in the reports of funding organizations is noted. A conclusion is made about the complex significance of the expedition in the context of studying the northern territories of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756729045.pdf
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Abstract:
This study is devoted to the analysis of childhood in the Kuban region during the First World War. The material for the manuscript was archival materials from the State Archive of the Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar, Russian Federation), as well as historical research on the problems of childhood during the war during the First World War. The following methods are used: classification method, historiographical analysis, synthesis, historical-system method, etc. The problem of the participation of Kuban children in the First World War is poorly understood, primarily due to the small number of sources. According to the few available documents stored in the GACC, there is reason to say that from the very beginning of the war, children and adolescents of the Kuban region took an active patriotic position and fully supported the outbreak of the war. Teachers of educational institutions and the local Cossacks actively participated in the formation of children's patriotism. The Cossacks also developed decent drill skills and provided young Cossacks with ammunition, as mentioned in their orders by the head of the Kuban region and the ataman of the Kuban Cossacks, M.P. Babich. There is every reason to assume that the patriotism of Kuban children is widespread, which is confirmed by their fleeing to the front as volunteers against the will of their parents.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756729189.pdf
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Abstract:
The aim of the research is to reconstruct the socio-political narratives about the impact of the First World War on the economic policy pursued in Siberia, which were presented in the journal “Sibirskie Zapiski”. The source base was a corpus of journalistic works placed in the said publication, to which political and textual analysis was applied. In the cognitive and methodological respect, the work relies on the tools of the “new political history”. This epistemological strategy allows us to focus not so much on the political past of sovereigns and public authorities, but on the personalities and groups of public associations that influence the agenda through journalism. The article reconstructs and shows the negative consequences of the war for the Asian part of Russia. Publicists attributed to them an increase in the cost of goods and services, as well as the growth of speculation in the region. The reasons for this were explainable by the fact that human and other resources were required for military needs. The content of the journalistic materials of the analyzed publication allows us to note that the state policy in the field of economy of the “era of wars and revolutions” carried out in Siberia had significant flaws. The sore point was the pricing policy, which needed state control. The situation in book publishing worsened, which in turn demonstrated the serious influence of wartime on the minds of Siberians. Cities, their infrastructure and landscaping also found themselves in a disastrous financial situation. Settlements developed ambiguously, since on the one hand their budgets grew due to the railroad, while the social environment evolved extremely poorly. The authors come to the conclusion that a separate narrative was the topic of demand for skilled labor in the region. The discourse was widely disseminated that the First World War would become a necessary driver of economic development in Siberia, the development of its mineral resources and the improvement of the transport infrastructure of the region.

URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756729249.pdf
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URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1757073604.pdf
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URL: https://bg.cherkasgu.press/journals_n/1756729304.pdf
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