Позиция казахов по отношению к калмыкам в 60-х гг. XVIII в.

Abstract

The relevance of this article is determined by the desirability and even, speaking more directly, the need for a further, more source-based, expanded and theoretically grounded study of the role of the Kalmyk Khanate in Russia’s eastern policy, especially in the eighteenth century, when the khanate was at its peak. This is important not only for the history of the Kalmyk people proper, but also for studying and highlighting the participation of the peoples that were part of Russia in its foreign policy activities in this or that period. The aim of the article is to examine the relations of the Kazakhs and the Kalmyks in the third quarter of the 18th century, based on new materials from the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire and the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. The scientific novelty of the work consists in a detailed tracing of the connection of the Kalmyk Khanate with the neighboring nations and states in the east, mainly with Kazakh zhuzes, which did not contradict the interests of Russia in these regions. In the 1760s. relations between the Kalmyks and the Yuzhny Zhuz suddenly began to worsen. The Kazakhs were guided in their actions by their own goals. Speaking about the regional situation, its role was determined by the available opportunities, and they were quite modest, which made Kazakh khans turn to a strong external ally for protection. The Russian state for them in this regard was quite profitable. The author infers that, in the second half of the 18th century. the situation in the Kalmyk-Chinese relations changed, which was due to the attack of the Qing Empire on the Dzungar Khanate. The rebellion of Amursana demonstrated the reluctance of the Dzhungar people to endure Chinese domination, which was the reason for the Chinese court to get rid of the discontented. Another pilgrimage mission reminded China that there was another branch of the Dzungar people. The nomadic system of the Kalmyk economy, their courage and the ability to travel long distances in a matter of hours could serve both for protecting the interests of the Qing Empire and for opposing them. Everything was determined by the extent to which Beijing could control the migration process. Therefore, the Qing used a certain psychological effect on the Kalmyks, prompting them to leave Russia. The author concludes that, politically, the role of the Kazakh Khanate in the development of the situation in Central Asia was not decisive.