Andrey T. Junger as a Representative of the Military Administration of the Romanov Dynasty in Dagestan

Abstract

Based on the archival documents and the works of Russian kavkazologists, the article attempts to study the strategy of Russian national policy in the Caucasus. The purpose of the study is to show the place and role of one of the leaders of the Russian military administration in Dagestan – Commandant A.T. Junger as well as to identify his rights and powers as the head of the Russian military administration in Derbent. The research material is based on the archival documents of the 18th century (RGADA, RGVIA, RGAVMF) which are stored in the Russian archives and most of which are introduced into the scientific circulation for the first time. Furthermore, the achievements of Russian historians on the problem under study are widely used. The basic principles of scientific objectivity and historicism are used, involving the study of historical facts and events in the specific historical conditions with a focus on the development and interdependence of historical events as well as multivariation of the historical process. Leaving Derbent, Emperor Peter I entrusted all the management of affairs to the appointed commandant. According to his plan, the fullness of military, civil, and political power was concentrated in the hands of the commandant of Derbent, both in the fortress itself and in its district many miles away from it. The duties of the commandant also included the management of the garrison located in the fortress, supervision of order, tranquility in the fortress and outside it, and the protection of the city from the enemy. Its jurisdiction also included financial, economic, administrative and political functions. Using the identified historical sources, it was revealed that the commandant A.T. Junger, entering into negotiations with local feudal rulers, personified a representative of the government of the Russian Empire.