Yelizavetpol Province in the System of Territorial Administration of the Russian Empire in the South Caucasus (Nineteenth Century)

Abstract

The article analyzes the place and role of Yelizavetpol province in the administrative-territorial changes carried out by the tsarist regime in the region after the Russian occupation of the South Caucasus.
 Currently, very complex geopolitical processes are taking place in the South Caucasus region. The main reasons for the processes taking place in this region, which is one of the most conflict zones in the world, are directly related to the situation in the region in the XIX century, after the conquest of the South Caucasus by the Russian Empire. From this point of view, it is important to study the administrative and political changes carried out by the tsarism in the South Caucasus at that time. The historical roots of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which lasted for 30 years and eventually resulted in the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, go back to the colonial policy pursued by tsarism in the region at that time. The historical Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was administratively part of the Yelizavetpol (Ganja) province. In this regard, the changes that have taken place in the province have had a significant impact on the future of the region as a whole.
 After the occupation of the South Caucasus in the early 19th century, tsarism carried out a series of changes in the territorial structure and administrative management of the region in order to take over the region and incorporate it into a single Russian administrative-territorial and economic system. In order to strengthen administrative-police control in the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, the tsarist government implemented several reforms in the 60s and 70s of the 12th century, among which administrative-territorial reforms played an important role. The decree of December 9, 1867 "On changing the governance of the Caucasus and Transcaucasian region", approved by Alexander I, formed the legal basis for these reforms. By this decree, a new province was established in the administrative system of the South Caucasus − Yelizavetpol province.