Russian State Historical Archive Research Articles

Русско-персидские школы как элемент реализации политики «мягкой силы» Российской империи в Северной Персии в конце XIX – начале XX в.

Introduction. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed an intensified Russia–UK confrontation in Persia, which was paralleled by penetrations of other great powers (France, Germany, USA) into the Near and Middle East. Under those conditions, Russia’s traditional economic methods of influence in Persia became insufficient. Goals. The study seeks to examine the phenomenon of Russian educational institutions in Northern Persia as another way of pursuing own national political goals in the designated country. The work aims at confirming — with evidence from archival documents — the activities of Russian-Persian schools during the specified period were to shape a positive image of Russia in Persian society. Materials and methods. The most important sources characterizing the process of opening Russian-Persian schools in Northern Persia (their goals and objectives, training agenda, certain results) are documents of both central authorities and diplomatic, economic and military institutions of the Russian Empire to Persia discovered at the Russian State Historical Archive. Analytical and generalization methods — with comparative into historiographic and archival materials — have proved most instrumental therein. Results. The article identifies some prerequisites for the emergence of Russian-Persian schools in Northern Persia, determines the validity of their activities in this particular region of the country, clearly outlines the context of Russia’s competition with other governments in this matter to conclude as follows: the Russian government was perfectly aware of the need to open such schools that would disseminate the Russian language and Russia-related ideas among Persia’s population; graduates of those educational institutions would serve an important element in pursuing Russia’s interests both in trade, economy, and politics; despite various difficulties — primarily financial ones — the schools were popular enough among ethnic Persians both in Tehran and in other cities of Northern Persia.

Роль имперских органов власти в процессе выборов мусульманского духовенства в общинах Енисейской губернии во второй половине XIX – начале XX в.

Introduction. The article discusses some actual conditions experienced by Muslim clerics of Yenisei Governorate (Eastern Siberia) in the context of Imperial Russia’s religious policies throughout the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. Attention is drawn to that the mid-to-late nineteenth century witnessed a Muslim population increase across the region, which implied that increased spiritual needs be duly satisfied. Goals. The article aims at specifying the role of official authorities in electing Muslim clerics within Yenisei Governorate. Materials and methods. The study focuses on corresponding imperially approved regulations for Muslim clergy and archival materials housed at the State Archive of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Central State Historical Archive of Bashkortostan, and Russian State Historical Archive. It is noteworthy that quite a number of the archival materials are being newly introduced into scientific circulation. The work rests on the methodological principles of objectivity and historicism that prove instrumental in assessing the government’s role in shaping the institution of Muslim clergy in Yenisei Governorate. To accomplish this, the chronological and historic-genetic methods are used. Results. The region’s sociohistorical agenda made any elections of required clerics somewhat problematic. The imperial statutes banned exiled (relocated) believers from participating in such processes, but sometimes legally capable members of a community were even fewer that the former. The obtained status of a mediator between the mahalla and government agencies would, inter alia, give rise to internal controversies. However, believers tended to perceive their mullah as a defender of their interests even at the government level. Our insights into archival materials attest to governorate-level executives had no clear understanding of how to arrange elections of Muslim clerics. Virtually being a government-sanctioned body, Orenburg Mohammedan Assembly would take pains to guarantee trustworthiness of to be appointed candidates. In the early twentieth century, such applicants would face even more restrictions enshrined by regulations and procedures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“Agrarian Unrest” in Central Black Earth Region in Autumn 1905

The study draws on documents from the first department of the Ministry of Justice regarding "agrarian unrest" in the Central Black Earth region in autumn 1905, housed in the Russian State Historical Archive. Cases related to agrarian uprisings in the Tambov and Voronezh gubernias are examined, with a focus on studying the involvement of peasants from the "revolutionary generation" in the agrarian movement (individuals born approximately in the 1890s). The significant role of rumors during the revolution is highlighted. The author explores the causes, algorithms, and characteristics of peasant uprisings, analyzing the role of "leaders" in "agrarian unrest," often led by young individuals less inclined to adhere to traditions. The leading role of youth in the revolutionary movement is emphasized, with urban disturbances acting as catalysts for agrarian uprisings. The communal role is evident in preparing and carrying out forest clearances, pogroms, and more. The evolution of the mosaic nature of peasant self-awareness during the "revolutionary generation" period is analyzed. The author concludes that the October 17, 1905 manifesto played a significant role in awakening revolutionary consciousness in the Tambov and Voronezh villages. Shortcomings in investigating cases of "agrarian unrest" are discussed, allowing many rebels to evade punishment, with the average age of accused peasants calculated at 35.6 years.

Shipping Company on the Lake Baikal: From the First Idea to the Implementation of the Plan

The article discusses the formation of steamship communication on the lake. Baikal. Based on a corpus of sources from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive and the Russian Navy Archive, the process of establishing a shipping company on Lake Baikal is studied in detail. An attempt is made to trace the relationship between the dissolution of the Irkutsk Admiralty and the granting of the privilege to open steamship routes along the Siberian rivers to the richest Siberian gold miner N.F. Myasnikov, whose petition, although it was far from the first, but given the confluence of circumstances, turned out to be submitted very timely. Proposals about the possibility of starting voyages through Baikal on steamships were received repeatedly back in the 1820s. and, although they were expressed by naval officers who were serving on Lake Baikal at that time and who saw the advantages of using steam ships, all their ideas were recognized by the state as premature. First of all, this was due to the costs that the state would have to bear if a decision was made on the need to organize steamship routes through Baikal. Request from N.F. Myas­nikova’s proposal to grant the privilege of steamship communication on the Siberian rivers received considerable sympathy in the highest echelons of power, and a positive decision was made on it very quickly. Archival material containing correspondence between the Main Directorate of Eastern Siberia and the Main Directorate of Communications and Public Buildings made it possible to trace how the process of implementing N.F. Myasnikov’s plan went, what difficulties the entrepreneur had to face during the construction of steamships and the opening of permanent steamship routes across Baikal. Only the presence of solid capital could allow the first owners of shipping companies to carry out their plans without going bankrupt, given that the income from the shipping company, as a rule, did not significantly exceed the costs of its maintenance.

Practices of the Interaction of Muslim Communities of the Steppes with the Government (The 2nd Half of the 19th – Early 20th Century)

Based on the records of the central and local government of the Russian Empire, stored in the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Russian State Historical Archive, the article analyzes the aspects and practices of interaction between the authorities and Muslim communities of the Steppe Region in the 2nd half of the 19th – early 20th century. Unlike the Orthodox population living in this administrative-territorial division, whose spiritual life was controlled by the officials assigned by the Holy Synod, Muslims were in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Hence, the regional administration and several central ministries were directly involved in solving the problems of the spiritual life of Muslims of the Steppes. The competence of these authorities included establishing new parish organizations and constructing the worship places, founding confessional schools and religious and charitable societies, and organizing the believers’ pilgrimage to holy places. The legislation regulating the decision-making process for such tasks required submitting a petition to the local authorities, followed by their step-by-step consideration and then resolution. The central aspect of communication between the governing bodies and the Muslim communities was the establishment of the Spiritual Board in the Steppe region. The Kazakh population filed countless petitions to the central government during the first Russian Revolution of 1905–1907. As a result of the petition campaign, the practice of holding special and private meetings with the participation of representatives from authorities and Muslim communities of the region emerged. As sources evidence, when making decisions concerning the Muslims of the Steppe Region, local administrations relied on the trends in ethno-confessional policy implemented by the central government. Therefore, quite often, outcomes did not benefit the local Muslim population. However, in other aspects, the communication between the authorities and the Muslim communities can be characterized as constructive.

ОТДЕЛ КАК ОСОБАЯ АДМИНИСТРАТИВНО-ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНАЯ ЕДИНИЦА НА ОКРАИНАХ РОССИЙСКОЙ ИМПЕРИИ: КАВКАЗ И ЦЕНТРАЛЬНАЯ АЗИЯ

The article is devoted to the study of otdel (division) as an extraordinary administrative-territorial unit of the Russian Empire. On the example of the Sukhumi, Transcaspian, Amudarya and Namangan otdels, it considers the history of their emergence and administrative structure. The named otdels were part of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (Transcaucasian Krai) and the Turkestan Governor-Generalship. The study is based on the published legislative acts, as well as act and office documents from the Russian State Historical Archive and the National Archive of Uzbekistan. The carried out comparative analysis allows typifying otdel as an institution that came into existence on the national periphery of the state, it was equated in the status to the governorate, but smaller in area and population. They were established on the newly conquered lands with a population capable of actively opposing the Russian authorities. A system of military-and-civic administration was introduced in otdels, it assumed the combination of military and civil power at all levels and the preservation of the traditional self-government of the indigenous population and the court to a large extent. The Sukhumi Military Otdel was transformed into a district (okrug) and existed until 1918. The Transcaspian Military Otdel in 1881 was transformed into the Transcaspian Oblast. The Amudarya Otdel in 1887 became part of the Syr-Darya Oblast and existed until 1920. The Namangan Otdel did not function as an independent administrative-territorial unit. It became an uezd of the Fergana Oblast formed in 1876.

Emancipation Reform in Pavlovskoe Estate of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich

The article examines the process of emancipation of peasants and redemption operation in the estate of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, located between Tsarskoe Selo and Pavlovsk. The article reveals economic situation in Finnish villages and Fedorovskii Posad that were part of the estate. The authors consider the content and peculiarities of the charters and redemption documents for these settlements, which are kept in the Russian State Historical Archive (RGSH). The views of Konstantin Nikolaevich, who headed the Main Committee on Peasant Affairs and the Organization of the Rural Estate, on the rules of emancipation of peasants in the royal estates are analysed. The article studies the arguments of the ministers M. N. Murav’ev and V. F. Adlerberg, who disagreed with the proposal of Konstantin Nikolaevich to liberate peasants from the Pavlovskoje estates on the basis of the Provisions of February 19, 1861. The authors conclude that the conditions of emancipation of the peasants in Pavlovskoje estate, as well as the pre-reform condition of the peasant economy, were markedly more favorable than those of the peasants in other estates of the Tsarskoselskii district. The peasants signed the charter deeds offered to them, but were in no hurry to switch over to the buyout. The delay in carrying out the redemption operation in the estate was caused by the peasants’ unwillingness to immediately switch to redemption on the terms less favorable to them offered by the owner. It was not until the early 1880s, after the reduction of redemption payments, that mandatory redemption operations were concluded.

Коммуникации власти и общества на примере ревизий генерал-губернаторами Якутской области (середина XIX – начало XX в.)

The article examines the communicative practices of government and society using the example of the visits of East Siberian (Irkutsk) governors general to the Yakut region. The source base for the study was archival materials from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Irkutsk Region and the National Archive of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). A comparative typological method was used. The circle of contacts of governors-general during revisions of the territory was reconstructed and analyzed, attention was paid to encouraging foreigners in the region as a component of the ethnic policy of the empire. The visit of the governors-general was an important event for the region; it gave the local population the opportunity to directly voice the pressing problems of their societies and demonstrate elements of culture and customs.

Получение российского гражданства подданными неприятельских стран в годы Первой мировой войны 1914-1918 гг.: этничность или лояльность

The article examines the conditions and features of the naturalization process in Russia of "enemy aliens" during the First World War. In Russian and foreign historiography since the 1990s, this issue has not been closely considered. The authors mainly pay attention to the mass expulsions of enemy subjects to remote provinces from front-line areas, accusations of the latter of espionage in favor of the enemy, restrictions on rights. The researchers conclude that the dominance of ethnic and religious criteria for admission to citizenship of the Russian Empire: the presence of Slavic origin or belonging to the Christian faith for citizens of the Ottoman Empire. Such conclusions are mainly based on an analysis of the laws and orders of the military and civilian authorities of the first months of the war. The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the process of granting citizenship not only on the basis of an analysis of the normative acts of the beginning of the war, but also documents of the subsequent period, which reflected the change in the positions of the ruling elite on the issue of Russian citizenship. The article uses petitions from "enemy foreigners", documents of the Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to assess the course of discussion of petitions and the reasons for making positive or negative decisions. These are documents of the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Central State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg. The analysis of the documents of the Fund of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (RGIA) based on the results of consideration of the petitions of enemy subjects allowed us to conclude about the number of positive decisions and provide new statistical data on the number of enemy subjects who received Russian citizenship in 1914-1915. The mass transfer of interned foreigners to remote Russian provinces created a huge number of problems for state bodies in the center and on the ground. Naturalization of "enemy foreigners" in the empire allowed tokeep valuable specialists at their jobs, to prevent the closure of enterprises owned by "hostile foreigners". The granting of Russian citizenship during the war increasingly depended on subjective factors: the personal support of officials. With the development of military operations, the granting of citizenship increasingly depends not on nationality, but on the loyalty of the Russian Empire confirmed by recommendations.

Нарративы, связанные с мироточением икон, в Российской империи в XVIII–XIX вв. (по материалам РГИА)

Based on the data of the Russian State Historical Archive, an attempt is made to identify stable narratives about myrrh-streaming in the folk tradition of the population of the Russian Empire in the 18th–19th centuries, as well as to trace the influence of these narratives on the formation of the concept of a miracle in the everyday religious consciousness of the region under consideration. Initially, tear-stained icons could manifest themselves by glowing or lightning-like brilliance, fragrant fragrance, mysterious voice, the appearance of new inscriptions on them, some of them designated themselves in a dream or were involved in poltergeist-like events. In the 19th century, the range of motives expanded: now an increasing number of icons can flow myrrh in one house, new ritual practices arise around such “centers of attraction”, and these narratives themselves are increasingly beginning to penetrate into various ethno-confessional environments. The myrrh or other liquid that appeared on the icon was perceived as a manifestation of hierophany and was self-sufficient for believers to believe in a miracle. The very outflow of liquid from the icon not only visually confirmed the possibilities of the image to create a miracle, but also through these signs allowed the believer to be personally involved in this sacred action.

Architectural activity in the structure of the Vladivostok city government: the beginning of the 20TH century

The architectural activities of Vladivostok’s municipal government (city council and management) can be divided into two chronological intervals. The initial stage (1875-1898), considered by the author elsewhere, was a period of organization and appointment of the first city architect and definition of his duties, surveying and landscaping of the city’s central area, and construction of the first stone public and residential buildings for the civilian population. This publication continues the study of the planning, design and construction activities of Vladivostok’s municipal architects and engineers from the early 20th century until the revolutionary events of 1917. A characteristic feature of the time under consideration is periods of decline in design and construction (1898-1905); and activation in 1906-1917, directly related to events in the city, region, and the world. The study examines objects erected by the municipal authorities and city management structure, and presents a list of city architects, engineers and technicians. The publication is based on information from the Commemorative Books of the Primorye Region, early 20th century periodicals of Vladivostok, and funds of the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East.

The Karazin Family: A New Reading (To the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of V. N. Karazin)

The article, dedicated to the 250th anniversary of the birth of the founder of Kharkiv Imperial University Vasyl Karazin, details little-known episodes of his life and traces the genealogy of the entire Karazin family. Based on a thorough study of archival materials, the author for the first time discusses not only the Bulgarian, but also Ukrainian, Greek, and Polish roots of the Karazin family, calling into question the one-sided views that have long dominated the literature on the subject (for example, regarding the alleged Greek roots of the founder of Kharkiv University). The author’s arguments and observations are rooted in the analysis of the records of the Department of Heraldry in the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg and personal papers of Nazar Karazin preserved in the Russian State Military Historical Archive. The article provides a wealth of biographical information on all members of the Karazin family, starting with Oleksandr Karazin, who settled in the lands of the Sloboda regiments and whom the author considers as the family’s founder. The biography of Vasyl Karazin’s father, Nazar Oleksandrovych, a colonel in the Russian army during the time of Catherine II, is explored in more detail. On the basis of archival records, the author describes in particular Nazar Karazin’s military and diplomatic service during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774. New light is shed on the life of Vasyl Karazin’s grandson Mykola Mykolayovych Karazin, a well-known artist, member of the Russian Academy of the Arts, and writer, who left to posterity a diary and reports from the frontlines of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. These writings are published by the author of the article in a separate edition. Furthermore, research in the Russian State Naval Archive enables the author to flesh out little-known episodes of the life of one of the sons and another grandson of Vasyl Karazin – Filadelf senior and Filadelf junior, who served in the Russian Navy. The author has also discovered new facts from the lives of descendants of the Karazin family currently living in Ukraine and abroad.

FROM THE HISTORY OF THE ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION AND OPENING OF THE BRANCH OF THE STATE BANK IN THE TOWN OF KINESHMA IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY

This article is devoted to the study of the economic justification and actions to opening a branch of the State Bank in the town of Kineshma in the early 20th century. This process was quite specific, since it was not just extended in time, which allows us to speak of its periodisation, but it also differed in the professional affiliation of the initiators of the opening. If at the first stage, these were representatives of the business community – at the second stage, these included the manager of Ivanovo-Voznesensk branch of the State Bank. About 10 years had passed between these events, Russia passed the stage of revolutionary upheavals, and its economy began to develop actively again. The regional policy of the State Bank had also changed. Increasing attention has been paid to its presence in developing economic regions through the opening of the branches of the Bank in them. Moreover, as a result of the development of the commercial banking system, competition in the lending market has intensified, which also justified the need to expand the sphere of influence on the part of the State Bank. In fact, these actions carried out the credit and banking registration of Ivanovo-Kineshma industrial region, which arose in the 1910s. This article has been prepared on the basis of documents from the Russian State Historical Archive, which have been introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. It makes it possible to strengthen the understanding of the role of the branches of the State Bank in the development of regional industry intended for researchers of its history during the imperial period.

Prisoners of the Great Army in the Smolensk Province in 1812–1814

During the Patriotic War of 1812, a significant number of military personnel of Napoleon’s Great Army were captured on the territory of the Smolensk province. Many of them later lived here until the summer of 1813, after that they were transferred deeper into Russia. Later, other parties of prisoners of war were transported through the province, both to the east and, after liberation, and in the opposite direction. Some of the prisoners wished to accept Russian citizenship and connect
 their future fate with our country. Previous studies on this topic were based mainly on materials from the State Archives of the Smolensk Region. In this work, the source base is expanded to include documents from the Russian State Historical Archive and
 memoirs. The article clarifies the number of prisoners of war who were in the Smolensk province in 1812–1814, their ethnic composition, besides it deals with the conditions of their detention, their acceptance of citizenship, and memories of their time in captivity in the Smolensk province.

Activities of the architect and artist I. S. Stepanov on Sakhalin Island

The article reflects intermediate results of the research project “Architects and Engineers of Eastern Outskirts of Russia (Second Half of XIX – Beginning of XX Century)”. On the basis of archival material obtained from the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East (RSHA FE), the author describes the creative and professional activities on the island of Sakhalin performed by Ivan Stepanovich Stepanov, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, architect and artist.

History of St. Petersburg’s Pavements

Within the article, the author examines the history of everyday life of St. Petersburg through analyzing documents that have recorded the history of the city’s pavement replacement with various materials over a period of more than three hundred years. The study was mainly carried out on the basis of archival materials from the funds of the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg and the Russian State Historical Archive. It is evident that this work is the first comprehensive study of the history of the pavements of the Russian Empire capital as a theme, a topic which has not yet been adequately reflected in either domestic or foreign historiography. It has been established that it took the city authorities a considerable time to pave the capital's roads during the imperial period. The paving of the city roads developed from the use of raw stone to natural asphalt. In the end, it took almost a century to bring the streets of the main part of the city to the proper condition; they have been previously been covered with mainly stone. Whereas in the XVIII century the main task of the central and city authorities was to pave as many streets as possible, then in the XIX - early XX centuries the city government instead concentrated on a way find an inexpensive but durable material for this purpose.

Pension Provision for Muslim Clergy in Asian Part of Russian Empire (19th — Early 20th Century)

The issue of granting pension benefits to Muslim clergy and their families in the Russian Empire is considered, as well as the characteristics of state-confessional policy in Russia both in the historical past and at the present stage. The aim of this study was to identify similarities and differences in the pension provision of Orthodox and Muslim clergy. Attention is paid to the socio-cultural status and material situation of clerics in border regions and national autonomies of the Asian part of Russia. Previously unstudied materials from the archives of the Russian State Historical Archive, the Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East, and the Central State Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan are introduced into circulation. The novelty of the study lies in both the topic itself and the previously unexplored source base. Comparative, comparative-historical, and analytical research methods contributed to the realization of the research plan. The results obtained in the process of analyzing documents testify to a balanced approach and tolerant attitude towards clerics — representatives of “recognized” religions in the Russian Empire. The conclusion is formulated that the size of the pension depends on the length of service, but not on the religious affiliation of the clergy.

Страницы истории создания кантаты П.И. Чайковского «Москва»: неизданная переписка композитора с П.А. Рихтером

The article for the first time publishes the correspondence of P. I. Tchaikovsky with the Chairman of the Coronation Commission P. A. Richter, connected with the history of the cantata Moscow. This work for soloists, choir, and orchestra to the text by A. N. Maikov was written by Tchaikovsky on the order of the Coronation Commission and was first performed on the day of the solemn coronation of Emperor Alexander III on May 15 (27), 1883. Richter’s letters and telegrams to Tchaikovsky are stored in the Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve in Klin, they have been mentioned in literature but have not been published. It was Richter who on March 4 (16), 1883 turned to the composer, who was then in Paris, with a request to compose a coronation cantata. Response letters and telegrams from Tchaikovsky to Richter, previously unknown, were discovered by the author of the article in 2022 in the Russian State Historical Archives (St. Petersburg). In total, ten archival documents are introduced into scientific circulation, including six unpublished texts by Tchaikovsky: four letters and two telegrams. The correspondence covers the period from March 4 (16) to April 17 (29), 1883. The published epistolary documents are provided with historical and textual-critical comments. The telegrams of both correspondents are presented in the French original and translated into Russian. Tchaikovsky’s correspondence with Richter and comments on it reveal the details of the history of the creation and first performance of the cantata Moscow, the pages of the history of its manuscript and new facts of the composer’s biography. The correspondence materials are a valuable source for restoring the creative history of the cantata as part of the preparation of a new critical edition of this work in Academic Complete Works of P. I. Tchaikovsky.

Features of the process of allocating land to the Astrakhan Tatars in the Astrakhan province in the first half of the 19th century in the light of the characteristics of their socio-legal status

The publication presents an analysis of the materials of the case "By the Decree of the Governing Senate on the allotment of the lands of the Kundra, Yurt and Emesh Tatars", deposited in the fund no.383 "First Department of the Ministry of State Property" of the Russian State Historical Archive. These materials date back to 1839–1847. The case was initiated in connection with the completion of the process of sedentarization of Astrakhan (Yurt, Emesh and Kundra) Tatars in the first third of the 19th century and the need to endow them with land on the basis of a Senate decree. The sparsely populated Astrakhan province predetermined the highest "proportion" of allotment of land to Astrakhan Tatars – 15 tithes per male. The documents of the case are interesting because they clarify several issues related to the history of the Astrakhan (Yurt) Tatars: the socio-legal status (Russian subjects and state peasants), the attitude to conscription and the amount of taxation, the number of Yurt, Emesh and Kundra Tatars in the 1830s; a clear definition in the source of belonging to the Tatar world. The documents presented in this publication indicate the interest of the Russian authorities in the final consolidation of the socio-legal status of the Tatar population of Astrakhan province as a settled taxable population with a clearly defined set of state duties. The authorities were also interested in finalizing the boundaries of rural settlements and securing land holdings for Yurt-Tatar societies in order to avoid land disputes between different owners.
 For citation: Imasheva M.M. Features of the process of allocating land to the Astrakhan Tatars in the Astrakhan province in the first half of the 19th century in the light of the characteristics of their socio-legal status. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2023, vol.13, no.4, pp.180–188. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2023-13-4.180-188 (In Russian)

The Failed Kalmyk Pilgrimage to Tibet at the Beginning of the 19<sup>th</sup> Century: Historical and Source Study Aspect (Based on the Materials of the State Archive of the Astrakhan Region)

For the first time in Russian historiography, the article analyzes the collection of documents from the State Archive of the Astrakhan Region and the Russian State Historical Archive related to the failed pilgrimage of the Kalmyk Buddhist clergy’s representatives to Tibet at the beginning of the 19th century. A significant amount of interdepartmental correspondence accompanied the whole preparation process for this pilgrimage, which was supposed to be part of the government policy on developing the Russian-Chinese diplomatic cooperation. The permission for Buddhist clergy to contact fellow believers in Tibet followed the organization of the Russian embassy to China in 1805, headed by Yu. A. Golovkin. The Russian government expected the successful completion of the embassy, one of the tasks of which was to get free access for Russian citizens to Tibet. Kalmyk pilgrims, escorted by government officials, should be the first Russians officially granted by China to visit Tibet in the second half of the 18th century. The unsuccessful completion of the embassy prevented the pilgrimage from realization but intensified the interaction of the Russian government with the Buddhist clergy of the Kalmyk steppe. The article provides information on compensation for the expenses of the Kalmyk clergy, the organization of the trip of lamas to St. Petersburg, and the permission to build a Buddhist temple in the Astrakhan province at the request of one of the participants of the never-realized pilgrimage. The article presents a transliteration and a modern (diachronic) translation of two letters written by the Kalmyk clergy in “todo bichig” (“Clear Script”) to representatives of the Russian government.