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Section 3. History and archaeology
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Shavlokhova Elena Sergeyevna, Academy of Marketing and Social Technologies — IMSIT
Doctor of History, Professor, Pro-rector for scientific work Krasnodar E-mail: [email protected]
Historical background of completing the joining the North Caucasus to Russia
The publication article has been made with the help of financial support of the Russian Foundation for Humanities, with the framework of the project research "Joining Ossetia to Russia as the process of integration of the peoples of the North Caucasus in the administrative and legal system of Russia" (the end of XVIII — early XIX centuries.), the project is № 16-11-23014
Abstract: Joining North Ossetia to Russia took place in a difficult political environment. In order to consider this issue in detail, it is important to pay attention to the historical background of the merger. This article discusses the historical background data, because this process was mutually beneficial to both parties.
Keywords: North Ossetia, the historical background, affiliation, orientation to the Russian government, defense and commercial relations.
The peoples of the North Caucasus have been connected with Russia and the Russian people by centuries-old ties. For centuries they have maintained trade, cultural and political relations with Russia.
In the XVI-XVIII centuries the peoples of the North Caucasus have focused on Russia, it was a complicated and long process of voluntary entry into the Russian state. The Russian government has taken care, first of all, of the consolidation of the security and power of the state, spreading Russia's political influence on the new territories. Russia didn't tend to subject these nations to its immediate ruling and its orders, but could provide real help and support against attacks by the Shah of Iran, the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate. On this basis, between the peoples of the Northern Caucasus and the Russian state known affinity, even a relative community of interest was formed, as relations with Russia met the aspirations of the peoples of the North Caucasus to the greater security from external attacks.
The Caucasus connected Europe and Asia, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Through the Volga and Astrakhan trade routes to Iran both by sea and by land were opened — through the Caucasus, along the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Russia has planned for a long time the expansion of trade and for its needs, and mediation prospects in the exchange of goods between Western Europe and East through Dagestan and the Caspian Sea. These extensive plans intensified the interest of Russian landlords and merchants to Dagestan Khanate. The objectives of expanding trade with the East continued to exert great influence on Russian policy in the Eastern Caucasus and in Transcaucasia and later — at the end of the XVIII century and in the XIX century.
Hit-and-run raids of the Iranian and Ottoman conquerors and feudal civil wars for centuries were the reasons of monstrous disasters and looting the Caucasian population, and they also depleted the productive forces of the Caucasian peoples. As Engels wrote, it is not surprising that the struggle against the Shah of Iran and the Sultan of Turkey, standing on a very "low" and "barbaric" stage of development [1, 6], forced the nations and many federal rulers of Caucasus to seek the protection of Russia.
Constant invasion of Ottoman troops and raids of the Crimean Khanate, capture and hijacking enslaved prisoners, the extermina-
tion of local residents, violence and arbitrariness, the lack of basic security in the vast expanses of Pre-Caucasus and North Caucasus for centuries made it impossible to settled agricultural life and the settlement of these vast spaces, the development of the trade and crafts, forming villages and towns. This was one of the reasons that gradually the territory of the Russian state was spreading to the south, the settlement and development of open spaces, despite the aggressive nature of the tsarist policy had great positive significance objectively [2, 36].
It is important to note the necessity to differentiate between different paths and forms of including peoples into Russian population, to distinguish successive stages of the process. Voluntary entry of the North Caucasian peoples into Russia in XVI — XVIII centuries and even in the early XIX did not mean spreading military and administrative authorities and the Russian laws on them. Indigenous peoples and ownership remained feudal fragmentation under control of its princes, khans, feudal and community leaders.
By the end of the XVIII century Russia united with the North Caucasus, it was of great importance — it was the historical prerequisite for completing the merger of the North Caucasus to Russia and its firm establishment in the South Caucasus. All these premises was a complex process, in which intertwined the results of successful wars with the Ottoman Empire, the economic development of the steppe Ciscaucasia, voluntary joining the North Caucasian peoples, and the feudal lords under the protection of Russia.
Development of Pre-Caucasus began in the late XVI century, when the town Terek was founded with surrounding trade and craft villages. Earlier the settlements of Russian Cossacks of the Terek "on the crests," started their history, i. e., on the eastern and northern slopes of the Terek Ridge, hence the nickname "Greben Cossacks." Then the Cossack settlers from the Don, the Volga and Chopra moved to the North Caucasus. It combines a natural settling, and the government's actions for the development of vacant land. A lot of the oppressed people, i. e. farmers, the poor Cossacks, artisans moved to Pre-Caucasian region and Terek from internal and outlying areas of Russia and Ukraine [3, 7]. There they freely farmed the land, raised cattle, fields, orchards and gardens, fished, mined salt, engaged in mountain fishing, all of them became the part of the
Historical background of completing the joining the North Caucasus to Russia
population of the North Caucasus, joined the peaceful economic and cultural-household, family and other ties with the indigenous peoples, although this is often hindered religious strife and military raids and clashes. Government measures of military Cossack development became increasingly important.
After 1774 the Caucasian peoples and their feudal lords sharply wanted to join Russia. In 1774, the Russian-Ossetian negotiations culminated in the voluntary joining North Ossetia to the Russian Empire. [4, 239,252-253.] Digorians Ossetians, who did not want to follow before the rest of Ossetia, in 1787, also received the Russian citizenship. Many Ossetians again had a new opportunity to move from close to the fertile plains of the gorges.
At the same time colonization of the steppe Ciscaucasia was continued with Russian peasants and Cossacks. Their work of developing virgin steppes had great importance. The Pre-Caucasian region carried out measures to strengthen the military and administrative authority and conducted further construction of fortifications. Since 1777 Azov-Mozdok line has been started to build extending to many redoubts and forts 2,000 miles from the mouth of the Don to the Caspian Sea coast. Georgevskay and other walled cities were built.
Policy of Russia under Paul I ruling visibly moved from the energetic action of the preceding reign in the Caucasian affairs. Known previous negative attitude of Paul I to the new territorial connection (including south of the Kuban and Terek), and recorded his later belief that the peoples of the Caucasus "are more in vassalage this than to citizenship" [5, 298]. Of course, this only meant that Russia did not intervene then to the inner board of the local khans and mountain peoples of the Caucasus. At first Russia in the Caucasus under Paul I clearly affected traces of these concepts, but by the end of the XVIII century it was identified inconsistencies calculations of Paul I nor the real situation in Europe and the Caucasus, nor the views of the most influential circles of Russian landowners who were interested in the development and expansion of the southern outskirts of the empire, such as Pre-Caucasus, as well as in trade with the East through the Caucasus.
The well-known researcher of Russian policy in the Caucasus A. V. Fadeev aptly stressed that the Council of State sounded concern over the Russian landed nobility "for the safety of your new possessions of Russian landowners in Pre-Caucasian and Azov steppes" [6, 107], for the fate ofthe new towns erected in populated expanses of the South of Russia, new trade routes, paved in overseas countries. It was about the further strengthening of Russia in the Caucasus.
In September 1802 it was possible to collect almost all the owners of the Northeast Caucasus or their envoys to the Congress in the Georgievsk fortress where the December 26, 1802 a general contract was signed, which was of great importance. St George's contract obliged the khans and mountain societies to maintain loyalty to Russia, not venturing civil wars, dismantling mutual disputes amicably, "general laws", and in the case of the Shah's attack "take up arms with one accord all in driving out their common enemy." St. George contract agreed to promote the unity of rulers and unions of rural societies of the North-Eastern Caucasus under Russian patronage to protect against the shah's claims and the weakening of mutual strife and legally issued their "federation" under the rule of Russia.
In the summer of 1802, Russian troops took steps to improve and provide more reliable security of the Georgian Military Road. Mostly Ossetians lived along it. Russian squad forced Tagaurian and other Ossetian feudal lords to stop looting from the Baltic to Daria. They were allowed to charge a fee instead, a fee for the construction of bridges and protection was promised from Kabardinian rulers [7, 500].
These long-term measures have led to the construction of the prerequisites completing the join of the North Caucasus to Russia. Features of economic and political situation in Ossetia helped to establish multifaceted Russian-Ossetian relations. The most important result was their adherence to the Russian North Ossetia. And the processes described in this article are just the beginning of a long historical path.
References:
1. Marx K. and Engels F. 2nd ed. V. 9. P. 6.
2. The October Revolution and the Russian advanced to the historical destiny of the peoples of the North Caucasus. Grozny, 1982. P. 7 and others.; Vasiliev D. S. Essays on the history of the lower reaches of the Terek. Makhachkala, 1980. P. 36.
3. The Great October Revolution and the Russian advanced to the historical destiny of the peoples of the North Caucasus. Grozny, 1982. P. 7.
4. Bliev M. M. Russian-Ossetian relations. Ordzhonikidze. 1970: P. 239, 252-253.
5. Dubrovin N. F. The history of war and domination Russian Caucasus. SPb. 1887. V. 3. P. 298.
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