Astrakhan province. Accession to Russia and transformation

On November 22, 2017, Astrakhan Province celebrates its 300th anniversary. It was formed by the decree of Peter the Great in 1717. In its territory from 1480 there was the Astrakhan kingdom, which lasted until 1557, when it was annexed to the Moscow state.

History of Education

Three years earlier, the Moscow army led by Prince Pronsky-Shemyakin entered the territory of the kingdom to put on the throne of the exiled khan Derbysh, who asked for help from Moscow and swore allegiance to the Russian state on condition of paying tribute. After his betrayal in 1557, the Russian army annexed the Khanate to Russia.

The interest of the Russian state in these lands has always been enormous. He pursued several goals. The first and most important is the protection of borders from attacks of Tatar hordes, which periodically penetrated into the territory of the country, thereby inflicting irreparable damage to the population, stealing people. The second is the Caspian Sea, the exit to which was of strategic importance to the state. The colonization of the region was progressing with great difficulty. This was promoted by frequent attacks of Tatars and robber attacks from Kalmyks and free Cossacks.

Since 1708, the land of the former kingdom was included in the territory of the Kazan province. Great interest in the edge was shown by Peter the Great. It was he who, with his decree of 1717, made these lands of the territories of the Russian Empire. The former Astrakhan kingdom became part of the administrative unit - the province, headed by the governor-general.

Geographical location

The location of the Astrakhan province is the south-eastern part of European Russia. Its territory, as of the boundary of 1914, included the Astrakhan Region and Kalmykia in its entirety, also partially the Volgograd and Rostov Regions, the Stavropol Territory, Dagestan and the Guriev Region of Kazakhstan.

It was located in the Caspian lowland, about 500 kilometers of it was washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. The lower reaches of the Volga River divided the province into two parts. The right (Volga) is called the Kalmyk steppe, the Left (Zavolzhskaya) is the Kirgiz steppe. The full-length Volga in the territory of the Astrakhan province is divided into two bows, which break up into numerous channels, the number of which reaches 70 when they enter the Caspian Sea.

How did the composition of the province change?

The history of the Astrakhan province is full of transformations. It included and withdrew from the structure of large areas. The province under Petra was significantly different from today's region. Its borders spread from the wild steppes of the Kirghiz to the Caucasus, from the Kuban and Stavropol regions to the Middle Volga.

The cities of the Astrakhan province, which comprised its original territory:

• Astrakhan;
• Guryev - currently Atyrau (Kazakhstan) ;
• Dmitrievsk - currently Kamyshin;
• Krasny Yar;
• Kizlyar;
• Petrovsk;
• Samara;
• Saratov;
• Simbirsk - currently Ulyanovsk;
• Sizran;
• Tersky;
• Tsaritsyn is at the moment Volgograd;
• The Black Yar.

In 11 years, four Volga cities (Samara, Saratov, Simbirsk, Syzran) were withdrawn from the structure and entered the Kazan province. Another 11 years later, Saratov was reclassified again to the Astrakhan province. In a year he became the center of the Saratov vicegerency.

For reference, vicegerency is a form of self-government. Territory governor was appointed by the governor of Moscow, but, unlike the governor, was not kept at the expense of the state's funds, but was fed from the subordinate territory. Its purpose is to manage the province and collect taxes. Viceroyalty was widely spread under the reign of Catherine II. This form of government was characteristic not only of Russia, but also of other countries, in particular England.

There was an inconspicuous but important work on the development of the territory of the state, in which the Astrakhan province occupied its important place as an outpost of the empire and a link between Russia and the East. Its result is the formation of new provinces, the transition of some regions to other regions. In 1752 the city of Guryev was transferred to Orenburg. Thirty years later, back to Astrakhan province, then the city of Uralsk entered its structure. A little while later Akhtubinsk, Black Yar and Tsaritsyn became part of the province.

Settlement of the province

The vast territories of the Astrakhan province were sparsely populated. Here lived the majority of nomadic peoples: Kirghiz and Kalmyks. The main part of the cities was located on the banks of the Volga - places rich in fish and pasture lands. To ensure normal functioning, it was necessary to create a settled residence of residents in its territory. The last global migration from the European part of the empire to the Kyrgyz steppes began.

A decision is needed to quickly settle the territory of the province: to put up land for sale on preferential terms. In addition, they were given, given for free use. The resettlement was conducted by whole villages. New Cossack villages appeared. The Astrakhan province was a place of exile, there were jails here. Olders and schismatics were leaving here. By the end of the XIX century, the number of Orthodox population (Russians, Ukrainians) was about 55%, Kirghiz (Kazakhs) - about 25%, Kalmyks - 13%, Tatars - 6%.

Administrative division

The administrative center of the province was the city of Astrakhan. For the first decade of the XX century. In the province there were 5 counties. Astrakhan district of Astrakhan province was the largest in population - 219760 people (1897). Then came the newly created Enotayevsky, Krasnoyarsk, Chernoyarsky and Tsaryovsky, Kalmyk and Kirghiz steppes and the Cossack army of Astrakhan.

The composition of the five counties included:

• Rural societies - 157;
• Townships - 47;
• Mills - 13;
• Plots of landlords - 89.

The Kalmyk steppe included seven ulus administrations and a bazaar. The Kirgiz steppe consisted of five parts and two districts. The Astrakhan Cossack Host included two divisions, consisting of 13 stanitsas, wagons and farms. The total number of residents was over one million. On the territory of the province there were 167 churches, 4 Orthodox monasteries.

Province in the XIX-XX centuries

Astrakhan province in the 19th century continued its transformation, however, they were not as significant as in the XVIII century. In 1832, after long reorganizations, the Astrakhan and Caucasian provinces were completely divided. At its head stood two governors - civil and military. The bulk of the transformation was completed. The population of the territory continued.

The last territorial changes occurred at the beginning of XX. In 1917, the Kirghiz steppe was reorganized into the newly created Bukeyevsky province, and the counties Tsaryovsky and Chernoyarsky were included in the Tsaritsyn province. In 1925 the districts were liquidated and 12 districts were formed.