Astrakhan province celebrates its 300th anniversary on November 22, 2017. It was formed by decree of Peter the Great in 1717. Since 1480, the Astrakhan kingdom was located on its territory, which existed until 1557, when it was annexed to the Moscow state.
Educational History
Three years earlier, the Moscow army, led by Prince Pronsky-Shemyakin, entered the territory of the kingdom to install the exiled Khan Derbysh on the throne, who asked for help from Moscow and swore an oath of allegiance to the Russian state with the 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 huge. He pursued several goals. The first and most important is the protection of the borders from the raids of the Tatar hordes, which periodically penetrated the territory of the country, thereby causing irreparable damage to the population, driving the inhabitants into slavery. The second is the Caspian Sea, access to which was of strategic importance for the state. The colonization of the region progressed with great difficulty. This was facilitated by the frequent raids of the Tatars and robber attacks by the Kalmyks and free Cossacks.
Since 1708, the land of the former kingdom was included in the territory of the Kazan province. Peter the Great showed great interest in the region. It was he who, by his decree of 1717, made these lands the territories of the Russian Empire. The former Astrakhan kingdom was included as an administrative unit - a province, headed by a governor-general.
Geographic location
The location of the Astrakhan province is the southeastern part of European Russia. Its territory, as of the border in 1914, included the Astrakhan region and Kalmykia in full, also partially the Volgograd and Rostov regions, the Stavropol Territory, Dagestan and the Guryev region of Kazakhstan.
It was located on the Caspian lowland, about 500 kilometers 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) - the Kirghiz steppe. The full-flowing Volga on the territory of the Astrakhan province is divided into two bows, breaking up into numerous channels, the number of which reaches 70 when they flow into the Caspian Sea.
How the composition of the province has changed
The history of the Astrakhan province is full of transformations. Large territories were included and withdrawn from it. The province under Peter differed significantly fromtoday's area. Its borders extended from the wild Kyrgyz steppes to the Caucasus, from the Kuban and Stavropol regions to the Middle Volga.
Cities of the Astrakhan province that made up its original territory:
- Astrakhan;
- Guryev - currently Atyrau (Kazakhstan);
- Dmitrievsk - currently Kamyshin;
- Krasny Yar;
- Kizlyar;
- Petrovsk;
- Samara;
- Saratov;
- Simbirsk - currently Ulyanovsk;
- Syzran;
- Tersky;
- Tsaritsyn - currently Volgograd;
- Black Yar.
After 11 years, four Volga cities (Samara, Saratov, Simbirsk, Syzran) were withdrawn from the structure and entered the Kazan province. After another 11 years, Saratov was again assigned to the Astrakhan province. A year later, it became the center of the Saratov governorship.
For reference, governorship is a type of self-government. The governor of the territory was appointed by Moscow, but, unlike the governor, he was not supported at the expense of the state, but was fed from the subordinate territory. Its purpose is to govern the province and collect taxes. Vicegerency became widespread during the reign of Catherine II. This form of government was typical not only for Russia, but took place in other countries, in particular England.
There was an inconspicuous but important work on the arrangement of the territory of the state, in which the Astrakhan province took its important place as an outpost of the empire and a link between Russia and the East. Its result is educationnew provinces, the transition of some areas to other areas. In 1752, the city of Guryev was transferred to Orenburg. Thirty years later, back to the Astrakhan province, at the same time the city of Uralsk became part of it. After some time, Akhtubinsk, Cherny Yar and Tsaritsyn became part of the province.
Settlement of the province
The vast territories of the Astrakhan province were sparsely populated. Mostly nomadic peoples lived here: the Kirghiz and Kalmyks. Most of the cities were located on the banks of the Volga - places rich in fish and pastures. To ensure normal functioning, it was necessary to create a settled residence of residents on its territory. The last global migration from the European part of the empire to the Kyrgyz steppes has begun.
A decision is being made that is necessary for the speedy settlement of the territory of the province: put the land up for sale on preferential terms. In addition, they were given as gifts, given for free use. The resettlement was carried out by entire villages. New Cossack villages appeared. The Astrakhan province was a place of exile, prisons were located here. The Old Believers and schismatics went here. By the end of the 19th century, the number of the Orthodox population (Russians, Ukrainians) was about 55%, Kirghiz (Kazakhs) - about 25%, Kalmyks - 13%, Tatars - 6%.
Administrative divisions
The administrative center of the province was the city of Astrakhan. For the first decade of the 20th century There were 5 counties in the province. Astrakhan districtAstrakhan province was the largest in terms of population - 219,760 people (1897). Next came the newly created Enotaevsky, Krasnoyarsk, Chernoyarsk and Tsarevsky, Kalmyk and Kyrgyz steppes and the Cossack army of Astrakhan.
The five counties included:
- rural communities – 157;
- volosts – 47;
- stans – 13;
- district officers – 89.
The Kalmyk steppe included seven ulus departments and a bazaar. The Kirghiz steppe consisted of five parts and two districts. The Astrakhan Cossack army included two departments, consisting of 13 villages, gangs and farms. The total number of inhabitants was over a million. There were 167 churches and 4 Orthodox monasteries in the province.
Province in the XIX-XX centuries
Astrakhan province in the 19th century continued its transformation, however, they were not as significant as in the 18th century. In 1832, after a long reorganization, the Astrakhan and Caucasian provinces were completely divided. It was headed by two governors - civil and military. The bulk of the transformations have been completed. The settlement of the region continued.
The last territorial changes took place at the beginning of the XX. In 1917, the Kirghiz steppe was reorganized into the newly created Bukeev province, and the Tsarevsky and Chernoyarsky counties became part of the Tsaritsyn province. In 1925, the counties were liquidated and 12 districts were formed.
