Probably not every of our compatriots knows what the Middle Zhuz is. However, not many also heard about the Younger and the Elder. But once upon a time it was from these three formations that a large part of the Republic of Kazakhstan — the political and economic partner of the Russian Federation — consisted. Therefore, it will be very interesting for many readers to learn about it.
What it is
First of all, it is necessary to tell what the Middle Zhuz is in general. This is the name of the historically formed association of tribes living on the territory of modern Kazakhstan. Clear boundaries, like the time of formation, are quite difficult to indicate. Chronicles in these places were not kept due to the complete lack of their own written language - it appeared much later, after joining Russia.
And it is almost impossible to indicate the boundaries of the lands inhabited by nomads. Just a few dozen tribes - both numerous and relatively powerful, and small, having no influence in the region - wandered from place to place along certain routes. No centralized authority and structures existed here.
Geographical position
First, find out where the Senior, Middle and Younger Zhuzes were located.
The middle one, which will be considered in more detail in the article, had the largest territory. Almost half of modern Kazakhstan is a rather big state, occupying the ninth place in the world in terms of area. And today it is the Middle Zhuz that is the most developed part of the state. The metallurgical industry is concentrated here, the production of which provides a considerable share in the state’s GDP. In addition, most of the rural land is concentrated here. And local mineral deposits contain almost the entire periodic table.
The territory of the Middle Zhuz occupied modern Central, Eastern and Northern Kazakhstan. True, you should not think that its borders coincided exactly with the borders of the modern Republic of Kazakhstan. During the existence of the tribal formation, an accurate cartography of these places has not yet been compiled - the corresponding work was carried out later by Russian officers and specialists.
The eldest zhuz had the smallest territory, occupying only the southeast of modern Kazakhstan. The area of the Junior zhuz was average - two times more than that of the Elder, but at the same time, one and a half to two less than that of the Middle. It accounted for part of Kazakhstan - from Central to Western.
Zhuz tribes
The main population today is Kazakhs. The Middle Zhuz, on the other hand, was previously inhabited by such tribes as the Kipchaks, Argyns, Naimans, Kerey, Konyrat, Uaki, Tolengut and Tore.
The first census was conducted in the late nineteenth - early twentieth centuries. The most numerous tribe were Argyns - about 500 thousand people. In second place with a small margin was the Naiman tribe. Its number reached 395 thousand people. Then followed the Kypchaks, of whom there were about 169 thousand. Finally, they included the five largest tribes of Konyrat and Kerey with 128 and 90 thousand people, respectively.
The tribes were quite different. Some lived separately, in relatively small territories. Others settled everywhere, because of which they were very mixed with other tribes, partially losing their identity.
History
Located on the territory between the Bashkirs and China, the Middle Zhuz often became the object of raids. Often, hordes of the Dzungars passed through these lands.
Local tribes could not resist the opponents - the lack of military training, the lack of a powerful state structure and centralization affected it. That is why it was decided to join the Middle Zhuz to Russia.
Joining Russia
It is worth noting that the first to the Russian rulers was Khan Abulkhair, the ruler of the Younger Zhuz. Located in the western part of modern Kazakhstan, these lands suffered most from the raids of the Bashkirs and Dzungars. Therefore, in 1730, the ruler swore allegiance to the Russian Empire. A year later, the petition was accepted, and the western part of modern Kazakhstan became part of a powerful empire, receiving reliable protection from unfriendly neighbors.
The middle zhuz is also not much behind. Having appreciated all the advantages of this situation, Khan Sameke, who was his ruler, also swore allegiance to Anna Ivanovna in 1732. So the Younger and Middle Zhuzes became part of Russia.
The uprisings
However, it cannot be said that this state of affairs suited the population. During the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, several uprisings of varying degrees occurred on the territory of the Middle Zhuz - some were suppressed in a matter of weeks, while others, for example, the Kenesary Kasymov uprising, periodically flared up for several years. Basically, they consisted in the destruction of small convoys of Russian merchants and the military, or even the capture of weakly fortified settlements.
The uprising of Emelyan Pugachev was actively supported.
Unfortunately, many gangs whose purpose was simply robbery were subsequently exposed as rebellions for the sake of getting rid of the cruel yoke of the Russians. But was it really cruel? This issue is worth sorting out.
Russia's activities in the Middle Zhuz
Today in Kazakhstan, a rather unambiguous assessment of Russia's activities in the territory of this now sovereign country is given. Books and articles are written about the predatory capture and suppression of any uprisings. Many local residents do not like to remember that the leaders of Kazakhstan themselves came to the Russian tsars with a request to send troops to protect themselves from cruel neighbors.
What actions were taken by the "Russian invaders" after being consolidated in the Middle Zhuz?
First of all, everything possible was done to make the nomads a settled people. A completely justified solution - nomadism practically did not leave time and resources for the development of the people. Therefore, local residents were allocated extensive land plots - 15 acres each. And this concerned ordinary people - the elders of the clans were provided with 30 acres, and the biys (national judges, who were universally respected and recognized) - 40 each. In addition, people were given seeds for sowing and the necessary agricultural implements. And all this is completely free.
In 1841, a set of laws was also drawn up - in fact, the revised judicial legislation of Russia, taking into account local rules - the adat.
In 1864, the first school was opened. Over time, cities were founded - all modern large cities were built by Russian settlers or the military to protect the lands from attack from different directions - it is no coincidence that most of it is located around the perimeter of the country.
Almost all the representatives of the elite of the 18th-19th centuries, who are today proud of the citizens of Kazakhstan, were educated in Russia or in Russian schools built on the territory of the Middle Zhuz. These include Chokan Valikhanov, Ybyray Altynsarin, Abay Kunanbaev and many others - enlighteners, writers, poets.
By the way, it was Abay Kunanbayev’s pen that owns the Words of Edification, one of the first Kazakh literary monuments that they are proud of today. Almost in each of these short essays speaks of the need to study the Russian language, study the culture of the northern neighbors, its maximum implementation. On the one hand, today Abai Kunanbayev is extolled as a folk thinker who is ahead of his time. On the other hand, most of his “Words of Edification”, although not censored, are usually quoted selectively — inappropriate passages are simply ignored and not widely publicized.
Already on this basis, we can judge what impact the people of the Middle Zhuz and all others had on the accession to the Russian Empire and proximity to Russian culture.
Conclusion
On this article comes to an end. Now the reader knows more about Junior, Senior and Middle Zhuz. Moreover, he learned not only about their location, but also about history and development.