The Astrakhan province on November 22, 2017 celebrates its 300th anniversary. It was formed by decree of Peter the Great in 1717. On its territory from 1480 was the kingdom of Astrakhan, which lasted until 1557, then 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 enthrone the exiled Khan Derbysh, who asked Moscow for help and swore allegiance to the Russian state subject to payment of 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 borders from the raids of the Tatar hordes, which periodically penetrated the territory of the country, thereby inflicting irreparable damage to the population, driving the inhabitants into slavery. The second is the Caspian Sea, access to which was of strategic importance to the state. Colonization of the region advanced 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. Great interest in the region showed Peter the Great. It was he who, by 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.
Geographic location
The location of the Astrakhan province is the southeastern part of European Russia. Its territory, as of the border for 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. Right (Volga) is called the Kalmyk steppe, Left (Zavolzhskaya) - the Kyrgyz steppe. The full-flowing Volga in the territory of the Astrakhan province is divided into two bows, breaking up into numerous channels, the number of which reaches 70 when it flows into the Caspian Sea.
How the composition of the province changed
The history of the Astrakhan province is full of transformations. Large territories entered and were withdrawn from it. The province under Peter was significantly different from today's region. Its borders spread from the wild steppes of the Kyrgyz to the Caucasus, from the Kuban and Stavropol to the Middle Volga.
The 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 removed from the structure and entered the Kazan province. 11 years later, Saratov was reckoned with the Astrakhan province. A year later, he became the center of Saratov governorship.
For reference, governorate is a form of self-government. The governor of the territory was appointed by Moscow, but, unlike the governor, was not kept at the expense of the state, but was fed from a subordinate territory. His goal is to manage the province and collect taxes. Viceroyhood became widespread under the reign of Catherine II. This form of government was characteristic not only of 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 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 back to the Astrakhan province, then the city of Uralsk entered it. After some time, Akhtubinsk, Cherny Yar and Tsaritsyn became part of the province.
The population of the province
Huge territories of the Astrakhan province were sparsely populated. The majority of nomadic peoples lived here: Kyrgyz 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 on its territory. The last global migration from the European part of the empire to the Kyrgyz steppes began.
The decision is made, necessary for the quickest settlement of the territory of the province: to put the land for sale on favorable terms. In addition, they were given, given for free use. Resettlement was carried out in whole villages. New Cossack villages appeared. The Astrakhan province was a place of exile, there were prison. Old believers and schismatics left here. By the end of the 19th century, the number of the Orthodox population (Russians, Ukrainians) was about 55%, Kyrgyz (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. The Astrakhan district of the Astrakhan province was the largest in population - 219760 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 societies - 157;
- volosts - 47;
- mills - 13;
- patrol plots - 89.
The Kalmyk steppe included seven ulus administrations and a bazaar. The Kyrgyz steppe consisted of five parts and two districts. The Astrakhan Cossack army included two departments, consisting of 13 villages, a gang and a farm. The total number of inhabitants was more than a million. In the province there were 167 churches, 4 Orthodox monasteries.
The province in the XIX-XX centuries
The Astrakhan province continued its transformation in the 19th century, although they were not as significant as in the 18th century. In 1832, after long reorganizations, the Astrakhan and Caucasian provinces were completely divided. At its head were two governors - civil and military. The bulk of the transformation has been completed. Settlement of the region continued.
Recent territorial changes occurred at the beginning of XX. In 1917, the Kyrgyz steppe was reorganized into the newly created Bukeevsky province, and the districts Tsarevsky and Chernoyarsky became part of the Tsaritsyn province. In 1925, counties were liquidated and 12 districts formed.