A brief essay on the administrative system of astrakhan kalmyks by Ivan Cherkasov: problem of authorship, reflection of the main stages of kalmyk history and features of public administration

Introduction. The article discusses the “Brief outline of the administrative structure of the Astrakhan Kalmyks” by Ivan Cherkasov. The author examines the problem of authorship of the work and the content of the essay, which reflects the main stages of Kalmyk history and the peculiarities of public administration according to the rules of administration of the Kalmyk people in 1825, 1834 and 1847. Results. The problem of authorship lies in the fact that in the catalogues of the state libraries of the Russian Federation, the author indicates Baron I. A. Cherkasov, who lived in the 18th century. However, an analysis of the text of the essay and references to sources and literature indicated in it suggest that the author was a contemporary of the 19th century. In this regard, the author, as it seems, is the Astrakhan historian of the 19th century — I. G. Cherkasov.The description of the main stages of Kalmyk history in the essay reflects the line of the official protective direction, when the actions of the Russian administration were supported, and the blame for the negative moments in Russian-Kalmyk relations was laid on the Kalmyks. At the same time, this source does not try to smooth out the sharp corners of Russian-Kalmyk relations, but shows the difficult way for Kalmyks to acquire Russian citizenship. Conclusions. Since the materials of the essay were originally published in the form of articles in the local Astrakhan Provincial Newspaper, it is assumed that they were censored and generally reflect the official interpretation of historical events. At the same time, individual events and versions of events indicated in the Short Essay are not accurate or controversial from the point of view of the subsequent development of historiography. Despite some inaccuracies, in some aspects of the description of Kalmyk history in the essay there are important, in our opinion, conclusions that need further research from the national historiography. Separate statements of the author of the essay in the study of the administrative management of the Astrakhan Kalmyks based on the rules of 1825, 1834 and 1847 also deserve analysis. In general, this essay really, as indicated in its title, seems to be an extract, part of a more extensive work — the handwritten history of the Astrakhan region.

1. Astaf’ev E. V. The Role of the Tsaritsyn Line in the History of the Kalmyks. Russkaya Starina. 2022. No. 13(2). Pp. 57–77. (In Russ.)

2. Bantysh-Kamensky D. N. The History of Little Russia. In 3 vols. Vol. 3: From the Election of Mazepa to the Destruction of the Hetmanate. Moscow: Nikolai Stepanov's Printing House, 1842. 239 p. (In Russ.)

3. Batmaev M. M. Kalmyks in the 17th–18th centuries: Events, People, Life. 2nd ed. Elista: Kalmyk Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2022. 440 p. (In Russ.)

4. Cherkasov Ivan Antonovich. Available at: http://astrakhanica-personalia.ru/Черкасов ,_ivan_antonovich (Accessed: 03 Mach 224) (In Russ.)

5. Cherkasov I. A. A Brief Essay on the Administrative System of Astrakhan Kalmyks: an Excerpt from the Manuscript Titled ”History of Astrakhan Region”. Astrakhan: Astrakhan Governorate Press, 1860. 21 p. (In Russ.)

6. Golikov I. I. The Deeds of Peter the Great, the Wise Transfigurator of Russia, Collected from Reliable Sources and Arranged by Year. 2nd ed. Vol. 1–15. Vol. 3: [1705–1708]. Moscow: Nikolai Stepanov's Printing House, 1837. 435 p. (In Russ.)

7. Historical Acts Collected and Published by the Archeographic Commission. St. Petersburg: Printing House Expeditions of Procurement of State Papers, 1841–1872. Vol. 4: 1645–1676. Printing House of the 2nd Department of the own Chancellery. 1842. 592 p. (In Russ.)

8. Khodarkovsky М. I. Where the two Worlds Met:. the Russian State and the Kalmyk Nomads, 1600–1771. T. Bogrdanova (trans.) Elista: Kalmyk Scientific Center RAS, 2022. 374 p. (In Russ.)

9. Kleitman A. L. Tsaritsyn defense Line and military-political changes in Russia’s South-Eastern frontier, 1720s. Oriental Studies. 2021. Vol. 14 (5): Pp. 900‒909. DOI: 10.22162/2619-0990-2021-57-5-900-909 (In Russ.).

10. Kostenkov K. I. Kalmyk Nomads of Astrakhan Governorate: Historical and Statistical Accounts (Supplemented with Maps of Kalmyk Steppe). St. Petersburg: Ministry of State Property, 1870. 171 p. (In Russ.)

11. Krotov P. A. The Battle of Poltava. The Beginning of Great Russia. St. Petersburg: Foundation for the Promotion of Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments “Spas”: Faces of Russia, 2014. 566 p. (In Russ.)

12. Maksimov K. N., Ochirova N. G. (eds.) History of Kalmykia: from Earliest Times to Present. Days. In 3 vols. Elista: Gerel, 2009. Vol. 1. 848 p. (In Russ.)

13. Pallas P. S. Collection of historical news about the Mongolian peoples. In: St. Petersburg Bulletin. 1778. Pt. 1. April. Pp. 298–308; May. Pp. 387–393. (In Russ.)

14. Palmov N. N. The Volga Kalmyks: Historical Essays. In 5 Vols. Astrakhan: Kalmyk Oblast Executive Committee, 1929. Vol. 3–4. 391 p. (In Russ.)

15. Tepkeev V. T. Khan Ayuka and His Era. Elista: Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS), 2018. 359 p. (In Russ.)

16. Tepkeev V. T. The 1722 Meeting of emperor Peter the Great and Kalmyk Khan Ayuka on the Volga: myths and reality. Mongolian Studies (Elista). 2022; 14(1): Pp. 8–19. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.22162/2500-1523-2022-1-8-19

17. Tsyuryumov A. V. [Kalmyk Khanate as Part of Russia: Problems of Political Relations]. Elista: Dzhangar, 2007. 464 p. (In Russ.)

18.