Letters of the Viceroy of the Kalmyk Khanate Donduk-Dashi as a Source on the Economic History of the Kalmyks in the 18th Century

Introduction. In recent years, Kalmyk historiography has intensified the study of the written heritage of the Kalmyk rulers of the 17th–18th centuries. The letters of the viceroy of the Kalmyk Khanate, Donduk-Dashi, have not been sufficiently studied. At the same time, it is known that Donduk-Dashi, having become the viceroy of the khanate in a very difficult time, was able to improve the economic situation of his subjects during the first 15 years of his reign, which actualizes the study of the economic history of the Kalmyks of that period The purpose of this study is to introduce the letters of the Kalmyk viceroy Donduk-Dashi into scientific circulation and to consider them as a source on the economic history of the Kalmyks of the 18th century. Materials. The source base for this study is three letters of the viceroy Donduk-Dashi, belonging to the I-36 collection of the National Archives of the Republic of Kalmykia. The letters under study were written by him at the beginning of his reign, in 1742–1744. Results. In the presented letters, the viceroy, in correspondence with the Astrakhan Governor V. N. Tatishchev, acts as a guardian of the economic and moral interests of his subjects on a number of issues, including the safety of the Kalmyks during their spring migration across the Volga river, protecting them from illegal collections, and caring for their moral state by demanding a ban on the unauthorized sale of alcohol in the uluses. Of no small importance is also Donduk-Dashi’s statement of the fact of the “impoverishment” of the Kalmyks, which he used as an argument in his petitions to the imperial authorities to resolve various economic problems of his subjects. Conclusions. The letters studied in terms of their content are an important source on the economic history of the Kalmyks of the 18th century and, in general, are evidence of the significant potential of the written heritage of the Kalmyk rulers as a source on this topic.

1. Sources

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