The Muslim Elite of the South Caucasus in the First Half — Middle 19th Century: Between the Tsar, Shah and Sultan

The article is devoted to the study of the “Muslim world” of the South Caucasus in the context of the confrontation between the Russian Empire and two great Islamic powers — the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The imperial administration confirmed the political rights of the Transcaucasian “feudal” rulers, but the actions of General Ermolov led to the liquidation of the khanates and the introduction of direct Russian rule. The process of determining the rights of the Muslim nobility dragged on and this caused discontent among the beks and agalars, many of whom held important positions in the Russian regional administration. In relation to the Muslim clergy, the basis of the imperial strategy was the classic principle of “divide and conquer”. Imperial administrators sought to control the Muslim clergy by managing conflicts within them. The introduction of administrative control was masked by the preservation of the external autonomy of Muslim communities and the demonstrative refusal of the crown authorities from restrictive policies. The article analyzes the search for authoritative and loyal spiritual leaders undertaken by the regional imperial administration. In the first half of the 19th century. The Russian administration made several attempts to develop formal rules for governing the Muslim clergy, but all projects were considered unsuccessful. The sources of the work were both archival documents introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, and already published historical evidence.

Keywords

Russian Empire, Caucasus, Islam, Orientalism

Acknowledgment

The research was funded by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, Project No. № 23-18-00520, https://rscf.ru/project/23-18-00520/

Received

08.04.2024

Publication date

31.05.2024

Number of characters

36988

Cite

GOST	Urushadze A. The Muslim Elite of the South Caucasus in the First Half — Middle 19th Century: Between the Tsar, Shah and Sultan // ISTORIYA – 2024. – V. 15. – Issue 3 (137) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840031018-8-1 (circulation date: 05.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031018-8
MLA	Urushadze, Amiran "The Muslim Elite of the South Caucasus in the First Half — Middle 19th Century: Between the Tsar, Shah and Sultan." ISTORIYA 15.3 (137) (2024) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031018-8
APA	Urushadze A. (2024). The Muslim Elite of the South Caucasus in the First Half — Middle 19th Century: Between the Tsar, Shah and Sultan. ISTORIYA 15(3 (137)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031018-8

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 33

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Akty, sobrannye Kavkazskoj arkheograficheskoj komissiej. T. X. Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii glavnonachal'stvuyuschego grazhdanskoj chast'yu na Kavkaze, 1885.

2. Arapov D. Yu. Sistema gosudarstvennogo regulirovaniya islama v Rossijskoj imperii (poslednyaya tret' XVIII v. — nachalo KhKh v.). M.: MPGU, 2004.

3. Dogovory Rossii s Vostokom politicheskie i torgovye. SPb.: Tipografiya I. O. Baksta, 1869.

4. Dubrovin N. F. Istoriya vojny i vladychestva russkikh na Kavkaze. T. VI. SPb.: Sklad izdaniya u V. A. Berezovskogo, 1888.

5. Dukhovnye pravleniya musul'man Zakavkaz'ya v Rossijskoj imperii (XIX v. — nachalo XX v.). Dokumenty / sost. A. A. Ganich. M.: Izdatel'skij dom Mardzhani, 2013.

6. Ermolov A. P. Kavkazskie pis'ma, 1816—1860 gg. SPb.: «Zvezda», 2014.

7. Ermolov, Dibich i Paskevich. 1826—1827 gg. // Russkaya starina. 1872. T. VI. Vyp. 7-12. S. 720—756.

8. Islam na territorii byvshej Rossijskoj imperii. Ehntsiklopedicheskij slovar'. Vyp. 5. M.: Vostochnaya literatura, 2012.

9. Ismailov Eh. Khany Karabakhskie: proiskhozhdenie roda, podchinenie khanstva Rossijskoj imperiej i uprazdnenie khanskoj vlasti // Kavkaz & Globalizatsiya. 2014. T. VIII. Vyp. 1—2. S. 160—165.

10. Kavkaz. 1846. № 20 (ot 18 maya).

11. Kavkaz. 1848. № 14 (ot 3 aprelya).

12. Kavkaz. 1850. № 20 (ot 11 marta).

13. Kolonial'naya politika rossijskogo tsarizma v Azerbajdzhane v 20—60-kh gg. XIX v. / red. I. P. Petrushevskij. Ch. 2. M.; L.: Izdatel'stvo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1937.

14. Kruz R. Za proroka i tsarya. Islam i imperiya v Rossii i Tsentral'noj Azii. M.: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 2020.

15. Nakaz Glavnomu upravleniyu Zakavkazskim kraem. SPb.: Voennaya tipografiya, 1842.

16. Petrushevskij I. P. Ocherki po istorii feodal'nykh otnoshenij v Azerbajdzhane i Armenii v XVI v. — nachale XIX v. L. : Izdatel'stvo LGU, 1949.

17. Polnoe sobranie zakonov Rossijskoj imperii. Sobranie II. T. XXI. SPb.: Tipografiya II Otdeleniya SEIVK, 1847.

18. Rossijskaya imperiya v zarubezhnoj istoriografii. Raboty poslednikh let: Antologiya / sost. P. Vert, P. S. Kabytov, A. I. Miller. M.: Novoe izdatel'stvo, 2005.

19. Rybakov A. L. V «Oblasti kesarya»: Problema statusa i struktury Gruzinskoj pravoslavnoj tserkvi posle otmeny avtokefalii (pervaya polovina XIX v.) // Ab Imperio. 2010. № 3. S. 113—151.

20. Urushadze A. Education in the M. S. Vorontsov’s Policy in the Caucasus (1844—1854): Place and Significance // ISTORIYA. 2014. Vol. 5. Issue 4 (27). URL: https://history.jes.su/s207987840000741-4-1/

21. Khalfin N. A., Rassadina E. F. N. V. Khanykov — vostokoved i diplomat. M.: Nauka, 1977.

22. Ehtnicheskie ehlity v natsional'noj politike Rossii / otv. red. V. V. Trepavlov. M.; SPb.: Tsentr gumanitarnykh initsiativ, 2017.

23. Bulliet R. Islam: The View from the Edge. N. Y.: Columbia University Press, 1994.

24. Edward W. Said. Orientalism. N. Y.: Pantheon Books, 1978.

25. Mostashari F. On the Religious Frontier. Tsarist Russia and Islam in the Caucasus. L., N. Y.: Tauris, 2006.