Papers by Vladimir Vohorosh
The Balkh conflict of 1646-1647 in the materials of the Russian ambassador to Iran G.V. Bulgakov, 2024
The article aims to introduce the text from the report list of the Tsar’s envoy Grigory Vasilyevi... more The article aims to introduce the text from the report list of the Tsar’s envoy Grigory Vasilyevich Bulgakov, reflecting the developments that unfolded in 1647-1648. “Battle of the Nations” for Balkh. The latter was a part of the border conflict between the Safavids and the Mughals in 1646-1647. There was an interne- cine war between representatives of the Ashtarkhanid dynasty - Nadr Muhammad Khan, Subhan Quli Khan, Abd al-Aziz Khan. Each contender for a strategically important oasis was looking for allies and support “from above.” G. Bulgakov, who had been working in Safavid Iran in 1647-1648, “secretly” collected information from participants and witnesses of these significant events. Most of the powers of the region were involved in the confrontation including Uzbek, Kazakh and Turkmen tribes, Qizilbash troops, Rajput warriors. The data provid- ed by the envoy in his list reveals many significant details such as constant negotiations that accompanied all the period of the conflict.
The paper aims to introduce four Persian documents (a farman and three petitions) from the Russia... more The paper aims to introduce four Persian documents (a farman and three petitions) from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, Fund 77 “Relations between Russia and Persia” into scholarly discourse. These documents are directly related to the visit of Haji Muhammad-‘Ali, messenger from Iranian Shah ‘Abbas II, to the Tsardom of Russia. He was delegated to travel to the Russian state in relation to Shah Safi I’s death in order to meet with the kupchina (official Shah’s tradesman) Bijan-bek in Moscow in 1641–1643 and hand over the gifts to the ruler of the Russian state on behalf of the new Iranian Shah. In this paper, the farman and petitions are translated into Russian; the Persian original and translation are preceded by a historical and linguistic commentary.
Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History
The study investigates the materials of the Russian ambassade S. Islen’ev and M. Griazev to the c... more The study investigates the materials of the Russian ambassade S. Islen’ev and M. Griazev to the court of the Qizilbash shah Safī, stored in the funds of Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. The archival file is a set of documents reflecting the process of the exchange of embassies between the Russian Tsardom and the Safavid Empire in 1635–1637. The aim of the embassy of S. I. Islen’ev and M. K. Griazev was to discuss some topical issues of bilateral relations such as duties, restitution cases, the purchase of Iranian niter etc. In addition, the documents describe the features of the court ceremonial in relation to foreign guests. The good preservation of the documents gives researchers the opportunity to study the ambassade at great length. As for the results of the embassy of Islen’ev and Griazev, they can be regarded as moderately positive. The high level of bilateral relations and their positive nature (“friendship and love”) were confirmed. In addition, the Safavid side once a...
Shorokhov V.A. Materials of the Russian Diplomatic Mission to Iran by Islen’ev and Griazev. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 2022, vol. 67, issue 2, рp. 599–615, 2022
The study investigates the materials of the Russian ambassade S. Islen' ev and M. Griazev to the ... more The study investigates the materials of the Russian ambassade S. Islen' ev and M. Griazev to the court of the Qizilbash shah Safī, stored in the funds of Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. The archival file is a set of documents reflecting the process of the exchange of embassies between the Russian Tsardom and the Safavid Empire in 1635-1637. The aim of the embassy of S. I. Islen' ev and M. K. Griazev was to discuss some topical issues of bilateral relations such as duties, restitution cases, the purchase of Iranian niter etc. In addition, the documents describe the features of the court ceremonial in relation to foreign guests. The good preservation of the documents gives researchers the opportunity to study the ambassade at great length. As for the results of the embassy of Islen' ev and Griazev, they can be regarded as moderately positive. The high level of bilateral relations and their positive nature ("friendship and love") were confirmed. In addition, the Safavid side once again confirmed the need to verify the membership of embassies and trade missions. On the other hand, the attempt of the tsar's ambassadors to purchase niter in the shah's possessions ended in failure. In general, the embassy of S. Islen' ev and M. Griazev was an ordinary diplomatic mission in terms of tasks and results, but this is its value for a scholar. Sustainability of the bilateral agenda and the presence of well-known "stumbling blocks" in its framework contributed to the regularity of Russian-Safavid ties.
The paper is devoted to some issues of nation state building in Tajikistan. Scholars highlight th... more The paper is devoted to some issues of nation state building in Tajikistan. Scholars highlight the history of searching for the backbone of national identity construct. Views on the relevant identity have been constantly changing for the last century. These mutations mostly influenced the perception of -paragons‖ from the past used for the current nation state building. As a matter of practice it comes to rise of interest to pre-Islamic past of the country that is perceived by the state elite as a starting point of nation polity history. However Samanid period stays the main symbolic pattern for Tajik nation state model.
Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History
The paper focuses on the anatomy of the ethno-political transformations of the unique administrat... more The paper focuses on the anatomy of the ethno-political transformations of the unique administrative unit of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic during the late Perestroika period (1989-1991). The research object is the Kūhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region (GBAO or simply the Pamirs). The subject being analyzed is the response to the massive crisis of the dissolution of the USSR by the exceptional sociopolitical system of the Soviet Pamirs. The core of the sources for the study was made up of documents and write-ups from the State archive of Kūhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region named after Kh. Buribekov (town of Khorugh, Tajikistan). These funds reflected the activities of main local political institutions, such as the Regional Soviet of the people's deputies, Executive Committee of GBAO, the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan and its Presidium. The information from the national and regional press was also examined. On the basis of a wide range of sources it has become possible to reconstruct the features of administrative and social disorganization of the autonomous region as well as the key aspects in its search for new prospects. The "dissection" of the political transformations in the Pamirs in 1989-1991 enabled the scholars to conclude that the project of sovereignization of GBAO was unfeasible for many reasons, such as cultural antagonisms inside the region; discord among the "old" communist elites over the act "On GBAO" and declaration of the
Bylye Gody
On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archiv... more On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, the Bahmetev Archive of Columbia University in the United States, the article provides a clear description of the role of the Eastern Pamirs in the culture of the frontier and Russia's strategy. The authors characterized the activities of the Pamir detachment, from 1889 to 1917 standing guard over the southeastern borders of the Russian Empire, the memoirs, departmental correspondence, reports of officers of the General Staff in different years who served in a unique unit were analyzed. The documents reveal to the reader the mysterious image of "Roofs of the World", which was formed at the turn of the century before last and at the end of the era of geographical discoveries and under the influence of Russia's territorial expansion in central Eurasia. The beginning of scientific study of the region coincided in time with the Anglo-Russian-Chinese delimitation in Central Asia -a process that actually stretched over more than twenty years. The authors paid special attention to the life of Europeans and the local population in the hard conditions of the Eastern Pamirs, an analysis of the relations of the indigenous population with the Russian military, and the peculiarities of the region's perception in the late imperial period. The final section of the article shows how the system of border control and interaction with local people, used before 1917, was modernized in the Soviet period and partially preserved in the post-Soviet space
Shah Safi I Safawid's “Missing Manuscript” Addressed to Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov
Manuscripta Orientalia. International Journal for Oriental Manuscript Research
Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 2017
The paper examines the main policies of the imperial government, the tzar's namestnik (lord vicer... more The paper examines the main policies of the imperial government, the tzar's namestnik (lord viceroy) and the State Duma concerning the Caucasus question between 1905 and 1907. All the measures to combat regional nationalism and terrorism are investigated amid the general policy of de-escalation of tensions and the remedial actions taken in the wake of revolutionary turmoil. The authors investigate the course by the namestnik H. I. Vorontsov-Dashkov who put together all possible reforms and security measures to good advantage. The namestnik's independent policy led to multiple conflicts with bureaucrats as well as with the State Duma. A personal factor is also worth taking into account-H. I. Vorontsov-Dashkov had awkward dealings with some members of the government, especially P. A. Stolypin. The authors conclude that local elites of the region tried to gain maximum concessions from the government in the shortest time possible through demonstrating explicit support of revolutionary circles. At the same time, the imperial administration's overriding demand for the restoration to minimally safe conditions was more or less ignored. Having chosen the language of slogans and massive pressure on the Tsarist administration, the Caucasian deputies of the State Duma abrogated the possibility of satisfying their voters' expectations and fulfilled the roles of background players in settling regional conflicts. In conclusion, the viceroyalty was the most effective institution in the revolutionary context though it remained a provisional and emergency structure. Only H. I. Vorontsov-Dashkov had enough prerogative and subtle understanding of the situation and, finally, it was he as namestnik who took it upon himself to introduce real measures to settle national differences in the region and to advocate for the rights of the Caucasian communities in the face of the Centre. Refs 54.
Novoe Proshloe, 2021
The paper aims to study of the “renegade” Cossacks as a factor complicating the relations between... more The paper aims to study of the “renegade” Cossacks as a factor complicating the relations between the Russian Tsardom and the Safavid state in the 1620s–1630s. The research is mainly based on the materials from the fund 77 of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts. These are the shah’s letters to Mikhail Fedorovich and the firmans to his voivods, petitions from the heads and employees of missions, the reports of the Astrakhan and Terek voivods, as well as the protocols of different “interrogations”. The author concludes that despite the controversies and mutual distrust, the positions of the Romanovs and Safavids on the Cossack problem came closer together with the growth of trade. Finally, in 1640 the tsar and the shah fixed an agreement on cooperation in opposing the “renegade” Cossacks. And, although piracy did not disappear, the degree of control over the Cossack regions by the Russian Tsardom grew steadily. The policy of liquidating “free” communities was based not on statist concepts of modernity, but mostly on pragmatic considerations of security and the image of anti-social people generally accepted on both sides of the Caspian, whose extermination seemed to be pious.
The paper aims to provide insight into the content of the diplomatic documents from the “Persian”... more The paper aims to provide insight into the content of the diplomatic documents from the “Persian” fund of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts, which reveals the role of the Crimean prince Şahin Geray in relations between Safavid Iran and the Russian Tsardom at the turn of
the 1620s and 1630s. A detailed source examination is given to a group of nineteen texts dated by 1630. This set consists of letters in Turki and Farsi as well as their Russian translations and a preface by the administrators of Astrakhan. The addressees of correspondence were
Astrakhan and Terek voivodes and the governor of the non-Russian population of the Terky Sholokh Cherkassky. The senders were Shah Safi I, Şahin Geray, beglerbeg of Shirvan Qazaq Khan and shamkhal of Tarki Ildar. The materials analyzed reflect the attempts of the aforementioned political emigrant, with the support of the Shahs Abbas the Great and then Safi I,
to obtain diplomatic and military assistance from Moscow and the local Russian authorities of the Ciscaucasia in reconquering the Crimea. The authors reveal the details of the plan of Şahin Geray and the reasons for the Russian negative stance on any combinations involving the former Crimean qalga. The scholars conclude that Shah’s supportof the political figure unacceptable for the Romanov monarchy became one of the significant factors holding back the development of Russian-Persian relations in the period under review. In the appendix, there is a Turki text of the firman by Safi I to voivodes, as well as its contemporary and recent translations into Russian.
the 1620s and 1630s. A detailed source examination is given to a group of nineteen texts dated by 1630. This set consists of letters in Turki and Farsi as well as their Russian translations and a preface by the administrators of Astrakhan. The addressees of correspondence were
Astrakhan and Terek voivodes and the governor of the non-Russian population of the Terky Sholokh Cherkassky. The senders were Shah Safi I, Şahin Geray, beglerbeg of Shirvan Qazaq Khan and shamkhal of Tarki Ildar. The materials analyzed reflect the attempts of the aforementioned political emigrant, with the support of the Shahs Abbas the Great and then Safi I,
to obtain diplomatic and military assistance from Moscow and the local Russian authorities of the Ciscaucasia in reconquering the Crimea. The authors reveal the details of the plan of Şahin Geray and the reasons for the Russian negative stance on any combinations involving the former Crimean qalga. The scholars conclude that Shah’s supportof the political figure unacceptable for the Romanov monarchy became one of the significant factors holding back the development of Russian-Persian relations in the period under review. In the appendix, there is a Turki text of the firman by Safi I to voivodes, as well as its contemporary and recent translations into Russian.
The paper overviews materials on the history of the
unrecognized Badakhshan Autonomous Republic (... more The paper overviews materials on the history of the
unrecognized Badakhshan Autonomous Republic (1991–1994)
from the State Archive of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous
Region (GBAR) of the Republic of Tajikistan. The author exmines the content of the most interesting documents, which give an insight
into the focal points of the foreign and economic policies of the «selfproclaimed» entity, the involvement of the regional elite into events
of the Tajikwide scale and the process of reintegration of the Pamirs
into the Republic of Tajikistan.
unrecognized Badakhshan Autonomous Republic (1991–1994)
from the State Archive of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous
Region (GBAR) of the Republic of Tajikistan. The author exmines the content of the most interesting documents, which give an insight
into the focal points of the foreign and economic policies of the «selfproclaimed» entity, the involvement of the regional elite into events
of the Tajikwide scale and the process of reintegration of the Pamirs
into the Republic of Tajikistan.
Bylye Gody. Vol. 54. Is. 4. pp. 1656-1669, 2019
On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archiv... more On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, the Bahmetev Archive of Columbia University in the United States, the article provides a clear description of the role of the Eastern Pamirs in the culture of the frontier and Russia's strategy. The authors characterized the activities of the Pamir detachment, from 1889 to 1917 standing guard over the southeastern borders of the Russian Empire, the memoirs, departmental correspondence, reports of officers of the General Staff in different years who served in a unique unit were analyzed. The documents reveal to the reader the mysterious image of "Roofs of the World", which was formed at the turn of the century before last and at the end of the era of geographical discoveries and under the influence of Russia's territorial expansion in central Eurasia. The beginning of scientific study of the region coincided in time with the Anglo-Russian-Chinese delimitation in Central Asia-a process that actually stretched over more than twenty years. The authors paid special attention to the life of Europeans and the local population in the hard conditions of the Eastern Pamirs, an analysis of the relations of the indigenous population with the Russian military, and the peculiarities of the region's perception in the late imperial period. The final section of the article shows how the system of border control and interaction with local people, used before 1917, was modernized in the Soviet period and partially preserved in the post-Soviet space
On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archiv... more On the basis of archival data from previously unpublished documents and manuscripts of the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, the Bahmetev Archive of Columbia University in the United States, the article provides a clear description of the role of the Eastern Pamirs in the culture of the frontier and Russia's strategy. The authors characterized the activities of the Pamir detachment, from 1889 to 1917 standing guard over the southeastern borders of the Russian Empire, the memoirs, departmental correspondence, reports of officers of the General Staff in different years who served in a unique unit were analyzed. The documents reveal to the reader the mysterious image of "Roofs of the World", which was formed at the turn of the century before last and at the end of the era of geographical discoveries and under the influence of Russia's territorial expansion in central Eurasia. The beginning of scientific study of the region coincided in time with the Anglo-Russian-Chinese delimitation in Central Asia -a process that actually stretched over more than twenty years.
Научный диалог. №11., 2019
The study is devoted to the most dramatic period of the stay of Russian troops on the territory o... more The study is devoted to the most dramatic period of the stay of Russian troops on the territory of Badakhshan-mountain — the era of the civil war in Tajikistan (1992—1997). The authors of the work tried to overcome the schematism and descriptive nature of the historiography of the topic. For this, documents from the archives of the Badakhshan mountain Autonomous Region (BMAR), data from the regional periodical press, and previously unpublished analytical materials and photographs from
the funds of the Central Border Museum of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation were used. As a result of studying the opposing forces, instead of confronting the faceless, monolithic
and mechanically opposed “Russians” and “fighters”, a complex picture of the interaction of various actors involved in the thick of events with the unpredictable dynamics of the context is formed.The authors conclude that the armed forces of the former “Center” at some point turned out to be the only significant economic agent, security guarantor and socialization institution that prevented the development of the region according to the “Afghan” scenario.
the funds of the Central Border Museum of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation were used. As a result of studying the opposing forces, instead of confronting the faceless, monolithic
and mechanically opposed “Russians” and “fighters”, a complex picture of the interaction of various actors involved in the thick of events with the unpredictable dynamics of the context is formed.The authors conclude that the armed forces of the former “Center” at some point turned out to be the only significant economic agent, security guarantor and socialization institution that prevented the development of the region according to the “Afghan” scenario.
The authors release the source on the history of Russia-Iran relations in the early 17th century.... more The authors release the source on the history of Russia-Iran relations in the early 17th century. It's a firman of Abbas I in Turkic addressed to the Russian administrator of Astrakhan, dated by 1622. The document reflects some features of international relations of the first quarter of the 18th century, when the Safavid Empire was in the groove whereas in contrast Russia just began to overcome the consequences of the Time of Troubles. Source analysis of the act allowed the authors to determine the features of its structure and the translation made it possible to make a number of observations on the features of the Persian Turkic terminology of the time. The external trade functions of the "kerekyaraklar" were revealed and their identity with the word "cupchina" of the contemporary Russian materials was highlighted. New data was obtained on the biography of one of the Iranian diplomatic and trade agents in Russia-Aga Hasan. Finally, the authors conclude about the reasons for the direct appeal of the ruler of one country to the head of the regional administration of another, which is not typical for the considered epoch.
Shah Safi I Safawid's "Missing Manuscript" addressed to Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov // Manuscripta Orientalia. 2018. 24/2. P. 62-67
The paper is an academic study of a diplomatic document revealing relations between the Russian S... more The paper is an academic study of a diplomatic document revealing relations between the Russian State and the Safawid Persia which now belongs to the RSAAA (Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts) collection and has been overlooked by academic tradition so far. The letter by Shah Safi I to Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov has never been the focus of scholars for quite a long time; the text of the letter is published in this paper. More so, the document was inaccurately attributed in time when the archive inventory was compiled. The letter was translated to identify the year and the background of its production. The text of the message refers to a famous Russian intellectual A. S. Romanchukov who was staying with Shah Safi I and his court in 1636—1637 together with an embassy from Holstein. This fact and the text of the letter suggest that Romanchukov was a low-rank official in
Russian diplomatic mission who delivered Russian tsar's letter of courtesy to Shah Safi I.
Russian diplomatic mission who delivered Russian tsar's letter of courtesy to Shah Safi I.
The paper focuses on the anatomy of the ethno-political transformations of the unique administrat... more The paper focuses on the anatomy of the ethno-political transformations of the unique administrative unit of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic during the late Perestroika period (1989–1991). The research object is the Kūhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region (GBAO or simply the Pamirs). The subject being analyzed is the response to the massive crisis of the dissolution of the USSR by the exceptional sociopolitical system of the Soviet Pamirs. The core of the sources for the study was made up of documents and write-ups from the State archive of Kūhistoni Badakhshon Autonomous Region named after Kh. Buribekov (town of Khorugh, Tajikistan). These funds reflected the activities of main local political institutions, such as the Regional Soviet of the people’s deputies, Executive Committee of GBAO, the Supreme Soviet of Tajikistan and its Presidium. The information from the national and regional press was also examined. On the basis of a wide range of sources it has become possible to reconstruct the features of administrative and social disorganization of the autonomous region as well as the key aspects in its search for new prospects. The “dissection” of the political transformations in the Pamirs in 1989–1991 enabled the scholars to conclude that the project of sovereignization of GBAO was unfeasible for many reasons, such as cultural antagonisms inside the region; discord among the “old” communist elites over the act “On GBAO” and declaration of therepublic; economic dependency on the Soviet centre; passiveness of the “ethnic Pamiri” in the republic administration of Tajikistan. The main external factors which should be emphasized were the influence of the conflict in Afghanistan and the absence of the support from “democratic” elite of the RSFSR.
Implementation of the democratic institutions into the culturally diverse periphery of Russia has... more Implementation of the democratic institutions into the culturally diverse periphery of Russia has been always keeping a status of a very complicated process. That's why investigation of historical legacy in the area of making participatory mechanisms still preserves its applicability. The paper examines the election process among the “Inorodtsy” of Turkestan Governor-Generalship and Governor-Generalship of the Steppes in 1906-1907. Why «aborigines» were granted a parliamentary franchise despite the contentious debate in high spheres? How was this privilege implemented? What were the features of the election procedures in the particular districts of the Governor-Generalships during the elections to the First and the Second Duma? What levers of influence over the stump were used by the Imperial administration? All these matters are highlighted in the paper basing on the documents from the Russian State Historical archive.