Rebellion of Kazakhs of the Junior Juz in 1783-1797, under the leadership of Syrym Datov

Kazakh national movement led Syrym Datov was directly connected with the beginning of the government’s attempts to regulate the internal life subservient Kazakh tribes. In fact, the tumultuous events in the Junior Juz in the late 18th century were an echo of Peasant War of Pugachev, where Bashkirs took an active part and part of the Kazakh tribes. At first moment, in order to reduce the intensity of «pugachovshchina» Catherine II went on a pretty big concessions related to the resolution of traditional nomads places, river and lake land, expropriated in connection with the extension of the Ural, Orenburg and Siberian Cossack Army, organization boundary lines in the Urals and Irtysh. By the decree of November 7, 1775, the Board of Foreign Affairs allowed to Kazakhs use pastures in the area between the Urals and the Volga, on the shore of the Caspian Sea, on the right bank of the Irtysh. However, these actions occurred on contrary to the measures that already undertaken by the colonization of these areas. In fact, these lands have either been occupied by the Cossack state-owned farms and arable land, or were planned so. In 1782, a decree was issued, where was explained that in the case of moving cattle on these lands, pre-payment is required for their «recruitment». But this measure was not enough, particularly, Ural Cossacks took the initiative by requiring the provision of hostages (hostages) while passing through territory controlled by the army, and then board the troops altogether banned Cossacks surrender land lease, that is actually forbidden transition Kazakhs for Urals, the «inner side». In response to it followed real rebellion, numerous raids on outposts and fortifications retaliatory punitive expedition. At the same time infighting was in the Junior Juz. After going under the patronage of the Russian value Khan’s power declined, vertical feudal pyramid Khan — sultans — tribal elders fell apart, each of the chapters of their own labor sought to negotiate with the border and the central administration. To troubleshoot the anarchic confusion, Orenburg Governor-General Igelstrem proposed the convocation of the Congress of Elders, peculiar steppe Parliament. But after Srym Datov was chosen as the head of the Congress, he began to resemble a noble Sejm, in 1789 Igelstrem preferred recovery of Khan’s power, which led to increased internal conflict and open insubordination Russian administration, increase in the number of attacks on the border line, full stop trade with Central Asia during all of the 1790s. Only to 1797 by a large trade with the elders, sultans failed to appease the majority of Kazakh tribes and rebellion began to decline. Syrym Datov was forced to migrate to the land of Khiva Khanate.