Organization of the Russian Governing system for Bashkirs in the Second Half of the 16th and the Third Quarter of the 18th Centuries

The article deals with the first phase of formation of the Russian administration system in Bashkortostan, when the Russian government launched the consistent introduction of nationwide institutions to the government administration and gradual offensive on the traditional rights of the Bashkiria people. After taking out the Russian citizenship administrative and territorial division of the Bashkir lands was left without any changes. Over time in the territory of Bashkiria the domain of voivode governing form was introduced. The new period in the history of the Bashkir`s administration began with establishment of the Orenburg Expedition. At that time Bashkiria has already become the base of the Russian gaining to Central Asia and started turning into the internal periphery of the empire gradually. The legal status of Bashkir began to come nearer to the same one of the state peasants of the rest of empire. The replacement of the Bashkir heads with volost foremen with their annual re-elections became an essential innovation. These foremen actually got representatives of new Russian administration. Judicial power of foremen and competence of the local Bashkir courts were considerably narrowed. Gradually Russian assessors fell to force out Bashkir deputies from the local courts. Criminal cases were being figured out by the Russian provincial courts. Family and hereditary litigations were the subject of spiritual court`s activity of akhongs. After the establishment of provinces considerable power of foremen was delegated to the lower Zemstvo’s courts and other district establishments. Mass disturbances of the locals have made certain adjustments to the tactics of the Russian government, but they could not affect its strategy.