Administrative and legal status of the Russian Northeastern Territories (XVIII-XIX centuries)

Abstract

The study focuses on the historical aspect of the Russian government in search of optimal patterns for the administrative and legal development of the Northeastern territories in the 18th–19th centuries. With the current administrative division, Northeast integrates Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Krai, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and northeastern regions of the Republic of Yakutia (Sakha). The methodology employed in the study includes cause-and-effect relations, analysis, and historical description methods. The chronological framework covers two centuries: the 18th and 19th centuries. At the beginning of the said period, the northeastern lands were little-explored by the central government and were valued as a source of furs for the State treasury. Indigenous peoples were seen as payers of "Yasak" tribute. In the 19th century, Russia reached the Pacific Rim, and the Northeast became the country's outpost in this region. The article defines key factors of Russia's expansion eastwards up to the Pacific coast, as well as the associated transformation in terms of significance and functions of the northeastern region within the above–noted period. The problems of governing huge territories are covered — such as the vast geographical distance from the central government, polyethnicity, sparse and dispersed population, the bulky and ineffective system of government. The article also defines the role of the Siberia Prikaz in governing the northeastern lands. The author explores the acts of the state in search of optimal forms of government and administrative and territorial division during the Imperial Era. There is a brief touch on personalia (V. Bering, M. Speransky, N. Muraviev) who contributed to the development of the administrative and territorial structure of the northeastern borderlands of Russia.