A. Andreev. ‘Ashur Bek's Letters and Prince A. B. Cherkassky's Mission

A. Andreev

St. Petersburg State University; State Hermitage,

St. Petersburg, Russia

E-mail: gal7gas@yandex.ru

‘Ashur Bek's Letters and Prince A. B. Cherkassky's Mission

Abstract. Little-known and mainly unpublished documents on the history of the embassies from Khiwa to Russia preserved in the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (fund 134) (RSAAA) contain valuable information on their members, structure, funding of ambassadors and staff. Additionally, diplomatic letters include data allowing us to expand our knowledge on the political history of state formations in Central Asia and the system of relationships among the peoples of the region. Based on the analysis of the documents in question, the article addresses the question of Kalmyks' active participation in the internal political struggle in the Khanate of Khiwa in the early 18th century. Moreover, we dwell on the problem of the origins and accuracy of the only known early 18th century portrait of a Khiwan official, ‘Ashur Bek.

Key words: Khanate of Khiwa, embassy, diplomatic letters, ‘Ashur Bek, Kalmyks, Ayuk Khan, Peter the Great, Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RSAAA)

Acknowledgements. Supported by a research grant from the Russian Scientific Foundation for Humanities, project No. 16-31-00016 “Alexander Bekovich Cherkassky. Biographical Research to the Tercentenary of the Tragic Fail of the Expedition which was Leaded by Peter the Great's Associate”.

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