Comprehensive Reconnaissance of Territories and an Attempt to Coerce into Subjecthood (1658–1660)
The occupation administration of the Tsardom of Muscovy gathered military-strategic and economic intelligence on the mountain societies of the Nokhchi (the Shibutians) and made attempts at their forcible subjugation. In 1658, the central apparatus of the Ambassadorial Prikaz instructed the Terek voivodes to send a mission into the mountains, in order «concerning those little lands... to order that they be examined and truly scouted out — how many of them there are and what kind of people they are... and what fighting capability they have... and what grows in their land, and what craftsmen there are»[1]. The document of the central authority also directly stated «to order that amanats be taken from among their kin, men of note»[1]. To carry out the order, in 1659 the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates dispatched a military emissary: an extract for the report of the Ambassadorial Prikaz to Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich of 1660 states that the voivodes «sent a streltsy head into the Shibut land and ordered him to inspect in the Shibut land the Christian faith, and church building, and towns, and places, and to bring them to the faith, and to take an amanat to the Terek»[1]. The emissary carried out the reconnaissance, reporting that «they have no church building, nor to]wns, nor any fighting forces»[1], but he was unable to subjugate the population: «he did not brin[g] the inhabitants of the Shibut land to the faith»[1]. The seizure of new hostages likewise ended without result; the emissary merely stated that the mountaineers «wish [to be] under the lofty sovereign hand, and on the Terek they [have an amanat]»[1].
Actors
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G0008 | Tsardom of Muscovy |
The occupation administration dispatched emissaries to collect strategic, demographic, and economic data on the mountain societies of the Nokhchi: in 1658 the central apparatus of the Posolsky Prikaz instructed the Terek voivodes to find out «how many of them there are and what kind of people they are... and what fighting force they have... and what grows in their land, and what craftsmen there are»[1], in execution of which in 1659 the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates «sent a streltsy commander into the Shibut land and ordered him to inspect in the Shibut land... the towns and places»[1], who, in an extract for the report of the Posolsky Prikaz to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1660, reported that «[to]wns they have none, nor any fighting forces»[1]. |
Techniques Used
| ID | Name | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0150 | Comprehensive Reconnaissance of Territories |
The occupation administration dispatched emissaries to collect strategic, demographic, and economic data on the mountain societies of the Nokhchi: in 1658 the central apparatus of the Posolsky Prikaz instructed the Terek voivodes to find out «how many of them there are and what kind of people they are... and what fighting force they have... and what grows in their land, and what craftsmen there are»[1], in execution of which in 1659 the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates «sent a streltsy commander into the Shibut land and ordered him to inspect in the Shibut land... the towns and places»[1], who, in an extract for the report of the Posolsky Prikaz to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1660, reported that «[to]wns they have none, nor any fighting forces»[1]. |
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| T0147 | Forced Registration of Subjecthood |
The occupation administration made attempts to force the independent societies of the Nokhchi (the Shibutians) into legal subordination: an extract for the report of the Posolsky Prikaz to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1660 states that the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates sent a military emissary to the Highlanders and ordered him «to bring them to the oath»[1]; however, the attempt proved unsuccessful, and he «did not br[in]g the inhabitants of the Shibut land to the oath»[1]. |
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| T0099 | Hostage-Taking |
The occupation administration set itself the task of extracting hostages from the mountain societies of the Nokhchi (the Shibutians), but the attempt did not succeed: in 1658 the central apparatus of the Posolsky Prikaz directly instructed the Terek voivodes «to order that amanats be taken from them — kinsmen of notable people»[1], after which the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates ordered their military emissary «to take an amanat to the Terek»[1]; however, the extract for the report of the Posolsky Prikaz to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1660 records no handover of new hostages and merely states the old fact that «on the Terek [there is an amanat] of theirs»[1]. |
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Instruments
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0012 | Occupation and Controlled Administrations |
The occupation administration dispatched emissaries to collect strategic, demographic, and economic data on the mountain societies of the Nokhchi: in 1658 the central apparatus of the Posolsky Prikaz instructed the Terek voivodes to find out «how many of them there are and what kind of people they are... and what fighting force they have... and what grows in their land, and what craftsmen there are»[1], in execution of which in 1659 the Terek voivodes Melenty Kvashnin and his associates «sent a streltsy commander into the Shibut land and ordered him to inspect in the Shibut land... the towns and places»[1], who, in an extract for the report of the Posolsky Prikaz to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of 1660, reported that «[to]wns they have none, nor any fighting forces»[1]. |