8 10 510 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Many Lives of Mirzas Description An account of the resource This collection contains biographical sketches of the 39 members of the Crimean Tatar elite who were registered as members of the nobility of Tavrida Province and whose noble status was recognized by the imperial government in St. Petersburg.  Official recognition of noble status came via approval of the Heraldry Office and subsequent inscription in the noble register (rodoslovnaia kniga / родословная книга) of any given province of the empire. The <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/crimeaproject/items/show/312" target="_blank">Tavrida noble register</a> was compiled on an annual basis starting in 1804 by the provincial noble assembly. Between 1804 and 1853 there were 660 entries, only 39 of which described Crimean Tatars. The 39 entries, all of which are presented here, dealt with a total of 51 Crimean Tatar nobles (brothers and cousins often petitioned together for inclusion in the noble register), along with their families. Though they do little more than scratch the surface of Crimean Tatar (elite) life under Russian rule, they provide compelling evidence of the ways in which kinship and service could be converted into enhanced social status. A few notes before you dig in: All names are transliterated from Russian, which was the language of the noble registers. This accounts for the odd spellings of Tatar and Turkic names. Each entry is a highly structured text, its format standardized across all the provinces of the Russian Empire. That structure is reflected in the way the information within each entry is presented here. As you move through this collection, pay attention to clan names, variations in title (murza, bey, aga), family structure (particularly the importance of lateral kinship), and the dramatic variation in service records and landownership. In order to get a full sense of the connections among individuals, 1) use the "Item Relations" (at the end of each entry), which mark kinship relations and connections to key archival sources that might remain opaque when going the material Item-by-Item; and 2), surf the tags! Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kelly O'Neill Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1853 Member of the Crimean Tatar Elite limited to Crimean Tatars Rank Prince / Lieutenant Year of Inscription 1833 Inscription Note Display Description Inscribed in part 3 of the rodoslovnaia kniga (reserved for those who attained civil rank of 8 or higher). The brothers were included in the noble register along with their father, Smail Bey Balatukov, in 1815. In 1820, the Commission on Muslim and Greek Clans confirmed that the Balatukovs descended from Cherkess princes and should therefore be inscribed in the 4th part of the noble register. This decision was revisited in the 1840s. Birth Date 1790 Family & Background Batyr (43) was married but had no sons. He was himself the son of Smail Bey Balatukov. Service Record Batyr joined the 4th Black Sea naval regiment as an under-officer in 1803. He rose to lieutenant by 1813. He performed elected service on the Evpatoriia lower land court, as land captain and marshal of the nobility (1825-1827). Residence & Property Kazi Bey owned a house and vineyard with 25,000 vines, 300 desiatinas of ancient forest, an orchard and land to 2,500 desiatinas. Near Iukary Kisek he owned 3 orchards with 650 trees spread over 2,000 desiatinas all in Evpatoriia uezd near Najman. Batyr also owned property near Iukary Kara. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Batyr Bey and Kazi Bey Balatukov Subject The topic of the resource Tavrida noble register entry elite clan Evpatoriia uezd forests landowner lateral kinship orchards vertical kinship vineyards Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Many Lives of Mirzas Description An account of the resource This collection contains biographical sketches of the 39 members of the Crimean Tatar elite who were registered as members of the nobility of Tavrida Province and whose noble status was recognized by the imperial government in St. Petersburg.  Official recognition of noble status came via approval of the Heraldry Office and subsequent inscription in the noble register (rodoslovnaia kniga / родословная книга) of any given province of the empire. The <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/crimeaproject/items/show/312" target="_blank">Tavrida noble register</a> was compiled on an annual basis starting in 1804 by the provincial noble assembly. Between 1804 and 1853 there were 660 entries, only 39 of which described Crimean Tatars. The 39 entries, all of which are presented here, dealt with a total of 51 Crimean Tatar nobles (brothers and cousins often petitioned together for inclusion in the noble register), along with their families. Though they do little more than scratch the surface of Crimean Tatar (elite) life under Russian rule, they provide compelling evidence of the ways in which kinship and service could be converted into enhanced social status. A few notes before you dig in: All names are transliterated from Russian, which was the language of the noble registers. This accounts for the odd spellings of Tatar and Turkic names. Each entry is a highly structured text, its format standardized across all the provinces of the Russian Empire. That structure is reflected in the way the information within each entry is presented here. As you move through this collection, pay attention to clan names, variations in title (murza, bey, aga), family structure (particularly the importance of lateral kinship), and the dramatic variation in service records and landownership. In order to get a full sense of the connections among individuals, 1) use the "Item Relations" (at the end of each entry), which mark kinship relations and connections to key archival sources that might remain opaque when going the material Item-by-Item; and 2), surf the tags! Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kelly O'Neill Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1853 Member of the Crimean Tatar Elite limited to Crimean Tatars Rank [Father held rank of Lieutenant.] Year of Inscription 1833 Inscription Note Display Description Inscribed in part 2 of the rodoslovnaia kniga (reserved for those whose noble status was defined by military service). Birth Date 1807 Family & Background Bachelor sons of Titular Councillor Kasim Murza and members of one of the most powerful of all Crimean clans. Kasim served as adjutant to Field Marshal Potemkin himself (1787) and attained the rank of lieutenant in April 1788. By July he was commander (rotmistr) of one of the Tatar divisions. Batyr was 26 and Kadyr 17 at the time of inscription. Service Record [no notation] Residence & Property Batyr Mirza and his brothers owned 25,637 desiatinas in Simferopol district. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Batyr Mirza Kasim-oglu and his brother, Kadyr Murza Argin Subject The topic of the resource Tavrida noble register entry elite clan Grigorii Potemkin landowner lateral kinship Simferopol uezd vertical kinship Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dachas Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context gazetteer Description An account of the resource In simplest terms, a dacha was a portion of land given out by the tsar. The apportioning of land to servitors and favorites was hardly an innovation, but over the course of the eighteenth century the dacha became ever more closely associated with the expansion of the empire. Early in the century, Peter I imbued the dacha with a distinctly strategic character, distributing grants both as a form of incentive and a coercive strategy for affecting the physical transformation of his new capital at St. Petersburg. Devoid of any associations with wellness, leisure, comfort, or domesticity – this came later in the nineteenth century – the earlier iteration of the dacha referred to a plot of uninhabited, unbuilt, uncultivated land located some distance away from the proprietor’s primary residence. A diligent proprietor might convert it into an usad'ba (country estate), with formal or mature gardens and permanent dwellings, or into an agriculturally-productive site – a farm, an orchard, a cultivated woodland. The essence of the dacha was that it implied a dynamic relationship between owner and property and the conversion of empty spaces into usable, definable places. Related narration: <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/beautifulspaces/exhibits/show/dachageo" target="_self">Dacha Geography</a> <hr /> Dacha property Property Note Display Description This dacha consisted of 15,150 desiatinas in or near the villages of Küçük (Kuchuk) Muskomia, Buyuk Muskomia, Varnaut, Kaytu, Baydar, Saftik, Kalende, Skelia, Savatka, Urkusta Baga, Tekliu. In 1795 it consisted of 13,000 desiatinas (35,000 acres) in the lush and storied Baydar Valley. Ownership Note Field Marshal Prince Grigorii Potemkin; General Vysotskii Dacha Grant Year 1794 Attestation 1794 Dacha Reports; 1802 Dacha Reports Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Baydar Valley Baydar Valley Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spatial Grammar Description An account of the resource [HOLD FOR INTRO TEXT]<hr /> Geographical feature manmade or natural Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Baydar Valley Description An account of the resource The Baydar valley was one of the most aesthetically pleasing corners of the entire south. In the words of Lady Craven, it was an “enchanting and magnificent spot intended by nature for some industrious and happy nation to enjoy in peace.” Baydar won accolades from others as a “Tauric Elysium” blessed with abundant water and cultivated such that (in the words of Vladimir Bronevskii) “everywhere there are ploughed fields, bahçe and shady forests of oak and kizil; walnut-trees; everywhere springs and sources babble; everywhere nature is charming and everywhere there is abundance, richness, and a pleasantly varied landscape.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Estates Description An account of the resource From the 1830s onward Crimea was a favored venue for prominent displays of wealth by powerful members of the ruling elite generally associated with the gulf-side imperial capital far away to the north. Rather than recreate the architecture of St. Petersburg on the Black Sea, many of those well-connected and well-to-do landowners made a conscious effort to accentuate the foreignness – perhaps even the exotic nature – of Crimea in the architecture of their estates and palaces. For some, the distinctiveness of the landscape was rooted in its Greek legacy. Russians and foreigners alike, inspired by the classical revival in architecture sweeping across Europe, pointed excitedly to the tangible residue of this legacy which suddenly placed Tavrida on the intellectual and cultural map of western civilization. Grecian elements therefore dominated many early nineteenth-century buildings. Other landowners – particularly the most wealthy and well-connected – played up the more exotic “Asiatic” legacy of Tavrida in their domestic landscapes. These nobles found it not just aesthetically pleasing but also empowering to incorporate elements of the local architectural tradition and natural landscape. In this they were no different than imperial elites elsewhere. In Russia, private residences were of particular importance to the articulation of the imperial presence in the borderland precisely because they were anything but private. Country houses and palaces were essentially public spaces, meant to attract the gaze of peers and peasants alike. The dignitaries, travelers and other visitors who penned detailed descriptions of Alupka, Gaspra, and Gurzuf inscribed these structures into the symbolic landscape of the province, but even on their own, the usad’by served as daily reminders of the reality of imperial authority to those who inhabited neighboring villages and worked in estate orchards and vineyards. Of course, not all landowners were wealthy enough to build palaces or manor houses that could accommodate such lavish public spectacles. The majority of those who did command that level of wealth were not provincial nobles, but members of the ruling elite who owned estates but neither registered in the Tavrida noble register nor otherwise participated in daily life in the province. The bulk of Tavrida’s registered nobles were not part of the ruling elite, nor were they distinguished for their wealth. In 1789 Governor Zhegulin pointed out to Potemkin that many of the (non-Tatar) officials in Tavrida were quite small-time Little Russian nobles or Polish szlachta who owned between five and thirty-five serfs. The low population density of the province together with the freedom of the native population from serfdom prevented landowners from accumulating wealth in the form of souls until well into the nineteenth century. However, most nobles (96% of non-Tatars and 88% of mirzas) in 1815 for example did own land from which they presumably drew sufficient income to maintain an honorable lifestyle. Of the 225 nobles registered between 1830 and 1853 for whom I have property data, 65% owned either arable or pasture land, and another 12% owned land in the form of orchards, gardens or vineyards. The remaining 23% owned houses and/or household servants and peasants, but did not mention landholding in their entries. Among ennobled mirzas, 96% owned land of some kind. Interestingly enough, they enjoyed average holdings three times larger than those of others, and a number of mirzas accumulated (or maintained) considerable annual incomes.<hr /> Elite residence Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Baydar Valley Description An account of the resource Admiral Nikolai Mordvinov purchased this estate. It had been owned by Prince Potemkin and then by his heir, Major General Vysotskii. Mordvinov purchased 15,100 desiatinas and expanded the estate to 20,000 desiatinas by winning a lengthy and intensely bitter dispute over the land. The losing party were the Tatar peasants of Baydar, who claimed to own the land on which they lived and worked. (The Crimean Commission ruled against them in 1809.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Arkhiv Grafov Mordvinovykh, t.3, no.890: “Reshenie [krymskoj komissii] 1809 goda krymskoj komissii o Bajdarskoj doline,” 531-32. land dispute Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dachas Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context gazetteer Description An account of the resource In simplest terms, a dacha was a portion of land given out by the tsar. The apportioning of land to servitors and favorites was hardly an innovation, but over the course of the eighteenth century the dacha became ever more closely associated with the expansion of the empire. Early in the century, Peter I imbued the dacha with a distinctly strategic character, distributing grants both as a form of incentive and a coercive strategy for affecting the physical transformation of his new capital at St. Petersburg. Devoid of any associations with wellness, leisure, comfort, or domesticity – this came later in the nineteenth century – the earlier iteration of the dacha referred to a plot of uninhabited, unbuilt, uncultivated land located some distance away from the proprietor’s primary residence. A diligent proprietor might convert it into an usad'ba (country estate), with formal or mature gardens and permanent dwellings, or into an agriculturally-productive site – a farm, an orchard, a cultivated woodland. The essence of the dacha was that it implied a dynamic relationship between owner and property and the conversion of empty spaces into usable, definable places. Related narration: <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/beautifulspaces/exhibits/show/dachageo" target="_self">Dacha Geography</a> <hr /> Dacha property Property Note Display Description A little over 7 desiatinas of garden-land. Ownership Note Major Abdulla Velisha Uzdem Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bekirskii garden gardens: private Tatar property Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abandoned Villages Description An account of the resource At the moment, this collection presents the contents of a list of sites abandoned in 1778 by various elements of the Christian population of the Crimean Khanate. Between July and September 1778, a grand total of 31,098 people (half the Christian population of the khanate) deserted Crimea and moved to Russian territory on the shores of the Sea of Azov. Empress Catherine II and a handful of powerful men on the ground clearly engineered this relocation, which has been described as everything from an episode of deportation to one of voluntary migration.  Catherine II's government spent 130,000 rubles in the process, but the results were priceless. The loss of thousands of Greeks, Georgians, and Armenians dealt a heavy blow to the khanate's economy (they tended lucrative gardens and orchards, cultivated vineyards, and dominated maritime trade through the Black Sea and beyond). Sahin Girey Khan's position was weakened beyond repair (already perceived as a lackey of the empress, his inability to halt the migration made clear Russia's lack of concern for the khan's ability to rule). An anxious Ottoman government deployed a fleet to Aktiar (the future site of Sevastopol) in August, only to be repulsed. Negotiations for a new peace settlement between St. Petersburg and the Porte got underway soon thereafter. The resulting Treaty of Ainali-Kavak secured the independent status of the khanate and required the removal of all Russian troops. This was no favor to the khan however. His position was tenuous at best; without the support of the empress's troops, he had precious little support. It wasn't long before the political situation in Crimea deteriorated, necessitating the return of Prince Potemkin and, by April 1783, the annexation of the khanate to Russia. <hr /> Abandoned place Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Belbek Description An account of the resource 70 Greeks abandoned this area in 1778. Greek settlement Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spatial Grammar Description An account of the resource [HOLD FOR INTRO TEXT]<hr /> Geographical feature manmade or natural Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Belbek River Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dachas Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context gazetteer Description An account of the resource In simplest terms, a dacha was a portion of land given out by the tsar. The apportioning of land to servitors and favorites was hardly an innovation, but over the course of the eighteenth century the dacha became ever more closely associated with the expansion of the empire. Early in the century, Peter I imbued the dacha with a distinctly strategic character, distributing grants both as a form of incentive and a coercive strategy for affecting the physical transformation of his new capital at St. Petersburg. Devoid of any associations with wellness, leisure, comfort, or domesticity – this came later in the nineteenth century – the earlier iteration of the dacha referred to a plot of uninhabited, unbuilt, uncultivated land located some distance away from the proprietor’s primary residence. A diligent proprietor might convert it into an usad'ba (country estate), with formal or mature gardens and permanent dwellings, or into an agriculturally-productive site – a farm, an orchard, a cultivated woodland. The essence of the dacha was that it implied a dynamic relationship between owner and property and the conversion of empty spaces into usable, definable places. Related narration: <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/beautifulspaces/exhibits/show/dachageo" target="_self">Dacha Geography</a> <hr /> Dacha property Property Note Display Description The grant consisted of a vineyard in the Kozy Valley. Ownership Note Mar'ia Vasil'evaia [?] Attestation 1794 Dacha Reports Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Beshev vineyards women Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dachas Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context gazetteer Description An account of the resource In simplest terms, a dacha was a portion of land given out by the tsar. The apportioning of land to servitors and favorites was hardly an innovation, but over the course of the eighteenth century the dacha became ever more closely associated with the expansion of the empire. Early in the century, Peter I imbued the dacha with a distinctly strategic character, distributing grants both as a form of incentive and a coercive strategy for affecting the physical transformation of his new capital at St. Petersburg. Devoid of any associations with wellness, leisure, comfort, or domesticity – this came later in the nineteenth century – the earlier iteration of the dacha referred to a plot of uninhabited, unbuilt, uncultivated land located some distance away from the proprietor’s primary residence. A diligent proprietor might convert it into an usad'ba (country estate), with formal or mature gardens and permanent dwellings, or into an agriculturally-productive site – a farm, an orchard, a cultivated woodland. The essence of the dacha was that it implied a dynamic relationship between owner and property and the conversion of empty spaces into usable, definable places. Related narration: <a href="http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/projects/beautifulspaces/exhibits/show/dachageo" target="_self">Dacha Geography</a> <hr /> Dacha property Property Note Display Description Composed of 5,900 desiatinas (16,000 acres), 61% of which was suitable for cultivation. Ownership Note Kamer-Junker Alekseeva Dacha Grant Year 1792 Attestation 1802 Dacha Reports Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Beshui (Beshev) women