Qing Frontier of the Qazaqs: Middle and Senior Zhuzes between Two Empires in the second half of the 18th – first half of the 19th centuries

Abstract

The article deals with the history of cross-border interaction between the Qazaqs of the Middle and Senior Zhuzes, or Hordes, and the Chinese Qing Empire in the second half of the 18^th – first half of the 19^th centuries. Based on archival and published materials, as well as previously conducted research, the policy of the Qing Empire towards the Qazaqs is highlighted. The Qing Empire approached the borders of the Qazaq Zhuzes after it destroyed the Dzungar Kaganate and seized its territories. The eastern pasture areas of the Qazaqs, previously captured by the Dzungars, now were in the possession of China, which sought to establish its control over them. The Chinese authorities tried to prevent the relocation of the Qazaqs to the former Dzungarian territories, repeatedly sending special military detachments against them, but after the withdrawal of the Chinese troops, the Qazaqs used to return to these nomadic areas. These "territorial disputes" contributed to the establishment of contacts between the two countries. The conquest of the Qazaq Khanate was not the goal of the Qing Empire; it was content with recognizing the formal vassalage of the Qazaqs. In the first half of the 19^th century, the Qazaqs of the Middle and Senior Zhuzes were relatively independent from the Qing Empire. Unlike the Russian Empire and the Khanate of Kokand, the Qing Empire at that time was the only state interested in preserving the Qazaq statehood; Qing tried not to interfere in the internal political life of the Qazaqs. The article examines the development of diplomatic and trade relations of the Qing Empire with Abylai Khan and his descendants and gives an analysis of archival documents reflecting the confrontation between Russia and China for political supremacy in the Qazaq Steppe. The inclusion of the Qazaq lands in the Russian Empire has been studied.