Economic Foundations of the Sultans Kasymovs’ Uprising of 1824—1847 in Junior and Middle Kazakh Zhuzes during Incorporation into the Russian Empire
Alexey A. Aseev, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor
Barnaul Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Barnaul, Russia, gangut.1911@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1057-9992
Sergey S. Matrenin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher
Altai State University, Barnaul, Russia, matrenins@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7752-2470
Abstract
The article, based primarily on archival materials and published documents, examines the economic basis of the Sultans Kasymovs’ uprising of 1824—1847. The historiography of the rebellion has focused heavily on its political and legal aspects with only indirect consideration of its economic component. The article identifies the economic sources of the uprising and explores the contradictions regarding the uprising in the policies of the Orenburg and West Siberian administrations. The article examines the tax policy of the Russian authorities, the Kasymovs and the Kokand toward Kazakh society during the period of civilizational interaction and Russia’s strengthening in the Kazakh zhuzes. The article concludes that the loss of economic sources of support for the uprising was one of the reasons for its defeat.
Keywords
Administrative reforms, Junior Zhuz, Middle Zhuz, Kasym Abylaihanov, Sarzhan Kasymov, opposition to reforms, Kenesary Kasymov uprising, financing of the uprising, tax policy, V. A. Perovsky, V. A. Obruchev, P. D. Gorchakov, interaction of civilizations.
For citation:
Aseev A. A., Matrenin S. S. Economic Foundations of the Sultans Kasymovs’ Uprising of 1824—1847 in Junior and Middle Kazakh Zhuzes during Incorporation into the Russian Empire. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2026, no. 1 (57), pp. 69—87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2026.57.5.
1. Aseev A. A. K voprosu o gosudarstvennosti v pervoi polovine XVIII — pervoi polovine XIX v. v kazakhskikh zhuzakh [On the issue of statehood in the first half of the 18th — first half of the 19th centuries in the Kazakh zhuzes]. Altaiskii yuridicheskii vestnik, 2013, no. 4 (4), pp. 4—9. (In Russian)
2. Aseev A. A. Politika Rossii v otnoshenii vosstaniya Kenesary Kasymova 1837—1847 gg. (regional’nyi aspekt): avtoref. dis. … kand. ist. nauk [Russia’s policy towards the Kenesary Kasymov uprising of 1837—1847 (regional aspect). Abstr. Cand. Dis.]. Barnaul, 2004. 23 p. (In Russian)
3. Aubakirova Kh. A. Uchrezhdenie Kokchetavskogo, Karkaralinskogo okrugov i vosstanie Sarzhana Kasymova (1824—1836 gg.) [Establishment of the Kokshetau, Karkaraly districts and the uprising of Sarzhan Kasymov (1824—1836)]. Vestnik Karagandinskogo universiteta. Ser. Istoriya. Filosofiya — Bulletin of the Karaganda University History. Philosophy Series, 2021, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 6—13. DOI: 10.31489/2021HPh4/6-13. (In Russian)
4. Aukenova A. A., Mukhamadeeva I. A. Kenesary khan — gosudar’ nepriznannogo gosudarstva [Kenesary khan — governor of an unrecognized state]. Nauka i real’nost’ — Science & Reality, 2024, no. 1 (17), pp. 101—107. (In Russian)
5. Bekmakhanov E. B. Kazakhstan v 20—40-e gody XIX v. [Kazakhstan in the 20—40s of the XIX century]. Alma-Ata, Kazakhskoe ob’’edinennoe gosudarstvennoe izdatel’stvo Publ., 1947. 389 p. (In Russian)
6. Bobrov L. A. Voennaya organizatsiya kazakhskikh kochevnikov ot Abulkhaira do Kenesary (XVIII — pervaya polovina XIX vv.) [Military organization of Kazakh nomads from Abulkhair to Kenesary (18th — first half of the 19th centuries)]. Srednevekovye tyurksko-tatarskie gosudarstva, Kazan, 2015, no. 7, pp. 54—61. (In Russian)
7. Istoricheskii arkhiv Omskoi oblasti [Historical Archives of the Omsk Region] (IAOO). F. F-3. Op. 12. D. 17899.
8. IAOO. F. F-3. Îp. 13. D. 17708.
9. IAOO. F. F-67. Op. 1. D. 248.
10. IAOO. F. F-67. Op. 1. D. 369.
11. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 170.
12. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 171.
13. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 173.
14. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 191.
15. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 224.
16. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 228.
17. IAOO. F. F-366. Op. 1. D. 230.
18. Istoriya Kazakhstana (s drevneishikh vremen do nashikh dnei): v 5 t. T. 3 [History of Kazakhstan (from ancient times to the present day). In 5 vols. Vol. 3]. Almaty, Atamura Publ., 2000. 768 p. (In Russian)
19. Kadyrbaev A. Sh. Geroi romana Zhyulya Verna — “Myatezhnyi” khan kazakhskikh stepei Kenesary [The hero of the novel by Jules Verne is the “Rebellious” khan of the Kazakh steppes of Kenesary]. Vestnik Evraziiskogo natsional’nogo universiteta im. D. N. Gumileva. Ser. Istoricheskie nauki. Filosofiya. Religiovedenie — Bulletin of the L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Political Science. Regional Studies. Oriental Studies. Turkology Series, 2024, vol. 149, no. 4, pp. 88—102. DOI: 10.32523/2616-7255-2024-149-4-88-102. (In Russian)
20. Kazakhsko-russkie otnosheniya v XVIII—XIX vekakh (1771—1867 gody): sb. dokumentov i materialov [Kazakh-Russian relations in the 18—19th centuries (1771—1867). Collect. of documents and materials]. Alma-Ata, Nauka Publ., 1964. 575 p. (In Russian)
21. Kusainova Zh. D. Istoriografiya natsional’no-osvoboditel’nogo dvizheniya pod predvoditel’stvom Kenesary Kasymova (1834—1847 gg.).): avtoref. dis. … kand. ist. nauk [Historiography of the national liberation movement led by Kenesary Kasymov (1834—1847). Abstr. Cand. Dis.]. Almaty, 2000. 29 p. (In Russian)
22. Lysenko Yu. A. K voprosu o nalogovoi politike Rossiiskoi imperii v otnoshenii kazakhskogo obshchestva [On the issue of the Russian Empire fiscal policy in the Kazakh society]. Izvestiya Altaiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta — Izvestiya of Altai State University, 2013, no. 4-2 (80), pp. 176—183. (In Russian)
23. Moiseev V. A. K voprosu gosudarstvennosti u kazakhov nakanune i v nachal’nyi period prisoedineniya Kazakhstana k Rossii [On the issue of Kazakh statehood on the eve and in the initial period of Kazakhstan’s accession to Russia]. Rossiya — Kazakhstan: sovremennye mify i istoricheskaya real’nost’: sb. nauchnykh i publitsisticheskikh statei [Russia — Kazakhstan: modern myths and historical reality. Collect. of scientific and journalistic articles]. Barnaul, 2001, pp. 69—78. (In Russian)
24. Ob’’edinennyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv Orenburgskoi oblasti [United State Archives of the Orenburg Region] (OGAOO). F. F-6. Op. 10, part 3. D. 4875.
25. OGAOO. F. F-6. Op. 10, part 3. D. 4976.
26. OGAOO. F. F-6. Op. 10, part 3. D. 5410.
27. OGAOO. F. F-6. Op. 10, part 3. D. 5450.
28. OGAOO. F. F-6. Op. 10, part 3. D. 5575.
29. OGAOO. F. F-222. Op. 1. D. 10.
30. Polnoe sobranie zakonov Rossiiskoi imperii. Sobr. 1. T. 38: 1822—1823 [Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire. Coll. 1. Vol. 38: 1822—1823]. St. Petersburg, Tip. II Otdeleniya sobstvennoi E.I.V. kantselyarii Publ., 1830, no. 29127. (In Russian)
31. Prokhorov I. R. Iz istorii Sibirskogo kazach’ego voiska v Kazakhstane [From the History of the Siberian Cossack Army in Kazakhstan]. Izvestiya Irkutskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ser. Istoriya — The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series “History”, 2023, vol. 46, pp. 45—52. (In Russian)
32. Prokhorov I. R. Istoriya vosstaniya Kenesary Kasymova v dokumental’nom diskurse [History of Kenesary Kasymov’s rebellion in the documentary discourse of the 19th century]. Izvestiya Altaiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta — Izvestiya of Altai State University, 2025, no. 2 (142), pp. 61—68. DOI: 10.14258/izvasu(2025)2-08. (In Russian)
33. Prokhorov I. R. Sibirskoe kazachestvo v istorii Orenburgskogo kraya [Siberian Cossacks in the History of the Orenburg Region]. Dvenadtsatye Bol’shakovskie chteniya. Orenburgskii krai kak istoriko-kul’turnyi fenomen: sb. statei mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. konf., Orenburg, 17—20 apr. 2024 g.: v 2 t. [The Twelfth Bolshakov Readings. The Orenburg Region as a Historical and Cultural Phenomenon. Proceed. of the Internat. sci. and pract. conf., Orenburg, Apr. 17—20, 2024. In 2 vols]. Orenburg, OGPU Publ., 2024, vol. 1, pp. 42—45. (In Russian)
34. Prokhorov I. R. Uchastie sibirskogo kazachestva v obespechenii interesov Rossii v Srednei Azii v pervoi polovine XIX v. [Siberian Cossacks’ participation in ensuring Russia’s interests in Central Asia in the first half of the 19th century]. Izvestiya Altaiskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta — Izvestiya of Altai State University, 2024, no. 2 (136), pp. 69—77. DOI: 10.14258/izvasu(2024)2-10. (In Russian)
35. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi voenno-istoricheskii arkhiv [Russian State Military Historical Archive]. F. F-38. Op. 8. D. 2.
36. Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv [Russian State Historical Archive] (RGIA). F. F-1287. Op. 6. D. 825.
37. RGIA. F. F-1287. Op. 6. D. 826.
38. Sbornik materialov dlya istorii zavoevaniya Turkestanskogo kraya. T. 3: 1841 god [Collection of materials for the history of the conquest of the Turkestan region. Vol. 3: 1841]. Tashkent, Tip. sht. Turkestanskogo voennogo okruga Publ., 1912. [2], II, VI, 142 p. (In Russian)
39. Sbornik materialov dlya istorii zavoevaniya Turkestanskogo kraya. T. 4: 1842 i 1843 goda [Collection of materials for the history of the conquest of the Turkestan region. Vol. 4: 1842 and 1843]. Tashkent, Tip. sht. Turkestanskogo voennogo okruga Publ., 1914. [2], XIV, 231 p. (In Russian)
40. Uslar P. K. Chetyre mesyatsa v Kirgizskoi stepi [Four months in the Kyrgyz steppe]. Otechestvennye zapiski: zhurnal literaturnyi, politicheskii i uchenyi [Otechestvennye Zapiski: A Literary, Political, and Scientific Journal], 1848, vol. 60, no. 10, pp. 141—224. (In Russian)
41. Tsentral’nyi gosudarstvennyi arkhiv Respubliki Kazakhstan [Central State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan] (TsGA RK). F. F-4. Op. 1. D. 1992.
42. TsGA RK. F. F-338. Op. 1. D. 1.
43. TsGA RK. F. F-338. Op. 1. D. 3.
44. TsGA RK. F. F-338. Op. 1. D. 79.
45. TsGA RK. F. F-338. Op. 1. D. 342.