‘Bowed and Petitioned to the Akhreian Ataman …': Captivity, Slavery and Ransom on the Southern Frontier (Late 17th - Early 18th Centuries)
The article considers some topical issues from the history of captivity and slave-trade on the southern frontiers in the late 17th - early 18th centuries. The mentioned territory comprised border areas of Russia, the Crimean Khanate and Ottoman Empire in the Northeast Azov Region and Kuban. The paper also deals with some aspects of international relations and the history of border communities. Efforts undertaken by both Russia and the Ottoman Empire aimed to reshape the borders in the region resulted in changes not only in Russian-Crimean relations but also in Russian-Turkish ones. The period witnessed changes in the conditions for nomadic raids by the population of the Crimean Khanate involved in hostage-taking activities primarily in Russia's territories on a regular basis. The boundary lines of Southern Russia were essentially reshaped. The Crimean Khanate, Ottoman Empire and Russia would strengthen control over migrations of border communities and scrutinize into emerging border disputes. The trends intensified after the 1700 Treaty of Constantinople signed between the Tsardom of Russia and the Ottoman Empire which significantly reduced a ‘window of opportunities' for Crimean nomads (including diverse Nogai groups) to further organize such raids. Still, the new historical conditions had a certain impact on different border communities (Kalmyks, Don Cossacks) that had been traditionally involved in activities related with hostage-taking, such as hostage exchange and ransom. The disruption of the long-established border lifestyles in the steppe areas put no end to such raids, slavery or slave-trade, but definitely altered the directions, geography and a list of participants. Thus, Azov became one of the centers for so called ransom operations after 1696. With evidence from documentary sources, the article investigates lives of a number of Russian individuals captured by Nogais of Akhreian Cossacks from Kuban, analyzes lists of participants of some ransom operations and reveals that the latter were attended by representatives of different social and ethnic groups from both sides of the border. The study emphasizes the forms and means hostages turned to in search of liberation. Strategies of such hostages varied in Kuban, and either did attitudes (towards them) of Nogais and other individuals engaged in their transportation from Kuban to Azov. Ottoman Turks, Nogais, Armenians, Kuban Cossack Old Believers (Akhreians) were those who dealt with such ransom activities. The paper also pays special attention to terms of slave ransom bargains that were largely based on traditions of the preceding era.