The Horde Branch of the Astrakhan Chamber of State Properties in the light of the Study of Special Rights of Zaisangs

Introduction. The “Regulation on the Administration of the Kalmyk People” dated April 23, 1847 established the Horde branch of the Astrakhan Chamber of State Properties, settled the issues of administrating the Kalmyk people, including special rights of Noyons, Zaisangs and Lamas. In the course of the activity of the Horde department, the documents containing the information on the change of the legal status of Zaisangs, their place in the state structure of the Kalmyk steppe during the period of administrative reform were created. The purpose of the study is to study the four archival documents of the I—6 “Horde Branch of the Astrakhan Chamber of State Properties” fund containing information about zaisangs, to analyze the specific composition of the documents, their functional purpose and to source potential in studying the integration of the Kalmyk society into the all-Russian state system in the second half of the 19th century. Results. The study of the composition and content of the archival documents created during the period of the Horde branch activity of the Astrakhan Chamber of State Properties made it possible to identify and introduce into scientific circulation the new types of documents introduced into the clerical process of the Kalmyk people’s governing body, to trace the order of approval in the rank of so called generic Zaisangs as well as Kalmyk commoners who achieved success in the period after the adoption of the Regulations of 1847.