Akhmet Dudarov in “Materials for a new history of the Caucasus” by P. G. Butkov: the story of one delusion

Akhmet Dudarov is a famous Ossetian military and political figure. His life coincided with a turning point for Ossetia, the rapprochement and entry of the Ossetian people into the Russian Empire. Akhmet Dudarov took an active part in the historical events of that time, which became key for the further development of Russian-Ossetian relations. Akhmet’s activities are widely reflected in Russian documents of the 18th century. The name of Akhmet Dudarov has attracted the attention of more than one generation of historians. In historical works, Akhmet Dudarov became famous as the most implacable fighter against tsarist Russia. Akhmet is credited with a leading role in all anti-Russian movements on the territory of East Ossetia, starting from the movement of Sheikh Mansur in the late 18th century and up to the inclusion of his activities in the actions of Georgian separatists in the early 19th century. Russian-language documents of the 18th – early 19th centuries contain records of personal names of representatives of the Ossetian people, made according to the then existing rules of the language in which they are written. Often, Ossetian names and surnames, in the Russian-language transmission require serious clarifications. Identification of historical figures of Ossetia of this time is of great importance for history, regardless of the origin of these persons and the type of activity shown in the documents. One mistake in the interpretation of names can lead not only to false conclusions, but also fundamentally distort historical events. An example of incorrect interpretation of personal names according to Russian-language documents is the “weaving” of the names and activities of famous Ossetian owners Akhmet and Dudaruko Dudarov. In the proposed article, an attempt is made to show the inconsistency of the established and prevailing to this day in science views on the life and work of Akhmet Dudarov. The study of the source study base and historiography on which pseudo-Akhmetov studies are based showed that the source study base for the development of the anti-Akhmetov concept is in fact completely absent. Moreover, the first published documents associated with the name of Akhmet Dudarov speak of his pro-Russian orientation and acceptance of voluntary citizenship of Russia. The main objective of the proposed work is to search for the origins of the established historiographic myth, definitely aimed at creating a negative image of the powerful Ossetian ruler Akhmet. The origins of the problem lead to the well-known “Materials” of P. G. Butkov. Without a critical approach to this work, it is impossible to get out of the historical labyrinth created by P. G. Butkov and his followers. Paying tribute to the colossal contribution to the publication of the “Materials” of L. Brosse, we note that the main work on clarifying our issue, i.e. in identifying the name, was carried out by him at a high scientific level and we only have to bring the clarity necessary to resolve the issue.