“New” Economic Development of the Forest-Steppe Zone of the Eastern Trans-Kama Region by the Tatar Population from the Second Half of the 16th Century to the Early 18th Century

The article examines the settlement of the region by the Tatar population from the second half of the 16th century to the early 18th century. It analyzes the nature of economic development during the initial period of the region’s integration into the Russian state, from the second half of the 16th century to the first half of the 17th century. The authors examine the development of quitrent and yasak patrimonial land ownership based on commercial farming, as well as the formation of the institution of land volosts. Particular attention is paid to the specific features of class stratification among the Tatars of the region in connection with the policy of fiscally unifying the yasak- and quitrent-paying populations of Ufa District. The article also examines Russian state policies aimed at strengthening and expanding its southeastern borders and assesses the role of the construction of the Eastern Trans-Kama abatis line in intensifying migration to the region during the second half of the 17th century. This migration, in turn, contributed to the transformation of the local population’s economic way of life, marked by a shift from appropriative forms of subsistence to more intensive agricultural development. The article is intended for scholars studying the history of the southeastern frontier of the Russian stat and examining issues of land ownership and land use among the populations of the forest-steppe zone of the Trans-Kama and Ural regions from the 16th to the early 18th century.