Tsaritsyn Defense Line and Military-Political Changes in Russia’s Southeastern Frontier, 1720s

Introduction. The Tsaritsyn defense line has attracted the attention of historians since the 18th century, but so far, no special study of the history of the Tsaritsyn line in the 1720s has been undertaken. The period is of interest for its policy of strengthening the military-political influence of Russia in the Caspian region, with the Persian campaign undertaken and control over the movements of the Kalmyks increasing. The article aims to show the role of the Tsaritsyn defense line in these events. Materials and methods. The study intends to systematize and reconsider the information about the Tsaritsyn line presented in the historiography of the Persian campaign, in the history of the Kalmyks, and in the history of the regiments of the Russian imperial army, supplementing them with data of legislative acts and office documentation. Results. Tsaritsyn and the Tsaritsyn line were staging points on the path of the formation and movement of the Nizovoi (Lower), or Persian, Corps; practically all military units involved in the Persian campaign passed through the Tsaritsyn line, which was used for rear functions by the Corps as long as it existed. Tsaritsyn, the fortresses on the line, and the villages of the Don Cossacks closest to the line served as winter quarters for the Corps cavalry: here the dragoon regiments were re-equipped, and individual units were sent on missions along the southern borders of Russia. The Tsaritsyn line introduced serious changes in the life of the nomadic population of the Lower Volga region; passages through the line acquiring great military and political importance. Groups of Kalmyks who passed ‘inside’ turned out to be cut off from the Kuban and Crimeans and from other groups of Kalmyks. There was a symbolic meaning to the crossing of the Tsaritsyn line for Kalmyks who feared that their uluses would be taken away from them or they would be converted to Orthodoxy against their will. The study clarifies the data on the number of troops that served on the Tsaritsyn line in the 1720s. Constant was the presence of at least 500 Cossacks, sent on their mission by the Don army, as well as of several dragoon regiments. In the 1720s, units of the Kronshlots, Olonets, Vologda, Tobolsk, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Dmitrov, and Saratov dragoon regiments served on the Tsaritsyn line from several months to several years. Conclusions. From the very first years of its construction, the Tsaritsyn line not only protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire, but also became an instrument of the imperial diplomatic and military-political influence on neighboring peoples and states.

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