"Primarily Russian" Novorossiya in figures and facts.
For many large states characterized by very significant regional differences, in other words, they consist of a number of historical and cultural regions that have their own specifics. Ukraine is often conventionally divided into 3 large regions, which in turn include a number of smaller regions. This is the so-called Western Ukraine, Central Ukraine and South-Eastern Ukraine.
The difference between South-Eastern Ukraine and the first two regions is visible to the naked eye: here they speak differently and vote differently. Many even wonder whether this region fell into Ukraine by mistake, and others are even sure that this land was “gifted” to the Ukrainians Soviet Union, but in general they (the lands) have nothing to do with Ukraine.
Here I will allow myself to quote the words of one author, which well illustrate the view of the Southeast as “original Russian lands.” Here it is:
"Meanwhile, for normal person Terms such as Novorossiya are unifying for Russia and Ukraine. These lands were inhabited by people who spoke Russian and only Russian.[…] What is Novorossiya? This territory of the Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Nikolaev and Odessa regions, colonized by Empress Catherine the Great and called Novorossiya, was annexed to Ukraine by the Bolshevik regime in a voluntaristic way.[...] In the 1920s, the Bolsheviks carried out the first forced Ukrainization, which became the genocide of the Russian majority of these territories."
I propose to figure out who actually populated Novorossiya, what language they spoke and what the majority was here.
Novorossiya - general information and brief background
When we are dealing with historical-geographical regions, we need to understand two things: any zoning is conditional, historical-geographical regions in different time could have different boundaries.
Localization
Let's start with localization - where Novorossiya is located, what it includes, and how it relates to other regions, in particular to the modern Southeast.
The southeast of Ukraine, on the one hand, is its entire territory below the so-called. Voeikov axis, in other words - the steppe zone and Crimea. This is based, as it were, on the physical-geographical situation. And with reference to a modern administrative map, these are: Odessa, Nikolaev, Kherson, Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkov, Lugansk regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
What is Novorossiya? Its territorial boundaries are different according to different authors. In a broad sense, it includes the southern lands of Ukraine and southwestern Russia, which were secured by the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century. IN in the narrow sense, and it is he who interests us, since Russian lands we are not interested, this is the territory of the Yekaterinoslav and Kherson provinces (sometimes the northern (mainland) part of the Tavria province is also included in it). In general, Novorossia, neither in a narrow nor in a broad sense, does not completely coincide with the modern region of South-Eastern Ukraine, since in a broad sense it includes Russian territories, and also does not include the northern parts of the South-East (Kharkov, the northern part of Lugansk regions - this is historical Slobozhanshchina, the far north of Dnepropetrovsk.)
So, in our article, Novorossiya is territorially the Ekaterinoslav and Kherson provinces. (the map below shows the borders of Novorossiya in this sense).
Background of settlement
If you believe Maria Gimbutas with her kurgan hypothesis, then the southeast of Ukraine is part of the ancestral homeland of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Proto-Indo-Europeans are speakers of a language from which almost all modern languages Europe, and many Asian languages (they are spoken by 2.5 billion people). The Indo-European population (Scythians, Sarmatians) lived here before the Great Migration. Then the Turks come here. Different Turkic peoples succeeded each other (Huns, Avars, Khazars, Pechenegs, Cumans, Mongol-Tatars). For a thousand years, no one has passed through these lands, which are the outskirts of the large Eurasian steppes. However, the Indo-Europeans (“already a part” of the Slavs) did not simply cede these lands to the Turkic world and periodically populated these territories. During the times of Rus', for example, Tivertsy and Ulichi settled the right bank Dnieper steppes. Already in the 14th-15th centuries, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania decided to take away the steppes from the Turks, and not without success. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the almost uninhabited steppe was periodically visited by “khodniks”, who were attracted by the wealth of these lands. By the 16th century, the Zaporozhye Cossacks formed here. It was the Cossacks who mastered northern lands future Novorossia, the main role was played by the territory of the modern Dnepropetrovsk region, on the territory of which most of the sections were located. Below is a map of the lands of the Zaporozhian Army at the beginning of the 18th century.
As we see, a significant part of Novorossiya, long before Catherine, was already part of Russia and was inhabited by Zaporozhye Cossacks. Under Catherine, Russia was included in the results Russian-Turkish wars, in which the Cossacks took an active part, the remaining lands were included. Catherine thanked the Cossacks for their faithful service - they liquidated them, and the Cossacks and newly annexed lands began to be gradually developed.
And now we will actually figure out who populated and developed Novorossiysk lands and what language they spoke.
National composition of New Russia 1719-1897
We will not reinvent the wheel, National composition population according to documents of the Russian Empire has long been studied in detail by historians, and we can only briefly acquaint the reader with the results.
We will present the results compactly - in tablets, and then comment on them. We will take the tablets directly from the original source - the monograph by V. M. Kabuzan.(“Settlement of Novorossiya (Ekaterinoslav and Kherson provinces) in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries (1719-1858)”, 1976 (doctoral dissertation)).
For reference:
Vladimir Kabuzan
born 1932 Doctor of Historical Sciences. Main Researcher Institute Russian history. Author of 15 monographs, including: “Russians in the World” (1996); “The population of the North Caucasus in the 19th-20th centuries.” (1996); “The serf population of Russia in the 18th - 50s of the 19th century” (2003)
So, the share of the Ukrainian population of Novorossiya 1719-1850:
National composition by county:
As can be seen from the tables presented above, the population of Novorossiya in the 19th century was multinational. Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks, Jews, Germans, Moldovans and others lived here. However, the region as a whole has always been dominated by Ukrainians. Moreover, in such a multinational region there were territories almost entirely inhabited by Ukrainians. Before active settlement region, there were no one except Ukrainians as settlers in most of the territory of the region. But even by the middle of the 19th century, when the region was already very densely populated, and the total population reached a million, there were territories with an almost monoethnic Ukrainian composition, so in the 1850s Ukrainians made up 94.77% of the population of Novomoskovsk, 91.07% Alexandria and 98.85% of Verkhnedneprovsky district.
Think about the number 98.85%! Even the modern Ternopil region would envy such a percentage. And what’s interesting is that there were no Russians (Great Russians) here at all in 1857, not a single person.
Thus, in Novorossiya of the 18th and 19th centuries there were lands that were almost entirely or completely populated only by Ukrainians. The majority of the population (>50%) has always been Ukrainians in the region as a whole, and in specific counties almost always. As can be seen from the table, in 1779 Ukrainians did not constitute a majority in 3 districts: Rostov, Aleksandrovsk and Slavyanoserbsk. In the Rostov district (this is now Russia), the Armenians took first place, in the Alexandria district the Greeks who moved from Crimea came in first place, in the Slavyanoserbsky district the Ukrainians came in first place, but there were more Russians along with the Moldovans. However, this was a temporary phenomenon; after a few years the situation changed. In the first half of the 19th century, Ukrainians made up more than 50% in all counties. The 1897 census also recorded the predominance of Ukrainians in almost all counties. They no longer constituted the majority in Odessa, where Russians came in first place, and Jews came in second.
The Russians played an important, but in comparison with the Ukrainians, a very modest role in the settlement of New Russia. Their share in the 18th century was significant in the extreme eastern Bakhmut and Slavyanoserbian districts, in the rest they either did not exist at all or were very few, for example, in the territory of the future Kherson province there were about 8% of them - this is the third place after the Ukrainians and Moldovans . Subsequently, the share of Russians grew, but even in 1857 the share of Russians in the Ekaterinoslav province was only 8%.
Thus, Ukrainians in Novorossiya:
1)They began to develop these lands before the Russians (Great Russians)
2)They have always constituted the majority in the region as a whole, and in all, with rare exceptions, counties in particular. They had the maximum share of the entire population of the region in 1745 - 96.86%, the minimum from 1719 to 1858 - in 1779 (64.76%).
Russians in Novorossiya:
1)They began to develop these lands later than the Ukrainians
2) They never constituted a majority (>50%) in any district (in Odessa in 1897 they were the most numerous ethnic group, but did not make up 50%)
3)In many districts they were not even the 2nd largest ethnic group, for example in the mid-19th century in the Tiraspol district they occupied only 5th place, in Aleksandrovsky - third.
4)Absent in some counties altogether!
territory, which included XX century historical Russian provinces: Kherson, Ekaterinoslav and Tauride (except Crimea) - cut through by the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Dniester and Bug. The flat steppe space imperceptibly merges with the steppes eastern Russia, passing into the Asian steppes, and therefore has long served as the home of tribes moving from Asia to the West. On the same Black Sea coast in ancient times a number of Greek colonies. Constant shift population lasted until the Tatar invasion. In the XIII-XVI centuries. the Tatars dominated here, making the peaceful colonization of the country by neighboring peoples impossible, but in the middle. XVI century Military colonization began. Below the rapids on the Dnieper island of Khortitsa, the Cossacks founded the Sich. All R. XVIII century new settlers appear here - people from Slavic lands, Bulgarians, Serbs, Volokhs. The government, intending to create a military border population, gave them benefits and various privileges. In 1752 two districts were formed: New Serbia and Slavyanoserbia. At the same time, fortification lines were created. After the 1st Turkish War, fortified lines captured new spaces. The annexation of Crimea in 1783, making Novorossiya unsafe from the Tatars, gave a new impetus to the colonization of the region. 2nd Turkish War gave the Ochakov region into the hands of Russia. (those. western part Kherson province). From 1774, the prince was placed at the head of the administration of the Novorossiysk region. G.A. Potemkin, who remained in this position until his death (1791). He divided the country into provinces: Azov to the east of the Dnieper and Novorossiysk to the west. Potemkin's concern was the settlement and comprehensive development the edges. In types of colonization, benefits were given to foreigners - immigrants from Slavic lands, Greeks, Germans and schismatics; huge land holdings dignitaries and officials with the obligation to populate them. Simultaneously with government colonization there was free colonization from Great Russia and Little Russia. Russian colonists did not, like foreigners, benefit from help from the treasury, but they did not encounter any obstacles to settling in new places; there was a lot of land, and its owners willingly allowed people to settle on it. They also looked condescendingly at the settlement of runaway peasants in the region, the number of whom, with the development of serfdom in the 18th century and AD. XIX centuries everything increased. Under Potemkin, a number of cities were founded in Novorossiya - Ekaterinoslav, Kherson, Nikolaev, etc. Later Odessa was founded. IN administratively Novorossiya was reshaped several times. In 1783 it was named the Ekaterinoslav governorship. In 1784 the Taurida region was formed, in 1795 - Voznesensk province. Under Paul I, part of the Ekaterinoslav governorship was separated, and the Novorossiysk province was formed from the rest. Under Alexander I, the provinces of Ekaterinoslav, Kherson and Tauride were established here, which, together with the Bessarabian region annexed from Turkey, made up the Novorossiysk Governor-General. The administrative center of Novorossiya, as well as industrial and cultural, in the 19th century. Odessa became.
Photographer Sergei Karpov and correspondent Sergei Prostakov asked the participants of the Russian March their opinion about Novorossiya.
“Russian March” is the largest action of nationalists, which has been held annually on November 4, National Unity Day, since 2005. The event changed its location in Moscow and the composition of participants. Deputies of the State Duma, Eurasians of Alexander Dugin, and National Bolsheviks of Eduard Limonov took part in the nationalist procession. In 2011, Alexei Navalny actively encouraged people to attend the Russian March. By 2013, the “Russian March” had finally turned into a subcultural phenomenon of Russian nationalists, who were united by anti-Caucasian and anti-migrant slogans.
But in 2014, the fragile “anti-immigrant” consensus came to an end. The entry of Crimea into Russia, the war in Donbass, and the formation of Novorossiya split the camp of Russian nationalists. Some of them supported the actions Russian authorities and Donetsk separatists, others sharply condemned them. As a result, on November 4, 2014, two “Russian Marches” took place in Moscow, one of which was directly called “For Novorossiya.”
But there was also no unity among those who attended the “classic” march in the Moscow district of Lyublino: slogans against the war with Ukraine and in support of Novorossiya were simultaneously heard in the crowd. The numbers speak even more eloquently about the crisis among Russian nationalists: in previous years, the “Russian March” in Lyublino gathered at least 10 thousand participants, and in 2014 no more than three thousand came to the action.
Photographer Sergei Karpov and correspondent Sergei Prostakov asked ordinary participants in the ninth “Russian March” in Moscow: what is “Novorossiya”? Its supporters are confident that there is now a war of independence going on in Donbass; opponents believe that Novorossiya does not exist.
(Total 13 photos)
1. Sergey, 27 years old, forwarder(left): “Novorossiya” should be a white country with Russian orders, so today I only partially support this education.”
Dmitry, 33 years old, entrepreneur(right): “Novorossiya” is a new territorial-administrative unit, which I categorically support.”
2. Ilya, 55 years old, unemployed(left): “I have no idea what Novorossiya is, so I don’t support it.”
Andrey, 32 years old, programmer(right): “Novorossiya” is still a mythical unification, which, I hope, will take place as a state.”
3. Yaroslav, 26 years old, engineer(left): “Novorossiya” is a Kremlin project that Russian nationalists cannot support.”
Nikita, 16 years old, Russian nationalist(right): “I cannot explain what Novorossiya is, but I support the idea itself.”
4. Alexander, 54 years old, journalist(left): “Novorossiya” today is an invented something that has nothing to do with Novorossiya, which existed under Catherine II. There's a war going on there now, so I can't support the loss of life. And you can’t support Novorossiya with the media that gives information from there.”
Tamara, 70 years old, women’s movement “Slavyanka”, Union of Native Muscovites(right): “Novorossiya” is part of historical Russia.”
5. Dmitry, 49 years old, freelancer
(left): “I have enough complicated attitude to Novorossiya - the more the Kremlin supports it, the less I support it.”
Vera, 54 years old, fitness club worker from Voronezh(right): “Novorossiya” is a part of Russia that wants to go back. I have relatives living there. IN Voronezh region, where I come from, there are a lot of refugees now. Therefore, I know what is going on there first-hand. This is why I support Novorossiya.
6. Lyubov, 33 years old, entrepreneur(left): “I hate Novorossiya.” This is part of the global struggle against the Russians."
Konstantin, 50 years old, auto electrician(right): “Novorossiya” is fighting against fascism today.”
7. Andrey, 48 years old, unemployed(left): “Novorossiya” consists of bandits and scoundrels.”
Alexander, 55 years old, unemployed(right): “Novorossiya” is a remake. This new Rus'. Russia, Ukraine, Belarus - this is all one Rus'. I support the Russian Empire until 1917. Ukraine needs to be fully returned to the empire, and not plucked off little by little. Besides, we don’t need to fight - the Ukrainians and I should be together.”
8. Vyacheslav, 25 years old, worker(left): “In Russia, it is difficult to be objective about Novorossiya, because the lying media talk about it. I try not to talk about it.”
Dmitry, 32 years old, salesman(right): “Novorossiya” is the LPR and DPR. I support their fight."
9. Vitaly, 16 years old, schoolboy(left): Novorossiya is led by bandits. No one recognizes her on the world stage. This formation does not have long to exist.”
Mikhail, 17 years old, schoolboy(right): “Novorossiya” is a part of Russia that is now fighting for independence from Ukraine.”
10. Natalya, 19 years old, works in production(left): “I have no idea what Novorossiya is.” What is this anyway? How can you support “nothing”?”
Sergey, 57 years old, artist(right): “After the referendum, Novorossiya is an independent state. I support this initiative."
11. Oleg, 25 years old, leader of the Russian United National Alliance(left): “Novorossiya” is a foreign entity for any Russian person. Just some wolf in sheep's clothing."
Alexander, 28 years old, worker(right): “Now Novorossiya is a separate state. These territories never belonged to Ukraine. In addition, there is now a fascist junta in Kyiv.”
12. Denis, 39 years old, unemployed(left): “Novorossiya” is a fiction. I would support it if it were an independent project. It is necessary to maintain the territorial integrity of Ukraine, although I agree that Crimea was returned."
Mikhail, 26 years old, member of the Central Committee of the National Democratic Party(right): “Novorossiya” today is the Russian regions of Ukraine that decided to declare their independence and exercise the right of nations to self-determination.”
13. Vasily, unemployed(left): “I can’t say that I support Novorossiya because I don’t know who really runs it.”
Dometius, 34 years old, member of the National Democratic Party(right): “Until 1917, southern Russia was called Novorossiya. In the early 1920s, the Bolsheviks reported that Novorossiya was destroyed because they gave it to Ukraine. Today, this is a movement that arose in the early 2000s, when pro-Russian forces in Ukraine realized that it would no longer be possible to revive the USSR, but that it was necessary to unite with modern Russia. Today's "Novorossiya" is pro-Russian circles in Ukraine that share different ideologies that vaguely represent life in modern Russia, but desiring Russian unity.”
The term “Novorossiya” was officially enshrined in the legal acts of the Russian Empire in the spring of 1764. Considering the project of Nikita and Peter Panin on the further development of the province New Serbia, located in the Zaporozhye lands (between the Dnieper and Sinyukha rivers), the young Empress Catherine II personally changed the name of the newly created province from Catherine to Novorossiysk.
Catherine the Great
What guided the ruler of Russia when choosing this name is not yet known for certain. Perhaps this is a tribute to the administrative fashion of that era, when such provinces of European metropolises as New England, New Holland and New Spain. It is possible that the Novorossiysk region was considered Catherine II as the “alter ego” of the Russian Empire - a territory that, being connected with the rest of the country, will simultaneously become a platform for working out socio-political and economic transformation. In any case, this majestic name obliged a lot. A province with such a name simply did not have the right to remain a sparsely populated and economically backward backwater of the empire.
Before joining Russia, the region of the Northern Black Sea region - the future Novorossiya - was often called the Wild Field. Back in the beginning In the 18th century, the lands from the southern suburbs of Poltava and Kharkov to Perekop itself were one continuous steppe. It was untouched virgin soil with black soil more than one meter deep. The sparse population of the region consisted mainly of Crimean Tatars and Cossacks. Tatar hordes wandered with their herds and herds along the Black Sea coast, regularly raiding the lands of Russia and Poland.
Trade in slaves captured during raids remained an important source of income for the Crimean Khanate. Cossacks settled along the banks of rivers, engaged in hunting, fishing, farming and various crafts. They were at enmity with the nomads, attacked Tatar troops, and stole herds. Often the Cossacks undertook expeditions to the Crimean coast, ravaging Tatar villages and freeing Christian slaves there.
The permanent steppe war went on for centuries. Serious changes in the appearance of the Black Sea region began to occur only in the middle. XVIII century, when, by decision of the empress Elizaveta Petrovna in the Russian part of the Black Sea steppes, the Novoserbsk and Slavyanoserbsk colonies were established. The Russian authorities tried to organize a mass resettlement of immigrants from the Balkan Peninsula to the created provinces: Serbs, Bulgarians, Moldovans, Volokhs and others. Colonists were attracted by the generous distribution of land, payment of “lifting” benefits, compensation for moving expenses, and benefits on taxes and duties. Main responsibility The settlers were required to perform military service to protect the border of the Russian state.
Russian settlers from Poland (especially Old Believers) were attracted to New Serbia. In the newly built fortress of St. Elizabeth (near which the city of Elisavetgrad, now Kirovograd, later arose), a large community of Old Believers merchants was formed, who were allowed to freely perform religious services and conduct very profitable internal trade. A special decree prohibited local authorities from forcibly shaving beards and preventing the Old Believers from wearing traditional clothing.
The resettlement campaign of the 50s of the 18th century contributed to the formation of a multinational composition of the population of the Novorossiysk region. The control of the Russian authorities over the Zaporozhye Sich increased, and the economic development of the region received a tangible impetus. Balkan colonists developed animal husbandry, gardening, and viticulture. Among desert steppes V short time more than 200 new villages have grown, strong points and fortresses that strengthened the defense of the southwestern borders of the Russian Empire.
At the same time, this stage of development of the Northern Black Sea region showed that solving the problem of settlement and economic development expansion of a vast region solely due to immigrants is impossible. Attracting foreign immigrants was too expensive (it took an astronomical sum of almost 700 thousand rubles for the development of the provinces over 13 years). Many people from the Balkan Peninsula were unprepared for the hardships of life in an undeveloped region and returned to their homeland.
Catherine II noticeably intensified the process of development of the Black Sea steppes. In the apt expression of one of the first researchers of the history of the Novorossiysk region Apollo Skalkovsky, “34 years of Catherine’s reign is the essence of 34 years of Novorossiysk History.”
The fragmentation and lack of control in the actions of local civil and military authorities was eliminated. For this purpose, the position of Novorossiysk governor (chief commander) was introduced. In the summer of 1764, in addition to the lost autonomous status Novoserbsk province subordinated Slavic-Serbia (region on south coast Northern Donets), Ukrainian fortified line and Bakhmut Cossack regiment. To ensure better control of the province, it was divided into 3 provinces: Elisabeth, Catherine and Bakhmut. In September 1764, at the request of local residents, the Little Russian town of Kremenchug was included within the boundaries of Novorossiya. The provincial office later moved here.
Lieutenant General became the first governor of Novorossiya Alexander Melgunov. It was under his leadership that land management work began in the province. The entire land of the former New Serbia (1,421 thousand dessiatinas) was divided into sections of 26 dessiatines (on land with forest) and 30 dessiatinas (on treeless land). “People of every rank” could receive land as hereditary possession, provided they entered the military service or registration in the peasant class. Land were assigned to eight local regiments: the Black and Yellow Hussars, the Elisavetgrad Pikemen (on the right bank of the Dnieper), the Bakhmut and Samara Hussars, as well as the Dnieper, Lugansk, Donetsk Pikemen Regiments (on the left bank of the Dnieper). Later, on the basis of this regimental division, a district structure was introduced.
In the 60s of the 18th century, the settlement of the Novorossiysk province began at the expense of internal Russian settlers. This was greatly helped by the permission for residents of Little Russia to move to the new province (previously, the resettlement of Little Russians to New Serbia was not welcomed). The migration of peasants from the central provinces of Russia was facilitated by the distribution of land to military and civil officials - nobles. To develop their new possessions, they began to transport their serfs to the south.
In 1763–1764, special laws were issued to regulate the situation of foreign settlers. They received permission to settle in cities or rural areas, individually or in colonies. They were allowed to establish manufactories, factories and factories, for which they could buy serfs. The colonists had the right to open trades and fairs without imposing duties. To all this were added various loans, benefits and other incentives. An office of guardianship of foreigners was specially established.
The “Plan for the distribution of state-owned lands in the Novorossiysk province for their settlement,” approved in 1764, solemnly announced that settlers, regardless of where they came from, would enjoy all the rights of “ancient Russian subjects.”
Nevertheless, during this period the conditions were formed for the predominantly Great Russian-Little Russian colonization of Novorossiya. The result of this policy was rapid population growth in southern limits European Russia. Already in 1768, excluding regular troops stationed in the region on a temporary basis, about 100 thousand people lived in the Novorossiysk Territory (at the time of the formation of the province, the population of Novorossiysk was up to 38 thousand people).
The conclusion of the Kyuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty in 1774 led to a significant expansion of the Novorossiysk region. Its territory was expanded by the Bug-Dnieper interfluve, Azov and Azov lands, as well as the fortresses of Kerch, Yenikale and Kinburn in the Crimea.
Grigory Potemkin
Shortly before the conclusion of peace (by decree of March 31, 1774), he was appointed governor of Novorossiya Grigory Potemkin. In the beginning. In 1775, the staff of Potemkin's office was equal in number to the staff of the Little Russian governor. This indicated an increase in the status of the young province.
In February 1775, the Azov province was separated from it, which included part of the Novorossiysk province (Bakhmut district), new acquisitions under the Kyuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty and “all the dwellings” of the Don army, which actually retained its autonomy. However, this administrative division of the region was softened by the appointment of Grigory Potemkin as governor-general of the educated administrative units. At the same time, he became the commander of all troops settled in the Novorossiysk, Azov and Astrakhan provinces.
Russia's advance along the Black Sea coast led to the fact that the Zaporozhye Sich was not on the external borders, but inside Russian territory. Together with the weakening of the Crimean Khanate, this made it possible to abolish the restless Cossack freemen. On June 4, 1775, the Sich was surrounded by troops under the command of Lieutenant General Petra Tekeli, and she surrendered without resistance.
After this, a census of Sich people was carried out in settlements; for those wishing to settle in the Dnieper province (as the Zaporozhye Sich began to be called), places for further residence were assigned. The funds remaining after the liquidation of the Sich (120,000 rubles) were used for the improvement of the Black Sea provinces.
In 1778, Grigory Alexandrovich presented to Catherine II the “Establishment for the Novorossiysk and Azov provinces.” It consisted of seventeen chapters with approximate staff of provincial institutions.
In the Novorossiysk province it was planned to rebuild the cities of Kherson, Olga, Nikopol, and Vladimir; fortresses Novopavlovskaya, Novogrigorievskaya along the Bug. In addition to those mentioned, there remained the provincial city of Slavyansk (Kremenchug), New Sanzhary, Poltava, Dneprograd; Fortress of St. Elizabeth, Ovidiopolskaya. Cities were to appear in the Azov province: Ekaterinoslav, Pavlograd and Mariupol. Among the old ones, the fortresses of Aleksandrovskaya and Belevskaya are mentioned; cities of Tor, Bakhmut and others.
Resettlement policy in the 70–80s years XVIII century is often called the landowner colonization of New Russia. At this time, the state not only generously distributed land for estates, but also in every possible way encouraged landowners to populate their estates with tax-paying people.
On July 25, 1781, a decree was issued that ordered the transfer of economic (state) peasants to Novorossiya “voluntarily and at their own request.” The settlers received in the new places “a benefit from taxes for a year and a half, so that during this time the taxes would be paid for them by the residents of their former village,” who in return received the land of those leaving. Soon, the period of relief from paying taxes on land was significantly extended. This decree ordered the transfer of up to 24 thousand economic peasants. This measure encouraged migration primarily of middle- and wealthy peasants capable of organizing strong farms on populated lands.
Long-time Governor-General of Novorossiya Count Mikhail Vorontsov
Along with the legal resettlement sanctioned by the authorities, there was an active people's unauthorized resettlement movement from the central provinces and Little Russia. B O The majority of unauthorized migrants settled on landowners' estates. However, in the conditions of New Russia, serf relations took the form of so-called submission, when peasants living on the land of the landowners retained personal freedom, and their responsibilities to the owners were limited.
In August 1778, the transfer of Christians (Greeks and Armenians) from the Crimean Khanate to the Azov province began. The settlers were exempt from all state taxes and duties for 10 years; all their property was transported at the expense of the treasury; each new settler received 30 acres of land in a new place; the state built houses for poor “villagers” and supplied them with food, seeds for sowing and draft animals; all settlers were forever freed “from military posts” and “dachas for recruiting into the army.” According to the decree of 1783, in “villages under Greek, Armenian and Roman law” it was allowed to have “courts of Greek and Roman law, an Armenian magistrate.”
After Crimea was annexed to the empire in 1783, the military threat to the Black Sea provinces weakened significantly. This made it possible to abandon the military-settlement principle of the administrative structure and extend the effect of the Institution on Governorates of 1775 to Novorossia.
Since the Novorossiysk and Azov provinces did not have the required population, they were united into the Yekaterinoslav governorship. Grigory Potemkin was appointed its governor-general, and the immediate ruler of the region was Timofey Tutolmin, soon replaced Ivan Sinelnikov. The territory of the governorship was divided into 15 counties. In 1783, 370 thousand people lived within its borders.
Administrative changes contributed to the development of the region's economy. Agriculture spread. A review of the state of the Azov province in 1782 noted the beginning of agricultural work on “a vast expanse of fertile and rich lands, which had previously been neglected by the former Cossacks.” Land and government money were allocated for the creation of manufactories; the creation of enterprises that produced products in demand by the army and navy was especially encouraged: cloth, leather, morocco, candle, rope, silk, dyeing and others. Potemkin initiated the transfer of many factories from the central regions of Russia to Ekaterinoslav and other cities of Novorossiya. In 1787, he personally reported to Catherine II about the need to move part of the state-owned porcelain factory from St. Petersburg to the south, and always with craftsmen.
In the last quarter of the 18th century, active searches for coal and ores began in the Northern Black Sea region (especially in the Donetsk basin). In 1790, the landowner Alexey Shterich and mining engineer Carl Gascoigne entrusted the search for coal along the Northern Donets and Lugan rivers, where the construction of the Lugansk foundry began in 1795. A village of the same name arose around the plant. To supply this plant with fuel, the first mine in Russia was founded, in which coal on an industrial scale. The first mining settlement in the empire was built at the mine, which laid the foundation for the city of Lisichansk. In 1800, the first blast furnace was launched at the plant, where cast iron was produced using coke for the first time in the Russian Empire.
The construction of the Lugansk foundry was the starting point for the development of South Russian metallurgy, the creation of coal mines and mines in the Donbass. Subsequently, this region will become one of the most important centers economic development of Russia.
Economic development strengthened trade ties between individual parts of the Northern Black Sea region, as well as between Novorossiya and the central regions of the country. Even before the annexation of Crimea, the possibilities of transporting goods across the Black Sea were intensively studied. It was assumed that one of the main export items would be bread, which would be grown in large quantities in Ukraine and the Black Sea region.
To stimulate the development of trade, in 1817 the Russian government introduced a “porto-franco” (free trade) regime in the port of Odessa, which at that time was the new administrative center of the Novorossiysk General Government.
Free and duty-free import of foreign goods, including those prohibited for import into Russia, was allowed into Odessa. The export of foreign goods from Odessa into the country was allowed only through outposts according to the rules of the Russian customs tariff with the payment of duties on general principles. The export of Russian goods through Odessa was carried out in accordance with existing customs regulations. In this case, the duty was collected at the port when loading onto merchant ships. Russian goods imported only to Odessa were not subject to duty.
The city itself received enormous opportunities for its development from such a system. Buying raw materials duty-free, entrepreneurs opened factories within Porto Franco that processed these raw materials. Because the finished products, produced at such factories, was considered manufactured in Russia, it was sold without duties within the country. Often, products made from imported raw materials within the Odessa borders of the free port did not leave the customs posts at all, but were immediately sent abroad.
Quite quickly, the Odessa port turned into one of the main transshipment points for Mediterranean and Black Sea trade. Odessa grew rich and expanded. By the end of the period of porto-franco, the capital of the Novorossiysk General Government became the fourth largest city in the Russian Empire after St. Petersburg, Moscow and Warsaw.
The initiator of the experiment to introduce porto-franco was one of the most famous governors-general of Novorossiya - Emmanuel Osipovich de Richelieu. He was the great-great-great-nephew of the French Cardinal Richelieu. It was this official who belonged decisive contribution in the cause of mass settlement of the Black Sea region. In 1812, through the efforts of Richelieu, the conditions for resettlement of foreign colonists and internal migrants to the region were finally equalized. Local authorities received the right to issue cash loans to needy settlers from other provinces of the empire “from the amounts for wine farming” and bread for crops and food from bread stores.
In the new places, food was prepared for the settlers for the first time, part of the fields were sown, and tools and draft animals were prepared. To build houses, peasants received building materials in new places. In addition, they were given 25 rubles for each family free of charge.
This approach to resettlement stimulated the migration to Novorossiya of economically active and enterprising peasants, who created a favorable environment for the spread of agriculture civilian labor and capitalist relations.
The Novorossiysk General Government lasted until 1874. During this time, it absorbed the Ochakov region, Taurida and even Bessarabia. Still unique historical path in combination with a number of other factors continues to determine the general mentality of the inhabitants of the Northern Black Sea region. It is based on a synthesis of various national cultures(primarily Russian and Ukrainian), love of freedom, selfless work, economic entrepreneurship, rich military traditions, perception of the Russian state as a natural defender of its interests.
Igor IVANENKO
What was Novorossiya like a century ago? In 1910, a 14-volume publication edited by V.P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky “Russia. Complete geographical description our society." We have collected unique facts from the volume “Crimea and Novorossiya”, the re-release of which we are preparing.
"New Byzantium"
1. It was decided to call the lands liberated from the Turks and Crimean Tatars in the 18th century Novorossiya, by analogy with Little Russia and Great Russia. The annexation of these lands during the era of Catherine was part of the “Greek Project”: the advance to the south and the revival of Byzantium with its center in New Rome (Constantinople).
2. On turn of XIX-XX centuries, New Russia included modern Moldova, Stavropol, Donbass, Rostov, Odessa, Kherson, Nikolaev, Kirovograd and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
3. A lot of cities in New Russia bore Greek names - Stavropol, Simferopol, Sevastpol, Nikopol, Olviopol, Kherson, Balaklava, Alexandria, Tiraspol, etc. This indirectly reflected the “Byzantine idea” of Russian rulers.
Novorossiya and Novorossiysk
4. The modern city of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory, despite its name, was located slightly south of the provinces, which at the end of the 19th century were commonly associated with Novorossiya.
5. Novorossiysk from 1796 to 1802 was called Dnepropetrovsk, a city on the Dnieper with rich history. In 1776, the city of Yekaterinoslav (as it was called in 1776-1796 and 1802-1926) became the center of Novorossiya - the then Azov province.
It was planned in 1784 to make it the “third capital” of the Russian Empire, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city changed many names, even managing to be Samara (or rather Samar, a Cossack town on the Samara River, which flows into the Dnieper).
Living conditions
6. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, about 12.5 million people lived in Novorossiya:
32% - Great Russians, 42% - Little Russians (lived mainly on the right bank of the Dnieper and Konka);
91% Christians (84.7% Orthodox), 6% Jews, 2% Mohammedans.
7. Novorossiya was a multinational territory. Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Germans, Serbs, Bulgarians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Rusyns, Great and Little Russians lived here. In the Stavropol region there are Kalmyks, Nogais and Turkmens.
8. The warmest winters are in Crimea, where the temperature is above zero. The least hot summer by the sea is in Taganrog and Mariupol.
9. The population was mainly rural (more than 80%). The fewest peasants are in the Kherson and Bessarabia provinces, the most townspeople are in the Kherson and Tauride provinces.
10. Most big number schools and students were observed in Crimea and the southwestern regions.
11. Half of the land was in private hands. The most expensive land was in the Bessarabian province - 90 rubles per hectare.
12. Kherson province surpassed many others in terms of productivity, provision of bread and arable land
13. Novorossiya was not only a new agricultural, but also an industrial region of Russia. Main market work force was located in Kakhovka, a city in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Women, teenagers and children worked in industry.
14. The number of teenagers in the sleeve production was about 80% and about 13% children. Children were widely involved in the tobacco industry, and teenagers in the rope and tin industry.
River routes and land roads
15. Before the end of the 15th century, there were no permanent land roads. Temporary steppe roads, portages between rivers and horse trails are known.
16. Some of the most ancient routes of New Russia were: the caravan route from Kiev to Kafa (Feodosia) (XV century), the Muravsky Way (from Perekop through the Konka and Samara rivers to Orel and Tula), the Mikitinsky, Kizekermen and Kryukovsky Ways (along the Dnieper) , Black Way (from Ochakov into the depths of Poland).
17. Under Nicholas I, the first highway was built - from Simferopol to Sevastopol.
18. The first railway in Novorossiya was supposed to replace the never-built Volga-Don Canal and ran from the Volga settlement of Dubovka to the Kachalinskaya village on the Don.
19. The most important Russian rivers were located in Novorossiya - the Dniester, the Dnieper and the Don. At the same time, river navigation was poorly developed.
20. Shipping was best developed on the Don, but shallow water was a hindrance widespread use river fleet. The Don fleet was one of the most expensive.
21. The Dnieper was torn into two parts by rapids, which were extremely difficult to overcome dangerous business. Attempts to deepen the bottom in these areas did not bring any serious effect.
22. The Dniester suffered from shallow water and slight rapids and riffles. In addition, cargo traffic along it fell by the end of the 19th century.
Cities of Novorossiya
23. Stavropol, but not Kharkov, belonged to Novorossiya.
24. Most big city New Russia was Odessa. Rostov and Ekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk) competed for second and third place at the turn of the century. Krivoy Rog, one of the largest modern cities in Ukraine, was a small town at a postal station.
25. Odessa and Rostov were the main trading cities that enjoyed a certain freedom. Where there is trade, there are scammers. That is why the cities became the most famous “thieves’ capitals.” Since those times there has been a saying “Odessa is mother, Rostov is father.”
26. Only Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Moscow were larger than Odessa in the Russian Empire. Rostov is already in 14th place, and Ekaterinoslav is in 17th place (1,2 and 3rd place in Novorossiya, respectively).
27. Odessa was the largest seaport and a railway junction. Convenient location on the Black Sea and between the mouths of two large rivers Europe (Dnieper and Dniester) ensured the wealth of the city. From her to European capitals(Vienna and Rome) was closer to travel than to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
28. The Armenians founded several cities in Novorossiya - Nakhichevan-on-Don (now the Rostov region), Grigoriopol (on the banks of the Dniester) and the Holy Cross (modern Budyonnovsk in Stavropol). Contemporaries noted that Nakhichevan, thanks to its gardens, was superior in beauty to neighboring Rostov. By the end of the 19th century they had merged into a single city.
29. The most important cities of the Greeks were Balaklava (in Crimea) and Mariupol (formerly called Kalmius in Greek). Near Mariupol on the Kalka River (modern Kalmius or Kalchik flowing into it) there was tragic battle troops ancient Russian princes with the Mongol conquerors.
30.Bendery is not only a colloquial name for Ukrainian radical nationalists, but also oldest city in Transnistria. The name most likely comes from the Persian “harbour, port”. The Moldavian rulers called the city Tyagyankyachya, Tigina or Tungata. The Turks renamed it Bendery.
31. The modern city of Zaporozhye did not arise on empty space. Numerous Dnieper rapids ended here. Even before the appearance Zaporozhye Sich on the island of Khortitsa (the largest on the Dnieper) there was a Scythian town. The island is mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles as a place of battles and gathering of princes, here was possibly the “capital” of the chronicle fords - Protolcha, a trade and craft settlement named after the famous ford.
32. In 1552, the Volyn prince Dmitry Vishnevetsky built the first Cossack town here, in 1756 the Zaporozhye shipyard was founded here, and later the Alexander Fortress. Aleksandrovsk became the most important transport hub of Novorossia.
Excursion into history
33. The ancient Greek names of the Don, Dnieper, Southern Bug and Dniester are Tanais, Borysthenes, Hypanis and Tiras.
34. The Scythians roamed the steppe and along the lower reaches of the great rivers; the Tauri, after whom the peninsula was named, lived in the Crimea from ancient times, as well as the remnants of the Cimmerians. To the west of Borysthenes lived farmers - the Allazons and Callipids, beyond the Tanais - the Sarmatians. The Allazons and Callipids were involved in trade with the ancient Greeks, who had a rich colony at the mouth of the Borysthenes - Olbia. The Greeks called them Helleno-Scythians.
35. In Bessarabia lived the Thracian tribes - Getae and Dacians, from whom, together with the Roman colonists, the Romanians and Moldavians trace their origins.
36. There are still many ancient ramparts left in Novorossiya, the origin of which is still a matter of debate. Obviously only them ancient origin. These are the Serpentine Shafts, the Trajan Shafts and the Perekop Shaft.
37. On the territory of Novorossiya there were: Scythian kingdom, Bosporan Kingdom, colonies of Greeks, Italians, Byzantine lands, Empire of the Huns, state of the Goths Oium, Avar Khanate, Great Bulgaria, Khazar Khaganate, Kievan Rus, Golden Horde, Crimean Khanate, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, lands Ottoman Empire, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Zaporozhye Army (Hetmanate).
38. South part Bessarabia - the interfluve of the lower Dniester and Prut rivers was called the Angle. From it came the name of the Slavic tribe of the Streets.
39. The word Bessarabia comes from the name of the Wallachian prince Basarab I (1319 - 1352).
40. “List of Russian cities near and far” (beginning of the 15th century) mentions old Russian cities in Bessarabia: Belgorod, Yassky Torg on the Prut, Khoten on the Dniester, and Peresechen (according to another version, it was located on the Dnieper near modern Dnepropetrovsk).
41. Seaside cities Novorossiya also has a long history. On the site of Odessa there was a city of Istrian sailors - Istrion (VI century AD). Nearby there was a whole constellation of ancient Greek colonies: Odessos, Olvia, Thira, Nikonion, Isakion, Skopelos, Alectos.
42. New Russia was chosen by the Greeks and Scythians even before our era. Large trading cities were located here. In place of Azov - Tanais, Taganrog - Kremny, Kerch - Mirmekiy, Tiritaka and Panticapaeum, Feodosia retained the name, in place of Sevastopol - Chersonesos, Evpatoria - Kerkintis, Simferopol - Scythian Naples, ancient capital Scythian kingdom.
43. Another oldest city of the Scythians was located near modern city Zaporozhye (until 1921 - Alexandrovsk).
44. From the Greek colonies and settlers we got the word “estuary” (translated as harbor, bay).
45. The cities of Crimea and the Black Sea coast, lost by Byzantium, were quickly reclaimed by the Italians (Venetians and Genoese), Turks and Crimean Tatars. The Crimean Khanate and Gazaria (Genoese colonies) owned the cities of Crimea. The chronicle Surozh (Pike perch) became the Italian Soldaya, Balaklava was called in Italian Chembalo, Yalta - Dzhialita, Alushta - Alusta, Feodosia - Kaffa. Ak-mosque, Akkerman, Achi-Kale are Turkish cities on the site of Simferopol, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky and Ochakov.
46. In Crimea, descendants of the Goths are still found among the Greeks and Crimean Tatars. These are mostly people with blue eyes and blond hair, who have completely switched to a foreign language. However, according to the surviving descriptions of medieval historians, the Crimean Gothic language existed until late XVIII century.
47. In the Southern Crimea there was the legendary Gothia, which later became the Orthodox principality of Theodoro with a Greek-Gothic-Alanian population and was captured by the Turks in 1475. The capital of Theodoro - Mangup, was deserted and completely disappeared as a settlement today.
48. City Old Crimea Throughout its history it has changed about 22 names. The most famous: Taz, Kareya, Trakana, Solkhat, Levkopol.
49. The Perekop Isthmus, separating Crimea from the mainland, has been the most important place since ancient times, the “gateway” to mainland. According to Ptolemy and Pliny the Elder, there was even a canal here for some time connecting the Azov and Black Seas. On the site of Perekop there was an ancient Greek trading city called Taphros. Here is the Perekop shaft, which is about 2 thousand years old.
50. Russian cities existed in New Russia back in the 10th century (Belgorod at the mouth of the Dniester and Oleshye at the mouth of the Dnieper). With the weakening of the Golden Horde, new cities appear. They belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which, as is known, the official language and the language of the majority of the population was Russian.
After the death of Vytautas in 1430, a list of castles was given: Sokolets (now Voznesensk, Nikolaev region), Black City (Ochakov, Nikolaev region), Kachuklenov (Odessa).
Cossacks and border guards
51. Border Serbs (Austrian “Cossacks”) asked the Russian government to settle them in Russia. This is how a whole region was born - New Serbia on the territory of modern Kirovograd region. Its capital became the city of Novomirgorod. More than ten years later, New Serbia became part of the Novorossiysk province.
52. Another area where Serbs and other Balkan settlers lived was Slavyanoserbia (in the territory of Lugansk and Donetsk regions), the center of which was the city of Bakhmut (modern Artyomovsk).
53. The Cossacks in New Russia were mostly part of the Don Army and the Zaporozhye Army. The Cossacks settled “beyond the rapids” in the lower reaches of the Dnieper on numerous islands and capes. History remembers successive battles: Khortitsa (on Khortitsa Island), Tokmakovskaya (on Tokmakovka Island), Nikitinskaya (at the Nikitinsky Horn), Chertomlykskaya (along the river), Bazavalukskaya (on Bazavluk Island), Pidpilnyanskaya, Kamenskaya and Aleshkovskaya ( by the name of the rivers that fell).
54. Don Cossacks had towns along the Don and Medveditsa. The most famous are Cherkasy, Monastyrsky, Tsimlyansky.
