Uryankhay Krai

Not to be confused withTannu UriankhaiorOuter Mongolia.

Uryankhay Krai Урянхайский край(Russian) Таңды Урянхай(Tuvan)
1914–1921
Flag
Blue line is the Uryankhay Krai's border. Red line is theTuvan Autonomous Oblastborder.
Status	ProtectorateofRussia
Capital	Belotsarsk
Common languages	Tuvan Russian Chinese
Demonym(s)	Tuvan
Government	Republic
Amban Noyan
• 1914–1915	Oyun Ölzey-Ochur oglu Kombu-Dorzhu
• 1915–1916	Irgit Agbaan-Demchi
• 1916–1921	Oyun Kombu-Dorzhu oglu Sodunam-Balchyr
Historical era	World War I,Russian Civil War
• Established	17 April 1914
• Became thePeople's Republic of Tannu Tuva	14 August 1921
Population
• 1914	73,000
Preceded by Succeeded by Uryankhay Republic Chinese occupation of Outer Mongolia Chinese occupation of Outer Mongolia Tannu-Tuva People's Republic
Today part of	Russia

Uryankhay Kraiwas the name of what is todayTuvaand was a short-livedprotectorateof theRussian Empirethat was proclaimed on 17 April 1914, created from theUryankhay Republicwhich had recently proclaimed its independence from theQing dynastyof China in theMongolian Revolution of 1911.After theFebruary Revolutionand abdication ofTsarNicholas II,Uryankhay Krai recognized the newRussian Republicand reaffirmed its status as a Russian protectorate in 1917.

During theRussian Civil War,the country wasoccupied by ChinaandRussian "Whites"between 1918 and 1921. Supported by theRed Army,theTuvan People's Revolutionary Partyestablished the Sovietpuppet stateof theTuvan People's Republic(initiallyTannu Tuva) on 14 August 1921.

Toponymy

The name Uryankhay is ofMongolianorigin, and was the RussianexonymforTuvansfrom the 17th century up through the early 20th century.The term was also the Tuvanendonymuntil the early 19th century, when they began referring to themselves as Tuvans, likely after a subgroup in the region.

Geography

Theprotectorate's borders roughly correspond with that of the contemporaryRussianTuvan Republic.Much of Uryankhay Krai's territory was mountainous.The territory was bound by theTannu-Ola mountainsto the south, and theSayan Mountainsto the north.

History

Further information:History of Tuva

Tuva had been under the rule of theQing dynastysince the mid-18th century.However, Russian settlers began immigrating en masse to the region in 1838 and 1839, following the discovery of gold deposits in the area.In subsequent years, Russians began constructing gold mines and establishing trading institutions in the region.Throughout the mid and late 19th century, a number of Russian scientists began documenting the region's nativefloraand studying theTuvan people,and Russian settlers continued to immigrate to the region.Russian interest in the region continued through the early 20th century, and theTsarist governmentsponsored a number of expeditions from 1906 through 1910 to locate mineral deposits in the area.By 1909, it was estimated that approximately 9,000 ethnically Russian settlers lived in the region.

Uryankhay Republic

Despite the increasing Russian presence in the region, the region remained part of the Qing dynasty, until the aftermath of the 1911Xinhai Revolution.The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1912, and theUryankhay Republicwas proclaimed.The Uryankhay Republic found itself against the newly establishedRepublic of China,which sought to reclaimMongoliaand the Uryankhay Republic as part of its territory.However, the Uryankhay Republic's leaders found itself divided over which path to take the country, with some speaking in favor of joining the Russiansphere of influence,some seeking to turn to China, and some seeking a course of action completely independent of both larger powers.Ultimately, Tuvan andMongolianleaders appealed for Russian protection against Chinese reintegration,de facto joining the Russian sphere of influence.In 1912 and 1913, Tuvan leaders appealed toTsar Nicholas IIto grant Russiancitizenshipto Tuvans in the Uryankhay Republic, giving legitimacy to Russian interests in the Republic, and laying the groundwork for a Tuvanprotectorate.

Tsarist protectorate

On 4 April 1914, Nicholas II signed a declaration granting Russian citizenship to the citizens of five Uryankhaykozhuun(Tuvan:кожуун;Russian:хошун,khoshun), the Republic'sadministrative divisions,which began the practice of a formal Russian protectorate in the region.This declaration also saw the admission of seven kozhuun into theYeniseysk Governorate,although local government structures largely remained unchanged.

Uryankhay Krai was established on 17 April 1914.The government was based in the city of Belotsarsk (Russian:Белоцарск), which was founded by Russian settlers that year, which was later renamed toKyzyl.

On 7 June 1915 (25 May in theOld style calendar), theKyakhta Russian-Sino-Mongolian Triple Agreement(Russian:Кяхтинское русско-китайско-монгольское тройственное соглашение) was signed, which formalized territorial boundaries between Russia, China, Mongolia, and Uryankhay Krai.

The entry of Russia intoWorld War Isaw more skepticism towards Russia among the Uryankhay Krai's elites, and emboldened figures in the protectorate who sought closer political ties with China.Following theFebruary Revolution,the newProvisional Governmentcontinued to uphold Uryankhay Krai's status as a protectorate, and in August 1917, the Provisional Government established a series of local reorganized governments inSiberia.

Soviet rule

However, Tsarist rule in Uryankhay Krai did not last long, and theSovietstook the region on 16 March 1918.Soon after, Soviet forces began an ambitiousredistributionprogram in Uryankhay Krai, redistributing livestock herds and the property of prominent Russian merchants.

In June 1918, the local Soviet government adopted the Treaty on the Self-Determination of Tuva (Russian:Договор о самоопределении Тувы), which sought to end the protectorate status of Uryankhay Krai, and established an independent Soviet government in the region.However, this decision was met with resistance among the protectorate's elites, who invited Mongolian and Chinese troops and diplomats into the region, and began deepening political and economic ties with the two countries.The entrance of Chinese and Mongolian troops in the region sparked the potential for a violent confrontation between the two countries' forces and localRed Armytroops, however theProvisional Siberian GovernmentinOmskmanaged to negotiated the exit of the two countries' forces shortly after, avoiding any confrontation.Nevertheless, sympathies towards the two countries remained, with local Tuvans remaining largely loyal to the region's elites, and Chinese goods remaining cheaper than those made from Russia.The local Soviet government implemented a ban against the import of Mongolian and Chinese goods, however, this went largely unenforced, and merchants from the two countries often entered Uryankhay Krai, and spreadanti-Sovietpropaganda.

Anti-Soviet efforts in the region proved a convincing success, and the local Soviet government collapsed in July 1918, and the Provisional Siberian Government led byPyotr Vologodskytook its place.This new government sought to win the support of local Tuvans through providing support to local elites andBuddhistinstitutions, and implement a number of functioning public services.The Provisional Government also prioritized established control over the nearby border with Mongolia, hoping to limit Chinese and Mongolian excursions into Uryankhay Krai.

Emboldened by deepening economic ties and a close political relation with many Tuvan elites, Chinese general Yang Shichao marched troops into Uryankhay Krai in the fall of 1918, occupying much of the region's southern and western portions.Shortly after, Mongolian troops led byKhatanbaatar Magsarjavfollowed suit, occupying additional positions within the south of Uryankhay Krai.This further weakened the position of the Provisional Government, and prevented them from exercising much control over Uryankhay Krai.

Ultimately, a series ofanti-Russianriots broke out in the region in the spring of 1919, driving out the Provisional Siberian Government without resistance.Soviet forces, led byPyotr ShchetinkinandAlexander Kravchenko,entered Uryankhay Krai in the summer of 1919, hoping to use the region as a base to launch their expansion intoTurkestanand to fight against the government ofAlexander Kolchak.Following a series of negotiations with China and Mongolia, the Soviets negotiated anon-aggression agreementto apply to the region.In September 1919, the Red Army largely abandoned Uryankhay Krai in pursuit of Kolchak's forces, allowed Chinese and Mongolian forces to further expanded in the region.The Red Army quickly defeated Kolchak's army, and by early 1921, expelled Chinese forces from Uryankhay Krai.Upon the outbreak of theMongolian Revolution of 1921,Mongolian forces also evacuated the region, consolidating Soviet control in Uryankhay Krai.

Uryankhay Krai was succeeded by theTannu Tuva People's Republicon 14 August 1921.

Government and politics

Theadministrative divisionsof the Uryankhay Krai remained largely unchanged from those introduced by theQingin the mid-18th century.Uryankhay Krai was divided intokozhuun(Tuvan:кожуун;Russian:хошун,khoshun), which functioned as administrative units withtaxationpowers headed by leaders known as ukherids (Tuvan:ухэрид;Russian:огурд,ogurd).

The national government of Uryankhay Krai wasde jureheaded by a leader titled Amban Noyan (Russian:Амдын-Нойон,Amdyn-Noyon).In the first few years of Uryankhay Krai, theRussian Empiremaintained a RussianCommissar,who was tasked with managing the flow of Russian settlers into theprotectorate.The protectorate's government was seated inKyzyl.

However, Uryankhay Krai's various governments were often short-lived and ineffective, due to the volatile nature of theRussian Civil War,as well as strongChineseandMongolianinfluence, and periods of occupation by those two countries.TheSoviet Uniontook control of Uryankhay Krai on 16 March 1918, less than four years after the Uryankhay Krai was established as a protectorate.Mere months later, the Chinese and Mongolian troops occupied much of Uryankhay Krai, and theProvisional Siberian GovernmentinOmsktook over the region.Less than a year later, the Provisional Siberian Government was also expelled from the region, and the Soviet Union assumed brief control for another few months, before Chinese and Mongolian troops occupied Uryankhay Krai.Occupation by China and Mongolia lasted from mid-1919 until early 1921, when the Soviet Union reassumed control, and abolished Uryankhay Krai in favor of theTannu Tuva People's Republicmere months later.

Uryankhay Krai's politics were largely dominated by disputes among local elites over whether togeopoliticallyalign with Russia or China.Groups advocated for the former won victory in organizing the region as a Russian protectorate, but despite this, leaders who tilted more towards China remained prominent during the existence of the protectorate.These forces saw their influence amplified following Russia's largely disastrous entry intoWorld War I,and once again following the Soviet takeover of the protectorate in March 1918.In the summer of 1918, local leaders invited Chinese and Mongolian troops into the region, although they were expelled following a negotiation mediated by theProvisional Siberian GovernmentinOmsk.To win support among the locals, the Provisional Siberian Government attempted to organize an effective judicial system, police force, postal service, and road network.Local officials made establishing a road connection with the nearby city ofMinusinska priority.Despite these plans to win the support of local Tuvans, Chinese and Mongolian troops re-entered portions of southern and western Uryankhay Krai in the fall of 1918, creating additional challenges.To prevent a broader ideological tilt towards China and Mongolia, the Provisional Government also sought to give power to local Tuvan elites, and win the support ofBuddhistinstitutions and figures such as the localKhambo Lama.In March 1919, the Khambo Lama wrote a letter supporting the status of being a Russian protectorate, and proclaimed that the region of Tuva was never truly a part of China or Mongolia.As a result, the Provisional Government provided logistical and financial support for the Khambo Lama, and the proliferation of Buddhist teachings throughout the region.They also planned for the establishment of an assembly of local kozhuun leaders, as well as the implementation of local government organizations headed by Noyans, all contingent on the oversight of the Provisional Government, which would have the final say in elections and decision-making matters.These officials were to be given special rewards should they prove their loyalty to the Provisional Government, in the form of cloth, cattle, agricultural equipment, and other simple goods.However, the continued occupation of part of Uryankhay Krai by China and Mongolia, coupled with the Provisional Government's numerous military defeats at the hand of theRed Army,ensured that the Provisional Government exercised little de facto control, and could not realize such ambitious plans.The ineffectiveness of the Provisional Government, combined with ethnic tensions andanti-Russian sentiment,led to the local Tuvan population driving out the Provisional Government in the spring of 1919, as well as many Russian settlers.Red Army forces briefly occupied the region in the summer of 1919, before turning elsewhere, allowing China and Mongolia to exact control over the region.In the following three years, the Red Army began decisively winning the Russian Civil War and consolidating power, enabling them to expel Chinese forces in early 1921.Mongolian forces left voluntarily following theMongolian Revolution of 1921.Shortly after, the Tannu Tuva People's Republic was proclaimed on 14 August 1921.

Demographics

Upon theprotectorate's founding, its total population was approximately 73,000.In 1914, there were less than 4,000 ethnicRussiansin the protectorate,however, this number grew to about 12,000 by 1917.