Kars Oblast

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Kars Oblast (English)
Карсская область (Modern Russian)
300px
Coat of Arms
Karobl.png
Coat of arms of the Kars Oblast
Established 1878
Abolished 1917
Political status
Region		 Oblast
South Caucasus
Area
Area
- Rank		 16,473 verst²
n/a
Population (1897 census)
Population
- Rank
- Density
- Urban
- Rural		 290,654 inhabitants
n/a
17.6 inhab. / verst²
n/a
n/a
Government
First Head
Last Head		 n/a
n/a

Kars Oblast (Russian: Карсская область, Karsskaya Oblast) was one of the Transcaucasian oblasts of the Russian Empire between 1878 and 1917. Its capital was the city of Kars, presently in the Republic of Turkey. The governorate bordered with the Ottoman Empire, Batum Oblast, Tiflis Governorate, Erivan Governorate, and from 1883 to 1903 the Kutaisi Governorate. It covered all of Turkey's present provinces of Kars and Ardahan and the northeastern part of Erzurum Province as well as a small part of Armenia.

According to the Russian Empire Census of 1897, the Oblast was populated with 25.3% Armenians, 21.9% Turks, 14.8% Kurds, 11.2% Caucasus Greeks, 10.3% Karapapaks, and 7.7% Russians.

History

Kars Oblast was created in 1878 from some of the lands conquered by Russia from the Ottoman Empire and transferred to Russia by the Treaty of San Stefano (1878). The lands of the Oblast had previously belonged to the Ottoman Kars Eyalet and Samtskhe Province before 1845 and Erzurum Eyalet after 1845. [1]

With the incorporation of the region into Russian Empire, a large portion (82,000 during 1878-81, according to Russian sources[1]) of the local Muslim population left for Ottoman territory. Instead new settlers (mostly Armenians, Caucasus Greeks (i.e., Russianized, eastern Pontic Greeks from Armenia and Georgia) and Russians) [1] migrated to or were resettled in the newly conquered lands from Russia's other Transcaucasian provinces or from areas that still fell within the Ottoman Turkish side of the newly drawn border. Many of these Christian Orthodox communities had fought in or collaborated with the Russian imperial army as a means of recapturing territory from the Muslim Ottomans for Christian Orthodoxy.[1]

The first ruler of the oblast held the title of nachalnik ("chief"), later the title became military governor. Nachalniks were ru (01.11.1877—08.06.1878) and ru (08.06.1878—27.10.1878). The first military governor of was Viktor Frankini (27.10.1878—01.04.1881).

After the October Revolution of 1917 and the disintegration of Russian Empire, the lands of its Kars Oblast were controlled for a short while by First Republic of Armenia and, in its northeastern part, by the Democratic Republic of Georgia. In any event Turkish forces soon recovered the area. Reincorporation of most of the lands of the former Kars Oblast into the Turkish state was officially confirmed by the Treaty of Kars (1921).

Administrative division

Since 1881, Kars Oblast consisted of four okrugs (districts):

  • Kars (Карсский округ)
  • Ardahan (Ардаганский округ)
  • Kağızman (Кагызманский округ)
  • Oltu (Ольтинский округ)

Two more okrugs, Zarushat (Заришат) and Shoragyal (Шорагял; also spelt Shuregel) existed in 1878-81.

Demographics

1892

File:Letts, Son & Co. Russia 9. 1883 (O).jpg
An 1883 map including Kars Oblast and adjacent provinces of Russian and Ottoman Empires
File:Ethnographic map of the Kars Oblast-1902.png
Ethnographic map of the Kars Oblast, 1902 (according to the census of 1886)

In 1892, the population of Kars Oblast was estimated as 200,868. The ethnic composition, and religious affiliation of ethnic groups, was reported as follows:[1]

The religious composition of the population was reported as follows:

1897

File:Karsprorro.png
Kars 1897 Census

The Russian Empire Census of 1897 counted 290,654 residents in Kars Oblast, including 160,571 men and 130,083 women. This number may perhaps imply that the 200,868 estimate for 1892 given by Brockhaus is too low, or that a large-scale migration from other provinces of the empire took place in between. The following breakdown of the population by the mother tongue was reported:[2]

The 30,000 excess population of male over females was mainly attributed to the "European" ethnic groups. Viz., among the 27,856 speakers of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian, 19,910 men and 7,946 women were recorded. The Polish, and Lithuanian speakers were almost exclusively (99%) male as well; Germans and Jews, 80 to 90% males. This preponderance of males in the "European" ethnic groups (reported, usually to a lesser extent, in neighboring governorates as well) may indicate presence of a large numbers of soldiers or exiled persons in the region.

Ethnic groups in Kars Oblast according to 1897 Russian census[3]

Okrug (district) Armenians Turks Kurds Caucasus Greeks Karapapak Russians Turkmens Ukrainians Poles Tatars (Azerbaijani)
TOTAL 25,3% 21,9% 14,8% 11,2% 10,3% 7,7% 2,9% 1,8% 1,1% …
Ardahan 2,9% 42,6% 19,1% 11,9% 12,0% 3,0% 6,6% … … …
Kaghizman 36,5% 8,7% 29,9% 12,2% … 4,4% 1,1% 2,4% 1,5% 1,5%
Kars 34,8% 7,9% 6,8% 11,0% 16,4% 12,6% 1,8% 2,5% 1,6% 1,1%
Olti 9,9% 62,6% 11,1% 8,6% … 2,8% 3,2% … … …

See also

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Карсская область (Kars Oblast) in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (Russian)
  2. ↑ Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и регионам (Census 1897)
  3. ↑ Демоскоп Weely - Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и уездам. Российской Империи кроме губерний Европейской России
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