The garrison of the town of Terki in the middle of the XVII century

The article aims to investigate the dynamics of the number and composition of the garrison of the town of Terki in the middle of the XVII century. The main sources are three estimated lists of military forces of Russian towns in 1632, 1651 and 1663. They are supplemented by data from other documents - tsarist letters, voivodes’ despatches, and petitions. The result of the work is more complete and more accurate than previously available data on the dynamics of the number, social and ethnic composition of the Terek garrison. They can influence the study of social processes, military and political events and inter-ethnic relations. The study allows to conclude about the rather large number and complex composition of the Terek military men, among whom were not only Streltsy or boyar children, but also Cossacks (white and free - Terek and Greben) and representatives of the peoples of the Caucasus: Uzdeni, Okochan and Newly Baptized. From 1632 to 1651 the number of the garrison of the town of Terki increased, but from 1651 to 1663 it slightly decreased.