“...Khan managed to get away to an unknown location”. Escape of Kokand Khan Khudayar from Orenburg in 1877

Introduction. The study reconstructs the events of the escape from Orenburg of the former ruler of the Khanate of Kokand, Khudayar Khan, on November 12, 1877. Methods and materials. The materials of the United State Archive of Orenburg Oblast used in this work have not been introduced into scientific circulation before. An analysis of the daily life of subjects, a demonstration of the features of their home life, the mental characteristics of personalities, the determination of the motives of actions, and the algorithm of people’s actions imply the choice of an anthropological approach as a methodological basis for the study. Analysis. The period from the moment Khudayar arrived in Orenburg until his escape from the city is a particularly colorful life story, which has not yet been presented in historiography, and this confirms the novelty of the work. The informativeness of the discovered documents made it possible to clearly illustrate the organizational aspects of this extraordinary event. It is interesting that the khan, contrary to the belief that he was an honorary prisoner of Orenburg, actually had the opportunity to legally leave the city at any time. Emperor Alexander II, remembering that Khudayar was loyal to Russia when the khan was still on the throne of Kokand, allowed him to choose his place of residence within the core lands of the empire. Only moving to St. Petersburg was prohibited, and return to Central Asia was forbidden. Having considerable freedom of movement within the empire, which, of course, was only possible under the control of the Russian authorities, Khudayar Khan decided not to move and continued to live in the border city of Orenburg, slowly preparing to flee to Asia to try to regain power. Khudayar Khan could not prepare for a risky journey across Asia without arousing the suspicion of the police officers who were watching him and then quietly leave the city completely on his own. A small circle of trusted people was involved in the execution of the escape plan, including Khudayar’s relatives and Kazakhs interested in him as a political figure.