Kalmyk-dzungar relations at the end of the 17th – beginning of the 18th Century

Kalmyk-Dzungar relations of the 17th-18th centuries require a separate study taking into account the discovery of new documentary materials. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the relations of the Kalmyk and Dzungar Khanates of the late 17th – early 18th centuries. The desire of the Kalmyk taishas to maintain relations with the Dzungar Khanate was supported by virtue of the still preserved traditions, because of the desire to have a more or less secured rear. The Dzungar Khanate was a rather powerful nomadic state, which posed a threat not only to neighboring peoples and states, but also directly to the Kalmyk Khanate, especially after the migration of individual Dzungar uluses to the Volga and Don in the 1680s. Moreover, the route for the Volga Kalmyks to sacred Tibet, with which rather close religious ties were maintained, ran through Dzungaria. After the death of the Dzungar Galdan Boshogtu Khan in 1697 and the granting of the title of Khan by the Tibetan clergy, Khan Ayuka had the opportunity to become the head of a unified Oirat state, which stimulated the idea of the return of the Kalmyks to Dzungaria. However, the lack of political unity in Kalmyk society did not allow Ayuka to ultimately decide to leave Russia. But the idea of returning to their historical homeland was taken up by the eldest sons of Khan Ayuka, led by Chakdorjab, who in 1701 rebelled against their father. The departure of 15 thousand Kalmyk tents to Dzungaria did not contribute to the strengthening of the Kalmyk Khanate, since the opposite process had previously occurred. The rebels were mistaken in their calculations, since the Dzungar Khuntaiji Tsewang-Rabdan himself claimed the role of the all-Oirat leader and hoped to strengthen his army at the expense of the Volga Kalmyks. In the Kalmyk Khanate there was a «pro-Dzungar» party led by Khan Darma-Bala, which promoted the idea of Khuntaiji Tsewang-Rabdan about «reunification». Opponents of this idea from among the Kalmyk taishas had every possible support not only from the Russian government, but also from Qing China, which sought to create an anti-Dzungar military coalition. Tsewang-Rabdan again initiated the conclusion of a number of marriage alliances, which caused mistrust among the Kalmyk rulers and ultimately did not allow further development of this idea. In general, it is worth noting that the topic of Kalmyk-Dzungar relations in the 17th-18th centuries. requires further research based on new archival information, since it touches on one of the little-known pages in the history of the Oirats.