Social and ethnic characteristics of nobility in Terek region in the late 19th century

The purpose of the study is to systematize the social and ethnic characteristics of nobility in Terek region in the late 19th century. The author analyzes the materials of the Russian Imperial Census of 1897 that demonstrate the number and structure of nobility, its ethnic composition and education level. The research revealed that a large part of nobility in Terek region lived in cities. There were more hereditary noblemen rather than personal ones. The number of the nobility rapidly increased in the post-reform period, which was caused by a significant increase in the bureaucracy. The higher education was inaccessible; it was mainly received by noblemen. The research emphasized that most citizens having military education lived in Terek region compared to neighboring territories. The nobility of the region was multinational because of the historical prerequisites for the indigenous population formation as well as due to the increased inflow of immigrants from the internal provinces of the Russian Empire (especially western ones) in the post-reform period. The highland aristocracy played a special role in the composition of the nobility; its involvement in public service was of particular importance.