The Legal Status of the Native Population of Western Siberia in the Russian Empire (late 17th century – late 19th century)

The article analyzes the legal status of the yasak population in the Russian Empire in the 17th-19th centuries, namely the period of history from the reign of Peter I to the accession to the throne of Emperor Nicholas II.In their study, the authors relied mainly on materials from Western Siberia, extrapolating the study to the entire policy of the development of colonial territories by the Russian Empire.The authors' view is focused on the regulatory and law enforcement activities of the bodies of the Russian state for the integration of Siberian foreigners into Russian society.The paper examines the genesis of the development of the socio-economic and legal status of the native population of Western Siberia within the framework of the development of territories by the Russian Empire in the XVIII-XIX centuries.On the basis of archival data and other open sources, the problems that the public authorities have faced in terms of integrating the native population of Siberia into Russian society are being comprehended.The authors identify a number of important analytical positions that contributed to the resistance of foreigners to the policy of assimilation.In addition, the article attempts to identify the causes of positive changes in the development of cultural and economic ties between Russian and native society.The research materials demonstrate certain results affecting the period under study in the field of "domestication" of Siberian aliens and the nullification of the normative uncertainty of their legal status.The authors emphasize the careful attitude of the government of the Russian Empire to the traditional way of life of the natives and their social regulation.