SENTINELS OF THE STEPPE FRONTIER: DIPLOMACY, TRADE, AND POWER IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE KHIVA KHANATE AND THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE UNDER MUHAMMAD RAHIMKHAN I (1806–1825)
Keywords:
Khiva Khanate, Russian Empire, Muhammad Rahimkhan I, Central Asia, imperial frontiers.Abstract
This article examines the political, economic, and diplomatic relations between the Khiva Khanate and the Russian Empire during the reign of Muhammad Rahimkhan I (1806–1825). Based on a critical analysis of Russian imperial archives, Central Asian chronicles, European travel accounts, and modern international scholarship, the study argues that Russo–Khivan relations in the early nineteenth century were shaped by pragmatic calculation rather than ideological confrontation. The article emphasizes the agency of the Khivan ruling elite, the role of informal trade networks, and the hybrid nature of diplomacy on the imperial periphery. It concludes that the period under study represents a transitional phase in which Khiva functioned not as a passive object of Russian expansion, but as an active political actor navigating competing imperial interests.
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