Topology and toponymy of the first settlements of the service Tatars (Meshcheryaks) in the Ufa district in the 17th century

Abstract

This article examines the early stages of the development of the first settlements of the Meshcheryaks (service Tatars, natives of the Meshchersky region) in the Ufa district in the 17th century. Beginning in the 1640s, a permanent network of settlements belonging to the Tatar service corporation began to form in the Ufa district. In the second half of the 17th century, the Ufa service Tatars faced a number of external challenges. Despite these unfavorable conditions, they were generally able not only to preserve their settlement structure but also to continue its development. The primary sources used in this study were materials from the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and the National Archives of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The study allowed us to reconstruct the topology and toponymic development of the first settlements of service Tatars founded in the 17th century in Ufa district. The novelty of the study lies in its presentation of a model for the formation of toponyms for service Tatars settlements in Ufa district, the reconstruction of the early stages of the settlement network of service Ufa Meshcheryaks, and the description of the migration processes of service Tatars within the county in the 17th century.

For citation: Mukhamadeev D.R. Topology and toponymy of the first settlements of the service Tatars (Meshcheryaks) in the Ufa district in the 17th century. From History and Culture of Peoples of the Middle Volga Region. 2025, vol.15, no.3, pp.21–41. https://doi.org/10.22378/2410-0765.2025-15-3.21-41 (In Russian)