«Highest Commands» of Russian Emperor Alexander I as a legal instrument for preserving the historical and cultural heritage of Crimean Muslims, First quarter of the 19th century

Scientific article

DOI 10.28995/2073-0101-2026-2-440-456

For citation

Konkin, D. V. (2026). «Highest Commands» of Russian Emperor Alexander I as a legal instrument for preserving the historical and cultural heritage of Crimean Muslims, First quarter of the 19th century, Herald of an Archivist, no. 2, pp. 440-456. DOI 10.28995/2073-0101-2026-2-440-456

Konkin, D. V.

V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia

«Highest Commands» of Russian Emperor Alexander I as a legal instrument for preserving the historical and cultural heritage of Crimean Muslims, First quarter of the 19th century

Abstract

An important tool for resolving practical state issues in the Russian Empire were «Highest Commands» – oral orders issued by the monarch that were binding on his subjects. Due to their specific nature, «Highest Commands» were often not recorded in official law collections, but they regularly appear in archival records. These orders sometimes assumed key significance in resolving practical regional issues, particularly in regulating issues that arose during the incorporation of the «national outskirts» of the Russian Empire. By the beginning of Alexander's I reign, such regions included the newly formed Taurida Governorate, populated primarily by Muslims. Materials discovered in the Russian State Historical Archive (St. Petersburg) and the State Archives of the Republic of Crimea (Simferopol) demonstrate Emperor Alexander I's personal involvement in resolving local issues. The «Highest Command» of Alexander I to the Minister of Internal Affairs, V. P. Kochubey, issued in 1803 motivated the adoption of key regulations concerning the funeral rites of the Crimean Tatars. As a result, the Tauride Governor, together with the Tauride Mufti, developed a decision banning mass burials of Muslims near mosques and in the immediate vicinity of residential areas in Crimea. Muslim cemeteries were henceforth to be established in nearby and specially designated areas outside of populated areas. Another important measure, resulting from the direct intervention of Emperor Alexander I, was permission for Crimean residents to build their homes in accordance with the established canons of Islamic architecture. The ban was introduced in 1809 following the adoption of a uniform architectural standard for all of Russia. In 1818, an exception was made for Crimea as a result of the Emperor's «Highest Command». Modern Western historiography consistently emphasizes the colonial nature of the Russian state, manifested, in particular, in the allegedly deliberate infringement of traditional rights and customs and religious discrimination against the Crimean Tatars. Archival materials introduced into scholarly circulation demonstrate the bias and one-sidedness of this view. Documented evidence illustrates Alexander I's lack of prejudice regarding Islamic rules and traditions, and his willingness to make exclusive decisions that took into account the unique situation of the «national outskirts» of the Russian Empire.

Keywords

Alexander I, Russian Empire, Crimea, «Highest Commands», Crimean Tatars, Muslim burial rites, Crimean Tatar architecture, archival sources.

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About authors

Konkin Denis Valerievich, Candidate of Historical Sciences, V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Research Center for the History and Archaeology of Crimea, Researcher, Simferopol, Russia, +7-978-828-61-56, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ORCID 0000-0002-6966-9963

Grant information

The paper was conducted with the financial support of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 25-28-20072, «Instrumentalization of History: the Use of Crimea’s Past in Russia and Abroad, 1783–1853»), https://rscf.ru/project/25-28-20072/

The article was received in the editorial office on 13.02.2025, recommended for publication on 20.03.2026