Caucasus Viceroy and His Fraction (1845–1881)

Abstract. The article discusses the role and significance of informal relations and connections in the management system of the southern outskirts of the Russian Empire in 1845–1881. The main attention is paid to the informal structures that arose around the Caucasian Viceroys during this period. Already the first Caucasian Viceroy M.S. Vorontsov created a patronage network that consisted of the military, civil administration officials, as well as representatives of regional elites. An important place in the management system of the region was occupied by the Caucasian Committee and its manager V.P. Butkov. This talented official took the side of the viceroys (M.S. Vorontsov and A.I. Baryatinsky) in the confrontation with the ministers. The importance of the Caucasian Committee decreased significantly during the administration of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich. During this period, the court office of the Grand Duke acquires administrative significance in the region, and his adjutants make quick careers thanks to high informal patronage. The article is based on a variety of historical evidence: official and unofficial correspondence of the Caucasian Viceroys and their closest employees, office documentation of the Caucasian Committee, a set of documents from the court office of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich, memoir literature, which is used as an auxiliary source, which is explained by its obvious subjectivity.

Keywords: Russian Empire, Caucasus, Caucasian Viceroys, Patron-Client Relations.