Republic of Khakassia - History

History

From the 6th century Khakassia was the core of the old Kyrgyz state. In the 13th century, following defeat by the Mongols, the majority of the Kyrgyz people migrated southwest to their current homeland in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan). Modern Khakassians regard themselves as the descendants of those Kyrgyz who remained in Siberia. Khakassia was incorporated into the Russian state in 1707.

In 1727 this was confirmed in a treaty between Russia and China. Tsarist policy was to deport convicted criminals from European Russia to Siberia and forts were quickly constructed in Khakassia (1707 and 1718). Many prisoners stayed in the area on their release. Many of the indigenous Khakassian people converted to the Russian Orthodox church and were gradually forced to abandon their nomadic way of life.

By the time of the Russian Revolution Russians made up approximately half of the population. Under Soviet rule autonomy was granted on 10 October 1930. During the 1920s and 1930s the Soviet authorities resettled an estimated quarter of a million Russians in the region. These were followed by 10,000 Volga Germans deported in World War II. By the time of the 1959 census ethnic Khakassians represented little more than one in ten of the population. Khakassia was given full autonomous republic status in 1991.