Administrative and territorial structure of Transbaikal in the 1650–1680

This study examines the development of the administrative-territorial structure of Transbaikal, and to some extent, the Amur region, between the 1650s and 1680s, drawing on archival and published administrative sources. It corrects numerous inaccuracies and errors found in historiography concerning this process. The social, administrative, and official status of the Transbaikal administrators is clarified, and the formation and duration of several districts — Nerchinsk (from 1680), Selenginsk (1680–1683), Albazin (1683–1686), and Irkutsk (from 1688) uyezds (districts) — are determined. Furthermore, the local governance system in the Transbaikal region is described, alongside the factors that contributed to its transformation. These factors primarily pertain to Russia’s relationships with Mongolia and Qing China, as well as the changing military-political situation in Transbaikalia and the Amur region.