The number and composition of the serving people of the city of Turki in 1660-1670.

For a long time, Turki was the only Russian city in the North Caucasus, so without the military men who defended it, it simply could not exist. The study of the number and composition of these people, as well as the causes and consequences of their changes, is the main task of the study. The chronological framework of the work is 1660-1670. It was a very difficult period in the history of the city, when it experienced economic difficulties, famine, sea level rise, which forced the city to be moved to a new location, and the hostile actions of some neighbors. At the same time, the serving people of the Tersk city took an active part in military operations not only in the Caucasus, but also far beyond its borders – near Azov, in the Crimea, near Chigirin. Studying the background of these events is another goal of the study. The research is based on the study and analysis of documents. Some of them have been published, others are kept in archives and are being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The article contains many new facts about the size and composition of the Tersk garrison, about the factors of their change. It is concluded that increasing the number of Russian military personnel was one of the most important tasks of the state. To do this, residents of other cities were transferred to the city for permanent or temporary service – Streltsy, Cossacks, soldiers, exiles who were enrolled in Streltsy. However, the disadvantage, the delay in the "bread salary", which all the people who served in the city received, led to their mass escapes and understaffing of the garrison. Representatives of the peoples of the Caucasus who served in the city – Princes Murza, Uzdeni, Okochans, Novokreschens – partially made up for the lack of military forces. Another opportunity to maintain the city's combat capability was military cooperation and mutual assistance with the peoples of the Caucasus and neighboring regions, for example, with the Kumyks.

North Caucasus, the city of Terki, Kaspulat Mutsalovich Cherkassky, streltsy, cossacks, deti boyarskie, Okoks, muirzes, novokreshcheny, uzdens