STATUTORY LEGAL STATUS OF THE KALMYKS PRIOR TO OFFICIAL MERGER INTO RUSSIA

The article deals with the issues of gradual acquisition of Russian allegiance by Kalmyk people and the establishment of formal relations confirmed by laws and statutory instruments from the beginning of the XVII century. The first half of the XVII century can be described as the period of the Kalmyks entering the process of merging into the Russian state on a voluntary basis, rather than a one-time deed of giving the voluntary oath of allegiance by the Kalmyks. It is the consolidation of the Kalmyks along with their perception of the necessity for a reliable patron to protect them against foreign enemies and on the contrary, the need of Russia in a credible deterrent on its southern borders, that played the positive role in the further development of relations between Russia and Kalmykia.