Relations of the Kazakhs and Russian Empire in the first half of the 18th century in the inventories of fund 248 “The Senate and its institutions” RGADA

The inventory 3 of fund 248 “The Senate and its institutions” of Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA), containing data on regions bordering Kazakh lands is analyzed. The inventory consists of 150 books, each includes from one to several dozen. Totally, above 170 cases with data on history of Kazakh Russian relations in modern times were studied. The research results showed relevance and diversity of archival documents of 248 RGADA fund, its source potential on history of relationships of Kazakhs and Russian Empire in the first half of the 18th century. Analysis of the headings of inventory cases made possible to determine a specific range of issues on history of bilateral relations based on available archival data. Four groups have been singled out taking into their subject specifics. The first group is related to Orenburg and its administrative and political entities: expedition, commission, line of fortifications. The documents of the second group contained data on military-political contacts of Kazakh khans and foremen with representatives of Russian administration. The third contains materials on Kazakh-Russian relations in trade sphere. In fourth, cases are concentrated on relations of Kazakhs with other nomadic peoples, whose contacts were in sphere Russian Empire interests