Reassessing Khiva–Russian Relations (1806–1825): A Historiographical And Archival Study Of The Reign Of Muhammad Rahimkhan I

Abstract

This article examines diplomatic and political relations between the Khiva Khanate and the Russian Empire during the reign of Muhammad Rahimkhan I (1806–1825) through a combined historiographical and archival perspective. Drawing on Khorezmian narrative sources—most notably Firdaws ul-Iqbal—and Russian diplomatic and administrative documentation, the study reassesses the character of early nineteenth-century Khiva–Russia interactions beyond descriptive or teleological interpretations. Methodologically, the article integrates historiographical review with contextual analysis of frontier correspondence, trade reports, and diplomatic exchanges. The findings demonstrate that relations between Khiva and Russia were shaped by pragmatic negotiation, selective cooperation, and continuous mutual assessment rather than by linear imperial expansion. Khiva emerges as an active diplomatic actor seeking political stability, regulated trade, and autonomy under conditions of asymmetrical power. By situating Khiva within broader analytical frameworks of frontier polities and imperial governance, the article contributes to international debates on Central Asian diplomacy, non-European political agency, and early modern imperial interaction.