Journal of Critical Reviews ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 12, 2020 SLAVERY RELATIONS AND ITS SOURCES IN KHIVA KHANATE 1Feruza Tojieva 1Lecturer, Department of History, Urgench State University, Urgench, Uzbekistan. E-mail address: [email protected] Received: 04.03.2020 Revised: 06.04.2020 Accepted: 08.05.2020 Abstract In this article, it has been spoken about the essence of slavery relations in Khiva khanate, the emergence and sources of slavery on the basis of written sources. The essence of slavery in Khiva khanate and its role in socio-economic life have been scientifically analyzed and conclusions have been drawn. At the same time, the article provides a scientific analysis of the slave markets and attitudes towards slaves in Khiva khanate. Key words: slavery, sources of slavery, slave markets, sharia, Shiites, fatwas, Asian mode of production, Turkmens, crowds. © 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.12.39 INTRODUCTION In short, the main productive force in the khanate was still the The traditions of slavery have long been preserved in the socio- peasants, so slavery was not of primary importance in the economic life of Khiva khanate. However, this slavery did not political and socio-economic life of Khiva khanate. With the reach the level of classical i.e. economic slavery, as in ancient exception of some periods when there were many wars and the Greece and Rome. The main feature of this system of slavery was number of captives increased, the price of slaves was largely high that a slave was seen as an object or a tool of labor, without being and only nobles or self-sufficient families had access to slaves on seen as a human being. Even Plato and Aristotle, considered the their farms. most enlightened people of the ancient world, could not get out of the shell of attitudes towards slaves at that time and Furthermore, the subsequent penetration of Islam did not in part considered slavery as a norm[1]. In particular, Aristotle prevent slavery from reaching the classical level[4]. described slavery as a “speaking tool of labor” in his work It is important to note that many studies on the issue of slavery “Politics”[2]. Slaves had no rights at all and the master of the in Khiva khanate, especially in the Soviet period, have slave could treat him as he wished. There was no punishment for exaggerated the attitude to slavery. We are far from justifying the a slave-owner for killing a slave. slave relationship here, of course. Indeed, while nineteenth- Although slavery was officially abolished in medieval Europe, century Russian, European, or American authors who left only the name was abolished and in practice it was preserved information about Khiva khanate viewed slavery as a disgusting under other names. In Russia, for example, slaves were called custom, slavery existed in various forms in the society in which “холоп (khalop)”. Unlike such slavery, the slavery formed in they lived and was not completely abolished. In particular, Central Asia was based on patriarchal, i.e. family slavery. Here McGahan’s country, which took part in the conquest of Khiva the slave is treated not as an item, but as a family member. Khanate and provided information about slavery, was 10 years after the end of slavery in the United States (adopted in 1863 and Slavery did not reach its classical level in Central Asia due to the was active in 1865), but during those years its complications strong collective relations from ancient times and the long- were not completely eliminated[5]. lasting nature of these relations. Because in the socio-economic relations in these areas, in the relations with the land, the Slavery in Russia (slaves were called in Russia as “холоп”) was community played an important role[3]. officially abolished in 1722 by decree of Peter I. Slavery was abolished as a legal institution by a decree of 1746 prohibiting In the socio-economic sciences, such relations were called the the sale or purchase of human beings, regardless of who they “Asian mode of production”. Although this concept was first were. However, this decree also applied only to the central introduced in 1859 by the German philosopher and economist K. regions of Russia. Moreover, such decrees and documents only Marks, it caused a great deal of controversy in the social sciences served the interests of Russian citizens, Orthodox believers. in the 1920s and 1930s and 1960s, but did not find a definitive Because in Siberia, the Asian part of Russia, and in other solution. peripheral regions of the empire, slavery continued until the 1950s. If we take into account that the existing krepostnoyness The main feature of the Asian method of production is the (the dependence of peasants on their masters) in the socio- application of land as the state ownership. The special economic economic life of Russia is also equated with slavery by most role of the state stems actually from this. State ownership of land researchers, the decree of 1861 on the abolition of serfdom in merged with the system of rural communities, paving the way for Russia in the true sense was abolished[6]. the operation of this mode of production. In such circumstances, the government is not a separate farmer or craftsman, but a The 1815 resolution of the Congress of Vienna to end the democratic organization of the community, which in turn enslavement of the black population was also largely specific to protects the interests of community members before the state, the African region. Moreover, this decision did not end slavery in that is, the role of the community in this mode of production is Africa at all. Slavery on this continent officially lasted until the separate. We have every reason to say that this method of 1980s (Mauritania’s 1981 Act on the Abolition of Slavery) (in production prevailed in Khiva khanate as well. practice, there are still various forms of slavery in Africa and other parts of the world)[7]. Journal of critical reviews 211 SLAVERY RELATIONS AND ITS SOURCES IN KHIVA KHANATE Slavery was abolished in Brazil in 1888, in Korea in 1894, and in Kalmyks, Caucasians, Indians, and partly Europeans of the Shia China in 1910. In Europe, too, slavery in various forms continued sect, people of Bukhara, Afghans, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz and in practice until the 1980s (the abolition of slavery in Italy in Kazakhs of Sunni sect were also sometimes enslaved. In 1889)[8]. Thus, the problem of slavery in Khiva khanate and the particular, according to Vamberi, in the Emirate of Bukhara, attitude to the tradition of slavery in the khanate in general has Indians were forcibly converted first to Islam, then to its Shiite not yet been fully and objectively revealed. sect, and then to slavery[14]. At the same time, some merchants, ambassadors, tourists and representatives of various missions The history of slavery in Khiva khanate, especially in Khorezm, who came to the khanate from these countries were enslaved dates back to ancient times. However, we do not want to dwell on and sold to neighboring countries. There is enough information the history of slavery before the formation of Khiva Khanate. It is in the sources in this regard. In addition, the Bukhara emirs, the th known that from the 16 century, i.e. from the time of Khiva kings of Iran, and the Turkmens, who organized raids on Khiva khanate, the sources began to show information about slavery. khanate, enslaved the Khiva people and the khan’s caravans were Indeed, the constant struggle between Khiva and Bukhara sometimes attacked and the caravan traders taken captive. For khanates, two new states that emerged in Central Asia in this example, in the sources of the Caucasus countries, slaves called century, and the internal struggles within the khanates yurgen, urgen slaves, referring to the inhabitants of Khiva themselves intensified. While the Baburids of India began a khanate in the form of Urgench (first Old Urgench, later New struggle for control of the mountainous Badakhshan on the Urgench), one of the largest cities of Khiva khanate (here not south-eastern border of Bukhara, a Safavid state emerged in Iran only slaves but also, ambassadors, merchants, and until the 17th and Khiva and Bukhara khanates began a struggle for control of century it should be noted that the khanate was sometimes called Khurasan bodering both khanates. Other regions and steppes by the same name, including in Russian sources: послы bordering on them had also become a battleground between юргенские, земля юргенская or купцы юргенские and so different tribes and states. It is no exaggeration to say that the on)[15]. rise of the Shiite ideology in Safavid state of Iran was a powerful impetus for the further strengthening of the system of slavery. The first source was the neighboring territories of Iran, the main This is because, as mentioned above, Islam strictly forbade the invasion of the Turkmen tribes in this direction, and the purpose enslavement of one’s fellow believers, and enslaving the of the march was to capture as many captives as possible and sell “disbelievers” was allowed (even in order to “guide them to the them as slaves. For many Turkmen tribes and clans, these special right path indicated by Allah” or to convert them to Islam). For raids became a source of life, and in the sources these looting the Sunni sect of Islam, the Shiites are considered infidels, and for marches were called “crowds”.