Civil service tatars of the Volga-Ural region in the Russian diplomatic service (the 16^th-18^th centuries)

Today the study of the Tatar civil servants class is acquiring a particular importance in connection with the building and definition of value content of the identity of the "Russians". The article deals with the meaning of the term "civil service Tatars", their financial situation during the service in Ambassadorial (Posolsky) Prikaz in the 17th century, as well as their role in expanding the eastern borders of the Russian state. The author's approach to the study of this problem was mostly historiograhic and problem-chronology oriented. The article offers broad interpretation of the term "civil service Tatars" and reaffirms the idea that it was unrelated to a particular ethnic group: this was a common term used to describe all non-Russian civil servants - natives of the Volga-Ural region. The article provides data about various functions of the civil service Tatars, as well as a specific example from the work of the Ambassadorial (Posolsky) Prikaz interpreter Mirza Kutlu Mamet Tevkelev on Junior Zhuz accession to Russia. The materials of the article may be of use for further study of the research topic, as well as for teaching specialized courses to history students in universities, and for teaching history of Russia in higher education institutions and professional colleges