Russian Black Sea Trade in the Early 19th Century

Abstract

This paper examines the development of trade in Crimea and Novorossiya following their incorporation into Russia. In the early 19th century, the grain trade in these new regions had yet to gain momentum due to their limited development. However, the ports of Feodosia, Taganrog, and Odessa regularly received ships from Constantinople and the Greek islands, while the port of Sevastopol primarily served military purposes. In 1821, under the decree of Alexander I, a port was established in Kerch to serve as an outpost at the entrance to the Sea of Azov and establish trade ties with the mountain peoples along the Caucasus coast of the Black Sea. To this end, the Russian government established a Circassian and Abaza Trade Administration to manage merchant shipping to the Caucasus coast and oversee trading at barter markets in Kerch and Bugaz. Relations with the highland communities proved difficult, as they frequently captured Russian ship crews and demanded ransoms. Even after the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829, when these territories became part of the Russian Empire, the local populations resisted submission to the new government, just as they had previously resisted the authority of the Turkish Sultan.