Sino-Russian Border Conflicts

The Sino-Russian border conflicts (1652–1689) were a series of intermittent skirmishes between the Qing dynasty of China, with assistance from the Joseon dynasty of Korea, and the Tsardom of Russia by the Cossacks in which the latter tried and failed to gain the land north of the Amur River with disputes over the Amur region. The hostilities culminated in the Qing siege of the Cossack fort of Albazin in 1686 and resulted in the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689 which gave the land to China.

Background

The southeast corner of Siberia south of the Stanovoy Range was twice contested between Russia and China. Hydrologically, the Stanovoy Range separates the rivers that flow north into the Arctic from those that flow south into the Amur River. Ecologically, the area is the southeastern edge of the Siberian boreal forest with some areas good for agriculture. Socially and politically, from about 600 AD, it was the northern fringe of the Chinese-Manchu world. Various Chinese dynasties would claim sovereignty, build forts and collect tribute when they were strong enough. The Ming dynasty Nurgan Regional Military CommissionL. Carrington Godrich, Chaoying Fang (editors), "Dictionary of Ming Biography, 1368–1644". Volume I (A-L). Columbia University Press, 1976. built a fort on the Northern bank of the Amur at Aigun, Numerous later editions are available as well, including on
on Google Books
Du Halde refers to the Yongle-era fort, the predecessor of Aigun, as ''Aykom''. There seem to be few, if any, mentions of this project in other available literature. and established an administrative seat at Telin, modern Tyr, Russia above Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.

Russian expansion into Siberia began with the conquest of the Khanate of Sibir in 1582. By 1643 they reached the Pacific at Okhotsk. East of the Yenisei River there was little land fit for agriculture, except Dauria, the land between the Stanovoy Range and the Amur River which was nominally subject to the Qing dynasty.

In 1643, Russian adventurers spilled over the Stanovoy Range, but by 1689 they were driven back by the Qing. The land was populated by some 9,000 Daurs on the Zeya River, 14,000 Duchers downstream and several thousand Tungus and Nivkhs toward the river mouth. The first Russians to hear of Dauria were probably Ivan Moskvitin and Maxim Perfilev about 1640.

In 1859/60 the area was annexed by Russia and quickly filled up with a Russian population.

Timeline

1639-1643 : Qing Campaign against the indigenous rulers

* December 1639-May 1640 : 1st battle - the natives and the Qing : Battle of Gualar (russian: селение Гуалар) : between 2 regiments of Manchu and a detachment of 500 Solon- DaursА.М.Пастухов (A.M. Pastukhov
К вопросу о характере укреплений поселков приамурских племен середины XVII века и значении нанайского термина «гасян»
(Regarding the fortification techniques used in the settlements of the Amur Valley tribes in the mid-17th century, and the meaning of the Nanai word "гасян" (''gasyan'')) led by the Solon- Evenk leader Bombogor ( Chinese: 博木博果爾 or 博穆博果爾 pinyin:Bomboguoer) while the second native leader Bardači ( ''Bā'ěrdáqí'') kept neutral.
* September 1640 : 2nd battle - the natives and the Qing : Battle of Yaksa (russian: Якса): between the natives (Solon, Daur, Oroqen) and the Manchus.
* May 1643 : 3rd battle. The native tribes submitted to the Qing Empire.

1643-1644 :

Vasili Poyarkov

* Winter 1643 - Spring 1644 : a detachment of a Russian expedition led by the Cossack Vasili Poyarkov explored the stream of the Jingkiri river, present-day Zeya, and the Amur rivers. Vassili Poyarkov traveled from Yakutsk south to the Zeya River. He then sailed down the Amur River to its mouth and then north along the Okhotsk coast, returning to Yakutsk three years later.

1649-1653 :

Yerofey Khabarov

* 1650-1651 : In 1649 Yerofei Khabarov found a better route to the upper Amur and quickly returned to Yakutsk where he recommended that a larger force be sent to conquer the region. He returned the same year and built winter quarters at Albazin at the northernmost point on the river. He occupied the Daur's fort Albazin after subduing the Daurs led by Arbaši ( ''Ā'ěrbāxī''). The Russian conquest of Siberia was accompanied by massacres due to indigenous resistance to colonization by the Russian Cossacks, who violently suppressed the natives. The Russian Cossacks were named luocha (羅剎), after Demons found in Buddhist mythology, by the Amur natives because of their cruelty towards the Amur tribes people, who were subjects of the Qing.
* March 24, 1652 : Battle of Achansk

Next summer he sailed down the Amur and built a fort at Achansk (Wuzhala (乌扎拉)) probably near present-day Khabarovsk. Again there was fighting and the natives called for the assistance of the Qing. On 24 March 1652, Achansk was unsuccessfully attacked by a large Qing force 00 Manchu soldiers from Ninguta and about 1500 Daurs and Duchers led by the Manchu general known as Haise (海色), or Izenei (Изеней or Исиней).Август 1652 г. Из отписки приказного человека Е.П. Хабарова якутскому воеводе Д.А. Францбекову о походе по р. Амуру.
An excerpt from Khabarov's report to the Yakutsk Voivode D.A.Frantsbekov, August 1652.) Haise was later executed for his poor performance. As soon as the ice broke up Khabarov withdrew upriverОксана ГАЙНУТДИНОВА (Oksana Gainutdinova

(The mystery of Fort Achansk) and built winter quarters at Kumarsk