other · Central Asia and the Steppe

Ural Cossack Host

1591 CE – 1920 CE (approx.) · capital Uralsk

A self-governing Cossack community on the Ural River, guardians of Russia's steppe frontier and the starting point of Pugachev's great rebellion.

Origins

Cossacks, many from the Don, settled on the Yaik River, later renamed the Ural, in the late 16th century, establishing a fishing and raiding community. In 1591 they took part in a Russian campaign, and the host is traditionally dated to that year. Their main town, Yaitsky Gorodok, later became Uralsk.

Rule and society

The host was governed by an elected ataman and an assembly, the krug, and lived by fishing for sturgeon and caviar on the river, held in common, and by military service. Many were Old Believers. As the Russian state tightened control, discontent grew; in 1772 a revolt broke out, and in 1773 Yaik Cossacks backed Yemelyan Pugachev's rebellion against Catherine the Great.

Decline and legacy

After the revolt, Catherine renamed the Yaik the Ural and the host the Ural Cossack Host. It served Russia in Central Asian campaigns. During the Russian Civil War the Ural Cossacks fought the Bolsheviks, and the host was destroyed in 1920.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ural Cossack Host. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ural-cossack-host
MLA
“Ural Cossack Host.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ural-cossack-host. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ural Cossack Host.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ural-cossack-host.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ural Cossack Host’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ural-cossack-host (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻