protectorate · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Uryankhay Krai

1914 CE – 1921 CE · capital Belotsarsk (Kyzyl)

The Russian protectorate over Tuva established in 1914, which brought Russian settlers to the upper Yenisei and preceded the Tuvan People's Republic.

Origins

Tuva, called Uryankhay or Tannu Uriankhai, had been under the Qing Empire as part of its Mongolian frontier. After the Qing collapse in 1911, Russia, the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia and China all claimed it. Some Tuvan nobles appealed to Russia, and in 1914 the Russian Empire declared a protectorate.

Rule and society

The territory was administered by a Russian commissioner under the Irkutsk governor-general, alongside traditional Tuvan princes and Buddhist monasteries. Russian peasant settlement increased, and in 1914 the town of Belotsarsk (later Kyzyl) was founded as the administrative centre on the Yenisei. The Tuvan herding economy was little changed.

Decline and legacy

After 1917 Russian administration collapsed, and Red and White forces, Chinese troops and Mongolian forces fought over Tuva. With Soviet backing, Tuvan leaders proclaimed the Tuvan People's Republic in August 1921.

Lineage

Uryankhay KraiTuvan People's Republic 1921 CE – 1944 CE

Connections (1)

Uryankhay Krai was a protectorate of Russian Empire1914 CE – 1917 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Uryankhay Krai. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uryankhay-krai
MLA: “Uryankhay Krai.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uryankhay-krai. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Uryankhay Krai.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uryankhay-krai.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Uryankhay Krai’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uryankhay-krai (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻