Soil factor and historical-geographical development of rural settlements in the Central Black-Earth Region in the 17th - early 18th centuries

Abstract

The article considers the location features of rural settlements in the Black-Earth Region in the 17th-18th centuries. The author focuses on the soil factor as affecting villages and hamlets in the formation of the anthropogenic landscape and on the Belgorod, Voronezh, Yeletsky, Kozlovsky and Shatsky uyezds as actively developed by the Russian population. The article is based on the data collected in the studies of rural settlements and compared on the basis of the soil type. By mapping the data, the author identifies the location features of rural settlements within the uyezds. Thus, settlements concentrated near areas with black soil were located on the banks of large and small rivers. In addition to the soil factor, military and water factors are also significant for the development of the anthropogenic landscape. In some uyezds, the military factor played a dominant role for a long time, while the soil composition was secondary. The location of settlements connected to black soil influenced the formation of new uyezds. Each uyezd relied on its own economic base - fertile black soil, which made it possible to support a large army and build military-defensive fortifications. Thus, the soil factor had a great impact on the history of the development of the Black-Earth Region, not only determining its anthropogenic landscape, but also providing food for a large army.