TEXTUAL FEATURES OF PUBLIC-LAW DOCUMENTS OF THE KHIVA KHANATE

Abstract

There remains a need for a comprehensive and systematic study of the public-law documents issued by the palace chancery of the Khiva Khanate. The history of the development of chancery record-keeping, the source-critical analysis of legal documents, as well as the study of their textual structure and normative formulae, have not yet been sufficiently explored. The purpose of this article is to examine the traditions of textual composition in the public-law documents of the Khiva Khanate, identify their structural components, and determine their place within the system of state administration. The results of this study will broaden the possibilities for source-critical and textual analysis of the legal acts of the Khiva Khanate, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms by which the palace chancery functioned and of the evolution of the region’s normative tradition. The findings will make it possible to clarify the formular structure of the documents, identify stable textual models, and trace the transformation of chancery practices in the context of changing political and dynastic circumstances.