Abstract
<jats:p>This study examines the administrative-legal transformation and ethnodemographic shifts in the Zangezur region during the 19th century, within the framework of the Russian Empire’s policies in the South Caucasus. Drawing upon archival documents, cadastral descriptions, census materials, and legal acts, the research demonstrates that the establishment of Zangezur as an administrative unit (1832-1833) served not only governance purposes but also functioned as an instrument of ethnic engineering. Between 1832 and 1874, the demographic composition shifted from a Muslim majority to near parity, and from 1874 to 1917, certain administrative districts saw an Armenian majority emerge, largely due to mass resettlement and planned settlement policies. The findings reveal that the demographic foundations of later ethno-political conflicts in the region were laid in the 19th century.</jats:p>