Russian-Kumyk wars

The fall of the Big Horde in 1502 opened before the Kumyk rulers, the Shamkhals, an excellent prospect of expanding their borders to the north ^[1] . Soon, under the influence of shamkhals, rulers of the Tyumen possessions, close in ethnic composition, became a state entity with a center at the mouth of the Terek River. In the west, the interests of shamkhalism clashed with the Circassians , in the north - with the Astrakhan Khanate . The rulers of Tyumen in the first half of the 16th century, with the support of the “Cherkasy” (Shamkhalov and allied Kabardian feudal lords (for example, Biyarslan Dzhanhotov)) repeatedly intervened in feuds in the Astrakhan Khanate and even approved Tyumen’s son Ak-Kubek on his throne, son of Murtaza and the grandson of Akhmat ^[1] . The accession of Astrakhan to the Russian state, as well as the marriage of Ivan IV the Terrible to the Kabardian princess Maria Temryukovna brought the Russian kingdom into the mainstream of Caucasian politics.

In 1557, the Kabardian embassy (Old Russian. "Pyatigorsk Cherkasy") appealed to the Russian administration in Astrakhan with a request for military action against Tarkovsky shamshalstva . This request was repeated at the embassy of 1558 by the sons of Temryuk Idarovich , one of the princes of Kabarda (Old Russian. "Cherkasy land"). According to the Caucasus expert E. N. Kusheva, the reason for the petitions of the Kabardins could be the enmity of Temryuk Idarovich with shamkhal ^[2] . Ivan IV soon sent against Shamkhalstvo and Tyumen.

In the summer of 1560, the army of the voivode I.S. Cheremisinov advanced from Astrakhan by sea in order to ruin one of the capitals of Shamkhalstvo - Tarka . Russian troops managed to take the city, but did not try to keep it, satisfied with its burning ^[3] . Shamkhals did not stop participating in the internecine wars of the Kabardian princes. The general battle between Temryuk Idarovich and the tsarist army, on the one hand, and Shamkhal Budai and his ally Pshimhao Kaitukin, on the other, occurred in 1566 and ended in the death of Shamkhal Budaya , his brother Surkhai and their Kabardian comrade ^[1] . The battle was of great importance. Western possessions fell away from Shamkhalat - it is known that Balkarian societies in the 16th century paid taxes in favor of shamkhal. The Idarovs directed the imperial campaigns on the Tyumen possession , whose ruler (Soltaney), in alliance with shamkhal, desperately opposed the Russian-Kabardian invasion. However, in 1588 archers in the very center of Tyumen laid the fortress of Terki ^[2] . After 2 years, an attack was made on the lands of Shamkhal, but the attack was repulsed by the Kumyks. The lands of Tyumen possession were annexed and annexed to the Russian kingdom in 1594. Preparing a big campaign against shamkhal.

Having agreed with the Georgian Tsar Alexander , as well as with the Crimean Shamkhal (the heir to the Shamkhal), the Russian army, under the command of the governor Khvorostinin, began its advance to Tarka (5 thousand people). Shamkhal preferred not to engage in open battles with the Russians. The Tarks, who did not have strong fortifications, were quickly occupied by the attackers.

Shamkhal did not go to negotiations and avoided direct clashes with the Russians, exhausting the latter with small raids and holding Tarki in wide blockade. The Highlanders did not give the Russians rest, day or night. According to V. A. Potto : “Shamkhal was a supporter of a wait-and-see method of warfare and followed the Dagestan rule - To catch a scorpion by the tail” ^[4] . The rear posts of the Russians were a special target. Not a single transport reached the Tarks and of them safely ^[5] . Meanwhile, due to intensive work in hot weather and food shortages, a fever began to develop in the Russian army. The number of sick and wounded in battles with the Highlanders grew every day. Meanwhile, the army of Shamkhal was replenished with the arrival of new replenishment. Shamkhal was strongly supported by the Avar Khan. The blockade ring narrowed gradually.

The situation of the besieged became catastrophic, and Khvorostinin decided to withdraw troops from Tarkov. On a dark night, Russian troops moved towards Koysinsky prison. At first, the retreating forces managed to repel the scattered attacks of the Dagestanis, but the arrival of the main forces, led by shamkhal, forced the Russians to drop carts with heavy cargo and wounded ^[5] . ¼ part of the total number of troops that had previously protruded from it to Tarki entered Koysinsky prison ^[6] . The total losses of the Russian army in that campaign amounted to 3 thousand people ^[7] . According to legend, out of 1 thousand Terek (Greben) Cossacks who went on a campaign, no more than 300 people returned home. The campaign was unsuccessful.

At the beginning of the XVII century, the North Caucasus was immersed in internecine wars. The petty rulers sought help from neighboring powers. The Kabardian vassals of Moscow, as well as the Okotsk Murzes, were involved in the conflict. The intervention of Moscow was also facilitated by a new request of Georgians for help against the Ottoman Empire and Shamkhalstvo, which regularly carried out invasions of Iberian territory. Trying to take advantage of the favorable political situation (a new war of the Ottoman Empire with the Safavids began), the tsarist government decided to equip Dagestan with a serious expedition. The army consisted of 10 thousand archers, as well as Yaitsky and Terek Cossacks, local vassals of Moscow (some Kabardian feudal lords and okotsk murzas), the total (according to the Dutch merchant Isaac Massa with a total number of 50 thousand people ^[8] , is not confirmed by other sources ) led by Governor Ivan Mikhailovich Buturlin . In 1604, the tsarist troops set off on a campaign.

The Kumyks did not enter into major clashes with the Russians, confining themselves to a guerrilla war. Russian troops occupied the entire Kumyk plane , took Tarki with an attack. Shamkhal Surkhay II fled to the Avar Khan, delegating the authority to manage the army to the adventurous son Soltan-Mutu. Soon, Buturlin began to experience great problems with the supply of the army and was forced to send part of his army to Astrakhan and Tersky town . The retreating troops were attacked by Soltan-Mut , but managed to repel the attackers with great damage to the latter. However, the scales began to lean in favor of the Kumyks - the Sultan-Mut managed to create a coalition of Kumyks, Dagestan peoples and the forces of the Kabardian feudal lords - maternal relatives of Soltan-Mut. The Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I also helped, sending 1 thousand Janissaries and Crimean Tatars. The Union Army attacked the Russian-built fortresses. Pal Khoysinsky prison, Russian prison on Aktash and others. Buturlin was completely isolated.

Soon, Soltan-Mut's troops besieged Tarki. The besiegers poured ditches and erected an embankment of sand and brushwood at the level of the fortress wall. The most important strongholds of the Russians were the two upper towers, which had a wide sector of fire. Under one of the towers a dig was made and a huge powder charge was laid. Immediately after the explosion of the tower, under which the "best squads" of Moscow archers were buried, the Janissaries and the Dagestan militia went on an assault. Part of the fortress wall was destroyed, and large assault forces poured into the gap. However, the Russians managed to repel all the attacks, with enormous damage for the stormed. The besieged also suffered heavy losses. Seeing the futility of further struggle, the parties began negotiations. Their result was the achievement of an agreement on the unhindered departure of Russian rati to Tersky town. However, the public opinion of the Dagestanis, who saw enormous destruction on their territory and many killed tribesmen, pushed Soltan-Mut to decisive action against the retreating Russians. Soon, Buturlin's army was overtaken by the Kumyks and their allies and completely destroyed in the Battle of Karaman, in which Ivan Buturlin himself died. According to the annals, the losses of the Russians amounted to about 7 thousand people, "beside the people of the boyars." N. Karamzin calculates the losses of Russians in the Battle of Karaman with a total of 6-7 thousand people. V. Potto and S. Solovyov report that the total losses of the Russians in that campaign extended to 7 thousand. This battle, according to Karamzin, left the territory of modern Dagestan beyond the influence of tsarist Russia for another 118 years.

Shamkhals and other Kumyk owners continued to skillfully maneuver between the major powers surrounding them, often changing their foreign policy orientation depending on the prevailing balance of forces. Important for the Kumyk feudal lords was the issue of strengthening their military strength. To this end, close ties are established with the Nogais, who were often helped against their enemy - the Kalmyks. The proposal to "wander closer to the mountains" was voiced by the Sultan-Mut. Finally, in the late 1640s, Shamkhal Surkhay III invited a small Nogai horde led by Choban-Murza Ishterekov, who did not want to obey the royal governors. For his return to Russian borders, tsarist troops with Kabardian allies and Cossacks were sent to Kumykia. In 1651, a battle took place on the Germenchik field , which remained for the Kumyk-Nogai army. In 1651, the shamkhal wrote to the Astrakhan governors about the custom according to which “we Kumyks have and preserve our horses from the fathers of our horses”, and justified them our ties with the Nogai Murza hostile to the Russian state.

Strengthened in the middle of the XVII century, Iran represented by the energetic Shah Abbas II sought to expand its northern borders. According to the Kasri-Shirin Peace Treaty of 1639, which ended the Turkish-Persian war of 1623-1639, it divided the spheres of influence in the Caucasus between the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran so that the latter would be allocated territories from Derbent to the Sunzha River. In this regard, Shah Abbas II decided to organize a campaign against the Russian prison forces on the Terek and Sunzha, relying on the forces of the Kumyk vassals - the Andyreev rulers and the Tarkov shamkhals. The interests of the Kumyks and Safavids coincided only in terms of opposing the Russian Kingdom - the Kumyks did not want to consolidate the Iranians in Dagestan. The immediate reason for the outbreak of hostilities between Russia and Persia was the restoration of the Sunzhensky prison. Russian fortresses on the Terek and Sunzha interfered with the Shah’s plans to establish their influence in Dagestan

In 1651, Khosrov Khan Shemakhinsky received a Shah’s decree, according to which he was to lead the Persian army’s campaign against Sunzha and Terek. The objectives of the campaign were much broader than the possession of a small fortress on the Sunzha. As Khosrov Khan himself said, he received an order from Shah Abbas to prepare for a campaign on the Sunzhensky prison, ruin it, and then “go to Astrakhan without delay” The task of capturing the Sunzhensky prison was assigned by Shamkhal Surkhay to Tarkovsky. The army consisted of the forces of the Tarkovsky shamkhal Surkhai, the Enderian owner of Kazan-Alp and the Utsmiy of Kaitag Amirkhan-Sultan. To strengthen the forces of shamkhal, the Shemakha Khan sent detachments of Persian regular troops to him. 800 Iranian "sarbazs" (soldiers) took part in the campaign: "there are 500 people from Shamakhi, 300 people from Derbeni (Derbent), and two cannons with them." The Ulus of the Nogai of Cheban-Murza and Shatemir-Murza also joined the Kumyks and Persians. The highlanders' militia included representatives of Chechen societies - the Mickeys and Shibutyans, who lived along the rivers Michik and Argun . The total number of Persian troops reached 12 thousand people. Active resistance to the Kumyks and Iranians was provided by the vassal of the Russian kingdom Mutsal of Cherkess and the Bragunians. The siege of the Sunzhensky prison was not successful, but much damage was done to the surroundings.

During 1652, the Shah prepared a second campaign. Shamkhal Surkhay and Kazan-Alp with their troops stood on Aktash, preparing to speak on Sunzha. The Russian government strengthened the Sunzhensky prison. On the eve of the second campaign to help the Russians, a detachment of the Kabardian Murza, Urus Khan Yansokhov and his son Shin-Girey, was sent to strengthen the garrison by Prince Mutsal Cherkassky. Mutsal himself this time remained outside the walls of the fortress and during the siege was disturbed by Persian troops in raids. Soon, Shangirei Uruskhanov Cherkassky moved to the Sunzhensky prison and found out that "the Kumyk and Kizylbash military men went with a large gathering to the sovereign Sunshin prison."

On March 7, 1653, troops under the command of Surkhay-Shamkhal Tarkovsky besieged the Sunzhensky prison for the second time. The position of the garrison was very difficult. Reinforcements sent from Terek town were routed. The remains of the garrison (108 people) were forced to leave the prison and retire to Terki, and the fortress itself was burned by Surkhai, who then retired to Tarki. The Shah was preparing a new expedition, the purpose of which was Astrakhan, but the Afghans attack on Iran made its implementation impossible. The conflict was soon resolved. Campaigns led to some weakening of Russia's influence in the region.

Dagestan of the beginning of the XVIII century was the object of close attention of the Russian Empire, Iran and the Ottoman Empire. Kumyk feudal possessions adhered to different political vectors: the Andyriev princedom and the Utamysh sultanate adhered to the pro-Crimean (pro-Turkish) orientation, the Tarkov shamkhal accepted citizenship of the Russian Empire.

Wanting to take advantage of the weaknesses and troubles in Iran, the Russian emperor Peter I went on a campaign with the goal of capturing the coast of the Caspian Sea. The formal reason for the outbreak of hostilities was the killing of Russian merchants in Shemakha by the Dagestan feudal lord Imam Haji-Dawood , who had recently been denied admission to Russian citizenship. On July 18, 1722, a Russian flotilla of 274 ships sailed under the command of Admiral General Count Apraksin . On July 20, the fleet entered the Caspian Sea and followed a week along the west coast.

On July 23, Peter I sent a corps under the command of Andrei Veterani to a hostile Andireus. He was joined by the owner of Greater Kabarda Elmurza Cherkassky, as well as Mutsal Cherkassky. On the outskirts of Andyrius, the Russians were attacked by the Andyrean rulers Aydemir and Chapan-shefkal with Chechens dependent on them. The attackers caused serious damage to the veteran corps, rumors of defeat began to spread in the main army of Peter. Andyreus was soon taken and burned, but Andrei Veterani was punished for this failure. Peter first received the news of the victory and wrote to Astrakhan how his dragoons “got enough supplies, and the owners made a fireworks for their village for fun”, but after the loss was reported, joy gave way to annoyance. The king understood how important it was, both for his own and for his “enemies," to start a campaign successfully; it was not by chance that he ordered Veterani to be careful and act "without reluctance, so that in the beginning of this matter we can not create glory." Now he has recouped on those whom he considered guilty.

On July 27, infantry landed at the Agrakhansky cape , 4 versts below the mouth of the Koysu River (Sulak) . A few days later the cavalry arrived and connected with the main forces. On August 5, the Russian army continued its movement towards Derbent . On August 6, Kabardian princes Murza Cherkassky and Aslan-Bek joined the army on the Sulak River. On August 8, crossed the Sulak River. On August 15, troops approached the Tarks , the seat of the shamkhal ^[9] .

An embassy was sent to Sultan Mahmoud Utamyshsky with a proposal to accept Russian citizenship. However, Mahmud not only did not become a Russian vassal, but also killed the Cossack messengers, telling Peter I that this would be the case with all the people of the emperor who would fall into his hands. A battle took place on the Inche River, in which the Russians, having numerical and technological superiority, defeated the troops of Sultan-Mahmud with reinforcement of Utsmiy Ahmed. The capital Utamysh was burned along with other settlements of the Sultanate. The possessions of the Sultan-Mahmud were transferred to the Tarkov shamkhal.

Peter I and other participants in the campaign noted the incredible courage of the inhabitants of the Utamysh Sultanate. Emperor Peter I wrote in a travel journal ^[10] :

“ Evil surprisingly, these barbarians fought: in society they did not hold on at all, but fought; and they fought desperately in a particular way, so that, having left the gun, supposedly surrendering to the fullest, they cut their daggers, and one rushed into the fry with a saber "

In the diary of Heinrich Bruce’s campaign participant, the words of Peter I about the soldiers of the Sultan-Mahmud ^[11] are preserved:

“ Another prisoner, when he was brought to the tent (Admiral Apraksin), did not want to answer any of the questions that were offered to him, then they ordered him to undress and beat him with whips. Having received the first blow, he pulled out a sword from an officer standing nearby, ran to the admiral’s tent and, probably, would have killed him if the two sentries standing by the tent had not thrust their bayonets into his stomach. Falling, he tore a piece of meat from his watchmaker's teeth with his teeth, after which he was killed. When the emperor entered the tent, Admiral Apraksin said that he had come to this country so that he would be devoured by rabid dogs, and he had never been so afraid of it all his life. The emperor, smiling, replied: “If this people (Dagestanis) had a concept of military art (organization), then no nation could have taken up arms with them (that is, to fight them).” "

Having ascertained that Peter I’s goal was Derbent , Utsmiy Ahmed Khan , an ally of the Utamysh Sultan, filed a petition for his acceptance into Russian citizenship. However, this did not at all mean the reassurance of the Dagestan rulers. Already on September 20, 1722, the commandant of Derbent Andrei Yunger reported that the soldiers of Hadji-Daud, Utsmiya, Kazikumukh Surkhay Khan and the Utemysh Sultan Mahmud captured the Russian redoubt on the Orta-Bugan River (sixty miles from Derbent) “and people were guarded from the enemy” . According to the Derbent Naib, the three-day assault cost the attackers 400 dead, but only three people escaped from the garrison of 128 soldiers and six Cossacks ^[12] . On September 19 and 21, the mountaineers stormed the "tranquiment" near the Rubas River; the attack was repelled, but the wall collapsed in the fortification, and the garrison had to be withdrawn into the city. Major General Kropotov reported that the soldiers of Sultan Mahmud and Utsmiya attacked his rearguard near Buinaksk. The roads became so dangerous that Colonel Maslov, commander of the agrakhanskaya fortification, received an order on August 28 not to send anyone to the army, since “it is impossible to drive land from the mountain peoples”; couriers carrying papers from the Senate, the College of Foreign Affairs and other institutions have accumulated in his “tranquiment”. Sultan-Mahmud, in alliance with usmiya, having gathered 20 thousand troops, followed the retreating Russian troops, but did not engage in a major battle with them ^[12] . After the death of the energetic Sultan-Mahmud, the Utamysh sultanism leaves the political arena as an independent possession. In the region, the power of the Kaitag Utsmii is being strengthened. Dissatisfied with the construction of the Russian fortress in his possessions (which was a gross violation of the agreements), Shamkhal Adil Giray decided to break with the Russian government. Having sent other mountain estates proposals to join the campaign, Adil Giray gathered an army of 20 thousand people. Kaitag Usmiy Akhmet Khan promised to join the campaign, but never arrived. The siege of the fortress of the Holy Cross ended in failure. The allies of shamkhal quarreled and dispersed their possessions, and a punitive Russian expedition went to Dagestan. Not wanting to ruin the possession, Adil Giray surrendered, was sent to the Kola fortress of the Arkhangelsk province, where he ended his days. The Shamkhal title was abolished (restored in 1735 by Nadir Shah, who confirmed the son of Adil-Girey Khasbulat on the throne).