The Karachay Uprising of 1855 was a rebellion by the Karachay people and other Circassian mountain tribes against the Russian Empire during the Caucasian War. This uprising took place in August 1855 in what is now the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. It was organized by the naib (deputy) of Imam Shamil, Muhammad Amin, alongside Magomet Efendi Hubiev, a spiritual leader of the Karachay people. The primary goal was to expel Russian influence from the region and unite the local forces with those of Imam Shamil.[1]
| Karachay Uprising (1855) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Caucasian War and Russo-Circassian War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Caucasian Imamate Karachay forces |
 Russian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Muhammad Amin Muhammad-Efendi Khubiev |
General Vincens Kozlovsky General Alexey Petrovich Gramotin General Nikolai Ivanovich Evdokimov Colonel Kaziy-Girey Colonel Dmitry Yagotinov | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000-6,000 forces | 4,000-10,000 forces (Estimate) | ||||||
Background
editThe roots of Karachay collaboration with Shamil's naibs can be traced to the early 1840s when Haji Muhammad, the first naib of Imam Shamil in the North-West Caucasus, established connections with the Karachay people. In 1842, Russian officials reported concerns about the Karachays’ intent to support Haji Muhammad if he entered their territory with a group of resistance fighters. After Haji Muhammad's death, Shamil sent a new naib, Suleiman Efendi Mustafinov, to reinforce relations with sympathetic Karachays and strengthen the coordination of local mountain forces across the Kuban region.[2][3]
By the mid-1850s, Muhammad Amin had become a prominent naib, drawing support from various mountain communities, including the Karachays, who supplied him with resources such as lead. Control over the Karachay region was crucial to Muhammad Amin's strategy, as it would facilitate the unification of his forces with Shamil's, creating a solid front against Russian advances.[4][5]
Uprising Events
editOn August 10, 1855, Muhammad Amin crossed the Laba River with his forces and, on August 15, reached Teberda. At the same time, Magomet Efendi Hubiev sent emissaries across Karachay villages, urging the population to rally against Russian oppression.
Russian forces, led by General Vincens Kozlovsky and General Alexey Gramotin, quickly mobilized in response. Reinforcements, including ten Hopersky Cossack companies (totaling 1,251 Cossacks and officers), were deployed to key positions near Khumar fortifications to monitor and control access routes.[6]
On August 17, Muhammad Amin entered Karachay, capturing a Russian transport caravan near the Eshkakon River. Most Karachay youth joined his cause. Hearing of this intrusion, General Kozlovsky took action, deploying his forces to prevent further advances.[7]
The Russian military strategy included setting ambushes and fortifying positions along key mountain passes. Cossack units occupied strategic areas such as the Amankhita gorges and the Kuban River banks, attempting to trap Muhammad Amin's forces in the Teberda Gorge. After several skirmishes and a prolonged five-hour battle near the Kuban, the mountain fighters were forced to retreat.[8][9]
Aftermath
editOn August 23, 1855, Russian forces, now bolstered by additional Hopersky Cossacks and two infantry battalions, launched a final offensive. They moved toward the Kadyko Valley, where Muhammad Amin and his supporters had fortified their position. Following a fierce seven-hour battle, the Russian Cossacks broke through the defenses, forcing Muhammad Amin to retreat across the Kuban River. Magomet Efendi Hubiev escaped to Abkhazia.[10]
In the aftermath, the Russian Empire imposed a heavy indemnity on the Karachay people as punishment for the uprising. This decisive defeat weakened the Karachay resistance and underscored the difficulty local mountain tribes faced in unifying against the more technologically advanced Russian forces.[11]
Legacy
editThe Karachay Uprising of 1855 represents a significant chapter in the larger resistance efforts of the North Caucasus during the Caucasian War. Although ultimately unsuccessful, it demonstrated the determination of the Karachay and other mountain tribes to oppose Russian expansion and protect their autonomy.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ Begeulov, Rustam (2021-11-15). "Problems of Integration of Karachay into Russia: the August Uprising of 1855". ISTORIYA. 12 (10 (108)). doi:10.18254/S207987840016871-7. ISSN 2079-8784.
- ^ Begeulov, Rustam (2021). "Problems of Integration of Karachay into Russia: the August Uprising of 1855". ISTORIYA. 12 (10). ISSN 2079-8784.
- ^ Rustam Begeulov. Karachay in the Caucasian War of the 19th century. - Cherkessk, 2002. - P. 134.
- ^ "Babich I.L. Institute of revenge in the North-West Caucasus: history and modernity". Юридические исследования. 1 (1): 85–121. ISSN 2409-7136.
- ^ Kidirniyazov D.S. The people's liberation struggle in the North-West Caucasus under the leadership of Muhammad Amin in the 50s. // Bulletin of the Institute of Atomic Energy. — 2017. — No. 2.
- ^ Venkov, Andrey V. (2023-01-01). "New and Unusual History of the Kuban Cossack". The New Past (1): 302–308. doi:10.18522/2500-3224-2023-1-302-308. ISSN 2500-3224.
- ^ V. Tolstov. History of the Khoper Regiment of the Kuban Cossacks. - Tiflis, 1901. - P. 111.
- ^ Gasanov, Magomed; Gazieva, Abidat (2022-04-29). "The role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the integration of the Eastern Caucasus into the Russian cultural space during the Caucasian war (with the example of the left wing of the Caucasian cordon line)". St.Tikhons' University Review. 105: 31–41. doi:10.15382/sturii2022105.31-41. ISSN 1991-6434.
- ^ Dmitry Anuchin. Essay on the mountain peoples of the right wing of the Caucasian line.
- ^ Igušev, J (1979). "В. А. Сорвачева, Нижневычегодский диалект коми языка, Москва, «Наука», 1978. 227 с." Linguistica Uralica. 15 (4): 266. doi:10.3176/lu.1979.4.13. ISSN 0868-4731.
- ^ M.D.Karaketov, Kh.-M.A.Sabanchiev. Karachays. Balkars / L.I.Misonova. - Moscow: Nauka, 2014. - P. - 869 s.
- ^ "Demographic Consequences of the Caucasian War: on the Issue of Battle Losses of the Highlanders". Bylye Gody. 45 (3). 2017-09-01. doi:10.13187/bg.2017.3.821. ISSN 2073-9745.
- ^ Юсуфович, Чирг Асхад; Николаевич, Мальцев Валерий (2012). "Внутриполитическая борьба в Западной Черкесии в 1854 1856 гг". Вестник Адыгейского государственного университета. Серия: Регионоведение: философия, история, социология, юриспруденция, политология, культурология (2): 75–80. ISSN 2410-3691.