15.05.2022
“Proud sons of the Caucasus. Origin of the peoples of the Caucasus. Caucasian Chronicles History of the sons of the Caucasus
Original taken from indilenka
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How little and how much has been said about these people, the amanats, who were everyday life in Vladikavkaz.
In the spring of 1829, “Notes during a trip from Astrakhan to the Caucasus and Georgia in 1827” by Nikolai Aleksandrovich Nefedyev, an Astrakhan official and traveler, came out of print. He was here in the Caucasus with one of A.S. Pushkin’s friends N.V. Vsevolozhsky and his wife. At the beginning of his description, the author notes that a long and high bridge was built across the Terek “on stone pillars.” The river water is so turbid that residents sit in barrels for days to drink it. The following is a description of the fortress.
“A ditch and an earthen rampart constitute a citadel here. Inside it are stone barracks, a church, the commandant's house and many other government buildings; including houses for visitors and residents.
The location of Vladikavkaz is very pleasant. In the suburb, the houses of officers and soldiers are surrounded by flowering front gardens. In the fortress itself there is a small garden and a linden alley, replacing the boulevard where I saw the villagers walking. These are the small children of the owners or elders of the mountain peoples, the guarantee of their loyalty. Despite these hostages, however, it is not safe here; everyone lives as if under a blockade, and no one dares to leave the closest distance from here.” On the way back, the author again passed through Vladikavkaz and noted that he had “a pleasant memory of Vladikavkaz,” if not for the amanats...
Yes, the supposed stay “as a guest” among civilized society, as a result of official, criminal indifference, turned into an ordinary prison for the sons of mountain princes. Even royal historians were indignant about this. “This good goal was achieved only on paper, but in reality...” wrote our fellow countryman D.V. Rakovich, teacher of the Vladikavkaz Cadet Corps, author of interesting local history books. And “Tiflis Gazette” (No. 56, 1830) in the correspondence “Trip from Moscow to the Caucasus” reported: “In the fortress, a small wooden house with iron bars is filled with amanates given by the mountain peoples. These are ragged, dirty children, doomed to eternal ignorance, because in Vladikavkaz they are not taught anything, but are kept as prisoners. What would be the benefit if we established a school for them and, at the end of the course of study, let them go home, and recruit others instead of them: how much both the government and humanity in general would benefit from this.”
Few people know that amanatism is a very old custom that helped our ancestors resolve frequent inter-tribal and inter-community conflicts. It was a kind of peace treaty with guarantees. Among the peoples of the East, children or other close relatives of leaders, elders, and khans acted as amanat hostages. They were the ones who represented the highest social value in the eyes of their rivals.
During the 25-year Caucasian War of the 19th century, amanats were generally a bargaining chip. General Alexey Petrovich Ermolov, conqueror invader of the Caucasus, used not only the military power of the Russian army, but also hostages. Shamil acted in the same way, about whom they said: “Like the Russians, Shamil constantly kept in captivity several hundred amanats, taken from villages dubious of their loyalty.” Ermolov, fighting in the mountains, adopted methods adopted here from time immemorial. Amanats, in his opinion, should have been executed in case of deception, violation or betrayal on the part of their fellow tribesmen. He said: “Condescension in the eyes of Asians is a sign of weakness, and I... out of love for humanity, am strict and inexorable. One execution will save hundreds of Russians from death and a thousand Muslims from treason.” And these were not just words...
Buckshot, whip and sword
Here are just a few very short stories. They are not made up at all. One talks about them from collections of documents on the history of the conquest of Ossetia by Russian tsarism, prepared by V. S. Galtsev, published in 1942 by the state publishing house of the SO ASSR.
The institution of amanatism is beginning to be firmly established in the region as one of the strongest means in the system of conquering Ossetia (as well as the mountaineers of the Caucasus in general). The report of the Mozdok commandant addressed to the commandant Kizlyar about the refusal of the Ossetians in the villages of Saniba and Dargavs to issue new amanates reveals the entire slaveholding nature of this system. The case arose in connection with the death of the son of Aldar Tembulat Akhpolov in the Kizlyar fortress. The elders of these villages refused not only to replace the deceased with a new amanat, but also flatly refused to give new “amanats of the vile classes” in return. The elders motivated such a sharp refusal as follows: “...as before the centurion sent, we answer you: then we don’t allow that our children are kept in Kizlyar no better than slaves, without release from the fortress, that’s why they die.” However, after apparently thinking and weighing a little, they still promised to send amanats by Easter. This, apparently, was an empty excuse, a maneuver, since they further stated: “... if we don’t send by then, we will never give it, and so that they will no longer send to us for them, and whoever is sent, we will quarrel with them.” and fight."
Don’t you think that this document sheds exceptional light on this part of the methods used by tsarism to rule in Ossetia?
There was a grueling Caucasian war. In June 1943, 1843, Shamil gathered significant crowds four times with the intention of invading the enemy from the side of the plane. Then he decided to change tactics and ordered his assistant Akhverdy-Magomet to lead several thousand people against the rebellious mountain tribes. But they refused to issue 12 amanats as a pledge of obedience to Shamil and, locking themselves in the towers, driving the cattle to inaccessible places, turned to Vladikavkaz for help. And help was provided. Regular troops, artillery, and a fairly strong police force - all of this opposed Akhverdy-Magomet, who, after receiving a mortal wound, was taken away from the battlefield on a stretcher.
Schools for amanats
They began to be discovered in the second half of the 18th century. The military administration hoped to wean the hostages from “barbaric” morals and introduce them to literacy. The famous researcher Jean Charles de Besse, speaking about one of the Amanat schools, where children were taught to read, write and speak Russian, noted: “The ease with which these children learn is extraordinary, the eldest of them read a Russian book very fluently in front of me and clearly, although he spent only one year at school - the period after which parents take their children away to send others in their place.”
And researcher S.B. Uzdenova, based on the written testimony of some eyewitnesses, writes: “Having mastered the Russian language, they became translators and officials of the tsarist administration. Some of the graduates of these schools continued their education in private boarding houses, gymnasiums, cadet corps, and served in the Imperial convoy and in Russian military units stationed in the North Caucasus.”
And yet, we must not forget about the short period of education of the amanat and the age of the children, which often makes it difficult for them to master knowledge... Of course, there were those who received the opportunity to study further and take an official position in the administration. But this was more an exception to the rule than a pattern.
The origin of the “Amanat” schools is lost in ancient times. The education of child hostages was practiced in the states of the Ancient East and in the Roman Empire. This way of assimilating the dominant culture through the nobility of the conquered peoples was considered quite effective and painless for the subsequent organic entry of new territories into the structure of a particular state. And here Russia has not invented anything new. It should only be added that the conditions of education in the palaces of the same Xerxes differed sharply from the situation in which the children of the mountaineers were locked in military fortresses...
The validity of such a conclusion can be judged by the response of one of his contemporaries, who described the situation in the Mozdok Amanat school: “Now, with the dilapidation and destruction of these chambers, the students are left without shelter and wander around different houses, enduring extreme poverty and lack, not having a single shoe, not wearing shirts, which is why they can’t go not only around the city, but also to school.” The first pupils of the Mozdok school were the children of the elders of the Alagir Gorge: Peter, Pavel and Khariton Khetagurov, Ivan Eliikanov, Andrey Bitarov, Feofan Karabugaev, Bero Mamiev, Ivan Naniev. But the training was poorly delivered. All this indicated one thing: the authorities were not going to invest in this kind of educational institutions. And yet, in spite of everything, it should be noted that Amanat schools were both the first experience in spreading literacy in the North Caucasus and part of state policy in the region.
And a little later in the Caucasus, and in particular in Vladikavkaz, schools for “military trainees” appeared, created in regiments and battalions of the Russian army, although the first opportunities to receive a good military education appeared among the mountaineers earlier, when the Russian government only began to use the institute of amanats.
Several destinies
Aslanbek Tuganov was the first Ossetian general; during his lifetime he was considered the patriarch of the Ossetian military intelligentsia. He commanded His Imperial Majesty's own Convoy. “When I was four years old, I was handed over to the government as an amanat,” Aslanbek wrote in his biography. In the formation of his personality, an important role was played by the fact that for many years he was raised in the family of a Russian colonel. At the age of nineteen, Tuganov began his military service as a private. And then, thanks to his academic success, he reached the highest military positions - he became a major general. Already at the end of his days, he wrote: “I had the good fortune several times, by the Highest order, to be sent from St. Petersburg to the Caucasus to invite the mountain princes, Uzdens, Badilyats and Aldars to send their children to the cadet corps and to the guards half-squadron of His Majesty’s Own Convoy.”
Mussa Kundukhov. A brave warrior, he proved himself to be a subtle diplomat and an outstanding educator. And he loved his homeland selflessly. He was interested in national roots, researched the origins of the customs and morals of the Ossetian people and improved them. At the age of 12, he, a smart and intelligent boy beyond his age, was taken by the amanate to St. Petersburg and assigned to be a student at the Pavlovsk Military School, from where he was released as a cavalry cornet in the Separate Caucasian Corps. He rose to the rank of general.
In the books by G. T. Dzagurova “Sons of the Fatherland” and “Under Russian Banners” I unexpectedly came across interesting facts. It turns out that the hero of the Russian-Turkish War, Lieutenant Colonel Aslamurza Esiev, who served in the Danube Army under General M.D. Skobelev, was also an amanate at one time. At the age of nine, the boy was taken to St. Petersburg. His youth and youth were spent far from his homeland. Having graduated from the Second Cadet Corps there, in the capital, he began his long journey up the career ladder.
And how unusual is the fate of Taso Gaitov, a boy from the Kurtatinsky Gorge! At the age of six, his parents also sent him to an amanat. Only chance saved the little mountaineer from the fate of those “frisky and beautiful boys” chained in wooden stocks, whom A.S. Pushkin saw in Vladikavkaz. Taso was taken into the family of a Russian officer, who soon moved to Warsaw. This forever determined the fate of the teenager, and over time made it possible to understand the purpose of Russia in the Caucasus as a conductor of advanced culture.
At the age of eleven, the adoptive parents of Peter, as the boy began to be called after baptism, sent him to the Mountain Cossack team, and soon circumstances turned out so that he returned to his homeland. Taso Gaitov was to rise to the rank of lieutenant colonel, occupy responsible positions as a police officer, and participate in the Crimean War. Ordinary people loved him for his honesty and justice. It is no coincidence that during the conflict between the peasants and the feudal Badelates, the former filed a complaint addressed to the governor, Count Vorontsov, with a request to send to them the military foreman Gaitov, “... who is truly fair for our society, supports us from the insults inflicted on us by the elders Kubatievs, Tuganovs, Karazhaevs, and provides extreme protection to the poor and offended...”
Instead of a conclusion
Yes, giving their son to a manat, the parents lived under eternal fear. And there really were reasons for this. The earth is always full of rumors. And they excited, frightened, and made me doubt. Because of the misdeeds of the village, the amanats were sent to Siberia to a cantonist school; the amanats were not changed on time; So the boys were driven to Gori (the amanats were also kept there) because the village rebelled, despite requests from the amanats for humility. With this they addressed their fellow countrymen. And in government papers the word “amanate” itself is one of the most frequently used. But the fate of the hostages is said extremely sparingly and carefully, always as if with some kind of caution.
Yes, history, and especially the history of the Caucasus, does not immediately initiate us into its riddles, secrets, and laws. Much here is still waiting for its Columbuses and explorers. And it's probably for the best. And the soil for this is quite fertile. In the meantime... For now, on the map of old Vladikavkaz we still find a house for amanats. And what was there, behind the shabby walls and lattice windows, is a mystery, covered in darkness, a half-closed page of history.
Origin of the indigenous Caucasian peoples, ORIGIN OF THE PEOPLES INHABITING THE CAUCASUS
Targamos is mentioned in the Bible, in the so-called “Table of Nations”, being, as in the Georgian chronicles, the grandson of Japheth (see “Genesis”, chapter 10, article 3). True, in the Bible the name of this character sounds like Torgama.
The scholar-monk Leonti Mroveli, who lived in the 11th century, wrote a historical work called “The Life of the Kartli Kings.” This work, based on even more ancient chronicle sources of Georgians and, perhaps, Armenians, is the beginning of all known copies of the collection of ancient Georgian chronicles “Kartlis Tskhovreba” (“Life of Georgia”), compiled into a single book between the 12th and 14th centuries. Leonti Mroveli describes the origin of the indigenous Caucasian peoples as follows: “First of all, let us mention that the Armenians and Kartlians, Rans and Movakans, Ers and Leks, Mingrelians and Caucasians - all these peoples had a single father named Targamos. This Targamos was the son of Tarshis, the grandson of Japheth, the son of Noah. That Targamos was a hero. According to the division of languages, when the Tower of Babel was erected, languages were distinguished and scattered from there throughout the world. Targamos came with his entire tribe and established himself between two mountains inaccessible to man - Ararat and Masis. And his tribe was great and countless, he acquired many children, children and grandchildren of his sons and daughters, for he lived six hundred years. And the lands of Ararat and Masis could not accommodate them.
The countries that fell to them as their inheritance are these boundaries: from the east - the Gurgen Sea, from the west - the Pontic Sea, from the south - the Orets Sea and from the north - the Caucasus Mountains.
Among his sons, eight brothers distinguished themselves, powerful and glorious heroes, whose names were: the first - Gaos, the second - Kartlos, the third - Bardos, the fourth - Movakan, the fifth - Lek, the sixth - Eros, the seventh - Caucasus, the eighth - Egros... “The circle of Caucasian peoples perceived by the ancient historian as “descendants of Targamos” is limited. If everything is clear with the Armenians, Kartlians (Georgians), Mingrelians and Rans (Albanians), then other names require decoding, which we get from G.V. Tsulaya in the relevant notes. Thus, the Movakans turn out to be a tribe of Caucasian Albania, related to the modern Lezgins, the Eras are an ancient powerful people who lived in the adjacent territories of modern eastern Georgia and western Azerbaijan (historical Kakheti), the Leki are “the Georgian name for the peoples of Dagestan as a whole,” and, finally, the Caucasians are the ancestors not only modern Chechens, Ingush and Batsbis, but also other Nakh tribes and ethnic groups that have not survived to this day.
The boundaries of the “country of Targamos” are clearly delineated, in which scientists see memories of the kingdom of Urartu during the period of its power. We would like to draw the attention of readers to the fact that by naming the eponym (name of the legendary ancestor) of this or that people, Mroveli does not confuse this relationship anywhere else, that is, for him the Dagestanis always remain “descendants of Lekos”, the Vainakhs - “descendants of the Caucasus”, Georgians - “descendants of Kartlos”, etc. At the same time, new eponyms may be named (for example, among the Dagestanis Khozonikh), but it is always emphasized that the new legendary character introduced on the pages of the narrative is a son, grandson, or a more distant, but always direct, descendant of one of the eight brothers - the sons of Targamos.
Subsequently, Mroveli narrates the victorious struggle of the Targamosians (in which, as already noted, one can see the Chaldo-Urartians) with Assyria. Having repelled the onslaught of the Assyrians and defeated their forces, eight brothers - the sons of Targamos - received their inheritance in the Caucasus to live. Six brothers and their corresponding peoples (Armenians, Georgians, Mingrelians, “Movakans”, Albanians, Eras) remain in Transcaucasia. Mroveli writes about the settlement of the North Caucasus:
“The lands north of the Caucasus not only were not the lot of Targamos, but there were no inhabitants north of the Caucasus. The spaces from the Caucasus to the Great River that flows into the Daruband Sea (Caspian Sea; “Great River” - Volga - author) were deserted. That is why Targamos chose two heroes from among the many - Lekan (Lekos) and Caucasus. He gave Lekan lands from the Daruband Sea to the Lomek (Terek) River, to the north - to the Great Hazareti River. To the Caucasus - from the Lomek River to the borders of the Caucasus in the West.”
So, the Dagestanis settled from the Caspian Sea to the Terek, and the Vainakhs - from the Terek “to the borders of the Caucasus in the West.” It is interesting that in Mroveli we also find the ancient name of the Terek (Lomeki), which is composed of the Vainakh phrase “mountain river” (lome - khi). As for the geographical term “Caucasus”, it should be taken into account that ancient Georgian authors, including Mroveli, always meant the Central Caucasus and specifically Mount Elbrus by this term.9 Consequently, the boundaries of the “Caucasus lot” reached Elbrus and included this mountain.
Further, after describing the settlement of the North Caucasus by Dagestanis and Vainakhs, Mroveli returns to the events that took place in Transcaucasia, in the “destiny of Kartlos”. He talks about his descendants, about attempts to introduce royal power in Georgia, about civil strife, etc. The narrative is brought to the ancient era and, despite the chronological uncertainty, two characteristic moments are clearly emphasized - the rise and flourishing of the capital Mtskheta among the ancient Georgian cities and the paganism of the Georgians, who during the period under review worshiped “the sun and the moon and the five stars, and their first and main shrine there was Kartlos’s grave.”
Here's a quote from the source:
“At that time, the Khazars strengthened and began a war with the Lek and Caucasian tribes. The Targamosians at that time were in mutual peace and love. Over the sons of Caucasus was the ruler Durdzuk, the son of Tiret. Six Targamosians decided to seek help in the fight against the Khazars. And all of the Targamosians gathered, overcame the Caucasus mountains, conquered the borders of Hazara and, having erected cities on its outskirts, returned.”
Let's stop quoting for a minute. Some clarification is needed here. In the ancient Armenian version of “Kartlis Tskhovreba”, the passage we cited above is conveyed in the following words: “At this time, the Khazrats tribe strengthened, they began to fight against the clan of Lekats and Kavkas, who fell into sadness because of this; they asked for help from the six houses of Torgom, which at that time were in joy and peace, so that they would come to them for salvation, who went in full readiness to help and crossed the mountains of Caucasus and filled the lands of Khazratz with the hands of the son of Tiret - Dutsuk, who called them for help".
The ancient Armenian version significantly complements the Georgian one. Firstly, it becomes clear that the main burden of the war with the Khazars fell on the shoulders of the Vainakhs (Durdzuks, as the Georgians called them almost until the 19th century), and it was they who turned to the Transcaucasians with a request for help. Help was provided, but the conquest of the Khazar lands was carried out by Vainakh forces (“they filled the lands of Khazratz with the hands of Tiret’s son, Dutsuk...”). Let us return, however, to the interrupted quotation: “Following this (that is, after the military defeat - author) the Khazars elected a king for themselves. The entire Khazar region began to obey the chosen king, and the Khazars led by him passed the Sea Gate, which is now called Darubandi (that is, Derbent - author). The Targamosians were unable to resist the Khazars, for there were countless of them. They overran the country of the Targamosians, crushed all the cities of Ararat, Masis and the North...”
Further it tells about the frequent raids of the Khazars in Transcaucasia, about the capture of people, etc. It is noted that for raids the Khazars used not only the Derbent Pass, but also the Daryal Gorge. Then Mroveli records the first appearance of Ossetians in the Caucasus: “On his first campaign, the Khazar king crossed the Caucasus mountains and overwhelmed the peoples, as I wrote above. He had a son named Uobos, to whom he gave captives Somkhiti and Kartli (that is, Armenia and Georgia - author). Gave him part of the Caucasus country, west of the Lomeka River to the western limits of the mountains. And Wobos settled. Its descendants are oats. This is Ovseti (Ossetia), which was part of the destiny of the Caucasus. Durdzuk, who was the most famous among the sons of Caucasus, left and settled in a mountain gorge, to which he gave his name - Durdzuketi..."
The Chechens once had three such symbolic objects: “koman yay” (“national cauldron”), “koman teptar” (“national chronicle”) and “koman muhar” (“national seal”). All of them were kept in Nashakh, in the ancestral tower of Motsar (Motsarhoy), an ancient clan that was the custodian of these national Chechen relics.
The names of these 63 types were stamped on bronze strips that were soldered vertically to the outside of the cauldron.
The cauldron was destroyed by order of Imam Shamil by two Chechen naibs in 1845 or 1846. The Naibs were representatives of the Nashkho and Dishni types. Realizing what they had done, they began to blame each other for this sacrilege. Enmity began between them, and their descendants were reconciled only in the 30s of the 20th century.
The original manuscript of Alan Azdin Vazar was recently discovered. This manuscript, written in Arabic, was found by Jordanian historian Abdul-Ghani Hassan al-Shashani among 30 thousand ancient manuscripts stored in the al-Azhar mosque in Cairo. Azdin, according to the manuscript, was born in the year of the invasion of Tamerlane’s hordes in the Caucasus - in 1395. He calls himself a representative of the “Alan Nokhchi tribe.” Azdin's father, Vazar, was a high-ranking officer, one of the mercenary military leaders of the Mongol-Tatar army and lived in the capital of the Tatars - the city of Saray. Being a Muslim, Vazar sent his son to study in Muslim countries. Then he returned to his homeland with the goal of preaching Islam among his compatriots. According to him, one part of the Alan-Vainakhs professed Christianity, the other professed paganism (“magos tsIera din” - that is, the sun - and fire worship). The mission of Islamization of the Vainakhs at that time did not have any tangible success.
In his book, Azdin Vazar describes the boundaries and lands of settlement of the Alan-Vainakhs: north of the Kura River and Tusheti, from the Alazan River and Azerbaijan - to the northern limits of the Daryal and the Terek. And from the Caspian Sea (along the plain) to the Don River. The name of this plain has also been preserved - Sotai. The manuscript also mentions some settlements of Alanya: Mazhar, Dadi-ke (Dadi-kov), Balanzhar fortress, Balkh, Malka, Nashakh, Makzha, Argun, Kilbakh, Terki. The area in the lower reaches of the Terek, at its confluence with the Caspian Sea - the Keshan plain and the island of Chechen - is also described. Everywhere Alans and Vainakhs are completely identical for Azdin. Among the Vainakh clans listed by the missionary historian, the majority have survived to this day. However, he also mentions those clans that are not present in the Vainakh type nomenclature today, for example: Adoi, Vanoi, Suberoi, Martnakh, Nartnakh, etc.
However, often, when the military events of the First World War and the revolution of 1917 are mentioned, little is written about immigrants from the North Caucasus or most often they are kept silent. The “Wild Division” consisted of Chechens, Ingush, Ossetians, Kabardians and other peoples of the Caucasus. These units became famous for their heroism and loyalty to the Motherland.
The other day in Grozny, the International Scientific Conference “The Role of the Highlanders of the North Caucasus in Strengthening Russian Statehood” completed its work, organized by the “Society for the Development of Russian Historical Education “Double-Headed Eagle”, the Public Chamber of the Chechen Republic, the Ministry of Culture of the Chechen Republic and the National Library of the Chechen Republic named after. A.A. Aidamirova.
The conference was attended by deputies of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic, prominent scientists, political scientists, members of the Public Chamber of the Chechen Republic and the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, heads of public organizations, cultural figures, etc. Among the guests of honor were the chairman of the Society for the Development of Russian Historical Education “Double-Headed Eagle” Leonid Reshetnikov, Member of the Parliament of the Chechen Republic Murat Tagiev, Chairman of the Society for the Memory of the Imperial Guard Prince Alexander Trubetskoy and others.
Opening the ceremonial part, Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Chechen Republic I. Denilkhanov emphasized that the topic raised at the conference of the participation of the mountaineers of the North Caucasus in the state structure of Russia is very relevant in the light of the events that took place in the Caucasus at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. “If we consider the history of the development of the North Caucasus, it is impossible to consider it in isolation from political, economic and cultural processes and the history of the Russian state,” noted I. Denilkhanov. - The Chechen Republic has made a significant contribution to the strengthening of Russia. More than three centuries ago, our ancestors, people of different nationalities, religions, beliefs, united to save the Fatherland. Today, common historical memory helps us in solving modern problems in order to strengthen the state. Today we again turn to the issue of relationships between peoples of different nationalities. Russia is a multinational country, therefore, when building a policy of relations between the peoples of Russia today, it is necessary to take into account domestic national-historical traditions, turning to the experience and practice of past years, in order to avoid many mistakes,” he added.
The glorious sons of the peoples of the North Caucasus have advocated the defense of Russia since historical times. The mountaineers have always been brave defenders of the country during military vicissitudes. Their fearless heroism is forever immortalized in the chronology of those years.
“We have no right to forget their exploits. I am proud that today we once again remember the names of these valiant, courageous people,” said Leonid Reshetnikov.
Presentations at the conference were made by: Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosova, head of the Expert Commission of the Double-Headed Eagle Society Dmitry Volodikhin, chairman of the Public Chamber of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Nina Chiplakova, head of the department of scientific publications of the Archive Department of the Government of the Chechen Republic Raisa Bataeva, public figure, great-grandson of Sheikh Deni Arsanov - Ibragim Arsanov, Chairman of the Society for the Memory of the Imperial Guard, Prince A.A. Trubetskoy (Paris), Akaev Vahit - Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Chechen Republic, RAS expert, Deputy Director of the SKI (F) Moscow State Economic University, Candidate of Technical Sciences Evgeniy Vill, Deputy Director of the Charitable Foundation "Good Cause", coordinator of the charitable educational project "In the Main" “We are together” Mikhail Pushkarev, Ataman of the MCC of Russia in the North Caucasus Federal District, Major General V.G. Pravotorov.
Within the framework of the scientific forum, such topics were touched upon as: “The role of the family of the Cherkasy princes in the Russian state during the times of the last Rurikids and the Great Russian Troubles”, “On the contribution of the mountain peoples of the Caucasus to the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812”, “Alexander Chechensky - Hero of the Patriotic War 1812”, “The History of One Photograph” (about the friendship and kunachship of representatives of the Romanov family with the Chechens), “The contribution of mountain peoples to the victory of Russia in the Russian-Japanese and First World Wars”, “Mountain division on the island of Lemnos”, “Muslims of the Caucasus that Russia is proud of” (about examples of the North Caucasus mountaineers serving Russia), “Our friendship is the best monument to our ancestors”, etc.
History shows that a whole generation of people from the North Caucasus were respected individuals who made an invaluable contribution to the formation of Russian statehood. Most of them deserve to perpetuate their names in the form of monuments. For the mountaineers, defending the country was a noble cause, a matter of honor. No one saw anything reprehensible in this. The mountaineers were highly respected among the officers of the Russian army. Unfortunately, the names of many of them, due to the prevailing circumstances, were forgotten. Thanks to such conferences, it is possible to restore historical justice and remember the names of those who honorably defended the integrity of Russia. Along with other peoples of the North Caucasus, the Chechens always stood shoulder to shoulder with the armies of Russia in defending Russian statehood from external opponents, and in later times actively participated in the formation of its politics and culture.
A brilliant page of Chechen participation in the defense of Russia from its external enemies was opened by Major General Alexander Chechensky during the Patriotic War of 1812. He was taken to Russia as a child and raised in a military family. There he received his education and became one of the famous heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. There are records of Field Marshal M.I. about the desperate courage and resourcefulness of A. Chechensky, who commanded the 1st Bug Cossack Regiment in battles with Napoleon’s troops. Kutuzov and Lieutenant Colonel D.V. Davydov,” noted R. Bataeva in her report. She cited many interesting facts from the life of A. Chechensky.
Having assessed the military-historical significance of the Patriotic War of 1812, the First World War and the participation of the peoples of the Caucasus in it, it can be argued that their contribution is very significant, since it significantly influenced the course of the war. The mountaineers of the North Caucasus have at all times been a shining example of valiant and honest service to the Fatherland. Bravery and determination on the battlefield, heroic deeds and bold decisions - all this is embodied in the character of the soldiers of whom Russia can rightfully be proud.
Hedi Zakaeva
Information agency "Grozny-inform"
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His name has glorified our mountain region for centuries.
For the history of Dagestan, the life of General Maksud Alikhanov is a new, as yet unexplored phenomenon. The originality of his personality, the vicissitudes of his biography, the versatility of his cultural interests, reflected in his journalism, deserve full and careful consideration. He was one of the enlightened people of his time, a talented writer, painter, diplomat, and outstanding military leader. Having retained the innate qualities of a highlander - fearlessness, daring, agility, endurance, unshakable energy, iron will and amazing composure, he served Russia honestly and usefully.But the fact is that for many decades his figure remained in the shadows in his homeland, in Dagestan.
Fate gave Maksud Alikhanov 60 years and 8 months to live. What did this rather long period of earthly existence, by the standards of that era, contain?
The future military leader was born in the village of Khunzakh, which was the capital of the Avar Khanate, and then came under the control of either Russian troops or the troops of the leader of the Caucasian highlanders, Shamil. At one time, Alikhanov’s father was also an associate of Shamil, who, due to gossip and denunciations, was forced to go over to the side of the Russians, and was recruited. Here “he began his service in the Avar militia, for military distinction he was promoted to ensign of the militia on February 12, 1846. Alikhan's family was detained by Shamil, and only later was it possible to exchange it for several noble murids who were captured.
Until the age of eight, Maksud was in the detachment with his father, then he was sent to Tiflis, where he brilliantly completed his course of study at the noble gymnasium. But the young highlander was attracted by the military environment, and he passed the exam at the Konstantinovsky Military School, where he was accepted as an incoming student. Later, for his academic success, he was accepted into the government account. This gave him the opportunity to complete the 1st category course and join the Sumy Hussar Regiment, stationed in Moscow.
His stay in Moscow had a great influence on Alikhanov. He served in the regiment for 6 years and was successively promoted to second lieutenant, lieutenant and staff captain and served as regimental adjutant and member of the regimental court. In Moscow he met M.I. Katkov and other outstanding Russian figures and writers, and began to study literature and painting.
But, no matter how much his service in Moscow smiled at him, distant and gloomy Dagestan beckoned him with its memories, and he began to bother about transferring to serve in his native land. His efforts were finally crowned with success. In 1871, 25-year-old Alikhanov was transferred to Botlikh, directly subordinate to the military commander of Western Dagestan, Prince Nikolai Chavchavadze. He was afraid to see the young officer spoiled by balls, society girls, and endless hussar revelries. However, Alikhanov soon managed to prove his “professional suitability”: a completely unexpected uprising broke out in the Unkratlin societies, which required vigorous action and the sending of a detachment, which included staff captain Alikhanov.
When they received a message about the unrest in Botlikh, Chavchavadze was on vacation, and the military commander of the Dagestan region, Adjutant General Melikov, left for Tiflis. Captain Alikhanov took responsibility for the operation, realizing that it would be his baptism of fire. The difficulty was that Alikhanov did not find himself in a war where friends and foes are clearly defined, where large and small operations are planned and calculated, where there is a rear and an obvious front, and therefore his every military decision will be assessed from a moral point of view. After all, on the one hand, we are talking about the protection of legitimate power, and on the other, about the life and death of fellow countrymen of the same faith. Here he was from October 20 to November 26. Alikhanov, who headed a reconnaissance detachment of 250 people, prudently organized the receipt of regular reports about the movement of the Unkratlinites and monitored the situation outside the movement of his detachment. The attack, imposed by the rebel Unkratlinians on the night of October 22-23 near the Aquarin Gorge, could have resulted in heavy losses. But the merit of Captain Alikhanov was that he accurately calculated the time of the fire strike, due to which the ranks of the rebels were upset and put to flight. Alikhanov forbade the pursuit of fugitives. By his actions, the future general Maksud Alikhanov saved his native Dagestan from unrest and great bloodshed.
On November 26, the uprising was suppressed. For the distinction rendered in these matters, A. M. was promoted to captain on September 8, 1871, and on June 16, 1872 he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree with swords and bow.
At the end of these actions, he was appointed to the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army on January 20, 1872. At this time, a detachment of Caucasian troops was formed, which was supposed to set out on the Khiva campaign from Mangishlak. M. Alikhanov took an active part in this difficult campaign. During the assault on the city of Khiva, he was wounded in both legs by two enemy rifle bullets. Two years later he again went to Central Asia on a reconnaissance expedition. Returning from there, Alikhanov quarreled with a senior officer, challenged him to a duel and, according to one source, shot the offender. According to other information, the incident ended bloodlessly. One way or another, the military court demoted Major Alikhanov to private, deprived him of all orders and transferred him to the Pereyaslavl Dragoon Regiment.
After three years of soldier's life, for participation in the Turkish campaign and repeated distinctions in battles, Alikhanov received the rank of non-commissioned officer, then was promoted to second lieutenant and spent two years in the Caucasus, from where he returned to serve in the Trans-Caspian steppes. There Alikhanov became acquainted with the life of the Merv oasis, started a kunakship with many elders, and wrote for Moskovskie Vedomosti and Russian Vestnik. Thanks to numerous acquaintances with the Merv people, knowledge of local languages, peculiarities of life and connections with the Moscow merchants, Alikhanov developed a plan for the peaceful annexation of the Merv oasis to Russia. He persuaded the Moscow company Konshin to equip a caravan with goods to Merv for sale. While the goods were being sold, Alikhanov, as a translator, skillfully carried out work among authoritative local residents. As a result of this, when the caravan returned to Ashgabat, a deputation of Merv elders and honorary citizens went with it to swear allegiance to the Russian Tsar.
The peaceful annexation of Merv is considered Alikhanov’s greatest service to Russia, who was able, through the power of persuasion and tact, to induce a warlike, freedom-loving tribe to join Russia of their own free will. Alikhanov was returned to the rank of major and orders, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed the first Merv district commander. During the governorship of Alikhanov in the Merv district, not only was there no attempt at an uprising, but the Mervians even created a militia that successfully took part in the Battle of Kushka against Afghan troops.
Alikhanov-Avarsky held the position of chief of the Merv detachment until 1890, when he was appointed to serve with the troops of the Caucasian Military District. In 1898 he was promoted to colonel, and in 1901 to major general. The governor of the Caucasus, Count Vorontsov-Dashkov, more than once entrusted Alikhanov-Avarsky with pacifying uprisings in the troubled areas of this outskirts.
During these years, M. Alikhanov-Avarsky married the sister of his fellow soldier. She was the daughter of an Azerbaijani sovereign prince. Zari-Bek Alikhanova visited Khunzakh several times. But her fate after the death of her husband was tragic: after the revolution she was arrested and exiled to Solovki, where she died.
With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, General Alikhanov-Avarsky was proposed to command the emerging Caucasian cavalry brigade of Caucasian highlanders. He was recommended for this position by the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, Prince Golitsyn, but for unknown reasons, another took the place. Alikhanov went to St. Petersburg twice to lobby for his appointment, but to no avail. Later they explained to the general that they were saving his life for the expedition to India, which was planned after the end of the Japanese war.
During the revolutionary events of 1905, Alikhanov was sent twice to Guria and Erivan province to suppress unrest. When an armed revolutionary detachment, having captured the railway and Tiflis, almost deposed the governor in the Caucasus, General Alikhanov was appointed temporary Tiflis governor-general. Order was restored.
Next, Alikhanov and his unit were sent to “conquer” the Kutaisi province, which had almost separated from Russia and was controlled by various revolutionary organizations. In 2-3 months the province “calmed down.” The revolutionaries could not forgive General Alikhanov for such a turn of events. In Georgian society, the name of “Lezgin” Alikhanov” was pronounced with incredible anger, and some representatives of the Georgian intelligentsia announced all the administrative institutions of Tiflis with lamentations about the terrible fate of “unfortunate Guria, given over to be torn to pieces by the beast Alikhanov...”.
It was no secret to anyone that an assassination attempt was being prepared on Alikhanov-Avarsky. In Kutaisi, after business meetings, when Alikhanov left the house and got into the carriage, he was advised to put an empty phaeton with a Cossack escort in front of him to simulate his departure. To this, rejecting the cowardly proposal, Alikhanov remarked: “I’m surprised, gentlemen, how you turned your tongue to give such advice. Never before had General Alikhanov sent others to die in his place, and no one could ever say that General Alikhanov was afraid of anything,” and with these words he set off on his way to the station, from where he was to return by train to Tiflis. On the way, an ambush was made, several bombs were thrown at the phaeton, as a result of which several guards were killed, and Alikhanov was seriously wounded by bomb fragments. After bandaging the wounded general, he was put on a train and sent to Tiflis. The wound turned out to be severe and he had to go abroad for treatment. The powerful organism survived, and Alikhanov, returning to the Caucasus, took command of the 2nd Caucasian Cossack Division, stationed in Transcaucasia.
Many dissuaded the general from traveling to the Caucasus due to the fact that the assassination attempt could be repeated, but Alikhanov insisted on his own. The moment of reprisal was chosen when the general with his son and General Glebova and her daughter were returning home late at night from a regimental holiday in Alexandropol. Terrorists bombed the crew, Alikhanov and Glebova were killed, and the young people were seriously injured.
Emerging unharmed from many battles, campaigns, and dangerous skirmishes, Alikhanov-Avarsky died from a bandit bomb. This is what his friends and fellow soldiers wrote about this general after his tragic death:
“This highlander, born in a remote corner of Dagestan, by the force of his will became an enlightened citizen, a talented writer, painter and an outstanding educated military leader, preserving the innate qualities of a highlander - fearlessness, daring, agility, endurance, unshakable energy, iron will and amazing composure. An honest, faithful heart beat in his chest, and Russia in him lost a faithful and useful servant who would have served her usefully for many, many years to come, faithfully. Remaining a good Muslim, he passionately loved his gloomy Dagestan with its wild folk poetry and history full of heroic deeds, his native language. And at the same time, Alikhanov became an ardent Russian patriot, perfectly mastered the Russian language, which he spoke better than other natural Russians, and completed Russian civilization and his life path, marking it with many deeds useful for his new fatherland.”
The body of Alikhanov-Avarsky, in accordance with the will of the deceased, was transported by his widow to Khunzakh. The 4th hundred of the Dagestan Cavalry Regiment met the ashes of the general in Temir-Khan-Shura, and then, on July 19, accompanied him to the city limits when transporting his ashes to his homeland. With great honors, mourning wreaths from senior officers and soldiers, the hero was buried in a specially built marble mausoleum.
The mausoleum was a beautiful miniature building, decorated with marble, specially brought for this occasion from India, with elegant cast-iron gratings and decorative elements. Under Soviet rule, the mausoleum was destroyed, the grave was desecrated, as always, they forgot that a person remains in the grateful memory of people for his valiant, kind deeds, and not thanks to a beautifully decorated grave.
“Proud sons of the Caucasus...” - this is what the great Russian poet A.S. called the Caucasian highlanders. Pushkin, who admired their courage and courage, love of freedom and rebellion.
For centuries, the mountaineers of the Caucasus defended their independence from foreign invaders. The Turkish sultans extended their rule from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf, conquering the peoples of many countries in Africa and Asia, but were unable to conquer the Caucasus. Back in the 16th century. They captured a number of points on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, built fortresses there, set up their garrisons, but all their attempts to penetrate deep into the mountain gorges were in vain. In the 30-40s. XVIII century The powerful ruler of Iran, Nadir Shah, made many campaigns of conquest in Central Asia, India, and Transcaucasia. Only in the mountains of Dagestan did he fail. The Caucasian mountaineers gave him such a rebuff that he lost the desire to invade their villages.
The Ingush and Chechens have long traded with the Russian Cossacks who settled on the banks of the Terek. In the struggle against the Turkish and Iranian conquerors, the Caucasian highlanders often turned to the Russians for help. Kabardians back in the 16th century. came under the protection of Russia. The Circassians, together with the Russians, fought against the Crimean khans. The Caucasian highlanders saw a friend and reliable ally in the Russian people. However, they did not want to submit to the authority of the Russian Tsar and nobles.
The peoples of Transcaucasia - Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis - were under the threat of enslavement and extermination by Iranian and Turkish rulers for centuries. Joining Russia freed them from this danger and allowed them to expand trade relations with European countries. In addition, being part of Russia contributed to the familiarization of the working people of Transcaucasia with advanced Russian culture, drawing them into the common struggle against the oppression of the tsarist autocracy.
In 1801, Georgia voluntarily joined Russia. Later, Northern Azerbaijan and Eastern Armenia became part of Russia (see page 449).
Having received new possessions in Transcaucasia, tsarism sought to expand them and move even further into the depths of Western Asia. However, the new possessions were cut off from Russia by the Caucasus Range, where rebellious mountaineers lived.
Russia's constant adversary in the Caucasus was Turkey, which also sought to strengthen its dominance here. Having been defeated in the war with Russia, Turkey, under the treaty of 1829, was forced to renounce open claims to the Caucasus. Russian troops began to land on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and build fortifications there.
Why did you come to us with troops? - the mountaineers asked one tsarist general.
He began to explain to the mountaineers that the Turkish Sultan had ceded this land to the Russian Tsar. Then one of the mountaineers nodded his head at the swallow that had fluttered from the tree and said: “I give you this bird. Take it if you can..."
The tsarist government decided to conquer the highlanders by force of arms. Nicholas I demanded from his military leaders “to pacify the mountain peoples forever or exterminate the rebellious.” Carrying out the will of the king, his generals invaded mountain gorges with troops, cut down forests, trampled fields, burned villages, and stole livestock. The mountaineers, in turn, attacked Russian fortifications and Cossack villages. The war in the Caucasus lasted for over 60 years.
Love for their homeland and freedom inspired the mountaineers to heroic deeds. In narrow gorges they blocked the roads of the royal troops with rubble from felled trees. While shooting behind the rubble, the mountaineers tied each other with belts so that even the last survivor would not leave the occupied line. If the enemy broke into the village, every house was defended. The old men fought shoulder to shoulder with the young, women - on an equal basis with men. When gunpowder and bullets ran out, stones and daggers were used.
On dark nights, the mountaineers swam across stormy rivers and secretly approached Russian fortifications, and then suddenly rushed to attack. So, one night in February 1840, a group of soldiers crawled close to the Lazarevsky fortification on the Black Sea coast. When the sentry noticed them and raised the alarm, it was already too late - they were right at the ditch. Having broken into the fortification and killed the half-asleep soldiers, the highlanders won a victory. Soon they captured three more fortifications. Then the tsarist generals had to equip an entire expedition to regain the lost positions.
The heroic struggle of the Caucasian mountaineers evoked the sympathy of all the progressive people of that time. “Peoples, learn from them what people who want to remain free are capable of!” - wrote the “Communist Journal”, published by the Union of Communists, headed by K. Marx and F. Engels.
The trouble with the mountaineers was that they did not form a single people and did not have a single leadership; they acted separately and scattered their forces.
In Dagestan, the local feudal nobility and Muslim clergy tried to unite the highlanders to fight Russia. Khans and mullahs (Muslim clerics) preached that the mountaineers, being Muslims, could not obey the Christians - the Russians - and must wage a “holy war” against them - ghazavat. The struggle especially flared up when imam (highest cleric) Shamil, a stern, brave and capable military leader, became the head of Dagestan and Chechnya. Pursuing everyone who collaborated with the Russians, he cut off the heads of khans and beks who had become Russian subjects. The mountain peasants hoped that Shamil would destroy all exploiters and free the working people not only from the oppression of the tsarist authorities, but also from the oppression of the local nobility. Therefore, the masses of mountaineers initially supported Shamil. He repeatedly defeated the tsarist generals who invaded the mountains of Dagestan and Chechnya with troops. Once, the mountain troops almost managed to capture the very governor of the Tsar in the Caucasus, Count Vorontsov.
But in the state headed by Shamil in the mountains of Dagestan, power belonged not to the people, but to the clergy and the khans who joined them. Shamil himself was a cruel ruler, and his assistants - naibs - robbed the working mountaineers, imposing heavy duties and taxes on them.
While fighting against Tsarist Russia, Shamil and his associates could not achieve complete independence. They sought support from England, relied on the backward, decaying Turkish Empire and used its help, and this could only bring more severe dependence and oppression to the highlanders.
The Dagestan and Chechen peasantry became increasingly convinced that Shamil was not acting in the interests of the people, that oppression and violence from the khans and clergy were intensifying, that the war against Russia threatened them with complete extermination. Masses of mountaineers began to leave Shamil.
In 1859, Shamil and a small detachment took refuge in the village of Gunib, located among steep cliffs. After stubborn resistance to Russian troops, Shamil surrendered.
In the Western Caucasus, the mountaineers continued to resist for another five years, but even there they were forced to lay down their arms, suppressed by the numerical superiority of the tsarist troops.
Life was hard for the mountaineers under the rule of tsarism. But annexed to Russia, they began to adopt the achievements of advanced Russian culture and join the revolutionary struggle of the Russian people. Together with the Russian people, they came to complete liberation from all oppression.
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