Circassia

 

Republic of Circassia Adığe Xeku Aç̂eğaş̂o
Flag
Motto: "Honor comes before life"
Anthem: "Nartly Sons"
Capital and largest city	Ş̂açe
Official languages	Circassian (Adyghean, Kabardian)
Demonym(s)	Circassian
History
• Circassia	1861
• Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus	1918
• Mountain Autonomous Republic	1922
• Adyghe Autonomous Oblast	1936
• Republic of Adygea	1991
• Circassian National Movement	1991
• Current constitution	1997
Area
• Total	82.000 km2 (31.660 sq mi)
Population
• 2010 estimate	6.088.794
Currency	Circassian aĥş (CRA)
Time zone	UTC+4
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+429
ISO 3166 code	CI
Internet TLD	.ci
Website gov.ci

Circassia (Circassian: Adığe Xeku), officially the Republic of Circassia (Circassian: Adığe Xeku Aç̂eğaş̂o), is a sovereign state in the North Caucasus, Europe. Circassia consists of ?? provinces and ?? cities. The Karachay-Balkar Republic is a self-governing autonomous republic within Circassia, whose status is upheld by the Circassian constitution. Circassia is bordered with Russia to the north, Ossetia and Waynakhia to the east, Georgia to the south, and has a coast on the Black Sea to the west. The capital and largest city by population in Circassia is Ş̂açe, with a population of ??. Other major cities of the country include Məeq'uapă, Nalš'eč, Qaračay-Šaxar, Šărdƶăs-Qală and Ṭuapsă.

The modern history of Circassia begins in 1861, when the Circassian confederation was formed. The Caucasian War led to a long-lasting war between the Circassian people and the Russian Empire. Circassia was annexed by the Empire in 1864. Then in 1918 - the Circassian people once more gained their independence for a short period until 1921, when the Mountain Republic was annexed by Russia. The darkest part of the Circassian people's history is from 1864 to 1870, during the tragic Circassian genocide, where around 80% of the entire population died.

In 1938, Derzhavist Russia fell to the Allies. Following the the Great War, the allies wanted to curb the extent and influence of Russia, leading to the 1960-71 Partition of Russia, with zones of occupation being formed between Sierra, Germany and the United Kingdom. North Caucasus regions became a part of the British Mandate from 1960. The original plan was for an All-Russian state to remain after the Joint Mandate, but in the 1968 Moscow Summit, the idea was entertained by the Allies to create permanent and independent states out of Russia. The Highland Expulsions made the creation of new states difficult, as ethnic lines which had been clear before the expulsions had been blurred or disappeared completely. The new state of Circassia was created from the Adyghe region, the Kabardino-Balkarian region, the Karachay-Cherkessian region, and parts of the Krasnodar region. Along with the other Caucasian states, contemporary Circassia gained its independence in 1971.

Since 1999, Circassia has enjoyed relatively stable economic growth, consistently among the highest of the Caucasian Union. It is considered as a developing capitalist economy, ranked as "very high" on the Human Development Index since ??. Political and economic relations are close with major trade partners such as the Caucasian Union member states, and like much of the Caucasus remains closely aligned with the United Kingdom and Sierra. Circassia is a part of the League of Nations and several more international organizations.

History

Ancient

Ancient history

The ancestors of present-day Circassians are known as the Sind-Meot tribes. Archaeological research findings show that the Sind-Meot tribes were an indigenous people of the Caucasus. Soviet researchers claimed links between Circassians and Indo-European-speaking communities, particularly Celts, but this theory has not been addressed. Some researchers found that there are links between Circassians and Hattis, who are from ancient Anatolian peoples, and there is a similarity between the Circassian language and the languages of some of these civilizations.

Circassians were known by many different names in ancient times. "Kerket" and "Sucha" are examples.

By 5000 BC, Circassia had an agricultural economy and handicrafts were made. The Miequape civilization was established in 3000 BC. In 1200 BC, Circassians fought alongside the Hittites against the Egyptians. The Sindika state was founded in 500 BC. During this period, Greeks and Sind-Meot tribes lived in Circassia. The Sinds established the Sindika state and became one of the oldest Circassian states in history. It is thought that the peoples referred to as "Cırt", "Çıt", "Çınt" in the Nart epos are Sind and Meots. It is also known that the kingdom of Sindica was a busy trading state where artists and merchants lived. Circassians could not establish a union for a long time after this. The Circassians, who lived in the Sind kingdom, had borders stretched from Ukraine to Ossetia, but they retreated to the mountains with the attacks of the Mongolian and Golden Hordes.

Medieval

Feudalism

Feudalism had begun to emerge in Circassians by the 4th century. Circassians established many states, such as the Cite state (5th century) under the leadership of the Sindian tribes and the Zichia state (6th century) under the leadership of the Ubykh, but could not achieve political unity. As of the 9th century, Christianity started to spread in Circassia with the Byzantine influence. In 1382, Circassian slaves took the Mamluk throne, the Burji dynasty took over, and the Mamluks became a Circassian state. The Mongols, who started invading the Caucasus in 1223, destroyed some of the Circassians and most of the Alans. The Circassians, who lost most of their lands during the ensuing Golden Horde attacks, had to retreat behind the Kuban river. In 1395 Circassians fought violent wars against Timur. Although the Circassians won the war, Timur destroyed Circassia.

Inal

Prince İnal is called the "prince of princes" by the Circassians and Abkhazians because he united all Circassian tribes and established the Circassian state. According to the belief, İnal is the ancestor of Kabardian, Beslenei, Chemguy and Hatuqwai tribes.

Inal, who owned land on the Taman peninsula in the 1400s, declared that his goal was to establish an army and unite the Circassians under a single state. He took the Circassian states under his rule one by one.

Circassian nobles and princes tried to prevent Inal's rise, but in a battle near the Mzymta River, 30 Circassian lords were defeated by Inal and his supporters. Ten of them were executed, while the remaining twenty lords took an oath of allegiance and joined the forces of Inal's new state. Inal, who ruled Western Circassia, established the Kabardian colony in Eastern Circassia in 1434 and kicked the Crimean Tatar tribes in the Circassian lands to the north of the Kuban River in 1438. He managed to unite all of Circassian land under one state. The capital of this new Circassian state founded by İnal became the city of Shanjir, founded in the Taman region where İnal was born and raised.

Abkhazian dynasties Shash (Chachba) and Ashe (Acba) announced that they would be with Inal in a possible war in Abkhazia. Inal, who won the war, officially conquered Northern Abkhazia and the Abkhaz people recognized his rule, Inal finalized his rule in Abkhazia.

Inal divided his lands between his sons and grandchildren in 1453 and died in 1458. Following this, Circassian tribal principalities were formed.

Russian-Kabardian alliance

In the 1550s, Prince Temruk allied with Russian Tsar Ivan IV against the Ottoman and Persian threat and built a defense. Circassians were Christians during this period and Islam had not begun to spread. In 1556, Circassians carried out a series of military operations in which the Tatar military bases Temryuk and Taman established on Circassian territory were captured. This movement of Circassians greatly contributed to the defeat of the Astrakhan Khanate in the same year. In 1561, Ivan the Terrible married Goshan, daughter of the Kabardinian prince Temruk Idar, and named her Mariya.

Modern

Kanjal war

In 1708, Circassians paid a great tribute to the Ottoman sultan to get rid of Tatar raids. However, the sultan did not fulfill the obligation and the Tatars raided all the way to the center of Circassia, robbing everything they could. For this reason, Kabardian Circassians announced that they would never pay tribute to the Crimean Khan and the Ottoman Sultan again. The Ottomans sent their army of at least 20,000 people to Kabardia under the leadership of the Crimean khan Kaplan-Girey to conquer the Circassians and ordered him to destroy the Kabardia. The Ottomans expected an easy victory against the Kabardinians, but the Circassians won overwhelmingly thanks to the strategy set up by the Qazanıqo Jabağ. The Turkish-Crimean army was completely destroyed overnight. The Crimean Khan Kaplan-Giray fled the Circassian army to save his life, leaving his brother, a son, field tools, tents and personal belongings behind.

Russo-Circassian war

In 1763 the Russian Empire launched the invasion of Circassia and the Russo-Circassian War began. After this, the Circassian tribes united and formed a partial confederation structure. During the Russian-Circassian war, both sides organized many raids on each other. While the Russians burned down the Circassian villages, the Cossacks in the region turned the looting of the Circassian villages into a sport. Against this, many Circassian tribes were organizing raids against the Russians.

On June 13, 1861, Circassians established an assembly named "Great Freedom Assembly" in the city of Ş̂açe. Hacı Qerendıqo Berzec was appointed as the chairman of the assembly. This new state administration was based on secular and democratic principles, in contrast to the sharia (Islamic theocratic) state form that Imam Shamil established on Chechnya and parts of Dagestan. All administrative staff were formed by election and important decisions were taken with the common consent of the three main regions that make up the federation.

In May 1864, a final battle took place between the Circassian army of 2,000 wounded and tired Circassian horsemen and a fully equipped Russian army of 100,000 men. Circassian warriors attacked the Russian army and tried to break through the line, but most were shot down by Russian artillery and infantry. The remaining fighters continued to fight as militants and were soon defeated. All 2,000 Circassian horsemen died in the war. The Russian army began celebrating victory over the corpses of Circassian soldiers, and May 21, 1864 was officially the end of the war. The river ran red for weeks after the war.

After that, the Great Freedom Assembly ceased its work and dissolved. Circassia fell into Russian hands. The only exception, the Hak'uch, who lived in the mountainous regions and whom the Russians called flying forest bandits in the sense of hatred, did not agree to leave their lands and submit to the Russians, despite being surrounded and unequipped; They continued their resistance against the invading army until the 1870s.

Circassian exile and genocide started after the Qbaade war. The Russians began to burn Circassian villages, destroy the fields to make it impossible to return, cut trees down and drive the people towards the Black Sea coast. Russian soldiers used a variety of brutal methods to entertain themselves, such as tearing the belly of pregnant women and removing the baby inside.

Most Circassians who did not surrender to the Russian Empire were killed or exiled to Anatolia, the Balkans and the Middle East. In the end, Circassia was subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing throughout, almost entirely.

Aslan Dzharimov issuing the declaration of Circassian Republic

Mountainous Republic

In 1917, many peoples of the North Caucasus, including the Circassians, united and declared independence and formed the Mountainous Republic and an Executive Committee of the Union was elected. The Chairman of the Executive Committee was one of the leaders of the National‐Liberation movement of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus, Tapa Tchermoeff. The republic was officially established on 11 May 1918, after the collapse of the Russian Tsarist empire in the Russian revolution of 1917. The Mountainous Republic was recognized by the Ottoman Empire, Germany, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Armenia, the Democratic Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, France, Finland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United States, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Poland, Don Republic, Japan, and the Kuban People's Republic. This state was occupied by the army of the Soviet Union in 1921.

Soviet era

In 1962, Circassian Organisation of Turkey issued a declaration that the Turkish Circassians want to return to Circassia, their ancestral homeland. This movement was promoted by rich Circassians worldwide and activists both from the homeland and the diaspora. Many Circassians were given land in Circassia, and the national "at least 3 children" policy was accepted by most Circassians.

Republic of Circassia

After the fall of the Soviet regime and the revival of the Xabzist worldview was promoted by Circassian intellectuals as part of nationalism and cultural identity. In 1991, the Adyghe oblast declared its independence as the Republic of Adygea. Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia soon followed, this marked the beginning of the Circassian National Movement led by Aslan Dzharimov. The Circassian indepence war from 1993-1997 caused terrible devastation and loss of life in the Circassian nation. After the war the Circassian Republic was centralised, joining the UN in 5th of September 1999.