Qeytuqo Aslanbech

Qeytuqo Aslanbech
Къетыкъуэ Аслъэнбэч
The Grand Prince of Kabardia
Preceded byTatarkhan
Succeeded byBotoko
In office
1737–1746
Personal details
Bornc. 1657
Kabardia
Died1746
Kabardia
ChildrenHamirza[1]

Aslanbech Qeytuqo or Aslanbek Kaitukin (Kabardian: Къетыкъуэ Аслъэнбэч), was the Grand Prince of Kabardia between 1737 and 1746. He was the eldest son of Prince Qeytuqo Djembulatiqo. His younger brothers were Qanamet and Djembulat.[2][3]

Some sources depict Aslanbech as "A treacherous and greedy prince, ready to resort to the most dishonest means to expand his borders"[4]

Biography

Aslanbech believed that the struggles between princes, lords and khans must end and the unity of the tribes should be ensured in order to gather first Kabarda and then the whole Caucasus under a state roof. He gained the support of Jabagh Qazanoqo.[2][3]

In 1711, the Russian Tsar Peter I The Great sent a letter to Kabardia, knowing about the friendly relations between Kalmyks and Kabardians, he proposed for Kabarda to become a Russian subject[5] just like the Kalmyk Khanate. In the letter he said;

“And if you become our subjects, then not only will we not demand any taxes from you, but we will also determine the annual salary to give you, as our subject Ayuka Khan receives from us and as you were previously subjects of our ancestors and received a salary from them; and we will order you to assist him, Ayuka Khan, with the Kalmyks and the Don, Yaik and Greben Cossacks”[5]

Thus, Kabardians, Russians, and Kalmyks formed an alliance.

Aslanbech, with the help of the Russian empire, conducted several successful raids on its neighbors, including Ossetians, Chechens, Balkars, Abazins, and other North Caucasian peoples to strengthen his presence in the region.[4]

In August of 1720, Aslanbech Qeytuqo and other Kabardian princes like Tatarkhan Bekov and Baituk Bek alongside with the Don Cossacks led a Campaign against the Chechen clans on lower Sunzha, complaining to the Tsar about them being enemies of Russia. Aslanbech ravaged the lands of Chechens and killed many until he had to retreat because of low supply caused by the Crimean raids on Kabarda.[6]

Kashkatau War

In 1720, the Crimean-Circassian war of 1720-1726 started, complicated by the civil strife between the Anti-Crimean Kashkatau Party, which Aslanbech was a part of, and the Pro-Crimean Baksan Party.[7][8][9][10][11]

In 1720, Saadat II Giray invaded Kabarda with 40,000 troops, demanding allegiance to the Ottoman Empire and Crimean Khanate, 4,000 jasyrs, and restitution for past losses. Pro-Crimean princes capitulated, while Kashkatau party leaders fortified Cherek Fortress.[12]

By January 1721, Aslanbech Qeytuqo’s forces defeated the Crimean Tatars and their Baksan allies at the Nalchik River.[13] Russia sent Artemy Volynsky to mediate, temporarily restoring peace.

From 1722 to 1724, conflicts continued. Aslanbech Qeytuqo allied with Mengli II Giray, new Khan, against the Baksan faction, but local Kabardian resistance remained strong.[14]

By 1725–1726, Baksan party leaders Islambek Misost and the Hatokhshoqo princes capitulated to Bakhte-Giray and Aslanbech Qeytuqo. Kabardia achieved a Kabardian victory over the Crimean Khanate and pro-Crimean Kabardians, Baksan party.

His son Hamirza and grandson Ismail were killed in 1779 while fighting against the Russians during the Seven Months' War.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Hasırcı, Metin. Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi (in Turkish). p. 1043.
  2. ^ a b Doğbay, Orhan. "Türkiye'de Çerkes diasporasının siyasi tarihi" üzerine notlar.
  3. ^ a b Мальбахов Б. К. "Кабарда на этапах политической истории (середина XVI — первая четверть XIX века), Москва, «Поматур», 2002 г. ISBN 5-86208-106-2
  4. ^ a b Феномен политического отчуждения в исторических судьбах черкесского народа [The Phenomenon of Political Alienation in the Historical Fate of the Circassian People]. pp. 182–183.
  5. ^ a b "Kabarda and Russia in Relations with the Kalmyk Khanate: From Clashes to Cooperation". www.kbigi.ru. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  6. ^ "1720 г. августа в последних числах. Письмо кабардинских князей Арсланбека Кайтукина и других Петру I о походе их с донскими казаками на чеченцев, и о нападении на них крымского хана и разорении их, с просьбой прислать на помощь донских и терских казаков и калмыков, а также построить в их крае город" [August 1720, the last days of the month. Letter from the Kabardin princes Arslanbek Kaitukin and others to Peter I about their campaign with the Don Cossacks against the Chechens, and about the Crimean Khan's attack and destruction of their land, requesting the Don and Tersk Cossacks and Kalmyks to come to their assistance and to build a city in their land.]. Studfile (in Russian). Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  7. ^ Fidarova, Rita Zelimkhanovna (2008). "Conflict of Princely Coalitions in Kabarda, 1720–1774" (PDF) (in Russian). Institute of Humanities Research, Government of Kabardino-Balkaria and Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. pp. 23–26. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  8. ^ Fidarova, Rita Zelimkhanovna (2007). "Conflict of Feudal Factions and Its Influence on the Decline of Kabarda's Independence (1720–1757)". Izvestiya VUZ. North Caucasus Region. Social Sciences. Special Issue (in Russian). ISSN 0321-3056. Retrieved 2025-09-06.
  9. ^ Shumkin, A. V. (2019). Turks of the Central Caucasus in the 16th–18th Centuries (Problems of Ethnic History) (PDF) (in Russian). Chelyabinsk State Institute of Culture. pp. 93–94. ISBN 978-5-94839-705-4.
  10. ^ Naloeva, E. D. (2015). A. S. Mirzoev (ed.). Kabarda in the First Half of the 18th Century: Genesis of the Adyghe Feudal Society and Problems of Socio-Political History (PDF) (in Russian). Printing House OOO "Pechatny Dvor". pp. 54–59. ISBN 978-5-905770-52-4.
  11. ^ Bgazhnokov, Barasbi Kh. (2008). Kanjal Battle and Political History of Kabarda in the First Half of the 18th Century: Studies and Materials (PDF) (in Russian). M. & V. Kotlyarov Publishing. pp. 89–93. ISBN 978-5-93680-225-6.
  12. ^ Dzamikhov, K. F. (2008). Adygi: Milestones of History (PDF) (in Russian). Elbrus. pp. 215–216. ISBN 978-5-7680-2176-4.
  13. ^ A. Kh. Abazov; Yu. D. Anchabadze; A. V. Kushkhabiev; M. M. Pashtova, eds. (2022). Adygi: Adygs, Kabardians, Cherkess, Shapsugs (in Russian). Nauka. p. 62. ISBN 978-5-02-040924-8.
  14. ^ Kipkeeva, Z. B. (2017). Descendants of Genghis Khan in the History of the North Caucasus, 18th–19th Centuries (PDF) (in Russian). North-Caucasus Federal University Press. pp. 23–25. ISBN 978-5-9296-0891-9.
  • Мальбахов Б. К. "Кабарда на этапах политической истории (середина XVI — первая четверть XIX века), Москва, «Поматур», 2002 г. ISBN 5-86208-106-2
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.