Though it
is Sheikh Shamil come to mind when it is told about Daghestan campaign against Russia, in
fact, this struggle for independence of Daghestan started by Sheikh Mansur with an
announcement in 1783, which he called all the Caucasians to fight against Russia just
after Russian invasion at the end of 18th century. After completing his education, Sheikh
Mansur started to enlighten people in Aldi in south of Grozni. His increasing power and
fame caused Tzar Representative Potemkin to send troops on him. But, Chechen forests had
become a cemetery for Russian forces under the command of Colonel Pieri. Later on, colonel
Pieri invaded Aldi city but Sheikh could survive. On their way back, Sheikh surrounded the
Russian soldiers and killed almost all of them. This victory gave a brilliant fame to
Sheikh Mansur. Şeyh Mansur, düzensiz ordularıyla
Kızlar'ı ve Grigoriopolis kalesini kuşattıysa da başarılı olamadı. Kumuk,
Kabartay, Çeçen ve Dağıstanlılar'dan oluşan bir orduyla Terek kıyılarında Rus
ordusuna yenilerek Karadeniz kıyısındaki Osmanlılar'a sığındı. Çerkesler'in başına
geçen Şeyh Mansur, Ruslar'a karşı başarılar elde etti. 1787 yılında Osmanlı -Rus
savaşında Çerkesler'in başında mücadele etti. 1788 yılında yenilerek
Osmanlılar'ın elindeki Anapa'ya sığındı. Bu kalenin Ruslar'ın eline geçmesiyle
Ruslar'a esir düştü. Dini inançlarındaki tutarlılığı ve askeri kabiliyeti ile
Ruslar'a karşı gazâ ilan ederek, bu uğurda ilk defa bayrak açan ve dağ ve
ormanların sert tabiatlı savaşçılarını peşinden sürüklemesini bilen Şeyh
Mansur, Kafkas kabilelerini birleştirmeyi başaramadı ise de, Batılılar'ın Müridizm
dediği ve Rus imparatorluğunun karşısına dikilerek, uzun yıllar ilerlemesine engel
olacak Sûfilik hareketinin temellerini atmıştır. Müridizm, Dağlılar'daki hürriyet
aşkının dini inanç ve ruhla kaynaşmasıyla ortaya çıkan yeni bir dünya görüşü
ve hayat felsefesi idi.
Being one of the important religious and politic leaders
of Daghestan, Ghazi Mohammad from Ghimri was a prominent scholar and an influent oretor.
He carried on the flag of Sheikh Mansur campaign and published an announcement in Arabic
in 1829 with which he called all the Caucasians irrespective of their nationality,
fraction and tariqa to fight against Russia. Being the first teacher and a friant of
Shamil at the same time, Ghazi Mohammad were selected Imam at a meeting by all the
religious leaders from all over Daghestan, and his call for holy war against Russia was
accepted at the same meeting. After a short but unforgettable period of struggles with
fascinating victories and loses, Ghazi Mohammad died for Islam in 1832 while fighting
against Russians in Ghimri. Hamzat Bek replaced him until being assassinated in September
1834 because of ventetta. After his death, Sheikh Shamil was selected Imam for directing
Daghestan independence campaign.
Before Daghestan campaign against Russians, it may be
useful to give some information about the mountainous and forestry area of Daghestan where
most of the combats took place. Mountainous areas were in Daghestan and forestry areas
were in Chechen country. Mountainous where the combats took place, were the places of
thousands meters high rocky steeps covered with snow and ice and no tree at all. In these
areas, rivers were running in thousand meters deep valleys.
Villages and towns were built in places which were
suitable to defend. Thus, inhabited places were generally on a hill or across a rock
and with a deep steep at the back of it. Two storey stone houses were build in rows
similar to an amphitheater and they were ordered in a way to set a shield for each
other.
The streets were so norrow that only two horsemen could
pass at a time, and they were cut by houses with wooden obstacles, so that it was
impossible to go through these streets without killing all the defendants. Today, these
places can be easily destroyed with the modern armory, but at that time, they were either
out of artillery range or in shielded position against Russian artillery to which they
could easiy give damages. Every Highlander house should be capture one by one after a
fight against determined men and even women fighting against invaders. At the beginning of
the independence war, the population of Daghestan were around half a million people, of
which a quarter were Avar, most crowded and important tribe of Daghestan in historical
respect, and of which a quarter were Turkish tribes, where the rest were various Turan
tribes. The total population in Caucasia were around 4 million. With the leadership of
Imam Shamil, Daghestan people defeated Russian armies many times. But Russians gained many
supporters for themselves by spending big amount of money, and at the same time, they
implied a massacre policy against those who resisted themselves.
When selected, Imam Shamil was in bad conditions. He
required help from Russians against Hadji Murad Imam who was in charge in Avar country.
(This is claimed that it was a trick of Sheikh Shamil against Russians.) Imam first
surrounded Hunzah which was the center of Avar country, but he had to seize it when
Russian help arrived. Then, an agreement were made after the combat in Tiliti with General
Feze who demolished Ashilta and killed all its people. However, this agreement gave honor
to Shamil, although Feze showed it his own success. After the agreement, whole Chechenia
were under the Imam’s control. He did not accept to meet with Tzar Nicola while his
visit to Caucasia although insisting and promising requirements.
Tzardom understood the seriousness of the situation and
had to make its plans more carefully. And thus, General Grabbe was assigned to finish
İmam’s campaign and kill Imam. Daghestan was surrounded by Russian forces. In 1839,
General Grabbe defeated Tashov Hadji, the Chechen Khan, who acted against Imam’s
directives. Then, Imam had lost one of his important side support and was surrounded in
Aghulgo with a few of his soldiers. He had to give his son, Cemaleddin, as hostage to
Russians while discussing seize fire conditions. He lost the war during which he gave
enormous lost and damage to Russian army. Russians did not leave single living creature in
Ahulgo. Imam also lost one of his wives, but he could survive with the other. Russians
thought that they finished Shamil case and organized celebration festivals. But Chechens
respected and supported Imam and he could gain his strength again in a short time and
started to defeat Russian armies again. By this time, Hadji Murat, who was betrayed and
given to Russians by Avar Khan, jump down a high steep while being brought by Russian
soldiers in 1840. He was severely injured but still alive when he was found by a shepherd.
After this case, Hadji Murad attended Imam’s forces and Imam reached the peak of his
strength that they gave serious harm and damage to Russians.
Tzardom government sent an army of 150 thousand soldiers
to Caucasia in 1845 under the command of Vorontsov. This army was sent to fight against
Daghestan armies with at most 5-10 thousand soldiers. However, Daghestan population was
only two or three times of the this army. General Vorontsov’s army of 18 thousand
soldiers tried to capture Dargo city in 1845 and gave serious lost against Imam Shamil.
When this army could again not be successful against
Imam, Russian commander demolished Chechen forests which he considered as Shamil’s
alliance. So he tried to make plain areas and influence in the rigion.
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