SHEIKH ŞAMİL and CIRCASSIAN EXILE

        SHEIKH ŞAMİL

     

    He is one of the most impressive figures of Caucasian history. Most successful resistance aganist Russian occupation occured under his leadership. His aim was to collect all Caucasians under a roof. He became very successful in a short time. He collected all the Chechens who had been fighting aganist Russians unsystematically. He had about 60.000 equipped soldier aganist Russian army. He secured victory countless times aganist czar eventhough his soldiers were less than Russian's. 

        CIRCASSIAN EXILE

    Czar was determined to invade Caucasus. Russia, which wanted to take control of the Caucasus, made Caucasian Committe hatch a plan aganist Sheikh Şamil in 1838 in Petersburg. According to this plan, one third of the Caucasian people were going to be banished and their lands were going to be given to Russians. Caucasians were getting more and more powerful day by day. After Crimea War ended, czar sended more soldier to Caucasus and became more powerful aganist Sheikh Şamil. Russian soldiers fought aganist Caucasians violently. They were cruel to Caucasian people even to women and children. When Russian had the edge over Caucasians, some tribes struck a deal with czar. When Sheikh Şamil remained with less than a hundred people, he had to surrender in 1859. 

      After Russia defeated Caucasians, they immediately implemented their plan. They announced that the people who didn't leave their home would be exiled to various parts of Russia as captives. For this reason, Caucasians who consider captivity and dependence as most ignominious attitude had to leave their beautiful homeland.

Between 1859-1864, thousands of Caucasian people were forced to leave their homeland. They exiled to many diffirent countries by ships. Most of them perished before they could land. Many ships sank short after they sailed because there were more people than it should have been. Many people froze to death. Many people died because of hunger. 

 



     Circassian Exile is one of the most important events in Caucaus history. This shameful event affected their economic, political, social order in a negative way. One of the most influential effect of this exile, in terms of social structure, is that many Caucasian people sold as slaves or maids.
    WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT DARK DAY....