Circassians

Circassians. It is part of Adyghe, during migration from Prikubanya to the east settled in upper courses of Kuban and Zelenchukov where before the tataro-Mongolian invasion of the XIII century the western group of alansky tribes lived. Since then differentiation of two Adyghe groups began: western, in modern practice and literature long ago received the name "Circassians", and east — Kabardian. The name "Circassian" isn't by origin Adyghe, it has a foreign-language origin and in sources appears not earlier than the middle of the XIII century. From now on Adyghe become widely known in various sources (including Russians) as Circassians.
The number of Circassians makes to 50 thousand people. As believed E.P.Alekseev, in the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia there are kurganny burial grounds both the West Circassian type, and Kabardian. Judging by these data, in the XIV—XV centuries here lived both the western Adyghe and Kabardians. Probably, of these two groups of Adyghe also there were modern Circassians as intermediate Adyghe group between Adyghes and Kabardians.
      The political history of Circassians in the XVIII century is connected with fight of Russia and Turkey for North Western Caucasus. After Peter's I Caspian campaign of 1722-1723 influence of Russia in East Caucasus was approved, but Western Caucasus will continue to remain a sphere of influence of Turkey. It caused numerous military collisions of Russians with Turks, after the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1739 construction of the Caucasian strengthened line began. In 1774 on conditions of the Kuchuk-Kaynardzhiysky peace treaty between Russia and Turkey Kabarda and other next areas were recognized as possession of Russia. But on it fight didn't end.
       In September, 1790 the huge Turkish army under Batvlpasha's command from Anapa moved to depth of Ciscaucasia. Turks were broken, Batal pasha was taken prisoner, the remains of the Turkish army in a panic ran, pursued by Abazins. After that events the people of Karachay-Cherkessia appeared completely in the sphere of the Russian influence, in 1804 in the top Kuban Ust-Tokhtamyshsky and Batalpashinsky strengthenings were put, in 1829 the new defensive line — Zelenchuksky is put. So settling of this territory by the Russian population, first of all began the Cossack villages. Circassians from mountain valleys since 1833 move on the foothill plain on the rivers Big both Small Zelenchukam and Kuban. So arose 11 large flat settlements of Circassians in which they live and to this day.Economic way of Circassians in essence didn't differ from way of other Adyghe. Especially it is necessary to allocate horse breeding for which Adyghe long since were famous.
  In the middle — the second half of the XIX century the sort directed adats was a basis of a social order of Circassians.
      In the ethnographic and cultural relation Circassians differed nothing from other Adyghe people. The people's assembly — a descent, differing the democratic character was the main self-government institutions of the Circassian community. However with development of the feudal relations in the XIX century at meeting the opinion of the prince became solving, the people only approved decisions and took the oath. Courts were carried out on adats already known to us — the common oral law.
       With Islam distribution courts on an adat were forced out by sharia court under Muslim religious laws. According to adats, men could appear out of the house only in the Circassian clothes and with the weapon, first of all with an invariable dagger on a belt. As at all mountaineers, the weapon was a subject of pride and personal prestige of the Circassian.
     After October revolution of 1917, in 1922, the integrated Karachay-Cherkess autonomous region, subsequently the divided was created. In January, 1957 the integrated Karachay-Cherkess autonomous region with the center in Cherkessk (the former village Batalpashinsky) is again formed. Now being KChAO left structure of Stavropol Krai and is transformed to the independent subject of the Russian Federation — the Karachay-Cherkess Republic with the presidential executive power entered in June, 1999 after elections of the first president of Karachay-Cherkessia.