Kabardia (Eastern Circassia) Before the Start of the Russian-Circassian War

Before the start of the Russian-Circassian War in 1763, Kabardia (Eastern Circassia) was a powerful multiethnic state entity that played the role of a political and cultural center not only for the Adyghe world but for the entire North Caucasus. It was a “knightly republic” whose subjectivity was recognized by the great empires of the time, and its internal structure relied on the unshakable code of the Адыгэ Хабзэ.
Territory and boundaries: From the Manych to the Caspian
During its heyday (16th – mid-18th centuries), the borders of Kabardia covered colossal spaces:

• Northern border: The possessions of the Kabardian princes extended far to the north, reaching the Kuma-Manych Depression. The entire territory of modern Stavropol was within the sphere of their political and economic control; Kabardian pastures and arable lands were located on both sides of the Kuma River. The facts confirm that even in the 16th century, the “Kabardian road” along which the Ottoman troops retreated passed north of the Manych, which indicates the deep control of the Circassians over these steppes.
• Eastern border: Kabardia directly adjoined the Caspian Sea in the lower reaches of the Terek. The principality of the Idarovs controlled the lands up to the Sulak and the Caspian coast.
• Southern border: The border ran along the Main Caucasian Range, providing the Kabardian princes with control over strategic passes.
  Relations with the Nogais
  The steppe borderlands of Kabardia were often occupied by Nogai tribes, who were in close alliance with the Circassian princes. The Nogais often acted as vassals or a “buffer,” covering the borders from raids. The Kabardian princes actively drew them into their orbit: for example, in the 1730s, about 2,000 Nogai families simultaneously moved to Kabardia, recognized the authority of the пщышхуэ (supreme prince), and pledged to provide military contingents in exchange for pastures and protection.
  Mountain societies in the Kabardian system
  Kabardia was a “state within a state” that united many peoples. Mountain societies—Balkars, Karachays, Ossetians, Ingush, and western Chechens—were integrated into its political and economic system with the rights of vassal subjects.
• Economic dependence: The Kabardian princes controlled the exits from the gorges to the plains, making the mountaineers dependent on access to winter pastures.
• Social ties: Dominance was maintained by the institution of аталычество (fosterage among the nobility) and the payment of a symbolic tribute (usually one sheep per household), which was an acknowledgment of political patronage rather than an economic burden.
• Cultural hegemony: Kabardian etiquette, fashion, and weapons-handling served as the standard for all neighbors; it was considered the highest praise if a warrior was spoken of as: “He rides like a Kabardian.”
  Military machine and strategic control
  Kabardia possessed the most formidable military force in the region.
• Numbers: At the peak of their power, the Circassians of Kabardia could mobilize up to 30,000 warriors, half of whom (15,000) were the elite armored cavalry of the princes and nobles (уорки). This vastly exceeded the capabilities of any neighbor.
• Military contribution of vassals: The mountain peoples were an organic part of the Kabardian military machine: Ossetians provided excellent infantry, while Abazins and Nogais reinforced the cavalry detachments.
• Control of routes: Kabardia held the “keys” to the Caucasus, controlling the most important roads to Transcaucasia, including the Darial Gorge.
  Subject of international politics
  Kabardia acted as a full-fledged subject of international relations. The Treaty of Belgrade of 1739 officially recognized Greater and Little Kabardia as “free” and independent, fulfilling the role of a neutral barrier between the Russian and Ottoman empires. Despite the formal unity of all Circassia as a confederation, Kabardia was its powerful “eastern wing,” setting the tone in the diplomatic games of the great powers.
  By 1763, Kabardia remained a sovereign country where ethnic diversity was maintained within a single political space by the authority of princely power and the force of arms, capable of defeating even the multi-thousand armies of the Crimean khans.
  Historical Circassia (Адыгэ Хэку) functioned as an organic confederation, where Kabardia (Eastern Circassia) and the Western Adyghe principalities, despite decentralization, acted as a united front in moments of existential threats. Mutual support in this “knightly alliance” relied on common institutions of power, dynastic ties, and the unshakable code of honor Адыгэ Хабзэ.
  Military commonwealth and coalitions
  Facts of joint military operations confirm the existence of a single defensive space:

1. Assistance in border defense (16th century): In 1570, when Crimean troops invaded the Trans-Kuban region, the Kabardian пщышхуэ Temryuk Idarov came to the aid of his allies and relatives – the Bzhedugs. Earlier, in the 1560s, he relied on a broad coalition, including the Bzhedugs, Khegaks, and Kemirgoys, to stabilize the situation inside Kabardia.
2. Deep raids to break blockades (18th century): In 1739, the Circassians of Kabardia, led by Prince Aslanbek Kaitukin, defeated the army of the Crimean kalga Salih Giray on the Laba River, in the very heart of Western Circassia, preventing the enslavement of the Trans-Kuban lands.
   In 1764, in response to the construction of the Mozdok fortress, a meeting of representatives of Kabardia and the Trans-Kuban Circassians (Besleneys, Temirgoys) was held on the Zelenchuk River to develop a unified strategy for defending the territories.
   The highest manifestation of mutual assistance was the institution of хаджретства. After the occupation of plains Kabardia, thousands of Circassian warriors of Kabardia (“fugitive Kabardians”) found refuge in the lands of the Besleneys and Abadzekhs.

• The Хаджреты formed the “vanguard” of Circassian resistance, enjoying the right of extraterritoriality and being governed by their own customs within western societies.
• Russian generals noted that the Kabardian settlers were “the strongest defense and bulwark of the Abadzekhs,” constantly involving them in retaliatory raids on the Line.
  Dynastic and cultural ties
  The unity of the country was maintained by the horizontal ties of the elite:
• Аталычество and куначество: The children of Kabardian princes were raised in the homes of Western Circassians, and vice versa.
• The noble etiquette of Kabardia (Уэркъ Хабзэ) and fashion were recognized as the standard throughout Circassia, serving as a spiritual foundation that united the people more firmly than administrative borders.