Battle of Kanzhal

Crimean tribute According to Crimean Khan sources, when Selim I Giray did not receive his annual tribute from the Kabardians, he sent his son Shahbaz Giray to demand tribute, including slaves, for two years. Shahbaz Giray was initially received honorably, as he came with a modest retinue. However, by chance, he saw the beautiful daughter of a Circassian who was not included in the list of slaves but was nevertheless forcibly captured against custom. Her brothers, two brave young men, pretended not to be upset by what had happened and reassured their father, softening his grief, while secretly hoping to protect their sister’s honor by preventing her from being taken by the Crimeans. When a favorable moment came (while Shahbaz Giray was alone with the captive woman and his guards were drunk and unarmed), they suddenly attacked. They wounded or killed Shahbaz Giray and killed his guards. Based on Kabardian legends recorded by S.B. Nogma (1794–1844), a Crimean Pasha stationed with his army in the Besleney territories was killed amid suspicions of an affair with the wife of Prince Zaurbek. Approximately 1,000 people from the hereditary clans of Dokshokov and Mahokov were identified as responsible and subsequently took refuge in Kabarda under the protection of Aslanbek Qeytuqo. The reckoning of the Kabardians, who dared to resist the Crimean Khan and the Ottomans, came seven years later. In April 1707, Qaplan I Giray, sent his brother Meñli II Giray to Kabarda with a detachment of soldiers to demand submission, repentance, and compensation from the Kabardians for sheltering the fugitives. Six months later, Meñli returned empty-handed, reporting that the Kabardians had refused to meet any of the demands. The Kabardian envoy was doomed from the start. Their desire for independence, withdrawal from the Transcuba region, refusal to hand over the fugitives, and finally, their refusal to pay tribute in slaves, all of this greatly angered the Ottoman Sultan. == The Battle ==

The Crimean Campaign Sultan Ahmed III unconditionally sided with the Crimean Khan, declared war on the Kabardians, and subsidized the campaign. Ambassador P.A. Tolstoy, writing from Constantinople, informed his government: “On July 18, [1708], I sent the Aglian ambassador’s secretary to the envoy with orders concerning the Crimean Khan’s campaign. It is certain that the Crimean Khan was commanded to go against the Circassians... The Khan received a decree from the Porte and, according to custom, a rare caftan, ordering him to lead an army of thirty or forty thousand Tatars to devastate the Circassians and burn their dwellings.” Qaplan I Giray began the campaign in spring 1708, reaching Kabarda during the harvest season. He didn’t advance far into Kabarda but turned directly toward Elbrus, near the area of Bashtau. He set up camp in the upper reaches of the Malka River, on its right bank at the foot of Elbrus, in the region known as Lower Kangal. This spot was chosen deliberately, as previous Crimean Khans had camped here multiple times. In the center of Lower Kangal was a mound known as the “Mound where the distribution of trophies took place,” where the Khan could set up his tent. The Malka River, behind the Crimean army, had the only ford nearby, called Babukin ford. Surrounding the camp were natural barriers like the slopes of Upper Kangal, offering protection. At first glance, the location seemed ideal: spacious, naturally sheltered, with abundant pastures and easy access to clean mountain water an essential factor for both people and horses. However, despite these advantages, the site was also highly vulnerable. Kabarda was able to field an army estimated between 7,000 and 30,000 men, half of whom were elite noble cavalry. Realistically, the force was likely around 10,000 to 15,000 men. However, the forces were unequal. It was clear that an open battle with the Crimean-Turkish army would likely result in catastrophic defeat. Understanding that the attack could lead to the devastation and conquest of Kabarda, Grand Duke Kurgoko Hatokshokovic appealed to the Khan with a peace proposal, asking for a reduction in the size of the tribute. But Qaplan I Giray rejected these overtures, declaring, “I will accept no less than three thousand prisoners.” After the Battle of Kanjal, Pshi Tatarkhan Bekmurzovich wrote to his brother Alexander Bekovich: “The fighting with the Crimeans lasted one and a half to two months, with daily engagements.” This suggests the war was fought using guerrilla tactics. With limited military resources, the Kabardians were forced to avoid large-scale confrontations. Though this tactic went against Circassian tradition, which revered horses and typically avoided their mistreatment, it was a desperate wartime measure. According to Abi de la Motraye (1711), “The moon, which some Circassians adore, revealed their enemies to them, and they cut down so many that only those on horseback managed to flee.” The Khan fled, leaving behind his tent, artillery, personal belongings, his brother, and even a son, who was captured and returned only after negotiations. Aftermath Kabardian forces completely encircled the enemy, fighting until morning. Though the Tatars resisted fiercely, they were outmaneuvered and crushed. Qaplan I Giray, wounded in the arm, barely escaped in his bloodstained caftan. According to Pshi Tatarkhan, around 11,000 Crimeans were killed, and thousands more were captured or scattered in the mountains. The Kabardians seized 14 cannons, 5 mortars, four thousand horses, a large amount of gunpowder, provisions, and all the enemy’s tents. The scale of the defeat was such that it took the Kabardians three to seven days to bury the dead and divide the captured weapons and loot. The defeat and escape of Khan Qaplan I Giray was confirmed in Constantinople by the end of October 1708, and the Russian embassy monitored the situation closely. On August 29, the ambassador noted, “The Khan of the Crimeans has not yet returned from Circassia,” and on October 12, he added: “Still no word of the Crimean Khan or the Kuban people.” == Mentions of the event by foreign sources ==

Abri de la Motre Abri de la Motre (agent of the Swedish king Charles XII), who visited the Caucasus in 1711, gave a detailed description of this battle. Motre published a description of his travels in London in 1724 in English in two volumes. He republished them in French in 1727. A brief chronology of events, according to Motre, is as follows: • Circassians paid a large annual tribute to the sultan to avoid Tatar raids. However, the sultan did not fulfill this obligation and the Tatars raided all the way to the center of Circassia, robbing everything they could. • Circassians thought not only to stop these attacks, but also to refuse to pay tribute. The Sultan formed a Tatar army against the Circassians (about 100 thousand in number, according to Motre). • Circassians sent letters to Khan's camp expressing their obedience and asking for peace. Later, for 19 days, the Circassians stalled the enemy troops by negotiating the amount and quality of the tribute to be paid, and then unexpectedly attacked the camp from all sides and killed most of the soldiers. • Leading those who escaped to save their lives, the Khan left his brother, son, field tools, tents and belongings. Xaverio Glavani Xaverio Glavani, the French consul in Crimea and the first doctor of the Khan in Bakhchysarai, wrote in his book "Circassian Statement" dated 20 January 1724: Johann Gustav Gerber Johann Gustav Gerber, who made a map of the Caucasus for Tsarist Russia in 1728 and a depiction of the peoples living in the Caucasus, also reported this war: Engelbert Kämpfer German traveler Engelbert Kämpfer also mentioned the event: Other sources In addition to the above, in the 18th century Ottoman writer Mehmet Funduklu, the former Moldovan ruler and scientist Dimitrie Cantemir and many others wrote about the victory of the Kabardinians over the Crimean Khan in 1708, although their reports agreed on the main point, sometimes differing in detail. == Legacy ==

In 2008, Circassians celebrated the 300th anniversary of their victory in the Battle of Kanzhal. Circassian activists organized a trip in the direction of the war and a monument was erected in the area. In 2018, events were organized for the 310th anniversary of the war. However, in the village of Kendelen, the local people of Balkar origin blocked the path of a Circassian flag group and attacked the celebrating Circassians, and Russian forces intervened as clashes between Circassians and Balkars intensified. Similar clashes occurred in 2008 when the people of Karachay-Balkar hung posters "There was no battle in Kanzhal". == Notes ==