Sheikh Mansur, whose birth name was Ushurma or Uchermak, Since he described himself as being a little over 30 years old to his Russian captors in 1791, it is assumed that he was born around 1760. He came from a family of poor Chechen farmers His father's name was Shebesse or Shahbaz, and his family had previously lived in the village of
Khattuni before settling in Aldi. which was a significant center of Islamic learning. It is frequently assumed that he joined the
Naqshbandi Sufi order, but, according to Michael Kemper, there is no evidence of this. When Ushurma was 26 years old or older, he renounced ordinary life, divorced his wife, and secluded himself. He saw a vision of two mounted messengers from the prophet Muhammad who tasked him with preaching Islam to the Chechens and nearby peoples. Like earlier leaders who claimed supernatural powers, he often covered his face in front of his disciples. Some Russian sources incorrectly claim that he called himself a prophet. In 1784, he adopted the name
Mansur (meaning "victorious" in Arabic) and began to style himself as the
sheikh and
imam of the mountain peoples. He called on them to adhere closely to the
Sharia and to reject what he considered non-Islamic practices, such as customary law (
adat), consumption of wine, and smoking tobacco. This was not easy in Chechnya, where Islamic tradition was not as entrenched as it was in Dagestan. The egalitarian implications of his message made it gain popularity among indigent peasants and other marginalized groups. Russian expansion had disrupted the pre-existing social order of various peoples of the North Caucasus, and inequality was rising between the lower classes and the nobility, who often collaborated with the Russians. In March 1785, two earthquakes occurred which may have been seen as omens by local people. After this, Mansur rallied the Chechens to attack
Kabarda in order to force them to adhere to the Sharia. It is not certain whether he was already advocating a holy war against the Russians. Despite this, Sheikh Mansur's actions came to the attention of the Russian military authorities, who sent a force under Colonel Pieri to capture the Chechen leader. The Russian force assaulted and destroyed Mansur's native village of Aldi, forcing its population to flee to the mountains. Sheikh Mansur and his disciples evaded capture and conducted a surprise attack on the Russians while they marched back. 600 Russian soldiers and officers, including Colonel Pieri, were killed. This success was seen as proof of that Mansur had the support of God. Nobles from Kabarda and Dagestan who had previously hesitated to join Mansur now brought their well-armed forces to his side. In the summer of 1785, Mansur's army, reportedly 10,000 strong,
attacked the Russian town of Kizlyar and besieged it, but they had to abandon the siege because of the Russian cannons. They also failed to take the smaller fort of
Grigoriopolis. Despite these setbacks, Mansur
attacked Kizlyar again in August 1785. This failed attempt left many of his men dead and caused others to desert. Nevertheless, several influential Kabardian leaders and numerous Chechens, Kumyks and Dagestanis remained at his side. It was the subsequent defeat of Mansur's army in November 1785 by a Russian contingent commanded by Colonel Nagel that caused Mansur's noble allies to abandon him. Mansur continued to attack Russian fortresses from the mountains of Chechnya. Losing many of his followers, he tried to achieve a truce with the Russians, but they would accept nothing less than his unconditional surrender. He sought followers in the Western Caucasus, inhabited by the
Circassians. This may have also been motivated by the greater attention he was receiving from the Ottoman Empire, which had previously dismissed him as a "rabble-rouser". With another war between the Russian and Ottoman empires approaching, the Ottoman command in the Black Sea forts of
Anapa and Soğucak saw an opportunity to unite the Circassian tribes through Sheikh Mansur and use them for military purposes. Mansur conducted several successful raids across the Kuban just before the beginning of the
Russo-Turkish War. He took hundreds of prisoners and more livestock. However, a Russian expedition sent at the beginning of the war, in August 1787, inflicted several defeats on Mansur. He fought his last battle on the Urup River on 20 September 1787, against a Russian force commanded by General
Peter Tekeli. After this, Mansur fled to Anapa. When Anapa fell to the Russians, he was captured and transported to Saint Petersburg, where
Catherine the Great inspected him. He was initially held at the
Peter and Paul Fortress. After he stabbed a guard to death during his interrogation, he was moved to the fortress of
Shlisselburg, east of Saint Petersburg, where he died on 13 April 1794. ==Appearance==