The Escape from Circassia on the Eve of the Caucasian War

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of various national groups’ fleeing from the territory of Circassia in the period of 1792–1799. The reasons behind the motives for escaping among some representatives of the local population are identified as well as the circumstances of the captivity of non-locals and periods of their staying in captivity or slavery. The attention is paid to the study of the gender composition of the refugees, as well as their social backgrounds. Primary sources include the materials of surveying fugitives from the territory of Circassia collected by the office of the Cossack army of the Black Sea during the period of 1792–1799. The methodological basis for the historical and demographic study was the principles of objectivity and historicism, suggesting an unbiased approach to the analysis of the studied issues; critical evaluation of the sources; analysis of various factors leading to judgements; presenting the most complete picture of the escape of different categories of people from the territory of Circassia. The authors conclude that the first documented cases of the Circassians’ capturing of people on the Russian territory date back to 1780. During the 1780s, this process increased. Since 1792, the office of the Cossack army of the Black Sea had begun to register refugees from the territory of Zakuban. In the period between 1792 and 1799, according to the available data, 258 people ran away from the territory of Circassia. In terms of ethnic background, 99 people were Russians, 97 — the Nogais, 22 — Greeks, 20 — Armenians. Other nationalities were even less represented. Thus, the practice of the capturing people on the Russian territory by the Circassians had existed long before the beginning of the Caucasian war.