Hajji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...

Kizbech Tughuzhuqo (sometimes misspelled as Ghuz Bek; 1777–1840; ; russian: Тугужуко Кызбэч) was a Circassian military commander who took part in the

Russo-Circassian War The Russo-Circassian War ( ady, Урыс-адыгэ зауэ, translit=Wurıs-adığə zawə; ; 1763–1864; also known as the Russian Invasion of Circassia) was the invasion of Circassia by Russia, starting in July 17, 1763 ( O.S) with the Ru ...

. Personally witnessing all of his family get killed by the Russian army, Tughuzhuqo was a cavalry commander especially successful in raiding behind enemy lines. He received multiple offers from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

to switch sides and join its Imperial ranks but he refused all offers and closed negotiations. The Englishman James Bell, who knew him personally, called him "The Lion of Circassia".

Biography

Early life

Tughuzhuqo was born in 1777 in the village of Beannash, to the Shapsug noble house of Sherelh'yqo.

Russo-Circassian War

Kizbech started his struggle once the

reached western

Circassia Circassia (; also known as Cherkessia in some sources; ady, Адыгэ Хэку, Адыгей, lit=, translit=Adıgə Xəku, Adıgey; ; ota, چرکسستان, Çerkezistan; ) was a country and a historical region in the along the northeast ...

. Between the years 1810-1840, he stormed the Russian garrisons and settlements with a volley of attacks. In 1821, he defeated a Russian campaign on the lands of Shapsug. In 1830, Kizbech attacked Elizavinskaya settlement and destroyed it, and in 1834, heading a force of 1700 cavaliers, he brutally defeated a 14 thousand soldier Russian troops. Again, in the same year, he headed 1200 cavaliers to victory over 6 thousand Russian soldiers. Over many years, he raided several hostile Russian garrisons; Maryanskaya, Georgie, Afepskaya, Apenskaya, and in 1837 while crossing through a field, he was identified by

Cossak The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

peasants, who out of their great fear, fled the place leaving behind them 200 sickles. In the same year of 1837, Kizbech stormed the coastal castle of Nikolayev and seized all its properties. In 1837, accompanied by 250 men, he attacked the right bank of the

Kuban Kuban (Russian language, Russian and Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Кубань; ady, Пшызэ) is a historical and geographical region of Southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Pontic–Caspian steppe, ...

Russian fort. As a warrior, Tughuzhuqo enjoyed great respect among opponents. Tsarist generals entered into negotiations with him and repeatedly offered him to join the service of Russia, he rejected all offers. After the failure of his generals to convince him,

Tsar Nicholas I , house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp , father = Paul I of Russia , mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , birth_date = , birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire , death_date = ...

tried to personally approach Kizbech to dissuade him from continuing his acts. Kizbech rejected offers of money and continued his raids on Russian garrisons. In October 1838, he received seven serious wounds, and his sons were injured and eventually died from the injuries. In 1840, Kizbech, heading a group of Circassian cavaliers, captured the garrisons of Waya, Tuapsay, and Shaps.

Circassian revolution

Circassian revolution started in Shapsug when Kizbech was 18 years old. In this war, the peasants of Shapsug rebelled against their princes. Despite being for the princes’ class, Kizbech took the side of the peasants and was one of the few aristocratic figures that were accepted in the new social structure that the Shapsegh had founded.

Fame

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

adventurer James Bell was impressed by the courage of Kizbech. He witnessed the fear in the hearts of Russian soldiers when hearing Kizbech’s name, and how they dispersed before him after they had seen him. Russian General Olshevsky wrote:

"
Shapsugs The Shapsug ( ady, шапсыгъ , russian: шапсуги, tr, Şapsığlar, ar, الشابسوغ, he, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe ...
are considered the fiercest and most dangerous inhabitants of the coasts of the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
... The
Shapsugs The Shapsug ( ady, шапсыгъ , russian: шапсуги, tr, Şapsığlar, ar, الشابسوغ, he, שפסוגים) (also known as the Shapsugh or Shapsogh) are one of the twelve major Circassian tribes. Historically, the Shapsug tribe ...
were able, thanks to courage and fortitude, to defend themselves and their land, which was proven by inflicting great losses on us, in all cases our forces had to fight them. Among them were strong leaders on the For example, Sherelh'yqo Kizbech Tughuzhuqo". ''- General Melenty Yakovlevich Olshevsky''

Death

Kizbech Tughuzhuqo died of wounds received in action on February 28, 1840. He had six different fatal wounds at the time. Some other sources claim he died in battle.

Legacy

In 2014, in the 150th anniversary of the end of

, a group of Circassian nationalists organized the constructing a monument of Kizbech in the village of Afipsip. As of June 2015 the fundraising was completed and the statue was built.- information from the web site
of Oshad Foundation (''

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

'': Fond Nasledie)

References

External links

AdygaAbaza Web-Portal: Тугужуко Казбич

Biography
{{in lang, ru Circassians Circassian nobility People of the Caucasian War Shapsugs North Caucasian independence activists Circassian military personnel of the Russo-Circassian War