Surkhay Khan Kun-Butta () or erroneously Khanbutai, Khon-Butai, Khomutai was an
18th-century Dagestani military leader as well as last independent
Gazikumukh Khan.
Background
He was born in 1744, probably in
Kumukh
Kumukh (russian: Кумух; lbe, Гъумук) aka Gazi Kumukh is a village and the administrative center of Laksky District in Dagestan. It is located on the banks of the Kazikumukh Koysu, a branch of the Sulak River.
Etymology
Laks use the ...
to
Muhammad Khan of Gazikumukh and his
Azerbaijani wife from Ustajlu tribe. Not much is known about his early life. According to
Abbasgulu Bakikhanov
Abbasgulu agha Bakikhanov ( az, Abbasqulu ağa Bakıxanov) (21 June 1794, Amirjan – 31 May 1847, Wadi Fatima, near Jeddah), Abbas Qoli Bakikhanov, or Abbas-Qoli ibn Mirza Mohammad (Taghi) Khan Badkubi was an Azerbaijani writer, historian, journa ...
, his mother was taken captive during his father's siege of
Shabran
Shabran District ( az, Şabran rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north-east of the country and belongs to the Guba-Khachmaz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khachmaz, Quba, Khizi and ...
. Abdullah khan Ustajlu, commander of the garrison of city was killed during the raid. Surkhay was born a year after the campaign and named after his grandfather
Surkhay I. He had a half brother named Shaykh Mardan bek, who detested Surkhay because of their father's love towards him, as his mother was not from a noble family.
Reign
He succeeded after his father's death in 1789, which coincided his father's foe
Fatali Khan's death. Being a 35-year-old experienced statesman, he wanted to exploit his new neighbours' weaknesses. His half-brother Shaykh Mardan bek, was given by Fatali Khan a part of a Kura district up to Kabirek, which earlier belonged to
Derbent Khanate
The Derbent Khanate ( fa, خانات دربند, Khānāt-e Darband; az, Dərbənd Xanlığı) was a Caucasian khanate that was established in Afsharid Iran. It corresponded to southern Dagestan and its center was at Derbent.
History
Large par ...
, and revenues of Guney district that belonged Quba in 1776. Shaykh Mardan's death - which according to Russian historian Komarov, happened not later than Fatali's - was perfect ground for Surkhay to invade
Kura plain and depose his minor nephews. Annexing these lands, he moved on to invade
Rutul Federation, capturing
Lezgi villages of
Kaka,
Lutkun and
Yalak villages, appointing his brothers Shuayb and Isa as their ''
beys
Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...
''. Moving on, he captured the
Aghul village of
Burkikhan, appointing his another brother (or cousin, according to some) Said bek as its ruler.
He forged an alliance with
Mustafa Khan of Shirvan in 1792 to invade
Shaki Khanate and divide it between themselves. As part of the deal, Mustafa moved to
Goychay, and Surkhan invaded
Khachmaz and
Qabala
Qabala ( az, Qəbələ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Qabala District of Azerbaijan. The municipality consists of the city of Gabala and the village of Küsnat. Before the city was known as Kutkashen, but after the Republic of ...
mahals of the Khanate. In addition to this, Shihabuddin, the
Sultan of Arash, also rebelled against ruling
Muhammad Hasan Khan with support from
Karabakh Khanate
The Karabakh Khanate was a semi-independent Turkic peoples, Turkic Khanates of the Caucasus, Caucasian khanate on the territories of modern-day Armenia and Azerbaijan established in about 1748 under Safavid dynasty, Iranian suzerainty in Karaba ...
. However, Muhammad Hasan managed to defeat them with mercenaries.
In 1794, supporting
Salim Khan
Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 24 November 1935) is an Indian actor, film producer and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he wrote the screenplays, stories and scripts for numerous Bollywood films. Khan is one half of the prolific screenwriting d ...
, he again attacked Shaki Khanate while Muhammad Hasan was taken by Qajars as hostage. However, Salim executed 7 underage sons of Muhammad Hasan, including
Shaykh Ali Khan of Quba's nephews. Hearing the news, Shaykh Ali marched on Shaki and Surkhay decided to retreat. He again attacked Shaykh Ali Khan's domains in Quba and captured his maternal village of
Zeykhur. Left with 300 people to defend, he was victorious. However thanks to the intervention of utsmi Ali Bek and qadi of Tabasaran sides signed a truce in the village of Koysu. Later in 1796, he supported Shaykh Ali khan against
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. ...
during the
Siege of Derbent. According to contemporary Russian military historian Nikolai Dubrovin, there were 400
Gazikumukh cavalry inside
Derbent
Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It i ...
to defend the city.
After surrender of the town on 21 May 1796, Shaykh Ali however managed to escape to near
Gilgilçay, reached
Kumukh
Kumukh (russian: Кумух; lbe, Гъумук) aka Gazi Kumukh is a village and the administrative center of Laksky District in Dagestan. It is located on the banks of the Kazikumukh Koysu, a branch of the Sulak River.
Etymology
Laks use the ...
asked for troops from Surkhay II to retake Quba. Shaykh Ali and 10,000 strong Gazikumukh armies were defeated by Russian detachment sent under general Sergei Bulgakov. As a result of disastrous battle near
Alpan, 1600 Dagestanis died, including Surkhay's son Bayram, as well as councillor Molla Taghi.
Campaigns in Quba and Derbent
3 years later in 1799, Surkhay, using Shaykh Ali's illness, sent an army under his son Nuh bek to
Quba
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the right bank of the Kudyal river. It has a po ...
, who claimed to be
Hasan Khan Hasan Khan ( fa, حسن خان, link=no) may refer to:
Places
* Hasan Khan, Golestan, a village in Iran
* Hasan Khan, Kurdistan, a village in Iran
People
* Hasan Khan (cricketer) (born 1998), Pakistani cricketer
* Hasan Imam Khan (born 1971), ...
, Fatali's youngest son returning from exile. Meanwhile himself camped near
Qullar and kept the khanate under control for a month and half. Shaykh Ali khan managed to expel his armies only after support of 10,000 soldiers from
Akusha-Dargo Union and
Shamkhalate of Tarki
The Shamkhalate of Tarki, or Tarki Shamkhalate (also Shawhalate, or Shevkalate, ') was a Kumyk state in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, with its capital in the ancient town of Tarki. It formed on the territory populated by Kumyks and inc ...
and routed him till
Chirag
''Chirag'' (Hindi: चिराग; English: Light) is a 1969 Indian Bollywood film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh in lead roles. Apart from other plus points, it has the famous song "Teri Aankhon Ke Siwa" sun ...
. During the campaign Shaykh Ali had to raise additional taxes from population and had to force peasant to host at least one mercenary. Derbent people, which hosted 2,000 soldiers soon rebelled but was put down thanks to efforts of
Mirza Muhammad II. This rebellion was followed by a famine when the inhabitants had to fight off 400 carts en route from
Tarki
Tarki ( kum, Таргъу, Tarğu; russian: Тарки́) formerly also spelled Tarkou and also known as Tarku, is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) under the administrative jurisdiction of Sovetsky City District of the City of ...
to
Quba
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the right bank of the Kudyal river. It has a po ...
bringing food and supplies to capital, accusing khan of debauchery and only thinking for himself. Soon inhabitants started another rebellion under Sultan beg Bayat and forced Shaykh Ali's governor Muhammad Husayn beg Bayat out of the city. As a middle ground, Shaykh Ali accepted his half-sister and Mirza Muhammad's wife Khanbika khanum as ''
hakem'' of Derbent and Sultan as her deputy. Surkhay saw the rebellion as opportunity and in May 1800, he deposted Khanbika together with Tabasaran ghazi and
Kaitag Utsmi and installed
Hasan Khan Hasan Khan ( fa, حسن خان, link=no) may refer to:
Places
* Hasan Khan, Golestan, a village in Iran
* Hasan Khan, Kurdistan, a village in Iran
People
* Hasan Khan (cricketer) (born 1998), Pakistani cricketer
* Hasan Imam Khan (born 1971), ...
as the new Derbent Khan. Although Shaykh Ali, still ill, later besieged Derbent for 12 days and had few skirmishes to regain the city, nothing came out of it.
Surkhay II soon heard rumours of still ill Shaykh Ali's death and decided to attack Quba and install his puppet Hasan as khan there. Arriving at
Zizik, he was persuaded to lay down his arms by Zibunnisa, wife of Shaykh Ali. Using opportunity Shaykh Ali raided
Derbent Khanate
The Derbent Khanate ( fa, خانات دربند, Khānāt-e Darband; az, Dərbənd Xanlığı) was a Caucasian khanate that was established in Afsharid Iran. It corresponded to southern Dagestan and its center was at Derbent.
History
Large par ...
and forcibly moved population of 9 villages to Quba, depriving Surkhay's puppet Hasan of his tax income. At last on , two brothers signed a truce, acknowledging each other as khans of their respective states. Shaykh Ali again became khan of Derbent upon his brother's death in 1803 of
chickenpox.
Struggle against Russians
After annexation of Derbent and Quba Khanates in 1806, Russians sent demands towards Surkhay to submit and pay tribue. Surkhay however, claimed tributes were higher than he expected and refused it. Approached by new Russian viceroy
Alexander Tormasov later, he expressed allegiance, but secretly aided
Shaykh Ali Khan of Quba in his guerilla warfare.
He attacked
Jafar Qoli Khan Donboli
Jafarqoli or Jafarqulu Khan Donboli ( fa, جعفرقلی خان دنبلی) was the last Khan (title), khan of the Khoy Khanate from 1798 to 1799 and penultimate Shaki Khanate, Khan of Shaki from 1806 to 1814.
Background
He was born to either S ...
in 1808, who was the new khan of
Shaki installed by Russians 2 years ago. Camping near
Jalayir
Jalair ( mn, Жалайр; ; ), also Djalair, Yyalair, Jalayir, is one of the Darliqin Mongol tribes according to Rashid-al-Din Hamadani's ''Jami' al-tawarikh''. They lived along the Shilka River in modern Zabaykalsky Krai of Russia.History of Mo ...
village, he brought 12,000
Gazikumukh soldiers, 1,500
Dzhengutai Kumyks under Ali Sultan, 1,000 soldiers from
Akusha-Dargo Union, 3,000
Avars, 2,000 soldiers from
Jar-Balakan and 500
Kaitags
Kaitags ( Kaitag: хайдакьан, , , ) are an ethnic group of the Dargins, but sometimes considered as a separate people. Their number are estimated to be over 25,000. They live mainly on the territory of the Kaytagsky district of Dagestan, p ...
. His army included the blind
Muhammad Hasan, as well as Qasim Khan of Shirvan and Surkhay's sons Nuh, Khalid, Zakariyya and Murtuzali. However, he was defeated after 2 hours of battle.
In September 1809, a congress was held in the domains of Surkhay, at which Shaykh Ali and
Akushan elders were also present. As a result, they decided to attack Quba in 10 days. Attack was success as Russians reported in August 1810 that the inhabitants of Quba and the local beys had gone over to side of Khan. Nevertheless, the khan was defeated again and retreated to
Yersi.
Shaykh Ali later had to face new Russian contingent sent against him by
Filippo Paulucci
Filippo Paulucci delle Roncole (11 September 1779 – 25 January 1849), also known as Filipp Osipovich Pauluchchi (russian: Филипп Осипович Паулуччи), was an Italian marquis and army officer, later a general at the services ...
under major-general
Nikolai Khotuntsov. Sides met near village of
Rustov
Rustov is a village and municipality in the Quba District of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,956. The municipality consists of the villages of Rustov, Pusteqasim, Kələbaq, Yekdar, Bad, Məçkə-Xacə, Cadarı, and Cındar.
Famous ...
on . Shaykh Ali had 7,000 under his command, being aided by Surkhay II's son Nuh bek, Aslan Khan of
Dzhengutay and Qadi Abubekr of Akusha-Dargo. Khotuntsov attacked the village from three sides and, after a 4-hour stubborn battle, drove out Shaykh Ali to
Akhty
Akhty (russian: Ахты́; lez, Ахцагь) is a rural locality ('' selo'') and the administrative center of Akhtynsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located in the south of the republic at the confluence of the Akhtychay and ...
, captured many prisoners, recaptured 30 banners and more than 350 horses. Surkhay on the other hand arrived in
Kurakh to greet his wounded son.
Hearing of Khotuntsov's arrival in his territory, he was defeated by Russians on near
Shimikhyur and next day near
Tatarkhankent. Soon Khotuntsov arrived on 27 December in the strongly fortified village of Kurakh to demand Shaykh Ali from Surkhay II. Surkhay in return demanded his nephew Aslan bek's return. Russians not wanting to give up their ally, stormed the village and defeated Gazikumukh forces. However, couldn't manage to follow fleeing Surkhay as heavy snow fell around environs. As a result, Aslan bek became the ruler of newly created
Kura Khanate
Kura Khanate (, ) or Kürin Khanate was a state entity that existed from 1812 to 1864 in southern Dagestan. The khanate was ruled by a branch of ruling family of Gazikumukh Khanate.
Geography
The Kura Khanate was located mainly in the histori ...
officially on .
Struggle against Kura
Surkhay on the other hand, returned to Kumukh started to send his sons to Kura Khanate, agitating denizens of
Richa and
Chirag
''Chirag'' (Hindi: चिराग; English: Light) is a 1969 Indian Bollywood film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh in lead roles. Apart from other plus points, it has the famous song "Teri Aankhon Ke Siwa" sun ...
to rise against the Russians. Aslan Khan, trying to punish his uncle, started a raid against Gazikumukh in March 1812, however he faced a strong resistance near
Khosrekh
Khosrekh (russian: Хосрех; lbe, Хъусращи) is a rural locality (a selo) in Kulinsky District, Republic of Dagestan, Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and ...
and forced to retreat after losing several soldiers. Later in June 1812, Surkhay sent his son Murtuzali to Khotuntsov, offering to submit in hopes of reinforcing his army for next year.
Just like he planned, he marched on Kurakh in May 1813 but met a crushing defeat near
Gelkhen. Surkhay in order to gain support of
Qajar Iran
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
, fled to
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
with his 20 closest relatives, put his son Murtuzali in charge. Aslan Khan, using the opportunity captured Gazikumukh in 1814 and Murtuzali who, was also brother of Aslan Khan on mother's side, was forced to submit. This move coincided with Surkhay Khan's return to Gazikumukh, who left Tabriz on with 120 followers, who lost his hope after
Treaty of Gulistan
The Treaty of Gulistan (russian: Гюлистанский договор; fa, عهدنامه گلستان) was a peace treaty concluded between the Russian Empire and Iran on 24 October 1813 in the village of Gulistan (now in the Goranboy Distr ...
. Surkhay was ambushed in
Elisavetpol Governorate, lost 35 men including his son Zakariyya. His grandson Hatam beg was taken captive along 10 people. He managed to flee through domains of his in-law Ahmad Khan,
Sultan of Elisu, arriving at Khosrekh. However, he was defeated by Aslan Khan in his first skirmish. Hearing the news of his father's arrival, Murtuzali killed Fathali bek - his cousin and Aslan Khan's half-brother - and sent his head to Surkhay secretly, demonstrating his loyalty. Surkhay victoriously arrived in Gazikumukh, while Aslan fled back to Kura Khanate with his wife Ummu Gulsum.
End of reign
Nuh bey and Murtuzali beg, sons of elderly Surkhay, who was 71 at this point, soon started to rivalling each other about succession. Former demanded his father to secure release of his own son, while latter grew popular thanks to being instrumental in returning his father to power. Surkhay in his turn sent several letters to
Nikolay Rtischev, new viceroy in Caucasus, to obtain his grandson's release in return of extradition of
Prince Alexander of Georgia. Not receiving any response, Surkhay invaded
Kura Khanate
Kura Khanate (, ) or Kürin Khanate was a state entity that existed from 1812 to 1864 in southern Dagestan. The khanate was ruled by a branch of ruling family of Gazikumukh Khanate.
Geography
The Kura Khanate was located mainly in the histori ...
again in August 1815 and defeated the Russian garrison stationed there.
Soon Surkhay decided to get rid of Murtuzali, who was constantly growing his power and popularity. He ordered Muhammad beg (another son of Nuh beg) and his nephew Harun beg (son of Isa bey) to murder Murtuzali. He send his other son Jafar beg as hostage to
Tiflis
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
to obtain release of Hatam beg again and promised submission to Russian Empire. This request was accepted and Surkhay swore fealty of allegiance to
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. ...
again. Nevertheless, he continued to support other Dagestani rulers aspiring for independence, including
Sultan Ahmad khan of
Avars, Adil Khan of
Kaitag Utsmiate, Adil Girai of Kumyks and Shaykh Ali Khan of Quba. New Russian viceroy
Yermolov however, was already suspicious of him. Surkhay's real motives showed himself when alliance of Dagestani rulers attacked Yermolov's subordinate Pestel near
Bashlykent on 23 October 1818. The allied 20,000 strong army was commanded by Sultan Ahmad Khan of Avars, his brother Hasan Khan of
Mehtuli, Muhammad Qadi of
Akusha-Dargo Union, Surkhay II with his sons, Shaikh Ali Khan and his brother-in-law Qadi Abdullah of
Tabasaran. Shaykh Ali and Abdullah left the alliance for Quba on the 4th day of siege, reportedly after searching for the corpses of Russian soldiers and cutting off ears and hands, having collected a whole bag of them to turn over to Abbas Mirza in return of monetary support to gather more armies.
This humiliating defeat drew fatal response from Yermolov who invaded
Mehtuli Khanate in 1819 with 5 battalions, 300 cossacks and 14 guns. Avar Khanate fell in September and Kaitag Utsmiate was invaded by
Valerian Madatov
Prince Valerian Grigoryevich Madatov (, , Rostom Madatyan) (1782 – September 4, 1829) was a Russian-Armenian prince and a lieutenant-general of the Russian Empire. Sarkisyan, G. ''«Մադաթով»'' (Madatov). ''Armenian Soviet Encycloped ...
's army in October. Yermolov defeated
Akusha-Dargo Union on .
Surkhay, meanwhile, gathered 20,000 troops. Yermolov pre-emptively declared Surkhay deposed and appointed his nephew Aslan Khan on his place on . However, Surkhay was only defeated by Madatov in June 1820
who installed Aslan Khan in his place on 1 August.
Juan Van Halen
Juan Van Halen y Sartí (16 February 1788 – 8 November 1864) was a Spanish military officer. After fighting for the losing side in the Peninsular War, he was forced to flee to Spain. Van Halen became a military adventurer throughout Europe and ...
, having participated in the campaign, wrote detailed accounts of the battles involving Surkhay in his memoirs.
Surkhay later fled to
Qajar Iran
Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...
thanks to help from his son-in-law
Mustafa Khan of Shirvan same year.
Surkhay returned with
Abbas Mirza
Abbas Mirza ( fa, عباس میرزا; August 26, 1789October 25, 1833) was a Qajar crown prince of Iran. He developed a reputation as a military commander during the Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 and the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828, as ...
to Caucasus during
Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 and made it to
Sogratl and sent his son Nuh beg to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
to get help from Ottoman Empire. However, he died in 1827 (according to another document, he died on 5 September 1826 (
Hijri 3 Safar 1342) and was buried in
Sogratl at the age of 83. Nuh bey died in Ottoman lands next year.
Personality
According to Russian author Komarov, "he was of great stature, had a formidable look, especially in old age, was distinguished by great learning, in a Muslim spirit, and was famous as an impartial and fair judge."
Family
He had two wives:
* A Lak woman
** Nuh beg (d. 1828)
** Khalid
** Zakariyya (d. 1814)
** Jafar beg
** Pakhay Bike (d. 1847) — married
Mustafa Khan of Shirvan in 1814
* An Avar woman, sister of
Umma Khan
Umma ( sux, ; in modern Dhi Qar Province in Iraq, formerly also called Gishban) was an ancient city in Sumer. There is some scholarly debate about the Sumerian and Akkadian names for this site. Traditionally, Umma was identified with Tell ...
, widow of his brother Shaykh Mardan.
** Murtuzali (d. 1815)
** Tuti Bike — married Ahmad Khan of
Elisu
***
Daniyal Sultan
Daniyal Sultan or Daniyal Bek (1809, İlisu — 1871, Istanbul) was an ethnic Tsakhur people, Tsakhur nobleman, Major general, general-major of the Imperial Russian Army and in Military of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Army and the last ruler of E ...
— Sultan of Elisu (1831 - 1844)
* Unknown woman
** A daughter betrothed to Aslan Khan of
Kura Khanate
Kura Khanate (, ) or Kürin Khanate was a state entity that existed from 1812 to 1864 in southern Dagestan. The khanate was ruled by a branch of ruling family of Gazikumukh Khanate.
Geography
The Kura Khanate was located mainly in the histori ...
** Pirdovs, married to Abdulfattah bey, a great-grandson of Cholak Surkhay
** Bayram (d. 1796)
According to
Semyon Mazarovich,
Russian chargé d'affaires to Iran, he had at least 55 living descendants by 1821. Estate and land commission in 1867 in different villages of the
Gazikumukh Okrug (Kumukh, Khalapkhi, Duchi, Begeklyu, Para, Marki, Tsuschar, Kuli) identified and recognized 48 descendants of Surkhay, who were endowed by the imperial administration.
References
Sources
*
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*
{{Authority control
Khans of Gazikumukh
1827 deaths
1744 births