The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus (MRNC; also known as the United Republics of the North Caucasus, Mountain Republic or the Republic of the Mountaineers) was a country in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

formed by the unification of

Circassians The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...

, Chechens, Ingush,

Ossetians The Ossetians or Ossetes (, ; os, ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ, translit= ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ, label=Ossetic) are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the no ...

and

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North Ca ...

is proclaimed at the congress of the North Caucasian peoples on 6 March 1917. It existed from 1917 until 1922. MRNC included most of the territory of the former

Terek Oblast The Terek Oblast was a province ('' oblast'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, roughly corresponding to the central part of Russia's North Caucasian Federal District. Тhe ''оblast'' was created out of the former territories of ...

and

Dagestan Oblast The Dagestan Oblast was a province ('' oblast'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day southeastern Dagestan within the Russian Federation. The Dagestan Oblast was created in 1860 out o ...

of the Russian Empire, which now form the republics of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

Ingushetia Ingushetia (; russian: Ингуше́тия; inh, ГӀалгӏайче, Ghalghayče), officially the Republic of Ingushetia,; inh, Гӏалгӏай Мохк, Ghalghay Moxk is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. ...

North Ossetia–Alania The Republic of North Ossetia–Alania; os, Республикӕ Цӕгат Ирыстон — Алани, ''Respublikæ Cægat Iryston — Alani'', ) is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. Its population acco ...

, Kabardino-Balkaria,

Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which ...

and part of

Stavropol Krai Stavropol Krai (russian: Ставропо́льский край, r=Stavropolsky kray, p=stəvrɐˈpolʲskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia, and i ...

of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. The total land area was about , with a population of about 11 million. Its capital was initially at Vladikavkaz, then

Nazran , ''Näsare'') is the largest city in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital in 1991–2000, until it was replaced with Magas, which was specially built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republi ...

, and finally Temir-Khan-Shura. It broke away 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 ...

during the

February Revolution The February Revolution ( rus, Февра́льская револю́ция, r=Fevral'skaya revolyutsiya, p=fʲɪvˈralʲskəjə rʲɪvɐˈlʲutsɨjə), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and some ...

, shortly before the start of the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

. The state was captured by Soviet Russian forces in 1921, who transformed it into the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

State formation

The Union included seven "states" allocated on a national basis and united according to a confederative principle in the territories:

Ossetia Ossetia ( , ; os, Ирыстон or , or ; russian: Осетия, Osetiya; ka, ოსეთი, translit. ''Oseti'') is an ethnolinguistic region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, largely inhabited by the Ossetians. ...

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 ...

(Including West Circassia but the union only had control over East Circassia), Karachay-

Balkaria The Balkars ( krc, Малкъарлыла, Malqarlıla or Таулула, , 'Mountaineers') are a Turkic people of the Caucasus region, one of the titular populations of Kabardino-Balkaria. Their Karachay-Balkar language is of the Ponto-C ...

, the Nogai steppes and also claims in

. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Mountain Republic included representatives from almost all regions of the North Caucasus.

History

The Union of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus was created in March 1917, and an Executive Committee of the Union was elected. The Chairman of the Executive Committee was one of the leaders of the National‐Liberation movement of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus,

Tapa Tchermoeff Tapa (Abdul Medjid) Bey Ortsu Tchermoev (1882 – August 28, 1937) ( ce, Тапа́ (Абду́л Меджи́д) Арцу́евич Чермо́ев or Тапа Абдул Миджит Бей Орцу Чермо́ев) was a North Caucasian stat ...

. The 1847 constitution of

Imam Shamil Imam Shamil ( av, Шейх Шамил, Şeyx Şamil; ar, الشيخ شامل; russian: Имам Шамиль; 26 June 1797 – 4 February 1871) was the political, military, and spiritual leader of North Caucasian resistance to Imperial Russia in ...

was re-adopted on 5 August 1917 by the Central Committee of the Northern Caucasus. The independent republic was officially proclaimed on 11 May 1918, after the collapse of the Russian Tsarist empire in the

Russian revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

. The government of the new republic was established.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

, Rashid-khan Kaplanov and Haidar Bammate.М. Вачагаев: Союз горцев Северного Кавказа и Горская республика, 2018 The Republic's capital was Vladikavkaz, later moved to Temir-Khan-Shura. The republic was supported by Said Shamil (grandson of

). The Mountainous Republic was ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legall ...

'' recognized by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, the

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian A ...

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

, the Democratic Republic of Georgia,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

, the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Grea ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, the

Don Republic __NOTOC__ The Don Republic (russian: Донская Республика, later known as the Almighty Don Host, or russian: Всевеликое Войско Донское, ''Vsevelikoye Voysko Donskoye'') was an independent self-proclaimed anti- ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, and the Kuban People's Republic. Early in March 1919, General Tapa Tchermoeff and Ibrahim Bey Gaydarov headed a delegation to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in an attempt to take part in the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...

. The object of the delegation was to secure the recognition of the independence of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus.Berzeg, Sefer E. (Mart 2003). ''Kuzey Kafkasya Cumhuriyeti 1917-1922, Kafkasya Dağlıları Birliği’nin Kuruluşu'' (I. Cilt). İstanbul : Birleşik Kafkasya Derneği. The 1st and 2nd Dagestan cavalry regiments from the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division declared loyalty to the Mountainous Republic and Ottoman

Pashas Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignita ...

of Circassian origin came with their armies to support the new founded state. Therefore, an army with experienced soldiers and commanders was established. North Caucasian soldiers engaged in fierce clashes against the invading

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

troops of General

Anton Denikin Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...

Volunteer Army The Volunteer Army (russian: Добровольческая армия, translit=Dobrovolcheskaya armiya, abbreviated to russian: Добрармия, translit=Dobrarmiya) was a White Army active in South Russia during the Russian Civil War from ...

. The Caucasus was completely taken from Soviet Russia with the support of the North Caucasus Army under the command of

Yusuf Izzet Pasha Yusuf Izzet Pasha (; born 1876 in Yozgat – died April 15, 1922 in Ankara) was a Turkish general of Circassian origin, who served both the Ottoman Army and the Turkish Army. See also *List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of ...

. In connection with the defeat of Germany and Turkey in the First World War and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Transcaucasia and Dagestan, the Mountain government was reorganized, and at the end of 1918 the Mountain Congress in Temir-Khan-Shura approved Pshemaho Kotsev as the head of the coalition cabinet. The fighting ended in January 1920, when Denikin's army was completely defeated by the 11th Red Army. In January 1921, the MRNC was completely occupied by the Red Army of Bolshevik Russia and the government of the republic was forced to leave the Caucasus. In January 1921, the Soviet Mountain Republic of the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

was established.

Prominent government figures, 1917–1919

File:Leaders of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus.jpg, Leaders of the MRNC, with Prime Minister

seated in the front row centre File:Tapa-chermoyev.jpg, Abdulmajid Tapa Tchermoeff, oil industrialist, first Central Committee chairman and first prime minister, Chechen. Died in Paris in 1937. File:Kaplanov Rashid-khan.jpg, Rashid Khan Kaplanov, second Central Committee chairman, Minister of Internal Affairs, Kumyk. Killed by the Bolshevik government in 1937. File:Коцев Пшемахо.jpg, Pshemakho Kotsev, second prime minister, Kabardian Circassian. Died in Istanbul in 1962. File:Haydar Bammat.jpg, Haidar Bammate, foreign minister, Kumyk. Died in Paris in 1965 File:Vassan-Girey Jabagiyev.jpg, Vassan-Girey Jabagiyev, minister of finance, Ingush. Died in immigration in Istanbul in 1961. File:Nukh Bek Shamkhal Tarkovsky.jpg, Nukh-bek Tarkovskiy, military minister, Kumyk. Died in Switzerland in 1951. File:Темирханов З.jpg, Zibair Temirkhanov, Madjlis (Parliament) chairman, Kumyk. Twice repressed by Bolsheviks, died in 1952 in Dagestan. File:Апашев, Даниял.jpg, Daniyal Apashev, Member of Parliament and chairman in 1919, Kumyk. Killed by Bolsheviks in 1920. File:Ibrahim bey Haydarov.jpg, Ibrahim Bey Gaydarov, Minister of Posts and Telegraph, Lezgian. Died in Ankara in 1949. File:Даидбеков, Адиль-Гирей Абдул-Кадырович.jpg, Adil-Gerey Daidbekov, minister of transportation, Kumyk. Died in Baku in 1946. File:Alihan Kantemir.jpg, Alikhan Kantemir, the official representative in neighbouring countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia), Muslim Ossetian. Died in Munich in 1963. File:Tadjuddin Penzulayev.jpg, Tadjuddin Penzulayev, minister of justice, Kumyk. Killed by Bolsheviks in 1937. Co-author of Mikhail Bulgakov's piece "Children of Mulla". File:Muhiddin Penzulayev.png, Muhiddin Penzulayev, minister of communications, Kumyk. Died in 1942. Brother of Tadjuddin Penzulayev. File:Kumyk-Alkhasov-Tugan.jpg, Tugan Alkhasov, member of the government, Kumyk. Death circumstances remain unknown.Первые государственные образования на Северном Кавказе, (май 1917 – март 1920 гг.), Какагасанов Г. И., Матиев Т. Х., Болдырев Ю.Ф., Назарова О. В., Вестник Ингушского научно-исследовательского института гуманитарных наук им. Ч.Э. Ахриева, 2019

Notes

Bibliography

* "Caucasian Republic Mission to the Peace Conference Appeal for Help", '' The Morning Post'', London, Friday 4 April 1919. * J. "Obedinennyi Kavkaz" ("Vereinigtes Kaukasien"), 1–3 (30–32), München, 1954. * Baddeley, J. F., 1908, ''The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus'', Longmans, Green, and Co., London * Madeleine Henrey, ''Madeleine Grown Up'', J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1954. * Kathleen R. Jackson, Marat Fidarov, ''Essays on the History of the North Caucasus'', HHN Media, New York, 2009. * * * Storozhenko (ed.), ''Ingushetia and Chechen Republic Map'', Northern Caucasian Aerogeodesic Company of Roskartografia, Russia, 1995. * Levan Z. Urushadze, "About the history of the question of unity of the Caucasian Peoples". J. "Amirani", XIII, Montreal‐Tbilisi, 2005, pp. 72–87. * «Союз горцев Северного Кавказа и Горская республика. История несостоявшегося государства. 1917-1920», М.М. Вачагаев, 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus States and territories established in 1917 States and territories disestablished in 1922 Post–Russian Empire states History of the North Caucasus Chechen-speaking countries and territories Former countries of the interwar period 1917 establishments in Europe 1922 disestablishments in Europe