The Avar Khanate, the Avar Nutsaldom (; ), also known as Khundzia or Avaria, was a long-lived
Avar state, which controlled mountainous parts of
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
(in the
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...
) from the early 13th century to the 19th century.
History of Avar Nutsaldom
Between the 5th and 12th centuries, Georgian
Orthodox Christianity
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
was introduced to the Avar valleys. The fall of the Christian Kingdom of
Sarir
Sarir or Serir was a medieval Christians, Christian state lasting from the 6th or 7th century to the 12th century in the mountainous regions of modern-day Dagestan in southern Russia. Its name is derived from the Arabic word for "throne" and re ...
in the early 12th century and later weakening of neighboring
Georgians
Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...
by the
Mongol invasions
The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
, who made their first appearance in the Caucasus with approximately 20,000 warriors led by
Subutai
Subutai (c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He ultimately directed more than 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more territory than any other commander in history a ...
and
Jebe
Jebe (or Jebei, , pronounced as ''Zev''; birth name: Jirqo'adai (Modern Mongolian: Zurgaadai), , ) (death: approximately 1224) was one of the most prominent Noyans (generals) of Genghis Khan. He belonged to the Besud clan, part of the Taichud ...
, terminated further Christian Georgian presence in this area. In fact, numerous traces of Christianity (crosses, chapels) are found within the Avar territory and it is now assumed that Christianity, penetrating from Georgia, survived among the Avars down to the 14th to 15th centuries.
After ravaging Georgia, the Mongols cut across the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains
*
* Azerbaijani: ,
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* is a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region ...
during the winter to get around the
Derbent
Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...
Pass. Although the
Avars had pledged their support to
Muhammad II of Khwarezm
'Alā' al-Din Muhammad II ( Persian: علاءالدین محمد خوارزمشاه; full name: ''Ala ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Muhammad Sanjar ibn Tekish'') was the Shah of the Khwarazmian Empire from 3 August 1200 to 11 January 1221. His anc ...
(reigned 1200-1220) in his struggle against the Mongols, there is no documentation for the Mongol invasion of the Avar lands. As historical clues are so scarce, it is probably fruitless to speculate whether the Avars were the agents of the Mongol influence in the Caucasus and whether they were entrusted with the task of levying tribute for the khan, as modern historian Murad Magomedov suggests.
The
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...
overran the region in 1241, but by the 14th century, the newly established Avar Khanate managed to maintain independence from the Mongols. The rise of the
Shamkhalate of Kazi-Kumukh following the disintegration of the Golden Horde in the 15th century was at once a symptom and a cause of the Khans' diminished influence during the 15th and 16th centuries. The khanate was a loosely structured state, sometimes forced to seek the
Tsar
Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
's protection against its powerful enemies, while many mountainous communities (''djamaats'') obtained a considerable degree of autonomy from the khan.
In the 16th century, the region was the center of a fierce struggle for control by the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
and the
Safavids
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...
. Under Turkish influence, in the 17th century, the majority of the Avar tribes adopted
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. The consolidation of Islam in Avaristan in the 18th century resulted in a series of religious wars against the Georgian states, these sporadic forays are also known as
Lekianoba in Georgian historiography. The references to these raids appear in the Epic poetry of
Avars; the names of rulers who led the most devastating attacks, Umma-Khan, Nursal-Bek, and Mallachi, are mentioned in Georgian sources.
In the 18th century, the steady weakening of the
Shamkhals fostered the ambitions of the Avar khans, whose greatest coup was the defeat of the 100,000-strong army of
Nader Shah
Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...
in September 1741 during his
conquest of Dagestan. In the wake of this success, Avar sovereigns managed to expand their territory at the expense of free communities in Dagestan and
Chechnya
Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...
. The reign of Umma-Khan (from 1775 to 1801) marked the zenith of the Avar ascendancy in the Caucasus. Potentates who paid tribute to Umma-Khan included the rulers of
Shaki,
Quba
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District (Azerbaijan), Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Mount Shahdagh, Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the ...
, and
Shirvan
Shirvan (from ; ; Tat: ''Şirvan'') is a historical region in the eastern Caucasus, as known in both pre-Islamic Sasanian and Islamic times. Today, the region is an industrially and agriculturally developed part of the Republic of Azerbaijan ...
.
Within two years after Umma-Khan's death, the khanate voluntarily submitted to Russian authority. Yet the Russian administration disappointed and embittered freedom-loving highlanders. The institution of heavy taxation, coupled with the expropriation of estates and the construction of fortresses, electrified the Avar population into rising under the aegis of the Muslim
Imamate
The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''.
Theology
*Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...
, led by
Ghazi Mohammed (1828–32),
Hamzat Bek (1832–34) and
Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil (; ; ; ; ; 26 June 1797 – 4 February 1871) was the political, military, and spiritual leader of North Caucasian resistance to Imperial Russia in the 1800s, the third Imam of the Caucasian Imamate (1840–1859), and a Sunni Muslim ...
(1834–59). This
Caucasian War
The Caucasian War () or the Caucasus War was a 19th-century military conflict between the Russian Empire and various peoples of the North Caucasus who resisted subjugation during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. It consisted of a series o ...
raged until 1864, when the Avar Khanate was abolished and the Avar District was instituted instead.
Since 1864, the Avar Khanate has been annexed to
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.
List of rulers
* The first ruler by name - Avar (6th century)
* unknown rulers
*
Abuhosro (mid-8th century)
* Khosro (it is not known exactly whether he ruled), the son of the previous
* unknown rulers
* Uruskhan (Aruskhan)
* Khidirshah, son of the previous
* Tarraz, son of the previous
* Abbas, son of the previous
* Safishah, son of the previous
* Khavadshah, son of the previous
* Firavn, son of the previous
* Amir, son of the previous
* Said, son of the previous
* Tahmaz, son of the previous
* Fardin (Perid), son of the previous
* Bayar, son of the previous
* Namrud, son of the previous
* Kad (Bakir), son of the previous
* Firudshah (Prussianshah), son of the previous
* Toku son of Firuja (mid-11th century)
* Ummakhan, son of Firudshah
* Uruskhan (Aulkhan), son of the previous
*
Saratan I, son of the previous
*
Surakat I (
12th century
The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar.
In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...
), son of the previous
*
Ahmad
Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname.
Etymology
The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...
, usurper (
12th century
The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar.
In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...
)
*
Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim Abd al-Rahman ibn Muslim al-Khurasani (; ; 718/19 or 723/27 – 755) was a Persian general who led the Abbasid Revolution that toppled the Umayyad dynasty, leading to the establishment of the Abbasid Caliphate.
Little is known ab ...
, usurper (
12th century
The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar.
In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...
)
*
Bayar ((12th century)), son of Surakat
*
Masum-bek (
12th century
The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar.
In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...
)
*
Sultan ibn Masum-bek
Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used ...
(
12th century
The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar.
In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the Golden Age' of the ...
)
*
Chufan ibn Sultan (until 1185)
*
Amir-Ahmad ibn Chufan (since 1185)
*
Andunik (Amir-Sultan) (12th century), son of
Bayar
*
Malik Saratan (second half of the 13th century)
* unknown nucals
* Surakat (1362-1396,early 1430s)
* Bayr (early 1430s-?), son of the previous
* unknown nucals
* Shamkhal son of Alibek (possibly Nutsal, but this is not certain) (turn of the 14th–15th centuries)
*
Saratan III
* Dugong, son of the previous
*
Ibrahim I
*
Muhammed-Mirza, son-in-law of the previous one and son of
Duguna
*
Andunik I (1460—1485), son of
Ibrahim I
*
Bulach I (1485—1510) nephew of the previous one and son of
Muhammad-Mirza
*
Amir-Khamza I (1510—before 1523), son of Ummakhan, son of
Bulach I
* Shaban (mentioned in 1523/1524), possibly the son of the previous one
*
Nutsal Khan I (1540—1546), possibly the son of
Amir-Khamza
*
Andunik II (1546 - December 1569), the son of the previous one or possibly the son of Shaban
*
Ahmad
Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname.
Etymology
The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...
(mentioned in 1547/1548) or
Barty I (1569—1570), sons of the previous
*
Muhammad-Shvankhal (before 1589), son of
Turarava, brother of
Andunik II
* Kanbuluk (most likely Ghann-Bulat ) (неизвестно),
[Айтберов Т. М. Источники по истории Аварии XVI—XVII вв. // Развитие феодальных отношений в Дагестане. Махачкала, 1980. стр. 191—192] son of the previous
*
Shvankhal-nutsal I (before 1596), brother of the previous one, or the same person with Kanbuluk
*
Muhammad-nutsal I (late 16th century), son of Kushkanti-Khilav, son of
Barti I
*
Ibrahim II (mentioned in 1600/1601), possibly the son of
Shvankhal-nutsal I
*
Mahdi I (mentioned in 1610 and ap. 1614
), possibly the son of
Ibrahim or the son of
Muhammed-Shvankhala
*
Umma Khan the Just (before 1634/1635), son of
Shvankhal-nutsala
*
Amir-Khamza II (1634/1635—1646), son of
Barti-Khilava, son of
Muhammad-nutsal I
*
Muldar Mirza I (mentioned in 1650)
*
Dugri I (mentioned in 1656 — died in 1667/1668), son of Andunik (Ummakhan),
[Магомедов Р. М. По аулам Дагестана. Махачкала, 1977. Ч. I. С. 63.] the son of
Umma Khan the Just or directly the son of Ummakhan
*
Muhammad-nutsal II (1667/1668—1687), son of the previous
*
Umma Khan II (1687—1698), son of the previous
*
Andunik III, son of the previous
*
Dugry II (1698—1706), brother of the previous
*
Umma Khan III (1706—1709), son of
Dugri II
*
Muhammad Nutsal III (1709—1713
or 1725
), brother of previous
*
Umma Khan IV (1725—1735), son of Elder Bulach, son of
Dugri II
*
Khankalav (1722—1730), co-ruler, brother of the previous
*
Nutsal Khan II (1735—1744), son of Ummakhan III
*
Mahmud Khan I (1744 - ?)
*
Muhammad-nutsal IV (? - 1774), son of Ummakhan IV
*
Umma Khan V (1774 - April 1801), son of the previous
*
Gebek Khan I (1801 - January 1802), brother of the previous
*
Sultan Ahmed Khan I (1802—1823), son of Ali Sultan of Mehtulin
*
Surkhay Khan I (1818—1834), son of
Gebek Khan I. Khan was recognized only by the Russian administration. Power was in the hands of
Sultan Ahmed Khan I (1802—1823)
*
Aslan-Hussein Khan I (1827—1828). Khan was recognized only by the Russian administration. Power was in the hands of
Abu Sultan Khan I (1823—1834), son of
Sultan Ahmed Khan I
*
Abu Sultan Khan I (1828—1834), son of
Sultan Ahmed- Khan I
*
Bakhu Bike I (1834—1834), daughter of
Umma Khan V
*
Sultan Ahmed Khan II (1834—1836), with him regents:
**
Aslan-Hussein Khan I (1834—1836), again
**
Nutsal-Aga I (1836), son of the previous
**
Muhammad Mirza I (1834—1836), brother of the previous
* Ahmad Khan (1836—1843), ruler of the
Mehtuli Khanate
* Temporary rulers:
** foreman Aitber (1843)
** bek Himmat I (1843)
** Qadi Muhammad (1843)
In 1837—1859 - as part of the
Imamat
The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''.
Theology
*Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...
* Ibrahim Khan (1859—1864), son of Ahmad Khan of Mekhtulinsky
See also
*
List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
The following is a list of Sunni dynasties.
Asia
Arabian Peninsula
* Ziyadid dynasty (819–1018)
* Banu Wajih (926–965)
* Sulaymanids (1063–1174)
* Mahdids (1159–1174)
* Kathiri (Hadhramaut) (1395–1967)
* Al-Jabriyun (1417–1521)
* ...
*
Caucasian Avars
The Avars (), also known as Maharuls' (), are a Northeast Caucasian languages, Northeast Caucasian ethnic group. The Avars are the largest of several ethnic groups living in the Russian republic of Dagestan. The Avars reside in the North Caucasu ...
*
Gebek Janku ibn Muhammad
Bibliography
* ''History of Dagestan'', vol. 1–4. Moscow, 1967–69.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avar Khanate
History of Dagestan
Former monarchies of Europe
1864 disestablishments
States and territories established in the 13th century
Khanates
Khanates of the North Caucasus