The Rutul Federation or The Rutul Free Society is a
Rutul state located in Southern
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 ...
and was formed in the 7th century.
Rutuls experienced strong cultural and linguistic pressure from Azerbaijanis and to a lesser extent from Lezghins.
Before the annexation by the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, the Rutuls made a federation of multiple rural communities which were known as the "Rutul Magal".
This Magal was ruled by a
Bek, a permanent leader. These Beks address important issues and are required to convene to a popular assembly.
In the 17th century, the Rutul Federation included
Tsakhur villages and captured some
Lezgin
Lezgin, Lezgi, Lezgian, Lezghian or Lek can refer to:
* Lezgins, a people from southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan
* Lezgin language
Lezgian, also called Lezgi or Lezgin , is a Northeast Caucasian language. It is spoken by the Lezgins, wh ...
villages. They did lose two Rutul villages to the
Gazikumukh Khanate
Gazikumukh Khanate was a Lak people (Dagestan), Lak state that was established in present-day Dagestan after the disintegration of Gazikumukh Shamkhalate in 1642. Its peoples included various Lezgin tribes and Avars.
State structure
Supreme co ...
and two more to the
Akhty-para.
This free society consisted of
Rutul and
Lezgi villages and was one of the largest free societies, along with
Akhty-para,
Alty-para and
Dokuz-para free societies.
History
In 1536, Rutul attacked Akhty, which was the stronghold of the Safavid power in southern Dagestan. In 1541, Akhty attacked Rutul with the support of the
Derbent Khanate. In 1542, Rutul, with the support of the
Quba Khanate
The Quba Khanate (also spelled Qobbeh; ) was one of the most significant semi-independent khanates that existed from 1747 to 1806, under Iranian suzerainty. It bordered the Caspian Sea to the east, Derbent Khanate to the north, Shaki Khanate to ...
, again attacked Akhty. In 1574, Gazibek became the leader of the federation.
His name was mentioned several times: in 1588, the Turkish Sultan
Murad III
Murad III (; ; 4 July 1546 – 16 January 1595) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death in 1595. His rule saw battles with the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburgs and exhausting wars with the Safavid Iran, Safavids. The long-inde ...
wrote a letter to Gazibek, congratulating him on gaining leadership over the federation. In 1598,
Shah Abbas offered Gazibek assistance for the
Tsakhur ruler Mahmedbek.
There is evidence that already at the end of the 16th century, the Rutul beks had connections with the governments of neighboring countries. It is possible that the Rutul Free Society already existed at that time, as a political association of a significant part of the Rutulians.
One of the confirmations of the ancient age of the Rutul Free Society is a letter from the Tarkov shamkhal to Tsar Fedor Ivanovich dated 1598, in which the
Rutul and
Khnov
Khnov (; ) is a rural locality (a selo) in Akhtynsky District, Republic of Dagestan, 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, larg ...
troops are mentioned among the allied shamkhal troops.
Советская этнография — Том 1953
— Страница 32, год 1953
Beks
* Gazibek (1574–1601)
* Ibragimkhan (1626–1635)
* Hasankhan (19th century)
References
{{reflist
1839 disestablishments
History of Dagestan