Ubykhia (; , ) was a

commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

of Ubykh tribe of

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

and a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Circassia Circassia ( ), also known as Zichia, was a country and a historical region in . It spanned the western coastal portions of the North Caucasus, along the northeastern shore of the Black Sea. Circassia was conquered by the Russian Empire during ...

in the 14th–19th centuries. It was situated in what is today

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

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 ...

. Ubykhs supplanted the

Sadz The Sadz or Asadzwa, also Jigets, are a subethnic group of the Abkhazians. They are sometimes purported to have originated from the Sanigoi tribe mentioned by the Classic authors. In the 6th century, they formed a tribal principality, which late ...

Abkhazians The Abkhazians or Abkhazes are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia, a disputed region on the northeastern coast of the Black Sea. A large Abkhaz diaspora population resides in Turkey, th ...

from the area in the 17th century, and unlike the

principality of Abkhazia The Principality of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზეთის სამთავრო, tr) emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of th ...

, there were no princes in Ubykhia and it was governed by the council, which represented the nobles from all 11 Ubykh subdivisions and 2 from

Akhchipsou The Ahchipsou were a Sadz ( Abkhaz- Abazin) tribe, that lived on Caucasus Major, near the modern border of Krasnodar Krai and Abkhazia. They lived at the upper Mzymta, and its inflow Achipse, modern Krasnaya Polyana, Adlersky City District, So ...

and

peoples, incorporated to the commonwealth. In 1864 Ubykhia was defeated in the

Russo-Circassian War The Russo-Circassian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Circassia, was the 101-year-long invasion of Circassia by the Russian Empire. The conflict started in 1763 ( O.S.) with Russia assuming authority in Circassia, followed by Circa ...

and the population, estimated to be about 40,000, was

exiled Exile is either an entity who is, or the state of being, away from one's home while being explicitly refused permission to return. Exile, exiled, exiles, The Exile, or The Exiles may also refer to: Exiles * Babylonian captivity, or Babylonia ...

to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

''en masse'', which almost resulted in the total disappearance of the

Ubykhs The Ubykh ( ; ; ; ) are an ethnic group of the Circassian nation, represented by one of the twelve stars on the green-and-gold Circassian flag. Along with the Circassian tribes of Natukhai and Shapsug, the Ubykh formed the Circassian Assembly ...

References

Bagrat Shinkuba. ''The Last of the Departed'' on Adyghe Library
Circassian history History of Sochi {{Russia-hist-stub