RUSSIA'S AGGRESSIVE POLICY IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS IN 1560-1570
Keywords:
Circassian land, Crimean Khanate, Moscow, Ottoman Empire, North CaucasusAbstract
As early as the 16th century, the armed intervention of both the Ottomans and their vassal, the Crimean Khan, and the Safavid Shah in the internal affairs of the peoples of the North Caucasus greatly complicated the situation in the region. The North Caucasus became a theater of military conflict between powers competing for hegemony.
In March 1555, the Russians learned of the Crimean Tatars' preparations for a campaign against the Circassians and decided to send a 13,000-strong army under the leadership of boyar I.V. Sheremetyev. As Prince A.M. Kurbsky wrote, the purpose
of this action was to divert the attention of the Khanate from the “Pyatigorsk Circassian land”, since the Tatars were going to gather “all their forces”. Moscow recognized the importance of the North Caucasus, particularly the Kabardino-Balkaria region, to ensure the protection of its southern borders. Therefore, it had to firmly keep its promise to “protect” the Circassians from the Crimean Khanate.
