Crimean campaign in Hatuqay

The Crimean Campaign against Hatuqay (1551) was led by the Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray against the Principality of Hatuqay led by Prince Aledjuq. The campaign was triggered by the Hatuqay refusal to pay slaves tax to the Crimean Khanate, and the goal was the annexation of Hatuqay; which failed, although Hatuqay lands were ravaged.^[1][2]

As a successor state to the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate claimed sovereignty over the Circassia.^[3][4] This political relationship was characterized primarily by the obligation of Circassian princes to pay tribute to the Crimean Khan, predominantly in the form of slaves. This tribute was demanded upon the ascension of a new Khan to the throne or levied as fines for crimes committed by Circassian subjects.^[5][4]

The Hatuqay maintained control over fertile lowlands and crucial trade routes in the northwestern Caucasus, resisting both Tatar incursions and pressure.^[6][7] Tensions escalated throughout the 1540s as the Hatuqay leadership increasingly resisted demands for tribute and subordination. According to the Crimean Chronicle "Tārih̲-i Ṣāḥib Giray H̲ān", the events were as follows:^[8][9][10]

The Hatuqay princes Aledjuq and his brother Antenuq were involved in acts against the Crimean Khanate. Aledjuq is quoted as saying:^[a][8][9]

The Khan, they say, is coming to plunder us, but we are not like the Zhaney and Kabardians. He is strong because of his cannons and artillery, but our cannons and muskets are the steep mountains and neighing horses. What could I possibly do with those cannon carts? What strength does the Khan have that he would come against me? If he comes, I will do such a thing to him that it shall become a legend in the world!

Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray organized a punitive expedition in 1551, aiming to break Hatuqay resistance and assert Crimean authority in the region.^[10] A Tatar chronicle claims this was because the Circassians, led by Aledjuq, raided a Crimean caravan near Azov in 1551;^[11][10] however, the Ottoman Sultan had already sanctioned a raid.^[12] The Khan set out on the path, exclaiming "where are you, sons of Hatuqay!"^[b][10][12] The Hatuqay princes, upon hearing of the Khan approaching to plunder, led their population to hide deep into the mountains. They also forged an alliance with the Bzhedugs under their prince Bzhedug (the founder of Bzhedug tribe and the father of Cherchan and Khamish), who encouraged resistance and sided with them. Aledjuq and Bzhedug spent five days feasting.^[12] The Khan sent his commanders Shah Hussein and Borgan Beg with 2 thousand soldiers to kill Aledjuq in his sleep; guided by a captive Circassian, they went to his village, but he woke up to a horse's neigh and bolted off his house with his closest men. Shah Hussein urged Borgan Beg to attack, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Come, let's surround them and fight!" but Borgan Beg said, "Could any man possibly face them?", and allowed Aledjuq and his 15 men to escape without a fight. The Khan, upon hearing of this, was enraged:^[c][12][10]

You egregious bitches, I indulged you, I made men out of you. Under my rule, you became rich and respected. Thinking you are men, I made you commanders and sent you at the head of two or three thousand men. You could not even stop 15 men, and you let them escape. Is that so?!

The Khan had the commanders humiliated and tortured.^[13][10] Following Aledjuq's escape, the Khan established a heavily fortified camp surrounded by trenches and stakes near a large, impassable river. He then pursued the Hatuqays and their Bzhedug allies deeper into the mountains, eventually ambushing them at the site where they were dividing the stolen goods from the pilgrims. The Hatuqay forces, though outnumbered, leveraged their knowledge of the landscape to conduct guerrilla-style warfare, harassing the advancing Crimean army and inflicting significant losses.^[14] The battle itself was marked by a series of skirmishes and ambushes, with neither side achieving a decisive victory in the initial stages. The Hatuqay were eventually overwhelmed by the superior numbers and resources of the Crimean forces. Antenuq was captured and tortured to death with hot iron.^[15] The Khan’s army advanced further into the region, capturing key settlements and strongholds.^[14] 30 to 40 thousand slaves were taken (number claimed by the chronicle), the Hatuqay population was tortured en masse, and Aledjuq's village was burnt to the ground.^[14][10]

The Khan had inflicted severe blows on almost all major principalities of Circassia: Zhaney, Hatuqay, Bzhedug, Kabardia. It is after this that the Circassians started to seek alliances with Russia to fight against Tatar incursions.^[14] However, despite claims of victory reported to the Ottomans by Sahib Giray, the Circassians were not subdued.^[16] While the Khan was engaged in his campaign against the Hatuqays, his nephew, Devlet Giray, successfully seized the khanate's throne in Crimea. This usurpation was sanctioned by the Ottoman Sultan, and Sahib Giray's entire government and army defected to the new ruler without any resistance. Forced to flee, the deposed Khan sought refuge in the fortress of Temryuk, but envoys sent by Devlet Giray swiftly arrived and hacked both him and his son to death. The usurpation was followed by a ruthless purge in Crimea, where all of Sahib Giray's remaining sons, including his youngest children, were summarily executed.^[14]

Despite the mass devastation of lands of the Hatuqays, the Crimean forces eventually retreated after not being able to break the Circassian resustance and left without establishing full influence over the region thus the Crimeans left the Circassian lands with no success.^[2] The main aim of Sahib Giray during these campaigns was to fully annex and occupy the lands of Circassia, which he failed to do after being asssasinated in 1551 right after this campaign.^[1]