Idar of Kabardia

Prince Idar
Supreme Prince of Kabardia
Reign1537 / 1538
PredecessorVarious princes involved in a civil war
SuccessorSaramirza of Kabardia
BornUnknown
Principality of Bzhedug
Died1537 / 1538
Kabardia
IssuePrince Bita
Prince Temryuk
Prince Kanbulat
Prince Zhelegot
DynastyHouse of Inal
FatherPrince Inarmas

Prince Idar (Circassian: Айдар) was a Circassian ruler of the Caucasus. He was the son of Prince Inarmas, and the grandson of Prince Tabula.[1] Prince Inarmas himself was the eldest of the three grandsons of Prince Inal.[2]

Reign

Prince Inal had established a strong empire in the fifteenth century uniting all Circassians, and Abkhazians. However, after his death Kabarda was riven into rival principalities. Civil war ensued and Prince Idar emerged as the sole potentiate.[3] During his reign, just like his predecessor, the Kabardian Circassians dominated the North Caucasus in the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century. They established diplomatic contacts with the Ottoman Empire, and the Russians.[4]

According to Shora Nogmov, Idar was the grandson of Prince Inal through Kirmish, the son of Inal's third wife.[5] Zh. V. Kazegezhev, however, considers Idar to have been a great-grandson of Inal, arguing that an additional generation—Tabula (Tobulda)—should be placed between Kirmish and Inal. Tabula is mentioned in earlier genealogies compiled by A. I. Lobanov-Rostovsky in 1664 and by A. M. Pushkin in 1768.[6][7]

The family of Idar traced its descent from Inarmas, the eldest son of Tabula-murza. According to Nogmov, Idar was raised in the household of his maternal grandfather, the Bzhedug prince Elzher Khamish. As an adult, having already established a reputation as a capable military and political leader, Idar intervened in the internecine struggles among the Kabardian princes.[8] In the course of this conflict, Idar assembled a large coalition army from several Western Circassian tribes, thereby strengthening his political legitimacy beyond simple dynastic claims. This coalition included the Bzhedugs, Zhaney,[a] Kheghach (Khegayk), and Makhosh.[9]

Although Idar's coalition emerged victorious in the ensuing battle, it failed to achieve a decisive result. The exhausted Kabardian side subsequently proposed a peace agreement, which Idar accepted.[10] Under the terms of this settlement, Idar was recognized as the Grand Prince of Kabardia. He obtained the right to settle wherever he wished within Kabardian territory, and the region under his authority, particularly the basin of the Cherek River, became known as "Idarey". The Kabardian princes acknowledged his authority and agreed that any rebellion against his rule would be punishable by death. Idar died not long after these events[11] and was succeeded by Saramirza, the son of Tokhtamish.[12]

Family

He had four sons, Prince Bita, Prince Temryuk, Prince Kanbulat and Prince Zhelegot.[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Godet, Martine (2004). Stratégies impériales: Expansion, colonisation, intégration, conversion. Éd. de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. p. 14. ISBN 978-2-713-22008-1.
  2. ^ Society, Hakluyt (1970). Works Issued by the Hakluyt Society. The Society. p. 282.
  3. ^ Skutsch, Carl (November 7, 2014). Encyclopedia of the World's Minorities. Routledge. p. 676. ISBN 978-1-135-19388-1.
  4. ^ Besleney, Zeynel Abidin (March 21, 2014). The Circassian Diaspora in Turkey: A Political History. Routledge. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-317-91004-6.
  5. ^ Nogmov, Shora Bekmurzovich (1861). Istorīi͡a adykheĭskogo naroda (in Russian). Тип. Э. Л. Айбабина. p. 78.
  6. ^ ""The Tale of the Circassian Princes" as a Historical Source". InterCircass. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  7. ^ Kagazezhev, Zh. V. (2011). "The role of the descendants of Prince Inal in the formation of the Circassian principalities" (PDF). News of Higher Educational Institutions. North Caucasian Region. Social Sciences (in Russian): 30–31. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Kemirgoko Idarov: origin, historical fate, political projects". Aheku.net (in Russian). 22 October 2021. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  9. ^ Кожев, Заурбек Анзорович. КЫЗБУРУНСКОЕ СРАЖЕНИЕ (КЪЫЗБРУН ЗАУЭ) ПО ЧЕРКЕССКИМ ПРЕДАНИЯМ В ИЗЛОЖЕНИИ Ш.Б. НОГМОВА (PDF).
  10. ^ Кумахов, Мухадин Абубекирович (2006). Адыгская (черкесская) энциклопедия (in Russian). Фонд Им. Б.Х. Акбашева. pp. 175–176. ISBN 978-5-9900337-1-9.
  11. ^ Ногмов Ш. Б. (1994). Т. Х. Кумыков (ed.). История адыхейского народа, составленная по преданиям кабардинцев (in Russian). Нальчик: Эльбрус. ISBN 5-7680-0850-0.
  12. ^ Налоева, Е. Д. КАБАРДА В ПЕРВОЙ ПОЛОВИНЕ XVIII ВЕКА: генезис адыгского феодального социума и проблемы социально-политической истории (PDF) (in Russian).
  13. ^ Cahiers du monde russe, Volume 45. Centre d'études sur la Russie, l'Europe orientale et le domaine turc de l'Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales. 2004. p. 14. ISBN 978-2-713-22008-1.
  14. ^ Bedi Karthlisa. "Le Destin de la Géorgie." Revue de Karthvélologie. 1961. p. 146.

Notes

  1. ^ Although Nogmov refers to them as Shapsug, it is generally considered that they were the Zhaney tribe, which represented their historical equivalent at the time.
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