Sholokh the Mighty

Sholokh Tepsaruqo
Grand Prince of Kabardia
Reign1609 – 1616
PredecessorQeytuqo Qeytuqo
SuccessorKudenet Kambulatovich
Born16th century
Kabardia
Died1616 (1617)
Kabardia
IssueKharashay
Alkas
Talostan
Jantemruqo
Anfok
Names
Tepseruqo yiqo Sholokh
KabardianТепсэрыкъу и къуэ Щэулэхъу
House
FatherTepsaruqo Talostan
ReligionSunni Islam[1]
Military career
NicknameThe Mighty
Conflicts

Sholokh Tepsaruqo[a] (16th century-1616), also known as Sholokh the Mighty,[b][3][4] was a Kabardian noble from the House of Talostan who ruled as the Grand Prince of Kabardia from 1609 to 1616; he is the eldest son of Prince Tepsaruqo Talostan and the grandson of Prince Talostan.[5][6][7]

Sholokh was said to be the most important political figure in Kabardia between 1598 and 1613, and that Russia conducted all its political activities with him.[8] The songs about Sholokh depict him as "the greatest" and "the bravest among the knights", sources also mention he was a people's favorite during his reign.[9]

Reign

Domain in Lesser Kabardia

Sholokh's father Tepsaruqo was an ally of the Grand Prince of Kabardia Temryuk Idar in the fight against Pshiapshoqo Qeytuqo. After Tepsaruqo's death, Sholokh inherited his appanage principality, Talostaney. Descending from the senior line of the Kabardian princely dynasty, Sholokh, along with the Qeytuqo princes, claimed the title of Grand Prince of Kabardia. Lesser Kabardia stretched across the flat lands between the Urup and Sunzha rivers. The stanitsa of Nizhniy Naur and Sunzha served as the border in the east.[10] Sholokh opposed the sons of Temryuk, he was supported by Djanmirza's son Alkhas Djilakhstan and his son Mudar Djilakhstan.[11]

War against Ghazi ibn Urak

In 1576, the forces of the Lesser Nogai bey Ghazi ibn Urak were defeated by the Kabardians led by Temryukites and Sholokh Tepsaruqo. Nogai forces entered Kabardia and killed many, but they were briefly defeated by the Kabardians on their return. In addition to Ghazi ibn Urak, two of his brothers and several of his sons, as well as Iman-Girey and Chebar-Murza were murdered by the Kabardian forces during one of the battles. Pshiapshoqo Qeytuqo fought on the side of the Nogais and the Crimeans, pursuing a pro-Crimean policy.[11]

Political career

on 1589, February 23rd, the ambassadors from the Kabardian prince Sholokh Tepsaruqo, Savluk Bikan and Lan visited Moscow. Through them the Russians maintained contact with Sholokh and Alkhas. After that, Russians rewarded Bikan with a fur coat, and gave Lan his sovereign salary[12]

In the 1580s, the Kabardians took part in the Kumyk civil wars. The descendants of Pshiapshoqo, Sholokh, and Alkas, were allies of the Kumyk Shamkhal[11]

In 1589, Jansokh Qeytuqo became the Grand Prince of Kabardia. Sholokh refused to recognize him as the Grand Prince of Kabardia, thus, Sholokh began a struggle for the title of Grand Prince. In November 1589, Prince Jansokh Qeytuqo, along with the Idarovich-Cherkasskys and a Russian detachment (750 Streltsys) led by Grigory Poltev, invaded Talostaney. The allies ravaged more than 30 villages in Principality of Sholokh, and Sholokh Tepsaruqo was forced to submit and hand over hostages[11]

Daryal war

In 1596, Sholokh and Aytech, led a campaign against the Nakh population settled around Darial Gorge. The region he attacked was being ruled by the Ingush noble Sultan-Murza at the time, Sholokh ravaged the lands of Sultan-Murza and briefly occupied the Darial Gorge. from there, he continued his expedition southwards and led his forces into the borders of Kartli Georgia, targetting the regions of Sioni and Ksani. He kept his advance, sacking and looting the lands of Kartli, killed many and took numerous captives.[13][14]

War against Qazi Pshiapshoqo

When Sholokh finally became the Grand Prince of Kabardia in 1609, he was stronger than ever. In the second decade of the 17th century, relations between Sholokh and the Prince of Greater Kabardia, Pshiapshoqo's son Kazi Pshiapshoqo, worsened with Kazi harboring of Sholokh's rebellious brother, Pyshta Murza.[15]

In November 11th of 1615[15], Sholokh together with his eldest son Kharashay, launched a major campaign against their enemy Kazi Pshiapshoqo's domain. Sholokh was supported by Ishterek Bey from the Nogai Horde and Budachai of Tarki. He led his forces deep into Kazi's domain, which was located in Greater Kabardia. He kept his advance until the Kurkhudzin River, where Kazi Pshiapshoqo and Tepsaruqo Pyshta were killed in a major battle.[15][16][17] Along with Kazi, his nephews Aslanbek's son Inarmas, Aksak Qeytuqo, Qanoqo's son Kudenet, Jansokh's son Dokhshuqo, and Seehogenukov's son Anfok were murdered[18] and the Russian voivode Ivan Nagaev was wounded, then later captured by Sholokh's forces.[19]

Sholokh died in 1616 and all of his children were either captured or killed.

References

  1. ^ Карданов, Ч. Э. (2016). Князья Кабарды [Princes of Kabarda]. Кавказ (Выпуск 21) (in Russian). Нальчик: Издательство М. и В. Котляровых. p. 65. ISBN 978-5-93680-971-2.
  2. ^ a b "Картографическое отображение процесса территориального роста Черкесии XIV – XV вв" (PDF). p. 43.
  3. ^ Хашукоева, Ф. М.; Шурухова, Д. В., eds. (2018). Материалы к библиографии ученых КБИГИ. Кардангушев Зарамук Патурович [Materials for the Bibliography of KBIHR Scientists: Zaramuk Paturovich Kardangushev] (PDF) (in Russian). Нальчик: ИГИ КБНЦ РАН.
  4. ^ Gippius, E. V., ed. (1986). Народные песни и инструментальные наигрыши адыгов. Том 3, Часть 1 [Folk Songs and Instrumental Tunes of the Adyghes. Vol. 3, Part 1] (in Russian). Compiled by V. Kh. Baragunov and Z. P. Kardangushev. Moscow: Советский композитор. p. 182.
  5. ^ БОЛЬШАЯ ОБЩАЯ СХЕМА ГЕНЕАЛОГИИ КАБАРДИНСКИХ КНЯЗЕЙ ОТ ИНАЛА (ВСЕ ВЕТВИ) ДО XVIIIВ. ВКЛЮЧИТЕЛЬНО [The General Genealogy Scheme of the Kabardian Princes from Inal (All Branches) up to and Including the 18th Century] (PDF) (in Russian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-11-30.
  6. ^ "Родословная кабардинских князей и мурз XVII в. (из родословной книги, принадлежавшей А. М. Пушкину)". Archived from the original on 7 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Родословная кабардинских князей и мурз XVII в. (из родословной книги, принадлежавшей А. И. Лобанову-Ростовскому)". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  8. ^ Altunok, Yusuf Altan (2021). Kabartay’ın Osmanlı Devleti ve Rusya ile Bağlılık İlişkileri (1475-1774) (Master's Thesis). Ankara: Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences. p. 66.
  9. ^ Kardanov, Ch. E. (2021). Knyazya Kabardy (Princes of Kabarda). Kavkaz (in Russian). Vol. 21. Nalchik: Izdatel'stvo M. i V. Kotlyarovykh. p. 371. ISBN 978-5-93680-971-2.
  10. ^ "Historical Ethnology. 2016, Vol. 1, No. 2" (PDF). p. 262. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  11. ^ a b c d "КАБАРДИНЦЫ МЕЖДУ ТЮРКАМИ И РУССКИМИ". Ethnoglobus. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  12. ^ "Record of the reception by Tsar Feodor Ivanovich of ambassadors from the Kabardian prince Sholokh Tapsarukov and from Savluk Bikan and Lan". www.vostlit.info. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
  13. ^ Gutnov, F. Kh. (2015). "Северный Кавказ в статейных списках конца XVI — середины XVII в. [The North Caucasus in the article lists of the late XVI - mid XVII century]". Izvestiya Yuzhnogo Otdeleniya Instituta Nauk O Rannei Rossii RAN (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2017-11-12.
  14. ^ Gutnov, F. Kh. (2015). "Северный Кавказ в статейных списках конца XVI - середины XVII в [The North Caucasus in the Posol'skiye Spiski of the Late 16th – Mid-17th Centuries]". Izvestiya Yuzhnogo Otdeleniya Instituta Nauk O Rannei Rossii RAN (in Russian). 16 (55). Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  15. ^ a b c The Turks of the Central Caucasus in the 16th–18th Centuries (Problems of Ethnic History) (PDF) (in Russian). p. 125. ISBN 978-5-94839-705-4.
  16. ^ «. . . говорил про твое царское величество невежливое слово»: новый источник о событиях 1615-1616 гг. В Кабарде.
  17. ^ Kozhev, Z. А.; А, Кожев З. (2024-12-28). "Secession of Kaziyev's Kabarda in 1601 and 1641 years: stages of the «dynasty change»". Caucasology (in Russian). 0 (4): 27–39. doi:10.31143/2542-212X-2024-4-27-39. ISSN 2542-212X.
  18. ^ "Кабардинская правящая элита и политика России по отношению к Ногайской Орде (окончание)" [The Kabardian ruling elite and Russia's policy towards the Nogai Horde (conclusion)]. www.kbigi.ru. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  19. ^ Формирование и служба стрельцов Терского города в конце XVI – начале XVII в. Tkhamokova Irina Khasanovna. p. 10.

Notes

  1. ^ Kabardian: Тепсэрыкъу и къуэ Щолэхъу
    Russian: Шолох Тапсаруков
    Turkish: Şoloh Tepsarıqo
    * (Called Solukh bey in Ottoman archives)[2]
  2. ^ Kabardian: Щэджащэ Щолэхъу
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