The Principality of Hatuqay was a historical principality in Circassia, inhabited by Hatuqay Circassians. Established in the 14th century by separating from the Chemguy Principality, it was ruled by the Cherchanuqo family, a branch of the Hatuqo dynasty claiming descent from Inal the Great. Originally located near the Taman Peninsula and the Black Sea coast near the Shapsugs, the Hatuqay eventually settled in the fertile lands south of the Kuban River, between the Belaya and Pshish rivers, flanked by the Bzhedug and Chemguy principalities. The principality was marked on period maps with various names including Hatukai, Codioci, and Gatyukai, such as on a 1787 map by Johann Anton Güldenstädt,«Новая карта Кавказа», составленная Иоганном Антоном Гильденштедтом, академиком-ориенталистом на русской службе. (Neue Carte des Caucasus grostentheils aus Guldenstaedts nachgelassenen handschriftlichen Entwurfen zusammengezetzt. [Санкт-Петербург]: [Географический департамент АН]: . 1 л.: Грав.; 41х73 (59х81). Масштаб приблизительно 33 версты в 1 дюйме. Российская Национальная Библиотека (Санкт-Петербург). Отдел картографии. К 1-Кав 3/10) and on a 1675 map by Frederik de Wit.Turcium Imperium. - Amstelodami: apud F. de Wit: .
Known for their martial culture, the Hatuqay maintained a significant military force and frequently engaged in warfare against the Crimean Khanate and rival Circassian principalities. Hatuqay had a large Armenian population; as Circassian nobility considered trade a cowardly profession, they hosted a large number of Cherkesogai Armenians to serve as a merchant class. The Principality of Hatuqay took part in the Russo-Circassian War and was ultimately annexed and abolished by the Russian military administration in 1863; its population was forcibly resettled, dispersed or killed, effectively removing the Hatuqay people from the map.
History Medieval Period
The Principality split from Chemguy in the 1330s. Almost all knowledge about the founding of the Hatuqay Principality and people comes from oral history. According to these oral accounts, the founding dynasty of the Hatuqay Principality descends from king Inal: Prince Hatuqo () was the grandson of Inal, son of Chemrug and brother of Prince Boletoqo (), the first prince of the Chemguy Principality. The Hatuqays initially resided in the Zhaney region and separated from this region. The name Hatuqay derives from Prince Hatuqo, who was the brother of Prince Boletoqo (), the first prince of the Principality of Chemguy. In the period following Inal's death, the Chemguy Principality was divided into two principalities. One became the land of Prince Boletoqo, and the other, Prince Hatuqo. The elder brother, Prince Boletoqo, remained in his principality in the region between the Greater Laba and Shkhakoshem rivers, retaining the name Chemguy. Prince Hatuqo, however, moved west and established the new principality of Hatuqay in the Zhaney lands.Хан-Гирей, Султан (1836). Записки о Черкесии (in Russian).
A legend describes the separation of the principalities: The Chemguy and Hatuqay were originally one people ruled by three brothers: Boletoqo, Zan, and Hatuqo. The twins Boletoqo and Hatuqo, as infants, were sleeping in the same bed covered by a single fur cloth. In the morning, the cloth was found torn in two, leading their mother to shriek, "Woe unto you, Chemirgoy! They have torn you asunder!". The brothers lived in peace until the younger two, Zan and Hatuqo, decided to separate from the eldest, Boletoqo. Prince Boletoqo punished the separatists by stripping them of their property. Hatuqo, tiring of his brother's authority, took his subjects and migrated west to establish a new principality.
According to oral history, Hatuqo had a son, referred to as "great son of Hatuqo" (), who had two sons: Biberd () and Indar (). Biberd became the ancestor of the subsequent ruling line of Hatuqay princes. Legends attribute the origin of the Padis noble family (tlakotlesh) to Biberd's companion, Kalmyk. Indar's line lost princely authority among the Hatuqays because his sons, Adam and Deguzhiy, were born of a non-noble mother. They eventually left to join the Chemguy princes, founding the Deguzhiyeqo () noble family.
Some historians suggested that the Kheghache principality was separated from the Hatuqays. The word "Kheghache" (ХэгъакIэ) means "breakaways". According to Amjad Jaimoukha, it was the Hakuch people who split from Hatuqays, which contributed to the weakening of the principality. In addition, Hatuqay and Hytuk may refer to the same entity.
Hatuqay princes later claimed descent from Quraysh: according to later legends, Hatuqo was an Arab and a relative of Caliph Umar, after accidentally blinding a nobleman, he fled Arabia to Circassia via Kars to escape execution.
Early Modern Period In the 16th century, one of the Hatuqay princes, nicknamed "Pale," () looted Astrakhan in alliance with the Kabardians led by Beslan the Fat.
Relations with the Crimean Khanate
As a successor state to the Golden Horde, the Crimean Khanate claimed sovereignty over the Circassia. 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. When Circassian leaders refused to deliver the required number of captives, the Crimean leadership launched punitive military expeditions to enforce payment. These raids were justified by labelling the Circassians as "infidels". This justification became complicated from the 16th century onward as the Circassians increasingly converted to Islam; however Crimean Khans often ignored these conversions and rejected negotiations with Circassian envoys who pleaded over their shared religion.
Despite the presence of Islam, there was debate over whether the region is Dar al-Harb (the Abode of War), where slaves could be taken, or Dar al-Islam (the Abode of Islam), which would prevent enslavement. Despite some legal rulings (kanunname) suggesting Sharia should apply to certain people (which would protect them), the Ottoman state supported the Crimean Khan in enslaving Circassians, treating the region effectively as a source of slaves regardless of religious affiliation. It was not possible to determine whether the Circassians entering the Ottoman market were from Dar al-Harb or not, as both allied Muslim Circassians and non-Muslim Circassians were raided by the Khanate. The Circassians were described as "neither Christians nor Muslims" by a courtier of the Crimean Khan. Some Ottoman chroniclers mention that the Circassians fought against the Crimean Khanate because they could not stand the "Tatar tyranny and oppression" (). In some cases, the Circassians pleaded with the Ottoman sultan directly, arguing that they were fellow Muslims, thus it was therefore "against the sharia to turn them into slaves". The Sultan withdrew permission for the Khan's campaigns based on this argument, although the Khan proceeded regardless.
The Hatuqay maintained control over fertile lowlands and crucial trade routes in the northwestern Caucasus, resisting both Tatar incursions and pressure.Кушева Е.Н. Народы Северного Кавказа и их связи с Россией. Вторая половина XVI – 30-е годы XVII века. М.: Изд-во АН СССР, 1963. Стр 137-138 Tensions escalated throughout the 1540s as the Hatuqay leadership increasingly resisted demands for tribute and subordination.Некрасов А.М. Международные отношения и народы Западного Кавказа (последняя четверть XV – первая половина XVI в.). М.: Наука, 1990. According to the Crimean Chronicle "Tārih̲-i Ṣāḥib Giray H̲ān", the events were as follows:Tārih̲-i Ṣāḥib Giray H̲ān. Histoire de Sahib Giray, khan de Crimée de 1532 à 1551: edition critique, traduction, notes et glossaire. Dr. Özalp Gökbilgin. Ankara: Baylan Matbaası, 1973. 257
The Hatuqay princes Aledjuq and his brother Antenuq were involved in acts against the Crimean Khanate. Aledjuq is quoted as saying:Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray organized a punitive expedition in 1551, aiming to break Hatuqay resistance and assert Crimean authority in the region. A Tatar chronicle claims this was because the Circassians, led by Aledjuq, raided a Crimean caravan near Azov in 1551; however, the Ottoman Sultan had already sanctioned a raid. The Khan set out on the path, exclaiming "where are you, sons of Hatuqay!" 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 Buzhaduk (the founder of Bzhedug and the father of Cherchan and Khamish), who encouraged resistance and sided with them. Aledjuq and Buzhaduk spent five days feasting. The Khan sent his commanders to kill Aledjuq in his sleep; but he woke up to a horse's neigh and bolted off his house with his closest men. One Tatar commander suggested attacking, but the other 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:The Khan had the commanders humiliated and tortured. 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. 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. The Khan's army advanced further into the region, capturing key settlements and strongholds. 30 to 40 thousand slaves were taken, the Hatuqay population was tortured en masse, and Aledjuq's village was burnt to the ground.
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. However, despite claims of victory reported to the Ottomans by Sahib Giray, the Circassians were not subdued. 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. The Hatuqay principality led by Prince Aledjuq took part in the Ottoman–Safavid War (1578–1590) on the side of the Ottoman Empire, as an ally of the Crimean Khanate. Before the campaign, the Khan Mehmed II Giray, who was married to a Besleney Circassian noblewoman, consulted the Besleney prince Mejajuq Tutcheriy, who advised the Khan to not issue an order to the Circassians, instead he suggested the Khan simply let it be known that all Circassians, regardless of society or social rank, were free to join him. According to the Circassian advisor, only by making it voluntary would the Khan be able to gather a large force from among the Circassians.