The Battle of Bziyiqo () took place on July 10, 1796, in the Bziyiqo River valley (northeast of modern Novodmitrievskaya) in Circassia, fought between the aristocratic coalition consisting of Bzhedug and Shapsug nobility supported by a Russian Cossack unit and a commoner militia composed of Shapsug commoners along with Natukhaj and Abzakh allies.
In 1792, Shapsug commoners revolted against their nobility due to systematic economic pressures and the nobles' repeated violations of the Adyghe Khabze, the traditional ethical and legal code of the Circassians. Shapsug nobles, having lost their status, sought refuge in Bzhedug lands. A primary cause of the military escalation was a conflicting interpretation of the Adyghe Khabze: the Shapsug commoners demanded the extradition of the nobles as criminals, while the Bzhedug princes refused, arguing the sacred duty of hospitality within the same Khabze made it impossible for them to hand over their guests.
The war began when these exiled nobles attempted to regain their former rank through the support of the Bzhedug aristocracy and the Russian Empire. The aristocratic forces fought against the commoner militia from the Shapsug, Natukhaj, Abzakh and Ubykh regions. Depite the victory of the aristocratic coalition, the result was a Pyrrhic victory. They suffered heavy casualties and lost their leadership and failed to restore their authority over the Shapsug commoners.
Background Social structure and stratification By the late 18th century, the Shapsug, Natukhaj, and Abzakh regions of Circassia operated under a tiered social system governing land use and labor. These areas lacked a prince class and were instead led by first-rank nobles known as tleqotlesh (лIэкъолъэш). In Shapsugia, the first-rank noble Sheretluqo and Abat clans held the most administrative and military authority, maintaining control over judicial processes and regional assemblies from which commoners were excluded. The largest population group consisted of free peasants called feqotl (фэкъолI). While legally free, they relied on the aristocracy for protection in exchange for agricultural services. Tensions rose as the nobility attempted to expand feudal control by converting communal customs into mandatory labor and taxes, including requirements for plowing, harvesting, and haymaking to support aristocratic estates. Economic shifts led to the emergence of well-peasants (фэкъолIышIу), who accumulated grain, livestock, and slaves. Some attained wealth comparable to the lower nobility, further complicating the hierarchy. At the base of the structure, an unfree population of serfs and slaves provided manual labor for both the hereditary nobility and wealthy commoners. Five primary levels of conflict drove the subsequent uprising. These included contradictions between the nobility and their serfs, wealthy peasants and their laborers, and the competing interests of hereditary clans against the rising class of wealthy commoners. An extra friction existed between wealthy peasants and the traditional aristocracy over political influence. However the primary factor in the conflict was the collective opposition of peasant groups to the nobility's efforts to establish total feudal authority.
Western Circassian societies were characterized by a decentralized and democratic feudal system where the princely class held less power than in Kabardian regions. The core social unit was the quadje (village community), which operated as a self-sufficient entity within a federation of independent communities. The Battle of Bziyiqo originated from this structure, as the peasantry used their collective influence to challenge feudal authority.
Rise of the sworn brotherhoods
The sworn brotherhoods () emerged as collective unions in response to aristocratic pressure. These voluntary alliances functioned as small republics where members from various clans and villages took formal oaths on the Quran. By pledging mutual defense, these organizations consolidated peasant power within Shapsug, Natukhaj, and Abzakh regions.
The primary objective of these brotherhoods was to replace traditional blood feud customs with a unified legal and military front. Through the oath, peasants established their own judges and a parallel administration to resolve internal disputes and enforce communal decisions. Members collectively refused to perform forced labor or pay administrative fees to noble families. Often led by well-peasants, these brotherhoods crossed tribal boundaries to challenge the judicial and economic monopolies of the noble clans.
In the late 18th century, a territorial and economic conflict began between the Sheretluqo and Abat noble clans. The Abat clan, led by Nemere Abat, controlled villages along the Abin, Afips, and Shepsh rivers, while the Sheretluqo clan held authority near the Il River. Tension rose when the Sheretluqo family attempted to expand into Abat controlled areas to secure trade advantages. The conflict intensified after Sheretluqo nobles seized livestock from populations under Abat jurisdiction, which the Abat clan viewed as a violation of traditional borders.
As hostility grew, the Sheretluqo clan increased labor duties and taxes on the local peasantry to fund military preparations. This economic pressure caused the free peasantry to distance themselves from both noble houses. Although the Abat clan attempted to recruit peasant support against the Sheretluqo, the peasants instead formed independent brotherhoods to protect their own interests.
Crimes committed by the Sheretluqo Clan
The House of Sheretluqo engaged in several actions that violated local customs and legal frameworks. Members of the clan forcibly took back a daughter who had married a commoner. Naghomuqo Sheretluqo killed a commoner during a dispute regarding the ownership of four stacks of hay. Another clan member robbed Armenian merchants and killed two commoner companions, an act that violated regional protocols concerning the protection of guests. The leader of the clan, Alisultan Nijeqo Sheretluqo, claimed the title of prince of the Shapsugs and was noted for his mistreatment towards his serfs.
Feudal practices under the Sheretluqo included the seizure of commoner property, such as horses and cattle, without compensation. Commoners were required to perform labor for the nobility, including plowing, haymaking, and harvesting. The clan imposed various tributes and fines, including specific penalties for perceived slights against noble status. Commoners were also expected to provide food for noble gatherings through established customs. Judicial authority was used to extract property from the peasantry via fines and religious tributes.
Shapsug society initially attempted to address these violations of the Adyghe Khabze through existing legal frameworks. Despite accusations of theft and the destruction of households, the population did not immediately resort to armed conflict. Oral traditions record numerous instances where resistance to the clan's demands resulted in the killing of individuals and the destruction of homes. These sustained actions eventually led to the revolt against the Sheretluqo clan.
The Peasant Uprising
While the Abzakh commoners were the first to successfully strip their nobility of privileges, the movement quickly spread to the Shapsug and Natukhaj tribes. The Shapsug and Natukhaj peasant uprising began in 1792. The withdrawal of Russian forces from the region following the recapture of Anapa provided the opportunity for the movement. Previous incidents led to the uprising against the Sheretluqo clan. Peasants convened an assembly that removed the judicial authority of the nobility and took control of ports. Insurgents attacked the estates of Naghomuqo and Alisultan Nijeqo Sheretluqo, where they released serfs and slaves. Property from these estates was divided among the participants. Naghomuqo Sheretluqo fled to the Bzhedug territory while Alisultan Sheretluqo failed to suppress the movement with his warriors.
The Abat and Sheretluqo clans were the targets of the uprising. The movement resulted in the peasants seizing administrative control of the ports and removing the judicial rights of the nobility. While Natukhaj nobles accepted the changes and remained in their villages, the Shapsug nobility was driven out during this period.
By the end of 1792, the peasant war resulted in a victory for the commoners. They established a new administration governed by peasant assemblies and courts. Judicial and political power transitioned to wealthy commoners. Elected elders and members of the oath unions managed the peasant courts and assemblies.
Approximately 250 to 300 members of the Shapsug nobility had escaped to the Bzhedug lands, whom their princes had close ties with the Shapsug nobles before the conflict, to organize efforts for the restoration of their former judicial status and social rank. Noble clans requested military assistance from Bzhedug princes. Shapsug nobles, who were attacking on their former lands, continued to escalate tensions. The Shapsugs demanded that the Bzhedugs expel these nobles and establish a democratic system like their own. The Shapsugs sent envoys to the Bzhedugs, stating that these individuals were "criminals and murderers who were destroying the foundations of the state" and demanding their extradition.
In the first half of 1793, the Bzhedug prince Batcheriy Hajemuqo first petitioned the Russian administration for support against the peasant movement.
The Saltuk Assembly (1794) The Saltuk assembly () convened on February 5 [O.S. January 25], 1794, to address the conflict. Notable participants included Crimean Sultans Murat Mosetcheri and Islamcheri Marsutcheri. Khimish (Western Bzhedug) princes Aytech Hajemuqo, Alqas Hajemuqo, Bateqo Hajemuqo, and Batcheriy Hajemuqo. The Cherchenay (Eastern Bzhedug) princes included Memet, Netakho Bechuk, Bechmiz, Shumaf Shikur, Shumaf Tchundeqo, and Jilit. Noble representatives present were Bzhihaqo Boreqo, Ozdemir Sheretluqo, Ismail Bzhedugh, and Amirz Sherdeye. Alisultan Sheretluqo also attended, while the Black Sea Cossack Ataman Zakhary Chepiha sent representatives.
The conference addressed a proposal to send Bzhedug delegates to St. Petersburg and deliberated on the Shapsug peasant uprising, specifically the demand for the surrender of an individual responsible for a murder. Batcheriy Hajemuqo argued against surrendering noblemen to the insurgents and suggested blood money as compensation. Batcheriy viewed protecting the Sheretluqo family as a mandatory duty to guests and to the Adyghe Khabze, while the Shapsugs viewed the Sheretluqo as criminals whose protection violated communal justice, thus the Adyghe Khabze.
Batcheriy's older brother Prince Alqas advocated for surrendering the requested individual to avoid permanent enmity with the Shapsug population: "Let's not make the Shapsugs our enemies for the sake of one person." The assembly disregarded Alqas's suggestion as participants suspected his history since his atalyk was a Shapsug and biased against military action.