Kabartay’ın Osmanlı Devleti ve Rusya ile Bağlılık İlişkileri (1475-1774)
Özet
This thesis focuses on the political relations of the Kabardians between Ottoman Empire
and Russia. The Kabardians that are located in the central North Caucasus constitute
one of the two main branches of the Circassian tribes. Until the end of the 18th century,
Kabarda remained the most significant part of the region strategically, economically and
politically. It was the frontier between the Russian and Ottoman Empires for over two
centuries. Because of these features, Kabarda's relations with the Ottoman Empire and
Russia which are usually considered on the basis of dependence, can shed light on the
approaches and policies of sovereign states operating in the region about Caucasus in
general. The main purpose of the study is to understand the policies of the Ottoman
Empire and Russia towards the Caucasus by discovering the nature and direction of the
relationships. For this reason, the relations between Kabarda and the empires were
addressed in a broader sense than the diplomatic framework. Internal struggles, regional
alliances, the pro-Ottoman-Crimean or pro-Russian roles of the Kabardian elites,
conflicts, slave trade, migration movements, in short, all political, economic and
military relations and events that decide and change the balances in the region concern
our subject. Other Circassian tribes, Kumuks, Nogais, Cossaks and other peoples in the
region are among the actors of all these relations and events. The main sources of the
study are the Ottoman and Russian archivel records that represent the foreign relations
of Kabarda and researches including the interpretations of those sources.
