First Murid War 1830-1832

As Russian power and influence in the eastern Caucasus grew, opposition from the many formerly independent tribes and villages coalesced around a charismatic religious leader named Ghazi Muhammad al-Daghestani (called Kazi Mullah by the Russians) who emphasized a need to adhere to Islamic laws and customs in order to unite the peoples of the Caucasus. By 1830, Ghazi Muhammad called on his disciples to fight a holy war (gazamat) against the Russians and the established political and religious authorities aligned with them. The Murids, as they came to be called, began their holy war by attacking local opponents. Avar Khanate, which was under Russian protection, was the first target and it successfully defeated a Murid invasion in February 1830.

Russian military leaders failed to recognize the unifying challenge presented by the Murids and their initial response was to launch another series of punitive expeditions in the region, indiscriminately destroying villages, which likely aided the Murid cause. Ghazi Muhammad also took advantage of the Polish Rebellion, which resulted in a withdrawal of some Russian forces from the Caucasus in 1831, by going on the offensive besieging Russian forts in Chechnya and Dagestan. Determined though indecisive resistance continued throughout the year with Murid forces proving capable of inflicting substantial casualties but incapable of holding a position against Russian assault.

Support for the Murids was declining by 1832 and Ghazi Muhammad attempted to negotiate a truce with the Russians in July 1832 provided they would allow the practice of Sharia in Dagestan. The Russians declined to accept the terms. Instead, the Russians expanded their punitive expeditions destroying possibly one hundred villages in August. Ghazi Muhammad retreated to Gimri with the few remaining Murids in September and he was killed during the Russian assault on October 29, 1832, and effectively the holy war ended with his death.

Notes

[1] The initiation date is February 4, 1830 according to the Julian calander.

[2] The termination date is October 17, 1832 according to the Julian calander.

[3] Clodfelter reports 3,000 Russian casualties and it is assumed this refers to killed and wounded. A conservative 1:3 ratio of killed to wounded has been applied.

[4] Correlates of War reports a count of 1,000 battle deaths and estimates 2,0000. In keeping with the Russian calculation, this is a low estimate. This does not seem to include battle deaths of civilians resulting from the Russian punitive expeditions.

References

Baddaley, 251-82; Baumann, 1-49; Clodfelter, 365; COW511; Dixon and Sarkees, 243-5; King, 70-7.

John F Baddaley. The Russian Conquest of the Caucasus. Longmans, Green and Company. 1908.

Robert F Baumann. Russian-Soviet Unconventional Wars in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. Leavenworth Papers 20. 1993.

Charles King. The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus. Oxford University Press. 2008.

Category

Intra-State War

Region

Central Asia

Belligerents

Russia, Murids

Dispute

Governance

Initiation Date

February 16, 1830^[1]

Termination Date

October 29, 1832^[2]

Duration

2 years, 8 months, 13 days
(986 days)

Outcome

Unresolved Truce
(Russian victory)

Fatalities

Total: 1,750
Russians: 750^[3]
Murids: 1,000^[4]

Magnitude

3.2