Kabarda's dependence relationships with Ottoman Empire and Russia (1475-1774)

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.