Feringas and Galgai expansion in the Terek and Argun interfluve in the XV-XVIII centuries.

Abstract

The subject of the research in the article is the question of the Galgai expansion in the interfluve of Fortanga and Argun in the XV–XVIII centuries, in the context of the question of the tribal affiliation of the Ferings from the Akka folk legend about the Ferings. The analysis of information from historical sources related to these issues is carried out. The purpose of this article is to show the Galgai presence in the interfluve of Fortanga and Argun in the XV–XVIII centuries, as well as their connection with the mythical Feringami people, who, according to information from the Akka legend, came from the "Galgai societies" around the XV century, seized the upper reaches of the Gekhi River and tried to subjugate this territory through its colonization and the spread of the Christian religion among the local pagan population. To achieve this goal, the author has attracted a significant amount of scientific literature and archival data, comparing them with information from Ingush and Chechen folklore. In the course of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the in XV–XVIII centuries there was an active expansion of the Galgai tribes in the interfluve of Fortanga and Argun and their colonization of this territory. This is reflected in some Chechen legends. After the crushing blow inflicted in the XVI century by the Kabardino-Nogai army, the Galgaevites were forced out of the flat territories. However, in the second half of the XVII century, led by Etagai Agishbatoysky and with the support of the Avar princes Turlov, they managed to liberate the flat lands between Argun and Terek from the Nogais, after which they founded their settlements here. The relevance of this article lies in the fact that it additionally highlights an important issue for the study of the main migration routes of Ingush tribes in the XV–XVIII centuries.