The Circassian question: liberalism and the pursuit of freedom in the mid-nineteenth century

Abstract

For well over a hundred years, Russian expansion into the Caucasus put it face-to-face with the Circassians. This small group of Muslims successfully waged war against Russia, both militarily and diplomatically. By leveraging the demands of a liberal foreign policy currently in vogue in Britain, as well as the Ottoman Empire’s tenuous hold on power in the region, the Circassians manoeuvred their plight onto the international stage. As the liberal tide in Britain ebbed and flowed and the Crimean War erupted, Circassia’s ability to leverage the political context in which it found itself grew more tenuous. Ultimately, Russophobia and liberalism failed to secure freedom for the Circassians, who were killed or expelled from their lands in 1864. The Circassian diaspora now resides largely in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, and Russia.