Principality of Hatuqay
The Principality of Hatuqay was an historical principality and a province of Circassia. The principality was inhabited by the Hatuqay Circassian tribe, and was ruled by the Cherchanuqo clan, which was the largest aristocratic family of the Hatuqays. The principality was marked on period maps with various names including Hatukai, Codioci, and Gatyukai, such as on a 1787 map by Johann Anton Güldenstädt, and on a 1675 map by Frederik de Wit.
History
Foundation
Almost all knowledge about the founding of the Principality of Hatuqay comes from oral history. According to these oral accounts, the founding dynasty of the Principality of Hatuqay descends from king Inal, who ruled Circassia. After his death, his lands were divided over time. The Hatuqays initially resided in the Zhaney region and separated from this region. The name Hatuqay derives from Prince Hatuqo, a prince descended from King Inal. Prince Hatuqo was the brother of Prince Boletoqo, the first prince of the Principality of Chemguy. In the period following Inal's death, the Chemguy Principality was divided into two principalities. One became the land of Prince Boletoqo, and the other, Prince Hatuqo. The elder brother, Prince Boletoqo, remained in his principality in the region between the Greater Laba and Shkhakoshem rivers, retaining the name Chemguy. Prince Hatuqo, however, moved west and established the new principality of Hatuqay in the Zhaney lands. Some historians suggested that the Hakuch tribe separated from the Hatuqay.Medieval Period
The area of authority of the Hatuqay Princes and therefore the area where the Hatuqay tribe lived was for a long time on the southern banks of the Kuban, a little further down from where the Afips River flows. The Principality of Hatuqay had a strong army and was one of the most warlike of Circassian principalities, known for its princes who were engaged in ceaseless internal wars against other Circassians. In addition to wars against other Circassians, they actively participated in wars against the Crimean Tatars. They also took part in the looting of Astrakhan. One of the Hatuqay princes, nicknamed "Pale," looted Astrakhan in alliance with the Kabardians.The Hatuqay maintained control over fertile lowlands and crucial trade routes in the northwestern Caucasus, resisting both Tatar incursions and Ottoman-backed pressure. Tensions escalated throughout the 1540s as the Hatuqay leadership increasingly resisted demands for tribute and subordination and sought alliances. The Hatuqay princes Elok and Antenuk were involved in these acts, and are quoted as saying:
In response, Crimean Khan Sahib I Giray organized a punitive expedition in 1551, aiming to break Hatuqai resistance and reassert Crimean authority in the region. The region faced difficulty with the Crimean campaign in Hatuqay, as the Crimean Tatars defeated the army of the Hatuqay and ravaged the Bzhedug lands. Although the Hatuqay army was defeated, allied Kabardians led by Temruq Idar managed to defeat the Crimeans, thus the war technically ended in a victory. Sahib Giray had inflicted severe blows on almost all major principalities of Circassia: Zhaney, Hatuqay, Bzhedug, Kabardia. It is after this that the Circassians started to seek alliances with Russia to fight against Tatar incursions.
Early Modern Period
mentioned the principality in the early 1600s. The Ottoman-Turkish explorer Evliya Çelebi visited the Hatukay region in the 1660s, and met Prince Janbe-Girey ; Çelebi wrote in his book, Seyahatnâme:One of the most famous Hatukay princes of this era was Aslandjeriy, known for his character and oratorical skill despite being physically weak. Circassians would give a subsequent baby born in a village the name of a Crimean Khan if the Khan stayed in that village, which is likely why he was named after the Crimean Khan Arslan-Girey, who had stayed in Circassia. The principality reached its zenith during Aslandjeriy's reign. On his deathbed, surrounded by elders and nobles, Aslandjeriy's will stipulated that every slave in the principality be freed according to Islamic obligations, and that no Hatuqay would be a slave thereafter. Following this, slave families in the Hatuqay region were emancipated. Hatuqay, which used to be an important Circassian principality of West Circassia, lost this status with Aslandjeriy's death, as the Hatukay Principality split into two warring factions.
By the late 18th century, the principality was located west of the Bzhedughs, near the Black Sea coast and between the left bank of the Kuban River and the right bank of the Belaya. In the first half of the 19th century, it shifted further east, settling between the Bzhedughs and the Chemguy.