Consolidation in Chechnya: Bribery of Elders, Economic Control, and Setting Neighbors against One Another (1809-1811)
In 1809-1811, the Russian Empire consolidated its power over the lands of the Nokhchi through the bribery of elders, control over the sale of grain and salt, and the setting of neighboring peoples against the Chechens. To incline the Chechens to submission, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, ordered that Chechen elders and clergy be paid «250, and others 150 silver rubles each, as a one-time payment, for which the required sum, 1,400 r. in total»[1]. The empire funneled the sale of grain and salt to the Chechens through controlled barter yards under quarantine, established «for the peaceful Chechens in Naur… for the mountain Chechens in Lashchurin»[1][2]. In a proclamation to the inhabitants of the Chechen land, General Tormasov laid the blame for the devastation of 1807 on the inhabitants themselves — «you yourselves were the cause of the misfortune that befell you the year before last» — and threatened a new invasion, «to bring sword and flame upon the guilty»[1].
Actors
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G0009 | Russian Empire |
The Russian Empire bought the loyalty of the Nokhchi elders in order to use them to incline the Chechens toward submission. To this end, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, through Esaul Chernov, ordered that the Chechen elders and clergy be given «250 rubles each, and others 150 silver rubles each, as a one-time payment, for which the required sum, 1,400 r. in total»[1]. Historian Ya. Z. Akhmadov notes that the colonial authorities generally acted by relying on the social elite, «bribing them with all manner of rewards and privileges for their service to the benefit of Russia»[2]. Historian D. A. Khozhaev cites the same formula with a direct indication of where the money came from: the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, agreed «to win over the principal Chechen elders and their clergy… to give 250, and others 150 silver rubles each, and to collect the said money from their own villages» — that is, the bribery of the elite was paid for by exactions from the Chechen villages themselves[3]. |
Techniques Used
| ID | Name | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0005 | Aggressor Claiming Victim Status |
The Russian Empire shifted the blame for the devastation it had wrought onto the victimized people itself. In a proclamation to the inhabitants of the Chechen land, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, presented the pogrom of 1807 as a consequence of the inhabitants' own actions: «the raids and depredations that you carried out within the borders of Russia brought upon you righteous wrath… you yourselves were the cause of the misfortune that befell you three years ago» — and threatened a new invasion, «to bring sword and flame upon the guilty», offering «mercy» in exchange for submission[1]. |
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| T0015 | Bribery of Elites |
The Russian Empire bought the loyalty of the Nokhchi elders in order to use them to incline the Chechens toward submission. To this end, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, through Esaul Chernov, ordered that the Chechen elders and clergy be given «250 rubles each, and others 150 silver rubles each, as a one-time payment, for which the required sum, 1,400 r. in total»[1]. Historian Ya. Z. Akhmadov notes that the colonial authorities generally acted by relying on the social elite, «bribing them with all manner of rewards and privileges for their service to the benefit of Russia»[2]. Historian D. A. Khozhaev cites the same formula with a direct indication of where the money came from: the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, agreed «to win over the principal Chechen elders and their clergy… to give 250, and others 150 silver rubles each, and to collect the said money from their own villages» — that is, the bribery of the elite was paid for by exactions from the Chechen villages themselves[3]. |
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| T0038 | Economic Control |
The Russian Empire funneled the Nokhchi's supply of grain and salt through trading points under its control, making vitally important goods dependent on its administration. The sale of grain and salt to the Chechens was permitted only through barter yards under quarantine, established «for the peaceful Chechens in Naur… for the mountain Chechens in Lashchurin», with a duty paid to the treasury and disputes adjudicated through an imperial pristav (overseer)[1][2]. |
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| T0152 | Pitting Neighboring Peoples Against Each Other |
The Russian Empire set neighboring Indigenous peoples against the Nokhchi in order to weaken Chechen resistance through their enmity. In July 1810, while pursuing a retreating Chechen party, the commanding general Ivelich, according to the imperial historian Potto, «talked the nearest Ingush auls, in view of the prospect of great gain, into cutting off its retreat»; the incited Ingush attacked the Chechens, and the latter «suffered such a loss that they abandoned even the body of their leader on the battlefield»[4]. The commander of the Caucasian Line, General Delpozzo, reported that the peaceful elders who had pledged to act against the Chechens were «promised rewards according to their merits»[1]. |
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Instruments
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0008 | Government |
The Russian Empire funneled the Nokhchi's supply of grain and salt through trading points under its control, making vitally important goods dependent on its administration. The sale of grain and salt to the Chechens was permitted only through barter yards under quarantine, established «for the peaceful Chechens in Naur… for the mountain Chechens in Lashchurin», with a duty paid to the treasury and disputes adjudicated through an imperial pristav (overseer)[1][2]. |
| S0010 | Regular Army |
The Russian Empire bought the loyalty of the Nokhchi elders in order to use them to incline the Chechens toward submission. To this end, the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, through Esaul Chernov, ordered that the Chechen elders and clergy be given «250 rubles each, and others 150 silver rubles each, as a one-time payment, for which the required sum, 1,400 r. in total»[1]. Historian Ya. Z. Akhmadov notes that the colonial authorities generally acted by relying on the social elite, «bribing them with all manner of rewards and privileges for their service to the benefit of Russia»[2]. Historian D. A. Khozhaev cites the same formula with a direct indication of where the money came from: the commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, General Tormasov, agreed «to win over the principal Chechen elders and their clergy… to give 250, and others 150 silver rubles each, and to collect the said money from their own villages» — that is, the bribery of the elite was paid for by exactions from the Chechen villages themselves[3]. |