| Khirtsizhiqo Ale Zhanchat | |
| Native Name: | Хъырцыжъыкъо Алэ |
| Birth Date: | 18th c. |
| Death Date: | 1836 |
| Birth Place: | Shakh, Circassia |
| Death Place: | Circassia |
| Allegiance: | Circassian Confederation |
| Commands: | Abzakh army |
| Battles: | Russo-Circassian War |
| Children: | Aleqo Hasan Zhanchat, six unknown male children who died in war |
Ale Khirtsizhiqo was a Circassian military commander from the Abdzakh region who took part in the Russo-Circassian War.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Not much is recorded about Khirtsizhiqo's early life, as Circassians did not write down their history, and all knowledge comes from Russian sources. Sources state that he was born in the village of Shakh, and was of the Zhanchate clan. His birth date is unknown, but records show he joined a campaign against the Don Cossacks as a young man in 1776.
Khirtsizhiqo quickly became famous for his military successes. Ghish Nuh described him as follows:[6]
In 1830, the Circassian flag was designed by Seferbiy Zaneqo.[7] In 1836, when the first copy of the flag arrived in Circassia, it was received by Nur Muhammad Haghur and brought to the Gesh Valley, located in present day Sochi. Here, the chiefs of all Circassian provinces gathered and accepted the flag, and Commander Khirtsizhiqo Ale became the first person to hoist the flag on Circassian soil.[8] [9]
In 1833, Grigory Zass was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Russo-Circassian War and arrived at the Kuban Line with full authority.[10] Zass was infamous for his hatred of the Circassians.[11] He boasted in letters to his friends about massacring Circassian civilians.[12] Zass's main headquarters was in the Prochnyi Okop fortress. Wanting to strike a blow against Zass, Khirtsizhiqo Ale, along with his comrades from the Circassian army, attacked this base and kidnapped General Zass's daughter. Three years later, they sent a letter to Zass informing him that they would return his daughter, and they agreed on the terms and location of the exchange. Circassian mediators arrived at the agreed time and handed over the girl, dressed in Circassian attire, to her father. The girl convinced her father to pardon the Circassians, and both sides returned to their bases.[13] [14]
While Khirtsizhiqo Ale and Aljeriyeqo Kushuk were camped in the field, they were surrounded by the Russian army. In the morning, both commanders led the charge to break the siege. Upon taking count, they saw that all their comrades were alive, but Aljeriyeqo Kushuk's servant was missing. Khirtsizhiqo Ale went into the Russian forces and rescued the servant, escaping without any casualties.
In 1836, a 2,000-strong (1.200 of them had taken blood oath) Abzakh army, including Shapsugs and Hajjret Kabardians, gathered under the command of Khirtsizhiqo Ale and his son to launch a raid. However, General Zass's agents learned of this plan, so Zass's troops began to follow the Circassians. When they heard that the Circassians planned to raid Batalpashinskaya, Zass secretly surrounded the area. Realizing they were being followed, the Circassians suddenly changed their plan. They crossed the Kuban River with 800 men and attacked a Russian outpost near Kislovodsk, which was 100 kilometers away. They killed Russian soldiers and started to returning to their villages with five captives and twenty carts of loot.[15]
Meanwhile, 200 loyal Circassians and Nogais joined the Russian army. These loyal Circassians guided the Russian troops through shortcuts to the point where the Circassian army would cross. By morning, the Circassian army was getting closer, and the Russians prepared for battle. The Circassians spotted the Russian army three kilometers away, and fighting began. The Russians fired artillery from above, making it hard for the Circassians to aim. Russian snipers were positioned below the cannons. Both sides would took cover in the grass after a volley of fire, reloaded their rifles, and moved toward each other. Although the Cossacks tried to attack, they had to retreat back to shooting.
As the Russian line advanced in the beginning, a group of five-six Circassians finally reached a hillside rock facing the snipers, bothering the Cossacks. Among this group was Khirtsizhiqo Ale, described as a big, long gray-bearded, elderly man in fine clothing who was hitting the every shot he took. When Kornet Kokoff was shot by Ale, they fired back at him, and Ale was hit multiple times. As he was trying to raise his rifle again, he lost his balance and dropped his gun on the rocks, falling off the cliff. After falling, he attempted to get up again, trying to break his sword and pistols against the rocks to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Both sides recognized him. Ale's close comrades, his only surviving son, and his son’s atalik were also shot and killed alongside Ale during the rifle fire on the hillside.
While this was happening, short before Ale's body fell, the Circassians, with rifles on their backs and swords in their mouths, rushed forward, shouting battle cries at the Cossacks. The Cossacks started to retreat in panic. A few Circassians lifted Ale's body while shouting. Meanwhile, Russian snipers came down from the cliffs and surrounded the Circassians. Very few from the surrounded managed to escape, but they managed to rescue Ale's body.
To prevent the horses from falling into enemy hands, the Circassians removed the saddles from their horses and killed them. They quickly climbed the steep slopes under rifle fire with Ale's body and gathered around their leader's corpse at the top of the hill.
a."Blood oath" is a tradition where participants gather in a meeting to strategize attacks against the enemy, taking a sacred vow on life and death. This oath involves bringing back the bodies of those who die in battle to their homeland and sharing the possessions of the deceased among the survivors. After the meeting, the participants attack the designated targets and return to the mountains with the loot.
b.Hajjret Kabardians; the Kabardians who migrated to Western Circassia or the Caucasian Imamate after the occupation of Kabarda to continue their struggle.
c.The tradition of Atalik entails entrusting a child to a reliable individual for their upbringing and education from a young age. This entrusted individual, known as an "atalik," assumes responsibility for both the personal and social development of the child.