Caucasian Revolution of 1663

*"They can take away our farms, our homes, even our lives, but they cannot take away our faith in god. Long live Georgia!" -Father Ankresh Saumvel, Georgian Priest*

The Caucasian Revolution was a rebellion against ottoman and russian rule in the Caucus.

Belligerents
 Kurdistan Calphite

## Background

The Ottomans expanded into the caucus in the late 1500s, invading Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia took over Georgia and Chechnya in 1621, a move met with heavy resistance. The Ottomans were unable to fully integrate Armenia due to the heavy Cristian tradition, Armenia was the oldest christian country in the world. Azerbaijan was unable to be integrated due to the same issue and nationalism. Georgia and Chechnya were also unable to be integrated by russia. Issues over religion helped start the war in Georgia and Armenia, as the Ottomans tried to convert the population to Islam. This was met with resistance for years, the Bey Yustaf Rolam, a religious radical of Syrian birth, converted many churches into mosques. Almost eery time they tried this, the Georgians or Armenians resisted. The climax came when the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Tbilisi was set to be converted the day of Christmas.

## Christmas Revolt

### Incident at Tbilisi Cathedral

On the Morning of December 24, 1663, the day before it was set to be converted, a large crowd of over 1,000 Georgians in Ottomans Georgia gathered outside Tbilisi Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. The Father Ankresh Saumvel preached a homily calling for independence of Georgia and the expulsion of the ottomans. After the homily, ottoman troops arrested the father, but the angry crowd attacked the troops, freeing the him. About 300 Georgians armed with Matchlocks and Sharp farming tools confronted the 200 man garrison. Shots were fired, and the next day, fighting in the streets drove the ottomans out.

### Battle for Rustavi

On the 31st, Georgians revolted in Rustavi. The Ottoman Garrison was surrounded by lunch, and stormed on January 1st. The Bey was captured and held prisoner in Tbilisi, set to be executed but saved by Father Saumvel, now the leader of the revolt. The next day, a ottoman calvary unit attacked the city, driving the rebels into the hills.

## The Revolution Spreads

### Azerbaijan Revolt

The news of the revolt reached Azerbaijan on the third, and revolutionaries quickly mobiled. The revolutionaries were forced into the mountains due to the 7,000 man strong Ottoman Garrison. The Azerbaijans, realising that they were outmanned, launched a guerilla campaign from the mountains. Baku remained in ottoman hands, but it was effectively cut off, as the roads leading through the mountains were harassed by rebels.

#### Faction Split

A significant number of Azerbaijan rebels opposed the pro-christian rhetoric of the rebels. These rebels split, heading to Ganja to launch a war against both the ottomans and Christian rebels.

### Armenian Revolt

the revolt in Armenia started out a success, with Yerevan and Armavirs falling in three days. Unfortunately, it's closeness to turkey resulted in ottoman troops being able to get to armenia quickly. The Armenian army, armed with only matchlocks and spears, were forced into the mountains. The troops in the mountains successfully took control of a series of mines, which they could use to launch raids.

### **Chechnya**

The revolution in Chechnya started for a different reason. The harsh Russian occupation had drawn opposition for a long time. The revolution flared up on January 2nd when a group of russian soldiers pillaged the town of Maysky. twenty Chechens were killed, and almost immediately after, Grozny revolted. The rebel troops were sucessful in pushing out russian forces and declared the Kingdom of Chechnya. The Chechens sent ambassadors with news of the revolutions to the Polish, Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia. Little did they know, the Ottoman and Prussian ambassadors would never make it.