The Heavy Burden of the Double Oppression of the Kyrgyz People

Under the Yoke of Kokand

The conquest of the northern part of the Kyrgyz settlement area by the Kokand khans changed the political situation in Central Asia. Its consequences for the Kyrgyz people were not unambiguous. Some representatives of the local nobility leaned towards cooperation, while others chose to fight against the conquerors. The situation for the common people, however, worsened drastically.

They found themselves under the heavy burden of double oppression: from the Kokand authorities and their own rulers. In the collective memory, this period is reflected as a dark time of brutal oppression and arbitrariness, of hopeless need and lawlessness.

Kyrgyz clans were governed by Kokand appointees - ilbegs, who were subordinate to regional leaders - hakims. The latter, in turn, depended only on the chief dignitary of the khanate, the kushbegi. He was appointed by the khan, but sometimes the khan himself was elevated to the position of kushbegi, as seen in the case of Khudoyar Khan. The first dignitary and actual ruler under him was Musulmanqul. The Tashkent kushbegi Normukhammad did not recognize Musulmanqul and began to act more or less independently. In the spring of 1852, Musulmanqul headed to Tashkent to punish the rebellious ruler but did not achieve success. Then, in the summer, he set out once again with a detachment of 6-7 thousand and took Khudoyar Khan with him. Normukhammad decided to defend himself and sent out calls to the population, urging them to rise up. Sensing Normukhammad's strength and burdened by the guardianship of his regent, Khudoyar, seizing a convenient opportunity, defected to Tashkent. Musulmanqul was defeated and fled to the mountains with a thousand of his supporters to the Kyrgyz.

Kyrgyz as Creators of the Kokand Khanate