The Escape of Khan Khudoyar from Kokand in 1875
Capture of Kokand by the Rebels
The despised khan, having lost most of his troops and lacking support even from those around him and his close associates, could not suppress the uprising with the very insignificant forces at his disposal. In these circumstances, the khan sought help and salvation from his patron, the imperial colonial administration. On July 20, he appealed to the Turkestan Governor-General Kaufman with a letter in which he tearfully begged to save him from the people's wrath. "In these difficult and unfortunate times," the letter states, "the people whom I considered loyal and reliable... have switched sides with my enemies, the rebellious Kyrgyz, and, having united with them, have declared war against me. Since I have already seen much friendship and goodwill from Your Excellency, I hope that this time you will not leave me without real help and support. I submit myself and the Kokand Khanate under the mighty protection of His Majesty the Emperor and turn to you with a friendly request to kindly order the dispatch of a Russian army with artillery to the city of Kokand as soon as possible, so that the rebels' plans do not come to fruition." In light of the increasing pressure from the rebels and the general unrest among the residents of Kokand, the imperial official Weinberg, who was with Khudoyar Khan at that time, also appealed on the same day, July 20, to the Syr-Darya Military Governor, requesting an urgent dispatch of a battalion to Kokand. However, neither Khudoyar nor Weinberg received a response to their letters in time. Meanwhile, their situation was deteriorating sharply. They could no longer remain in the capital of the khanate, where the outrage, anger, and unrest of the working citizens were growing, particularly with the approaching rebels, whom the laborers of the capital city were eagerly awaiting.
On July 22, Khudoyar Khan, with a family consisting of 70 women, 500 close nobles, and the treasury loaded onto 42 carts (carriages) under the cover of 2000 sipahis (cavalry), 4000 sarbaz (infantry), and one imperial detachment of 22 Cossacks led by Colonel Skobeleva, left Kokand and headed towards the city of Khojent — under the protection of imperial authority. Nine Russian merchants joined him. The rebellious residents of the capital pursued the fugitives with anger and indignation, often threatening them with physical harm. Here is what Weinberg, who was among those accompanying the khan during his escape, wrote about it: "The troops moved down the middle of the streets, while the people stood on both sides like a wall, armed with batons, sticks, and stones in their hands. We had to pass through one by one, moving very slowly and stopping every 15-20 steps. Not far from the palace square, the crowd and the troops became so congested that it was impossible to move. We stopped. One of those passing by us with a cavalry detachment, Yuz-Bashi, looked in our direction and said with a smile: 'Go on, go on, we will take off your heads later!...', and finally struck a Cossack with a stick, and the latter reached for his saber... Voices from the crowd predicted our path to the graves. Our procession continued at a quiet pace in silence and under quite a heavy impression."
The rebels persistently pursued the fugitives. A series of clashes occurred between them, which demonstrated the superiority of the rebel forces, although the latter acted in an unorganized manner. During the flight, the last remnants of the khan's troops, numbering 4000 sarbaz and 2000 sipahis, also switched sides to the rebels and began to pursue the fugitives alongside them. The pressure from the pursuers became so swift and threatening that Weinberg, pleading for help, wrote on July 22 to the district chief of Efdocent: "The khan's army has all gone over to the rebels, they are shooting at us and pursuing us. Send at least a hundred to help on the road to Mahram and Besh-Aryk. We are retreating with the khan." This letter did not reach its destination. It was intercepted by the rebels on the way to the village of Kanabadam, and the dzhigit carrying it escaped on foot to Khojent. The fugitives had to run almost continuously, even at night. Their pursuit lasted two days until they reached Khojent, where they arrived on the evening of July 24; the rebels seized 2 carts loaded with valuables from Khudoyar Khan, killed 10 of his supporters, and wounded 9 others. Khudoyar Khan and those around him escaped from the deserved punishment from the rebellious workers only thanks to the imperial Cossack detachment led by Colonel Skobeleva and Collegiate Councillor Weinberg. This is clearly indicated in the report of the chief of the Khojent district, Lieutenant Colonel Baron Nolde, dated July 25, 1875, to which the mentioned fugitives arrived. "And if it were not for Colonel Skobeleva's detachment," emphasized this imperial official, "the khan would not have been saved."
In general, both the khan himself and his entourage expressed the opinion that if it were not for this handful of Russians with Colonel Skobeleva, not a single person among them would have escaped, let alone the treasury and the khan's family, who would have certainly lost the opportunity to reach Khojent." The imperial colonial authority deemed it impossible for Khudoyar to remain near the border of the Kokand Khanate. Soon he and his entourage were sent to Tashkent, where he arrived on August 8. There, Khudoyar Khan was received by the Turkestan Governor-General Kaufman. The khan deposited 140,000 rubles in silver at the Tashkent branch of the state bank. On August 12, he and his family and associates were sent to Orenburg. However, this did not lead to the desired result for the tsarist regime, i.e., it did not put an end to the people's uprising.
The rebels occupied the capital of the khanate, the city of Kokand, whose residents joined them. They dealt with the remaining khan's officials and other representatives of the feudal nobility. The rebels "committed many murders," Kaufman wrote in his report in 1875, "first of all against the servants of Khudoyar's beks." N. Korytov, who had shown interest in the uprising and its leader Pulat Khan at that time, emphasized that "they (the rebels — K.U.) approached the city of Kokand. The Kokand masses joined them. Part of the rebels rushed to rob the wealthy and the khan's horde, while another group with Hasan Kylay and the Kyrgyz sought out the hiding Sultan-Murazbek (the brother of Khudoyar Khan, the ruler of the city of Margilan — K.U.). Representatives of the feudal nobility, with some exceptions, managed to escape.
The Struggle of the Working People Against the Kokand Khans and Their Patron — the Tsarist Authority in 1875-1876.
