The Uprising in May 1858 in Southern Kyrgyzstan.
It took on a relatively large scale, distinguished by its massiveness. The uprising covered almost the entire southern part of Kyrgyzstan and the foothill areas of the Fergana Valley. The number of rebels reached up to 46,000 people. The cause of this uprising was the arbitrariness and violence of the major Kokand feudal lords led by Khudoyar Khan. Its catalyst, as everywhere, was the sharp increase in the khan's tax oppression. The first to rise up was the Adygine tribe, inhabiting Alay and Gulcha. Other Kyrgyz tribes and clans, as well as some Uzbek and Kazakh workers, joined them. On the side of the rebels were Alymbek Datkha and some other Kyrgyz and Kipchak feudal lords.
The rebels, armed with sticks (suyla), whips, sabers, and aybaltas (battle axes), and partially with guns and four light artillery pieces, moved to meet the Kokand punitive detachment.
However, the uprising did not have a common leader. At the head of each tribe or clan participating in this uprising was a "local" influential figure. The battle between the rebels and the khan's punitive detachment took place in the Samgar area, located between Margilan and Yarmazar. The rebels employed a military trick; most of them hid in ravines and pits, while a smaller group advanced to meet the punitive detachment. When the battle began, the fighters retreated, and the enemy pursued them. At that moment, the hidden part of the rebels joined the fight and routed the khan's detachment. This tactic determined the outcome of the battle in favor of the rebels. In this battle, the punitive detachment was completely defeated. The rebels achieved a brilliant victory, captured the city of Margilan, where they stayed for 10 days. Many residents of this city joined the rebels and fought alongside them against feudal-khan oppression.
Soon the rebels approached the capital of the khanate, the city of Kokand, whose residents switched to the side of the rebels and "opened the gates, while Khudoyar Khan fled to Bukhara." He was only able to return after 7 years, in 1865, with the help of the emir of Bukhara. However, the fruits of victory went to the Kyrgyz, Kipchak, and Uzbek feudal lords who participated in this uprising. The elder brother of Khudoyar, Mally Khan, was proclaimed khan. The Kyrgyz and Kipchaks returned to their pastures, while their rulers, i.e., the major feudal lords, took warm positions at the khan's palace and in the regions. As expected, the difficult situation of the masses did not improve under the new khan.
In 1857, the nomads of Alay rose against Kokand's rule. The reason was the unbridled arbitrariness and brutal violence of the khan's governor Kul-Datkh. A certain Sadik-Serkir led the uprising. The residents of some neighboring areas, also driven to extremes by the aforementioned khan's official, joined the Alay people. The uprising quickly expanded and intensified. Its participants captured the Kokand fortress of Kyzyl-Kurgan by storm and killed its commander Kul-Datkh. However, the rebels did not further develop their offensive actions and showed indecisiveness in the battle with the punitive detachment. It is no coincidence that the uprising suffered defeat. Many participants, including Sadik-Serkir, were executed. The punitive forces set fire to the ails available to them and left behind ashes and corpses. All this could not help but embitter the local population.
In 1859, the nomads of Central Tian Shan rose again, refusing to pay taxes to the khan's tax collectors and declaring themselves independent of Kokand. The Cherik tribe, led by the manap Turduke, acted more decisively. The Tynymseit tribe, led by Tabyldy, joined them. The rebels captured and destroyed the fortress of Kurtka, dispersing its military garrison. For four years, the local population did not recognize the authority of the Kokand khan and his officials. Only in 1868 did a punitive detachment of 1,500 sipahis manage to suppress the uprising of the indigenous population and reimpose the authority of Kokand. The fortress of Kurtka was restored, and the military garrison was reinforced. Under the pressure of the khan's punitive detachment, part of the indigenous population was forced to leave their native places and flee to high-altitude and hard-to-reach areas, while some left the borders of the region. However, the Kokand khan and his officials could not maintain their power here for long. The Kyrgyz, forced to temporarily hide from the pursuit of the punitive detachment, soon returned to their native places. The accumulated hatred and outrage against the Kokand rulers once again erupted into an open struggle of the people for their freedom.
Search the site... Chuy Kyrgyz against the unbearable taxes from the Kokand Khanate