The Joining of Northern Kyrgyzstan to Russia

The Creation of an Independent Kyrgyz Khanate and Its Collapse.

In the mid-19th century, the prominent Sarybagysh manap Ormon Niyazbek uulu attempted to unite the northern Kyrgyz tribes living in the Chui Valley, along the Naryn River, and around Lake Issyk-Kul, with the aim of creating an independent khanate.

In 1842, he convened a kurultai in the Kyzyl-Tokoy area on the western shore of Lake Issyk-Kul and invited representatives from the Sarybagysh, Bughu, Solto, Sayak, Saruu, Kushchu, and Cherik tribes from Central Tien Shan, the Chui and Talas valleys, and the Pre-Issyk-Kul region. At the kurultai, Ormon was proclaimed khan.

Ormon-khan established his own symbol of power—a banner—and issued a law known among the people as “The Teachings of Ormon” (“Ormon okuu”). He appointed his close relative Torokeldi as the military commander and the influential Sarybagysh manap Dzhantay as his advisor.

Under Ormon-khan's command, there were always 30-40 armed riflemen who, by constantly practicing shooting, were always ready for battle. The Kokand Khanate, seeing the high authority and influence of Ormon-khan in Northern Kyrgyzstan, tried to win him over to their side. He was even awarded the rank of parvanachi—one of the highest ranks of the khanate. The khan wanted to establish relations with Ormon-khan and then force him to obey. However, the astute Ormon-khan did not fall for the Kokand's tricks. During the 10 years that Ormon-khan was in power, intertribal conflicts noticeably subsided. The lives of the people improved.

Internecine Wars of the Kyrgyz and Kazakhs.

Kazakh sultans did not cease their attempts to seize Kyrgyz lands. In 1846, Kazakh troops led by Kenesary-khan invaded the Kyrgyz territories. Aiming to completely exterminate the Kyrgyz people, they brutally dealt with defenseless villagers caught off guard. They spared no one: neither the young nor the old, nor even pregnant women.

The main weapon that saved the people was their unity. In 1847, the Kyrgyz, united around Ormon-khan, stopped Kenesary's army near Tokmok and defeated it. Kenesary was captured and killed. In this battle, Ormon-khan proved himself to be a skilled military strategist.

The struggle for power and territory among the feudal nobility once again disrupted the unity and harmony that had prevailed among the people. In particular, a major civil war broke out between the Sarybagysh and Bughu tribes. In 1854, in one of the battles, Ormon-khan sustained fatal wounds and died. The following year, the Sarybagysh, eager to avenge their khan, led by his son Umetaly, raided the Bughu and inflicted many hardships upon them.

To protect themselves from feudal strife and the khan's tyranny, the Bughu began taking measures to accept Russian citizenship. Thus, before it could strengthen and establish itself, the Kyrgyz khanate collapsed from within. Favorable conditions arose for Tsarist Russia to annex the Kyrgyz tribes.

Borombai Batyr.

The Issyk-Kul Kyrgyz voluntarily accepted Russian citizenship. A significant role in this process was played by the prominent manap of the Bughu tribe, Borombai.

Borombai Bekmurat uulu built a fortress in 1843, which he made his base. To save his kin from extermination, he repeatedly sent envoys to the western Siberian authorities requesting to accept them into Russian citizenship. In 1853, the Russian authorities awarded Borombai the rank of colonel. On September 17, 1855, his envoys arrived in Omsk and, holding a Quran, solemnly pledged allegiance to the Russian emperor on behalf of the Kyrgyz of the Bughu tribe and accepted Russian citizenship.

The Subjugation of the Northern Kyrgyz Tribes by Russia. After accepting the oath of the Bughu tribe's biys, Tsarist Russia began to develop plans for the annexation of the other Kyrgyz tribes and started military preparations. The first step was to capture the Kokand fortresses located on the Naryn, Talas, and Chui rivers. In 1859, Russian troops built a fortification at the border of the Kazakh Senior Zhuz and Northern Kyrgyzstan called Kastek, and the governor-general of Western Siberia received permission from the sovereign to conquer the fortress of Bishkek in the Chui Valley. Kyrgyz envoys in Omsk.

In 1860-1862, as a result of military actions, Russian troops liberated the fortresses of Pishpek and Tokmok from the Kokand. Meanwhile, some Kyrgyz manaps adopted a wait-and-see position, not supporting either side, while some tribes migrated to the mountains to avoid participating in military actions.

Shabdan Batyr.

Shabdan Batyr is a prominent figure in the history of Kyrgyzstan. Initially, he served the Kokand Khanate and for his bravery displayed during the defense of Tashkent against Russian troops, Khudoyar-khan appointed him as bek—the ruler of the city of Turkestan. Influenced by his father Dzhantay, Shabdan Batyr left his high post, switched to the service of the Russian tsar, and served him for the rest of his life.

Shabdan Batyr maintained close ties with the Russian authorities. He directly supported them in the annexation of the Kyrgyz of Central Tien Shan, the Talas, and Alai valleys. Understanding well that the Kyrgyz had no other option but to submit to the Russian Empire, Shabdan Batyr sought to help facilitate this process peacefully, without bloodshed. For his loyal service to the Russian tsar, Shabdan was awarded the rank of military elder (colonel) and received many other honors. In 1909, Shabdan built a madrasah in Chon-Kemin to educate children using the new methods of Baytik Batyr. To this day, legends about the courage of Shabdan Batyr, his wisdom, simplicity, and generosity are told among the people. This is one of the testimonies that he was indeed an extraordinary personality.

Baytik Batyr.

A significant contribution to the liberation of the Chui Valley from the power of the Kokand Khanate was made by Baytik Kanai uulu.

Having gained the favor of the Kokand appointee—the commandant of the Bishkek fortress Rahmatulla Datka—he invited him to a feast and dealt with him and his jigits. Under Baytik's leadership, the Kyrgyz besieged the Pishpek fortress until the arrival of Russian troops. Together with the Russian troops, they captured and then destroyed the fortress to the ground.



Later, Baytik Batyr, along with his 200 jigits, assisted the imperial troops in the capture of the fortresses of Merke, Aulie-Ata, and Chimkent, for which he was awarded the rank of captain and received an order.

From 1855 to 1868, the authority of Russia was fully established in Northern Kyrgyzstan. To protect and strengthen its dominance in Tien Shan, Issyk-Kul, and the Chui Valley, garrisons of Russian troops were deployed.

Kyrgyzstan as Part of Russia