Editing Chechens (section)

=== Early modern period ===
{{Main|Circassian genocide|Caucasian War}}
The [[Caucasus]] was a major competing area for two neighboring rival empires: the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[Turco-Persian tradition|Turco-Persian]] empires ([[Safavids]], [[Afsharids]], [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]]). Starting from [[Peace of Amasya|1555]] and decisively from [[Treaty of Zuhab|1639]] through the first half of the 19th century, the Caucasus was divided by these two powers, with the Ottomans prevailing in Western [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], while Persia kept the bulk of the Caucasus, namely Eastern Georgia, Southern [[Dagestan]], [[Azerbaijan]], and [[Armenia]].<ref name="books.google.nl">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5MOYzS3IDTQC&q=Caucasus+divided+between+persia+and+turkey&pg=PA272|title=Conflict and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus|first=Hooman|last=Peimani|date=17 October 2018|publisher=ABC-CLIO|access-date=17 October 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=978-1-59884-054-4}}</ref> The Chechens, however, never really fell under the rule of either empire. As Russia expanded slowly southwards as early as the 16th century, clashes between Chechens and Russians became more frequent, and it became three empires competing for the region. During these turbulent times, the Chechens were organized into semi-independent clans that were loyal to the Mehk-Khel (National Council). The Mehk-Khel was in charge of appointing the Mehk-Da (ruler of the nation). Several of these appeared during the late Middle Ages such as [[Aldaman Gheza]], Tinavin-Visa, Zok-K'ant and others. The administration and military expeditions commanded by Aldaman Gheza during the 1650–1670s led to Chechnya being largely untouched by the major empires of the time. Alliances were concluded with local lords against Persian encroachment and battles were fought to stop Russian influence. One such battle was the [[Battle of Khachara]] between Gheza and the rival [[Avar Khanate]] that tried to exert influence on Chechnya.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://proza.ru/2019/12/30/99|title=Гази Алдамов, или Алдаман ГIеза, воевода и предвод (Амин Тесаев) / Проза.ру|website=proza.ru}}</ref> As Russia set off to increase its political influence in the Caucasus and the [[Caspian Sea]] at the expense of Safavid Persia, [[Peter the Great|Peter I]] launched the [[Russo-Persian War (1722–1723)|Russo-Persian War]], in which Russia succeeded in taking much of the Caucasian territories for several years. The conflict notably marked the first military encounter between [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russia]] and the Chechens.<ref>
{{cite book
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IGj4B1rdcu0C&q=russo+persian+war+1722+vainakh&pg=PA53
 |title=The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad
 |access-date=25 December 2014
 |isbn=978-0-313-38634-3
 |last1=Schaefer
 |first1=Robert W.
 |year=2010
 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic
 }}</ref> [[Sheikh Mansur]] led a major Chechen resistance movement in the late 18th century.

[[File:Могила Хозы Мамаева.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Tomb of a Chechen warrior of the 19th century]]
In the late 18th and 19th centuries, Russia embarked on full-scale conquest of the North Caucasus in the [[Caucasian War]]. Much of the campaign was led by [[Aleksey Yermolov (general)|General Yermolov]] who particularly disliked the Chechens, describing them as "a bold and dangerous people".<ref>Dunlop p.14</ref> Angered by Chechen raids, Yermolov resorted to a brutal policy of "[[scorched earth]]" and deportations; he also founded the fort of [[Grozny]] (now the capital of Chechnya) in 1818. Chechen resistance to Russian rule reached its peak under the leadership of the Dagestani leader [[Imam Shamil]]. The Chechens were finally defeated in 1861 after a bloody war that lasted for decades, during which they lost most of their entire population.<ref>Jaimoukha (p.50): "The Chechens suffered horrific losses in human life during the long war. From an estimated population of over a million in the 1840s, there were only 140,000 Chechens left in the Caucasus in 1861..."</ref> In the aftermath, large numbers of refugees also [[Ethnic cleansing of Circassians|emigrated or were forcibly deported]] to the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="nichols">{{cite web |url=http://iseees.berkeley.edu/articles/nichols_1995-chechen.pdf |title=Who are the Chechens? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060915080123/http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~bsp/caucasus/articles/nichols_1995-chechen.pdf |archive-date=2006-09-15}} by [[Johanna Nichols]], [[University of California, Berkeley]].</ref><ref>Dunlop p.29ff. Dunlop writes (p.30): "In 1860, according to Soviet-era figures, 81,360 Chechens left for Turkey; a second emigration took place in 1865, when an additional 22,500 Chechens left. More than 100,000 Chechens were thus ethnically 'cleansed' during this process. This was perhaps a majority of their total population..."</ref><ref>Jaimoukha p.50</ref>