To the Issue of Slavery and Slave Trade Relations among the Highlanders of the Caucasus in the first half of the XIX century; [К вопросу о рабстве и работорговых отношениях у горцев Кавказа в первой половине XIX века]

The article is devoted to the analysis of slavery and slave trade relations in the Caucasus in the first half of the XIX century among the highlanders. The work is based on sources on the research problem, namely the materials of the State Archive of the Krasnodar Krai, as well as the memoirs of F. Tornau, A. Fonville, P. Butkov, S. Smolensky, A. Berger, etc. The methodology includes historical-systemic, historical-genetic, synthetic research methods, as well as the method of historiographic (content) analysis. Based on the research, it was concluded that slavery was widespread in the Caucasus, since the slave trade was a profitable business. Most of the slaves were sold abroad to Turkey. With the arrival of Russia in the Caucasus, the slave trade becomes contraband, but the mountain aristocracy saw the prohibition of the slave trade as a violation of their economic interests. The mountain poorest strata saw protection in the face of Russia and turned to russian military settlements for help, massively becoming subjects of the Russian Empire. The main source of slaves was their own poorest population; the captured russian-speaking people were the second largest source during the Caucasian War. Slavery in the Caucasus has taken very unusual forms, as there is mass evidence that not only prisoners and tribesmen, but even relatives and guests were sold as slaves. The profits of the slavers led to the fact that turkish smugglers took very high risks. There were also cases of corruption on the part of russian officials and the military, who turned a blind eye to the slave trade, also receiving profit or other bonuses from this business. With the end of the Caucasian War and the inclusion of the Caucasus in the legal system of Russia, slavery and the slave trade as a social institution gradually came to naught. Copyright © 2022 by Cherkas Global University.