List of leaders of the Circassian Confederation

Presidents of the Circassian Confederation

In the 19th century, several people have nominally or effectively stood out as leaders of Circassia.

History

Background

Circassia was traditionally divided into tribal regions. In 1807, Shuwpagwe Qalawebateqo self-proclaimed himself as the leader of the Circassian confederation, and divided Circassia into 12 major regions. In 1827, Ismail Berzeg officially declared the military confederation of the Circassian tribes and by 1839 united a significant part of Circassia under his control. In 1839, the Circassians declared Bighuqal (Anapa) as their new capital and Hawduqo Mansur was declared the new leader of the Circassian Confederation. He kept this title until his death.

In 1848, ambassadors came to Imam Shamil from the Abdzakh, one of the Circassian regions. They asked to be given a naib to be introduced to Islam properly and unite the peoples under the banner of the Imamate. Imam Shamil agreed to send Muhammad Amin in order to lead their struggle against the expansion of Russia. After learning that a warriorly scholar has arrived, thousands of families moved to the Abdzakh region to accept his rule. Seferbiy Zaneqo assumed power after Amin's departure, but died the next year. In 1860, Qerandiqo Berzeg was elected as the leader of Circassia.

List

Portrait	Name	Term of office	Tribe of origin	Profession	Status	Established effective control	Sources
(Coat of Arms)	Shuwpagwe Qalawebateqo	1807–1827	Natukhaj	Soldier, politician	De jure	Template:Xmark No
	Ismail Berzeg	1827–1839	Ubykh	Military commander, politician	De facto	Y Yes
	Hawduqo Mansur	1839–1846	Natukhaj or Shapsug	Military commander, politician	De facto & De jure	Y Yes
	Muhammad Amin	1848–1859	Ethnic Avar	Islamic preacher	De facto & De jure	Y Yes
	Seferbiy Zaneqo	1859–13 June 1860	Shapsug	Diplomat, Military commander, politician	De facto	Y Yes
	Qerandiqo Berzeg	13 June 1860 – 21 May 1864	Ubykh	Military commander, politician	De facto & De jure	Y Yes