The Caucasian War and Population Transfers in the Southern Outskirts of the Russian Empire

The article examines the history of transfers (displacements) of the population during the years of the Caucasian War. Transfers are analyzed in the context of the Russian Empire's policy of establishing military and political control in the region. The article is based on the materials of several federal and regional archives, as well as published historical evidence and research literature. The author concludes that the history of colonization of the North Caucasus, which is widely represented in historiography, needs revision. The history of Russian colonization is a narrative about the adaptation of the Cossacks and peasants to the new conditions of life and interaction with the local population. However, new settlers came to the territories previously occupied by the indigenous population forced to leave them. In this respect, it is the history of transfers that allows us to understand the motives of the imperial administration, the mechanisms of organization of relocations, and the resettlement reflection of the population. Another conclusion of the article is that during the course of the Caucasian War, population transfers became one of the standard mechanisms of the Russian administration, and the large-scale eviction of the Adygs in 1862-1864 was a continuation of this policy.