After reading the brilliant book The Sabres Of Paradise by Lesley Blanch, which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading historical non-fiction, I became obsessed with the events described, and being a keen wargamer, wanted to collect forces to re-create large skirmish type games of this fascinating, and drawn out conflict.
This blog therefore, is specifically about the Murid wars, or the Imperial Russian conquest of the Caucasus, and the Lion of Daghestan, Imam Shamil, who for over two decades, resisted Russian expansion and subjugation.
So I had a look around to see what , if any, wargames figures were available for Imam Shamil's forces. The Russians are easy - you can use Crimean War Russians.
I would also like to mention the absolutely amazing service and help I received from Irregular Miniatures - I have never ever received better customer service in my life. It is the single best purchasing experience of my life. More on this in my second post once I've received the miniatures.
After an email exchange, I put in an order, and it is now due to arrive to me tomorrow (Friday 6th July).
I would also like to mention the absolutely amazing service and help I received from Irregular Miniatures - I have never ever received better customer service in my life. It is the single best purchasing experience of my life. More on this in my second post once I've received the miniatures.
Then I thought, ah, what about rules, and I had a look at Sharp Practice, and also The Men Who Would Be Kings, both of which seem to be warmly received on the whole but maybe didn't quite offer exactly what I wanted and my general feeling for the conflict from what I've read thus far.
Therefore, I have decided to have a go at writing my own rules, which i have called At The Edge Of Empires. Hopefully I can also adapt them to other colonial conflicts.
I will formalise the rules, and then post them here at some point for anyone to print and give them a go.
Who is Imam Shamil and the Murids?
The highlanders of the Caucasus around the region of Chechnya and Dagestan were Muslim subsistence farmers. Extremely hardy, fiercely independent, and devout Muslims.
During the 1820's the Russian Empire looked to the Caucasus as a natural defensive barrier to neighbouring empires as well as a jumping off point for expanding into Asia - Afghanistan, and British India beyond. The Great Game was beginning.
In the 1830's, Imam Shamil rose to prominence and became the new Imam of the region, and therefore the absolute ruler, just as the Tzar was of Imperial Russia.
The last King of Georgia, before passing away, invited Imperial Russian to become the protector of Georgia and absorb it into the Russian Empire to help protect it from the new rise of Muridism under Imam Shamil, as Georgia was largely Christian.
However, the Imperial Russians, through the 1840's and 1850's ramped their efforts to conquer once and for all, the whole of the Caucasus and subjugate the region. The Imperial Russian Army of the South, steadily expanded and became well known throughout the world, as the campaigning in the Caucasus and the Murid cause.
Despite the overwhelming man power and guns of the Imperial Russians, the climate, conditions, and the Murid irregular forces inflicted huge casualties on the Imperial Russian Army of the South. It would take over 25 years to finally conquer and subjugate the region.
It is a fascinating period, full of atmosphere, and suffering, triumph, and tragedy, with heroes, and villains, and all sorts of characters becoming involved, including Tolstoy, and Pushkin among other famous names. The geography of the area alone is stunning, hostile, beautiful, and difficult to conquer, and the native peoples, even more so.
There will be a second post shortly, over the weekend, or early next week.
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