Principality of Okotskaya

In the second half of the 16th century, the rulers of Okotskaya Land established close relations with the Russian state. During the 1580s, Shikh Okotsky emerged as one of Russia’s most influential allies in the Caucasus, with his authority extending over Aukh, the lowland regions of Chechnya, and parts of northern Dagestan. Following the assassination of Shikh-murza in 1596, approximately 160 Okotsky families fled to the city of Terek, where they founded the Okotsk settlement. The settlement was later replenished by migrants from Chechnya and other Mountain lands and continued to exist until the 19th century.^[18]

After the end of the Time of Troubles and the accession of Mikhail Romanov, Moscow renewed its political relations with the peoples of the North Caucasus. Several Kabardian and Dagestani rulers subsequently received royal charters confirming Moscow's patronage and protection. Alongside a letter of congratulation, the envoys also brought a written petition addressed to the tsar. One of the ambassadors, Akhmat Inalov, reported to Moscow: "And I, your serf Akhmetok, have been chosen by my comrades to inquire about your royal majesty and your continued good health." He appears in the sources as the head of this small Chechen embassy in Moscow. On behalf of 160 Okochans, the petition was signed by Akhmat Inalov together with 19 of the most respected members of the diaspora, referred to in the document as the “best people of the Okochans.” The petition opens with a list of the signatories addressed to Tsar and Grand Prince Mikhail Fedorovich of all Russia, naming the Okochans of Terek city, including Urak Itinov, Taburka Urakov, Adyga Biberdin, Urak Molodoy, Kelya Ilziyarov, Didey Mustaparov, Yuzyashar Yanbekov, Batyr Akin, Okhmat Inalov, Odya Yatekov, Kentia Kerbekov, Churyubash Alebekov, Tabura Urakov, Urak Yanmekov, Terbulat Biberdin, Arakhcha Machyukin, Smailka Ichin, and Psenchey Chorobashov, together with their 160 comrades, who "bow their heads." The main aim of the petition was to describe the difficulties of their service and to request the issuance of bread and monetary salaries that the Terek administration reportedly owed them.^[19]

On 6 September 1614, the Okotsk envoys Akhmat and Achelei were received by Tsar Michael. In Moscow, the importance of their service in a distant frontier town was clearly understood, as the Chechen enclave on the border held a significant role in the development of Russian–Caucasian relations. The envoys were formally presented to the tsar by the ambassadorial clerk of the Posolsky Prikaz, Pyotr Tretyakov. The mission proved successful, as their petition was approved. A tsarist decree granting salaries to the Okochans was issued and dispatched to the Terek voivodes, sent back together with Akhmat and Achelei.^[20]

In the 17th century, documents of the Ambassadorial Prikaz record the Okochans in service to the Russian Tsardom, often referring to them under the designation Okochenya. The list of articles from the 1650–1652 embassy of the stolnik N. Tolochanov and the clerk A. Ievlev to the Kingdom of Imereti mentions the Okochans twice. According to the document, 60 Okoki took part in escorting the embassy from Terek, together with Terek service people, 50 mounted archers, and 30 newly baptized individuals. The same source also refers to the Okoki during the march "from Zazaruka^[f] to Bolkhar^[g]", where, during the crossing of the Psygansu River, many horses reportedly fell while carrying pack loads.^[22]

Beginning in the 1580s, various Mountain lands were increasingly mentioned in the reports of the Terek voivodes and in documents concerning the Russian government's diplomatic relations with the Caucasus that have survived to the present day. In some cases, the sources contain entire lists of these territories. The recorded forms of their names remained relatively stable, allowing modern researchers to identify the range of Mountain lands that fell within the sphere of influence and contact of the Russian administration of the Terek town, and, with varying degrees of certainty, to correlate these Russian exotoponyms with historical Nakh territories.^[23]

Old Russian sources preserve several variants of the toponym Okotskaya zemlya, including the less common forms Akotskaya zemlya and Akhotskaya zemlya. Alongside the term zemlya, meaning a particular land or country, documents also employed the archaic word zemlitsa with a similar meaning. In the Russian vocabulary of the period, state formations or territories were often designated by the name of the people inhabiting them; accordingly, synonyms for Okotskaya zemlya included Okoki, Okokhi, Okochane, Okochany, Okochenya, Okuki, and Okuchane, while the forms Akozy and Akochane appear more rarely. In Old Russian orthography, such ethnonyms were typically written with capital letters.^[24]