Inal Nekhu (Adyghe: Инал Нэф, romanized: Yinal Nəf, lit. 'Inal the Radiant'; Kabardian: Инал Нэху, romanized: Yinal Nəxw, lit. 'Inal the Radiant'; also known as Inal the Great in Georgian sources) was the Supreme Prince (King) of Circassia from 1427 to 1453 who unified all Circassians (then divided into several princedoms) into one state.[5][6] He led campaigns into several countries and expanded borders on all directions.[7] He was the founder of several Circassian tribes, mainly Kabardia, Besleney, Temirgoy, Zhaney, and Hatuqwai.
Although the origin of Inal's nickname (Nef/Nekhu) is not known, sources claim that he had one eye blind, therefore it came from the word "Нэф" meaning "blind" in Circassian, and some claim that it came from the word "Нэху" meaning "enlightened" in Circassian.[8]
Kabarda (east Circassia) princes
Biography
Before the rise of Inal, the established lords in Circassia had separate territorial administration and an organized structure was not developed. Although the Circassians resisted Timurid forces in the Timur-Circassian wars,[9] the Circassian region suffered great destruction as a result of this war.[9]
Early life
He was born in the Taman Peninsula near modern-day Crimea and was raised among the princely caste. As a young boy, he was well-trained, proficient in martial arts, and educated about the vast land of the Circassian country and the numerous clans that controlled land and power throughout the homeland.
Rise to power
Inal initially owned land in the Taman peninsula.[10] A skilled strategist, in the early 1400s, he gathered a force mainly consisting of the Khegayk clan and set out to complete his goal of creating a unified Circassian kingdom under fealty. While Circassian lordships fell into Inal's hands one by one,[11] he fought and defeated warlords and clan chieftains. Despite the many attempts to divide and weaken his army, he used political intrigue to ward off any assassinations and divisions in his military.
Inal's rise disturbed established Circassian lords, and a confederation of 30 Circassian clans opposing Inal formed an alliance to fight him. In a battle near the Mzymta River, the coalition of thirty Circassian lords was defeated by Inal and his supporters. Ten of them were executed, while the remaining twenty lords declared allegiance and joined the forces of Inal's new state.[12]
Conquests
Conquest of Kuban and Eastern Circassia
The coat of Arms of the Cherkassky dynasty, used by the successors of Inal.
Inal, who then ruled Western Circassia, organized a campaign to Eastern Circassia in 1434 and established the Kabardia province, named after his military general, Kabard. Inal organized a new campaign to the north in 1438 and drove out the Turkic nomads near the Circassian settlements north of the Kuban River along the Ten River and expanded his borders to modern-day Azov.[9][13]
John III describes that at the turn of the XIV and XV centuries, Circassia expanded its borders to the north to the mouth of the Don, and he notes that "the city and port of Tana is located in the same country in Upper Circassia, on the Don River, which separates Europe from Asia".[citation needed] His description matches with Inal's expansions.
Reforms
Administrative reforms
When his conquests subsided, Inal began to take measures to develop the Circassian nation by introducing reforms, organizing tribes and instituting courts of elders to govern the concerns of the Circassian provinces. He divided his possessions into four counties: Qabard, Beslan, Kemirghoqo, and Zhanaqo-Hatuqwai. He introduced the institution of 40 judges. However, Circassia was split up again after his death into separate feudal principalities.[14][12][15]
The city of Shanjir
After taking over the entire Circassian land with effective expansions, Inal declared the Grand Principality of Circassia, taking the title of the Grand Prince/King and the Leader of the Circassian Highlanders.[16][17][18] The capital of this new Circassian state became the city of Shanjir also known as Jansher, founded in the Taman region where Inal was born and raised.
Circassia during the reign of Inal
Peter Simon Pallas and Julius von Klaproth were the first researchers to draw attention to the city of Shanjir in history, they both described the city of Shanjir similarly.[19] According to them, Shanjir was very "cleverly designed", had the shape of a rectangle surrounded by walls and moats, and had four gates, thus reminiscent of Roman strategic architecture.[20] In the north, fake hills were built to gain an advantage over the enemy.[21] Klaproth visited the ruins of the city of Shanjir, met the Circassian elders and gathered detailed information about the city.[22] According to the information he learned, Shanjir was in an area close to Anapa.[23][24]
Between Psif and Nefil there is a quadrilateral with four exits, lined with ramparts and moats, reminiscent of a Roman camp. Remains of the walls and ditches are still visible and stretches eastward about half a German mile (3 km) in diameter. According to what I heard, this place was formerly the residence of the king and was called Shanjir. Circassians express that their ancestors lived here.
— Julius von Klaproth
Although the city's exact location is unknown, the general opinion is that the Krasnaya Batareya region fits the descriptions by Klarapoth and Pallas.[23][25][26]
Death and burial
Inal divided his lands between his sons and grandchildren in 1453 and died in 1458. Following this, Circassian tribal principalities were formed. According to the Abkhaz claim, Inal died in Northern Abkhazia. This place is known today as Inal-Quba and is located in the Pskhu region.[27] Although most sources used to accept this theory, recent researches and excavations in the region show that Inal's tomb is not here.[8]
According to Russian explorer and archaeologist Evgeniy Dimitrievich Felitsin, Inal's tomb is not in Abkhazia. In a map published in 1882, Felitsin attached great importance to Inal but placed his grave in the Ispravnaya region in Karachay-Cherkessia, not Abkhazia. He added that this area has ancient sculptures, mounds, tombs, churches, castles and ramparts, which would be an ideal tomb for someone like Inal.[8][28]
Coalition banner of the Inalid Talhosten and Gilaksteney principalities
Abkhazian nationalists claim Inal-Quba in Pskhu is the burial site of Inal the Great
The Circassian and Abkhazian princes in following centuries claimed to be descendants of Inal and regarded him as their progenitor. Inal's name is also present in many geographical names in the Caucasus, as many places were named after him following his death. Place names associated with the name of Inal are found in Adygea, Krasnodar Krai, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Abkhazia. On the Black Sea coast of Circassia, there is the Inal Bay. In the Zolsk region of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, not far from Mount Kanzhal, there is mount Inal (2990 m) between Baksan River and Tyzyl valleys.[31] Variations of Inal (Yinal, Inal, Yanal, etc.) are common names among Circassians and Abkhazians. There are many statues of Inal, especially in Abkhazia.
References
^Khatko, Samir. Черкесские княжества в XIV - XV веках: вопросы формирования и взаимосвязи с субэтническими группами
^Shora Nogma has 1427 (per Richmond, Northwest Caucasus, kindle@610). In a later book (Circassian Genocide kindle @47) Richmond reports the legend that Inal reunited the princedoms after they were driven into the mountains by the Mongols. In a footnote (@2271) he says that Inal was a royal title among the Oguz Turks
^Cole, Jeffrey E. (2011). Ethnic Groups of Europe: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO, LLC. OCLC 939825134.
^Klaproth, Julius Von, 1783—1835. (2005). Travels in the Caucasus and Georgia performed in the years 1807 and 1808 by command of the Russian government. Elibron Classics
^Natho, Kadir (2009). Circassian History. Nadir I. Natho. ISBN978-1441523884.
^Dubois de Montpéreux, F., Voyage autour du Caucase, chez les Tcherkesses et les Abkhases, en Colchide, en Géorgie, en Arménie et en Crimée: Avec un atlas géographique, pittoresque, ... géologique, etc., Paris: Gide, 1839-43; reprinted: Adamant Media Corporation, Elibron Classics, 2002 (6 vols).
^— Voyages dans les gouvernements méridionaux de l'empire de la Russie, Paris, 1805 (3 vols).
^Klaproth, J.-H. (von), Travels in the Caucasus and Georgia, Performed in the Years 1807 and 1808, by Command of the Russian Government', translated from the German by F. Shoberl, London: Richard and Arthur Taylor for Henry Colburn, 1814. reprinted: Adamant Media Corporation, Elibron Classics, 2002. [Klaproth (1783-1835), born in Berlin in 1783, devoted his energies to the study of Asiatic languages, and published in 1802 his Asiatisches Magazin (Weimar, 1802-1803). He was consequently called to St. Petersburg and given an appointment in the academy there. In 1805 he was a member of Count Golovkin's embassy to China. On his return he was despatched by the academy to the Caucasus on an ethnographical and linguistic exploration (1807-1808), and was afterwards employed for several years in connection with the Academy's Oriental publications.]
^Броневский, Семён, Новейшие географические и исторические известия о Кавказе, Москва, 1823.
^Kokov (K'wek'we), J. N., Iz adigskoi (cherkesskoi) onomastiki [From Circassian Onomastics], Nalchik: Elbrus Book Publishing House, 1983.
'^Pallas, Peter Simon, Travels Through the Southern Provinces of the Russian Empire, in the Years 1793 and 1794, London: John Stockdale, Piccadilly, 1812 (2 vols). [Peter-Simon Pallas (1741-1811) second and most picturesque travel]
^Абрамзон, М. Г., Фролова, Н. А., "Горлов Ю. В. Клад золотых боспорских статеров II в. н. э. с Краснобатарейного городища: [Краснодар. край]", ВДИ, № 4, 2000, С. 60-68.
Grand Prince of All Circassia 
