Valerik River
Encyclopedia
Valerik is a little river in Chechnya
, a tributary of the Sunzha. The river's lower stream becomes dry in summer.
. Possibly this river was a border between the Veinakhs and the Iranian peoples
who lived in the steppe, and a place of bloodly battles. A neighbouring river is named Mardan, which means 'river of the dead' in Iranian languages.
s and the Russian Imperial Army advancing towards inner Chechnya.
The Russians under Apollon Galafeyev
(first battle
) and Pavel Grabbe (second battle) defeated the army of Imam Shamil
on 11 July and 30 October respectively. After this battle Shamil withdrew from Chechnya and retreated to Caucasian Avaria.
The first battle of the Valerik River is described in Mikhail Lermontov
's poem "Valerik". Lermontov was a participant in both battles and gained recognition as a hero, but due to Nicolas I's personal negative attitude towards Lermontov, he was not awarded a medal.
The meaning of Valerik as "the river of the dead" is still used metaphorically: the battle of Komsomolskoye
was referred as a "Valerik of the late 20th century".
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, a tributary of the Sunzha. The river's lower stream becomes dry in summer.
Etymology
The name of the river means 'river of the dead' in ChechenChechen language
The Chechen language is spoken by more than 1.5 million people, mostly in Chechnya and by Chechen people elsewhere. It is a member of the Northeast Caucasian languages.-Classification:...
. Possibly this river was a border between the Veinakhs and the Iranian peoples
Iranian peoples
The Iranian peoples are an Indo-European ethnic-linguistic group, consisting of the speakers of Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, as such forming a branch of Indo-European-speaking peoples...
who lived in the steppe, and a place of bloodly battles. A neighbouring river is named Mardan, which means 'river of the dead' in Iranian languages.
Battles of the Valerik River
In 1840 two battles were fought at the banks of the river between Caucasian Imamate muridMurid
Murid is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' from the root meaning "willpower" or "self-esteem". It refers to a person who is committed to a Murshid in a Tariqa of Sufism. Also known as a Salik , a murid is an initiate into the mystic philosophy of Sufism. When the Talib makes a pledge to a...
s and the Russian Imperial Army advancing towards inner Chechnya.
The Russians under Apollon Galafeyev
Apollon Galafeyev
Apollon Vasilyevich Galafeyev was a decorated Russian general.Apollon Galafeyev was born into a noble family in Tambov guberniya. After having received his education at the 1st Cadet Corps, he graduated in the rank of podporuchik on December 26, 1811, and was assigned to the Tula Infantry Regiment...
(first battle
Battle of the Valerik River
The Battle of the Valerik River on July 11, 1840 was a battle of the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. It was fought about southwest of the fortress of Groznaya between forces of the Imperial Russian Army and North Caucasian mountaineers led by the naib Ahberdila Muhammad...
) and Pavel Grabbe (second battle) defeated the army of Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil
Imam Shamil also spelled Shamyl, Schamil, Schamyl or Shameel was an Avar political and religious leader of the Muslim tribes of the Northern Caucasus...
on 11 July and 30 October respectively. After this battle Shamil withdrew from Chechnya and retreated to Caucasian Avaria.
The first battle of the Valerik River is described in Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Lermontov
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov , a Russian Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus", became the most important Russian poet after Alexander Pushkin's death in 1837. Lermontov is considered the supreme poet of Russian literature alongside Pushkin and the greatest...
's poem "Valerik". Lermontov was a participant in both battles and gained recognition as a hero, but due to Nicolas I's personal negative attitude towards Lermontov, he was not awarded a medal.
The meaning of Valerik as "the river of the dead" is still used metaphorically: the battle of Komsomolskoye
Battle of Komsomolskoye
The Battle of Komsomolskoye took place in March 2000 between Russian forces and separatists in Chechnya in the village of Komsomolskoye .-The battle:...
was referred as a "Valerik of the late 20th century".