“Had an Irresistible Influence on the Highlanders...”: Sheikh Mansur in the Caucasian History

Abstract. The review presents an analysis of a collection of documents dedicated to one of the key figures in Caucasian history of the 18th century — Sheikh Mansur. This personality was already mythologized during his lifetime, and in the future this trend only intensified. The materials are predominantly testimonies of direct participants in events related to the confrontation between the Russian government and the mountain leader. They reflect the current outline of events, and, as a rule, are devoid of propaganda cliches. The compiler prepared detailed comments and explanations for the published evidence. The work contains an overview of works dedicated to Sheikh Mansur, and provides an overview of the historical situation in which this preacher and politician acted. One of the sections is devoted to an archaeographic overview of the problem. A chronological table, geographical indexes, a terminological dictionary, a list of sources and literature, illustrations and maps make the collection informative, visual and convenient for researchers to work with.

Keywords: documents, Sheikh Mansur, biography, myth, highlanders, raids, arrest, prisoner, army.