“We Do Not Should Fight with the Mountains, but Should Still Proceed to the Purpose ...” (From “The Note about Caucasus” by A.I. Mende, 1841)

Abstract. This article is a publication of a fragment of a note by Major-General Alexander Ivanovich Mende, devoted to the methods of conquering the Caucasus in the first half of the 19th century. The memo is dated in 1841 and was prepared as a part of the renewed interest of the Military Ministry of the Russian Empire in Caucasus. The provisions formulated in the note based on specific data reflect the opinion of one of the military, who is well acquainted with the situation in the region, on the necessary transformations to include the Caucasus in the empire. The author sets out some measures to conquer the region, draws attention to situations in which weapons are needed, assesses the need for the resettlement of the Russian population from the interior provinces, specifics of the organization of administration and the function of administrators, and also expresses the opinion that it is necessary to write the history of the accession of the Caucasus to the Russian Empire.

Keywords: Russian Empire, Caucasus, A.I. Mende, the Caucasian War, Dagestan, Chechnya.