Siege of Tashkent

Background

Internal conflict within Kokand enabled Russia to conquer Kokand's subjects in the Kazakh Steppe in 1864. In Tashkent, the clergy were willing to ally with the Emirate of Bukhara, while merchants, burdened by heavy Kokandi taxation, were open to Russian rule. Tashkent was the most prosperous city in Central Asia during the 1800s, and Russian foreign policy had long aimed at capturing it. Tsar Alexander II hesitated to order an attack, fearing British reprisal and doubting the capability of regional commander Mikhail Chernyayev's small army.

On 2 February 1865, Governor-general Nikolai Kryzhanovsky sent Chernyayev a letter containing a summary of Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov's document and instructions. Gorchakov's section stated Tashkent should not be annexed but become an independent city-state; Kryzhanovsky's notes were vague and granted Chernyayev powers to attack. Kryzhanovsky also mentioned he would visit the region in summer, possibly motivating Chernyayev to act quickly to avoid sharing credit.

Prelude

In May 1865, Chernyayev marched to Tashkent after learning that Bukharan forces were 15 miles from the city and preparing an assault. On 29 April, his forces reached Fort Niazbek, a garrison of 7,000 Kokand soldiers south of Tashkent. Chernyayev captured the fort with only seven wounded. Niazbek lay upstream on the Chirchik River, Tashkent's primary water source; Chernyayev ordered his engineers to divert the river, cutting off the city's water. Reinforcements arrived, raising his force to 1,900. Alimqul, hearing of Niazbek's capture days later, rode to Tashkent with 6,000 soldiers and 12 guns from the Ferghana valley.

Siege

Chernyayev reached Tashkent on 8 May and studied its defenses, contacting allies inside. He concluded his small force made a siege impossible and that only a sudden assault could succeed; the long wall meant defenses were spread thin. On 9 May, Alimqul arrived near Shur-Tepa, where Chernyayev's troops were stationed, and at 6:00 a.m. began shelling the Russian camp. Russian forces counterattacked: the 4th companies split into a frontal assault on the center and a flanking maneuver.

Alimqul's troops offered weak resistance. During the battle Alimqul was shot and killed, prompting a mass retreat. His personal guard fled first, then the infantry; much of the infantry was overrun, and the artillery was abandoned. About 300 Kokandi soldiers were killed and 10 Russians wounded.

The survivors did not stay for Tashkent's final defense. Chernyayev hoped the power vacuum would empower the pro-Russian faction, but residents pursued other options: one group tried to form an independent state under Sultan Sayyid Khan, and elders asked Muzaffar bin Nasrullah for support, which he expressed interest in. Lacking numbers for a full siege, Chernyayev dispatched patrols to harass citizens gathering food or grazing animals, enforcing a blockade.

Colonel Kraevsky's light battery bombarded the city. Most residents expected an assault but few were ready to resist. Chernyayev's exact reason for ordering the assault is unknown; he later said he wanted to prevent Bukhara from capturing the city, but his failed siege a year earlier had damaged his career, and success would be lauded. One uncorroborated account states he feared retreat would be overrun by 'Asian hoards'.

Aftermath

After the siege, Chernyayev feared an attack from the Emirate of Bukhara, which he believed was preparing over 80,000 troops. To prepare, he adopted a conciliatory policy: he visited local mosques and bazaars, formed close ties with the city's ulama, and promised to enforce sharia law. This alliance allowed him to control the city despite lacking troops to hold it by force. A year-long debate in the Russian government over Tashkent's status followed; in August 1866 the city was officially annexed. The capture became a mythologized event in Russian history, marked by increasingly elaborate anniversary celebrations. On the 50th anniversary in 1915, public buildings and the city of Shymkent were renamed in honor of Chernyayev.