Alkhas Jamirza

Alkhas Jamirza was a Kabardian prince of the Jilakhstan family who was active in the late 16th century. He was one of the most powerful feudal lords in the North Caucasus, with holdings situated along the route between Astrakhan and Georgia. Alkhas maintained extensive diplomatic relations with the Russian state and Kakheti, escorting diplomatic missions between the two regions. He also maintained close ties with Safavid Iran, including through the marriage of one of his daughters to Shah Abbas I. During the Kabardian civil war of 1589, Alkhas allied himself with Sholokh, but the two were defeated.

Biography

Alkhas was a Kabardian prince of the Jilakhstan family and the grandson of its founder, Jilakhstan.

Relations with Moscow

In October 1588, Alkhas sent his ambassador Aslanbech to Moscow. The Russian government regarded maintaining ties with Sholokh and Alkhas as desirable, as their appanages lay along the route to Georgia.

In 1589, the Russian government issued royal charters concerning the passage of the Russian ambassador to Georgia, S. G. Zvenigorodsky, through the territories of Sholokh and Alkhas. However, neither Sholokh nor Alkhas accompanied the tsar's ambassadors.

Further letters from 1589 addressed to the two princes requested that they escort Zvenigorodsky's embassy to Georgia. Sholokh and Alkhas refused, displeasing the Russian government. The Ambassadorial Prikaz subsequently issued a rescript to the Terek voivode A. I. Khvorostinin requesting that servicemen be dispatched against Prince Sholokh. In September, Mamstruk Temruqo made the same request.

Relations with Georgia and Iran

Alkhas was one of the most powerful feudal lords in the North Caucasus. His holdings were situated along the route from Astrakhan to Georgia, giving him considerable influence over affairs in the North Caucasus. In foreign policy, he frequently supported Georgia, as his sister was the mother of Alexander II of Kakheti.

Following the death of Aslanbech I in July 1589, a new civil conflict broke out in Kabardia. Alkhas supported Sholokh, but the two were defeated.