National Oath

Summary

National Oath was a social and political movement built around a pledge of national unity in early 19th-century Circassia, which was adopted by prominent Circassian figures as well as large segments of the common population. Circassians adopting the oath vowed to unify Circassia as a single country and resist the ongoing Russian annexation of Circassia. Leaders from different regions of Circassia swore loyalty to the National Oath and formed a unified political movement and ultimately a loose Circassian government; successor movements inspired by the National Oath lasted until 1864 when the Russian Empire competed its conquest.