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Raid on the Septenya Ulus — In 1741, the Kazakhs made an unexpected raid on the Septen ulus and defeated it.

Background

The third Dzungar campaign took place in the second half of 1740. Kazakh military leaders prepared their militia in advance and mounted a decisive and organized resistance against the enemy. Fierce battles continued until early 1741. In January 1741, Galdan Tseren sent his envoys to the Siberian Governor-General P. Buturlin to clarify Russia's position on the Dzungar claims to the Middle Zhuz. Buturlin assured the envoys that Russia would not allow Kazakh nomads to cross the fortress line.

Taking advantage of this, the Dzungars, in late February 1741, mobilized a 30,000-strong army led by General Septen and Galdan Tseren’s son Lama Dorji. Their troops advanced in three key directions: along the Ishim River, from the Tashkent area, and from Turkestan. The powerful offensive of the Dzungar forces forced the Middle Zhuz Khan, Abulmambet, to retreat with his people to the Ilek and Ural rivers. Many Kazakh settlements were completely destroyed, with livestock and people taken to Dzungaria. Kazakh sultans and warriors, including Sultan Ablai, who commanded a reconnaissance detachment of 200 men, were captured.

Raid

In 1741, fierce battles unfolded on the territory of the Middle Zhuz, including the banks of the Irtysh River. Under the leadership of the renowned batyr Olzhabai, the Kazakhs launched a raid and dealt a crushing blow to the ulus of the Oirat commander-in-chief, Septen, marking a significant success in the war.

Despite the fragmentation of the Kazakh forces, which led to defeats in certain battles and the capture of Sultan Abylai, subsequent events turned the tide of the confrontation. The Dzungar command's attempts to strike from the south ended in failure. On June 10, 1741, Yenisei Kyrgyz Kychyk Chyuganov, who had escaped from Dzungar captivity, reported in Kuznetsk: “With that Kalmyk force, the Kazakh Horde fought in the past half-winter, according to their naming, in the month of Chegan Tsara (February), and the Kazakh Horde overcame the Kalmyk force and inflicted heavy losses on the Kalmyks’ right wing.”

Batyr Olzhabai particularly distinguished himself in this war, and his descendants settled in the Bayanaul region. Folk legends and historical chronicles remember him as the victor over Galdan Tseren, whose actions played a pivotal role in defending the Middle Zhuz.

Result of war

Notes

1. Kushkumbaev, A. K. (2001). Kazakh military affairs in the XVI—XVII centuries (in Russian). Almaty: publishing house "Dyke Press". p. 135. ISBN 9965-441-44-8.
2. Moiseev, V. A. (1991). Dzungarian Khanate and Kazakhs XVII—XVIII (in Russian). Almaty: «Gylym». pp. 120–121.
3. Kushkumbaev, A. K. (2001). Kazakh military affairs in the XVI—XVII centuries (in Russian). Almaty: publishing house "Dyke Press". pp. 135–136. ISBN 9965-441-44-8.
4. L. A., Zakharenko; B. K., Kosayakov; V. K., Mertz (2003). The history of Pavlodar Irtysh region (in Russian). Pavlodar. p. 57. ISBN 9965-652-157-3. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)