The
Russo-Circassian War (1763–1864) refers to a series of battles and wars in
Circassia, the northwestern part of the Caucasus, which were part of the
Russian Empire's conquest of the
Caucasus lasting approximately 101 years, starting under the reign of Tsar
Peter the Great and being completed in 1864. Although the conquest of the Caucasus started at least as early as the
Russo-Persian Wars, the term
Caucasian War commonly refers only to the period 1817–1864. Those who use the term Russian–Circassian War take its starting date as 1763, when the Russians began establishing forts, including at
Mozdok, to be used as springboards for conquest.