Page "Imam Shamil" Paragraph 9

In 1859 Shamil wrote to one of his sons: " By the will of the Almighty, the Absolute Governor, I have fallen into the hands of unbelievers ... the Great Emperor ... has settled me here ... in a tall spacious house with carpets and all the necessities ".

Shamil while in Russian captivity apparently adopted the line of the Tsar and said that his " compatriots " ( many of whom never were loyal to him in the first place, especially the Chechens ) should stop fighting as it was pointless.

The fight continued, however, as Chechens and Avars dismissed his advice and continued to fight for a couple more years.

Shamil's memory now varies from group to group.

Among some of the groups that he had considered part of his Imamate ( whether they wanted to be part of it or not ), like the Chechens, he is regarded as a man who merely went for power, good because he fought the Russians well, but good for nothing else.