A Russian General Storms Tashkent on His Own Initiative

In the mid-nineteenth century, Tashkent was one of the most prosperous commercial urban centers in Central Asia, held as a subject possession of the Khanate of Kokand. Internal political divisions within the khanate had already allowed imperial Russia to conquer territory in the neighboring steppe in 1864. While Saint Petersburg viewed the wealthy city as an important long-term strategic objective, Tsar Alexander II declined to sanction an outright assault. The imperial leadership hesitated over diplomatic repercussions with the British Empire and doubted the capabilities of the small regional army commanded by Major General Mikhail Chernyayev. Instructions from St. Petersburg told him to refrain from a new attempt on the city, and officials considered leaving it as an independent city-state rather than annexing it.

Despite diplomatic caution, communications from the regional governor-general in Orenburg provided Chernyayev with enough ambiguity to justify offensive action. Chernyayev moved quickly. On April 29, 1865, his forces attacked and captured Fort Niazbek, a nearby stronghold on the Chirchik River, suffering only seven wounded men among his ranks. Because Niazbek commanded Tashkent's primary water source, imperial engineers diverted the river to deprive the urban population downstream. After receiving reinforcements that brought his total force to nineteen hundred soldiers, Chernyayev marched directly toward the fortified perimeter of the metropolis.