In the first half of the 19th century, the Caucasian region was controlled by Nicholas I's Russia. However, the Muslim areas of Circassia and Dagestan, in the North of the region, remained the most intolerant of Russian expansionism, which they tried to hinder through intense guerrilla activity. In the context of the Great Game, in which Russia and Britain fought over areas of Central Asia, the Circassians became a key ally for a Scotsman particularly hostile towards the Russians. David Urquhart, that was his name, had developed a fascination for the Ottoman Empire and its civilisation during the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829). Although he had initially sided with the Greeks, Urquhart ended up sympathising with the Ottomans and espoused their hostility towards Russia, which was becoming increasingly aggressive towards the Sultan's domains in those years. Consequently, having developed an ardent Russophobia, Urquhart established contact with the Circassians in 1834, taking advantage of a stay in Constantinople. According to Urquhart, it was imperative for Britain to support the Circassian cause, since if the Russians had totally conquered the Caucasus - which a Russian general had described as ‘the greatest fortress in the world’ - they would have had easy access to Turkey, Persia and above all India, the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Indeed, in the book published the following year England and Russia, Urquhart denounced Russian expansionism directed towards India: it was the first in a long series of articles, pamphlets and books - steeped in propaganda in favour of the Circassian cause - that Urquhart wrote in a short space of time. However, Urquhart's fears were well-founded: as well as having strengthened their fleet, the Russians had reinforced their bases in the Caucasus, from which an attack towards Turkey or Persia seemed anything but random. Thus, espousing the Circassian cause was crucial for Urquhart, since thanks to it the Scottish diplomat had gained further motivation to counter the Russian advance in the Caucasus, ‘the greatest fortress in the world’.