 In 1779 the Kabardians were defeated, losing 50 princes and 350 nobles and a frontier was established along the Malka and Terek.The establishment of the Georgian Military Road (Mozdok-Vladikavkaz-Tiflis) effectively cut off Lesser Kabardia.About 1805 a major plague struck the north Caucasus and carried away a large part of the Kabardian population.