Circassians, Christianised through Byzantine influence between the 5th and 6th centuries were generally in alliance with Georgians, and both Georgians and Circassians wanted to keep good relations with the Russians. Although there had previously been a small Muslim presence in Circassia, significant conversions came after 1717, when Sultan Murad IV ordered the Crimeans to spread Islam among the Circassians, with the Ottomans and Crimeans seeing success in converting members of the aristocracy who would then ultimately spread the religion to their dependents; Islam gained much more ground later as conversion came to be used to cement defensive alliances to protect their independence against Russian expansion. Despite this, there were still Pagans and Christians among the Circassian people. The most Muslim region in Circassia was the Abdzakh district, which was ruled by Muhammad Amin and adopted sharia; religious differences became politicized and led to disunity among Circassians, with Amin using military force against the Natuhay and Shapsugs in 1840 because not all of them had accepted Islam.