Society was organized by "Adyghe khabze", or Circassian custom. Many of these customs had equivalents throughout the mountains. The seemingly disorganized Circassians resisted the Russians just as effectively as the organized theocracy of Imam Shamil. The aristocracy was called "warq". Some aristocratic families held the rank of "Pshi" or prince and the eldest member of this family was the "Pshi-tkhamade" who was the tribal chief. Below the warq was the large class to "tfokotl", roughly yeomen or freemen, who had various duties to the "warq".