The Kingdom of Abkhazia ( ka, აფხაზთა სამეფო, tr; ) was a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

state in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

which was established in the 780s. Through dynastic succession, it was united in 1008 with the

Kingdom of the Iberians The Kingdom of the Iberians ( ka, ქართველთა სამეფო, tr) was a medieval Georgia (country), Georgian monarchy under the Bagrationi dynasty which emerged circa 888 Anno Domini, AD, succeeding the Principality of Iberi ...

, forming the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

sources record that in the early years of the 10th century Abkhazia stretched three hundred Greek miles along the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

coast, from the frontiers of the '' thema'' of Chaldia to the mouth of the river Nicopsis, with the

behind it.

History

Background

Abkhazia was a princedom under

authority. It lay chiefly along the

coast in what is now the northwestern part of the modern-day

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

(disputed Republic of

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

) and extended northward into the territory of today's

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and is administratively a part of the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the t ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. It had Anacopia as its capital. Abkhazia was ruled by a hereditary ''

archon ''Archon'' (, plural: , ''árchontes'') is a Greek word that means "ruler", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem , meaning "to be first, to rule", derived from the same ...

'' who effectively functioned as a Byzantine viceroy. The country was chiefly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and the city of Pityus was a seat of an

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

directly subordinated to the

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

. Another Abasgian episcopal see was that of Soterioupolis. In 735, a large expedition led by Arab general Marwan was launched against the Georgian kingdoms. The Arabs, pursuing the retreating Georgian princes – brothers Mirian and Archil – surged into Abkhazia in 736.

Dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

and

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

s, combined with a stubborn resistance offered by the archon Leon I and his Iberian and Lazic allies, made the invaders retreat. Leon I then married Mirian's daughter, and a successor, Leon II exploited this dynastic union to acquire

Lazica The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...

in the 770s. Presumably considered as a

successor state Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory (and populace) that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th ...

of Lazica (''Egrisi,'' in Georgian sources), this new polity continued to be referred to as Egrisi (Lazica) in some contemporary Georgian (e.g., ''The Vitae of the Georgian Kings'' by Leonti Mroveli) and

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n (e.g., ''The History of Armenia'' by Hovannes Draskhanakertsi) chronicles.

Establishment and consolidation

The successful defense against the Arabs, and new territorial gains, gave the Abkhazian princes enough power to claim more autonomy from the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. Towards circa 778, Leon II won his full independence with the help of the

Khazars The Khazars ; 突厥可薩 ''Tūjué Kěsà'', () were a nomadic Turkic people who, in the late 6th century CE, established a major commercial empire covering the southeastern section of modern European Russia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, a ...

; he assumed the title of "'' King of the Abkhazians"'' and transferred his capital to the western Georgian city of

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

. According to Georgian annals, Leon subdivided his kingdom into eight duchies:

proper, Tskhumi, Bedia,

Guria Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia (country), Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 104,338 (2023), with Ozurgeti as the regional cap ...

, Racha and Takveri,

Svaneti Svaneti (Svan language, Svan: შუ̂ან, ლემშუ̂ანიერა; ''shwan, lemshwaniera'', and Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia (country), Georg ...

, Argveti, and Kutatisi. During his reign Abkhazian kingdom was at the stage of the state building and was less active in the matter of spreading the borders of the kingdom to the East. After obtaining of the state independence, the matter of the church independence became the main problem. In the early 9th century church of Kingdom of Abkhazia broke away from

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and recognized the authority of the Catholicate of Mtskheta; language of the church in Abkhazia shifted from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

to Georgian, as Byzantine power decreased and doctrinal differences disappeared. The most prosperous period of the Abkhazian kingdom was between 850 and 950. Beginning with George I (864 – 871), the increasingly expansionist tendencies of the kingdom led to the enlargement of its realm to the east. The Abkhazian kings controlled duchy of Kartli (central and part of eastern Georgia), and interfered in the affairs of the

n and Georgian Bagratids. In about 908 King Constantine III (894 – 923) had finally annexed a significant portion of Kartli, bringing his borders close to the Arab-controlled Tbilisi. For a brief period of time,

Kakheti Kakheti (; ) is a region of Georgia. Telavi is its administrative center. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Qvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakhetians speak the ...

and Hereti in eastern Georgia also recognized the Abkhazian suzerainty. Constantine III also tried to extend his influence over Alania by supporting their

Christianization Christianization (or Christianisation) is a term for the specific type of change that occurs when someone or something has been or is being converted to Christianity. Christianization has, for the most part, spread through missions by individu ...

. Under his son, George II (923 – 957), the Abkhazian Kingdom reached a climax of power and prestige. George was also known as a promoter of Orthodox Christianity and a patron of Georgian Christian culture. He helped to establish Christianity as an official religion in Alania, winning the thanks of

. The contemporary Georgian annals knew him as a "builder of churches". George's successors, however, were unable to retain the kingdom's strength and integrity. During the reign of Leon III (960–969), Kakheti and Hereti emancipated themselves from the Abkhazian rule. A bitter

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and feudal revolts which began under Demetrius III (969–976) led the kingdom into complete anarchy under the unfortunate Theodosius III the Blind (975 – 978), a weak and inauspicious king.

Unification

By that time the hegemony in the

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

had finally passed to the Georgian Bagratids of

Tao-Klarjeti Tao-Klarjeti may refer to: * Tao-Klarjeti, part of Georgian historical region of Upper Kartli * Kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti, AD 888 to 1008 {{set index article Kingdom of Iberia Historical regions of Georgia (country) ...

. In 978, the Bagratid prince Bagrat, nephew (sister's son) of the heirless Theodosius, occupied the Abkhazian throne with the help of his adoptive father

David III of Tao David III Kuropalates (, ''Davit’ III Kurapalati'') or David III the Great (დავით III დიდი, ''Davit’ III Didi''), also known as David II, (c. 930s – 1000/1001) was a Georgia (country), Georgian prince of the Bagrationi, B ...

. Bagrat's descent from both Bagratid and Abkhazian dynasties made him an acceptable choice for the nobles of the realm who were growing weary of internecine quarrels. In 1008, Bagrat succeeded on the death of his natural father Gurgen as the "King of the Iberians". Thus, these two kingdoms unified through dynastic succession, in practice laying the foundation for the unified Georgian monarchy, officially styled then as the

Rulers

Most Abkhazian kings, with the exception of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Adarnase of the Shavliani (presumably of Svan origin), came from the dynasty which is sometimes known in modern history writing as the Leonids after the first king Leon, or Anosids, after the prince Anos from whom the royal family claimed their origin. Prince

Cyril Toumanoff Cyril Leo Toumanoff ( ka, კირილ თუმანოვი; ; 10 October 1913 – 4 February 1997) was a Georgian-American historian, and academic genealogist who mostly specialized in the history and genealogies of medieval Georgia, Armen ...

relates the name of Anos to the later Abkhaz noble family of Anchabadze. By convention, the regnal numbers of the Abkhazian kings continue from those of the

s of Abasgia. There is also some lack of consistency about the dates of their reigns. The chronology below is given as per Toumanoff.

Ethnic composition and historiography

Writing the kingdom's primary history was dominated by Georgian and

sources supported by modern epigraphic and archaeological records. The constitution of the kingdom is presented differently in the Abkhazian and Georgian historiography, with the ethnic composition of the population and the origin of the ruling dynasty being especially contentious. For Abkhazian historians, the kingdom of Abkhazia is considered the historical root of the nation and the "1200-year statehood tradition" is emphasised. The dominant Georgian narrative emphasises the joint Georgian-Abkhazian state and the dominant role of the Georgian language and culture. Most international scholars agree that it is extremely difficult to judge the ethnic identity of the various population segments due primarily to the fact that the terms "Abkhazia" and "Abkhazians" were used in a broad sense during this period—and for some while later—and covered, for all practical purposes, all the population of the kingdom, comprising both the Georgian (including also

Mingrelians The Mingrelians (; ka, მეგრელები, tr) are an indigenous Kartvelian-speaking ethnic subgroup of Georgians that mostly live in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (; ka, სამეგრელო, tr) region of Georgia. They also l ...

, Laz, and Svans with their distinct languages that are related to the

Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...

) and Abkhaz ( Abasgoi, Apsilae, and

Zygii The Zygii (, ''Zygoí'') or Zygians were described by Strabo as a nation to the north of Colchis. He wrote: ''And on the sea lies the Asiatic side of the Cimmerian Bosporus, Bosporus, or the Sindi (people), Syndic territory. After this latter, ...

) peoples. It seems likely that a significant proportion of the Georgian-speaking population, combined with a drive of the Abkhazian kings to throw off the Byzantine political and cultural dominance, resulted in Georgian replacing

as the language of literacy and culture.Alexei Zverev, ''Ethnic Conflicts in the Caucasus''; Graham Smith, Edward A Allworth, Vivien A Law et al., pages 56-58; ''Abkhaz'' by W. Barthold . Minorskyin the

Encyclopaedia of Islam The ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'' (''EI'') is a reference work that facilitates the Islamic studies, academic study of Islam. It is published by Brill Publishers, Brill and provides information on various aspects of Islam and the Muslim world, Isl ...

; ''The Georgian-Abkhaz State'' (summary), by George Anchabadze, in: Paul Garb, Arda Inal-Ipa, Paata Zakareishvili, editors, Aspects of the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict: Cultural Continuity in the Context of Statebuilding, Volume 5, August 26–28, 2000.

Gallery

File:Bediacup.jpg, The Bedia Chalice donated by Bagrat to the Bedia Monastery is an important piece of Georgian metal art. c. 999 AD File:Mokva cathedral.jpg, Mokvi Cathedral constructed in 10th century, during the reign of King Leon III of Abkhazia File:2014 Nowy Aton, Cerkiew św. Szymona Apostoła (06).jpg, Church of St. Simon the Canaanite constructed between 9-10th century in

New Athos New Athos or Akhali Atoni is a town in the Gudauta Municipality of Abkhazia situated some from Sokhumi by the shores of the Black Sea. The town was previously known under the names Nikopol, Acheisos, Anakopia, Nikopia, Nikofia, Nikopsis, Absara ...

File:Bzyb church.jpg, Church of Bzyb constructed in the second half of IX century File:Pitsunda cathedral.jpg, Pitsunda Cathedral was built at the end of the 10th century by King

Bagrat III of Georgia Bagrat III ( ka, ბაგრატ III) (c. 960 – 7 May 1014), also known as Bagrat the Unifier, of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the king ('' mepe'') of the Kingdom of Abkhazia from 978 on (as Bagrat II of Abkhazia) and king of the Kingdom of ...

. File:Lykhny temple.jpg, Lykhny Church built in the 10th century. File:Martvili_Monastery_(3).jpg, Chkondidi cathedral built by George II, X century File:George of Abkhazia cross.jpg, The cross of George II of Abkhazia, X century File:2014_Suchum,_Pozostałości_zamku_Bagrata_(02).jpg, The remains of the Bagrat's Castle. File:Kumurdo_Cathedral.jpg, Kumurdo Cathedral was built by Ioane the Bishop during the reign of King Leon III of Abkhazia in 964.

Notes

References

Sources and further reading

Alexei Zverev, Ethnic Conflicts in the Caucasus 1988-1994
in B. Coppieters (ed.), ''Contested Borders in the Caucasus'', Brussels: VUBPress, 1996 # Graham Smith, Edward A Allworth, Vivien A Law, Annette Bohr, Andrew Wilson, ''Nation-Building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities'', Cambridge University Press (September 10, 1998),

# Center for Citizen Peacebuilding

#S. H. Rapp, ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', Peeters Bvba (September 25, 2003)

an article by Levan Gigineishvili, 2003 # ttp://src-home.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/sympo/Proceed97/kitagawa.html The Role of Historiography in the Abkhazo-Georgian Conflict, an article by Seiichi Kitagawa, 1996 # #Georgiy I Mirsky, G I Mirskii, ''On Ruins of Empire: Ethnicity and Nationalism in the Former Soviet Union (Contributions in Political Science)'', Greenwood Press (January 30, 1997) #Ronald Grigor Suny, ''The Making of the Georgian Nation'': 2nd edition (December 1994), Indiana University Press, , page 45 #Robert W. Thomson (translator), ''Rewriting Caucasian History: The Medieval Armenian Adaptation of the Georgian Chronicles: The Original Georgian Texts and Armenian Adaptation (Oxford Oriental Monographs)'', Oxford University Press, USA (June 27, 1996), {{ISBN, 0-19-826373-2 #Toumanoff C., ''Chronology of the Kings of Abasgia and other Problems'' // Le Muséon, 69 (1956), S. 73-90.

778 establishments 1008 disestablishments in Europe 1008 disestablishments in Asia States and territories established in the 8th century Former monarchies of Europe Former monarchies of Asia Medieval history of Georgia (country) Former monarchies of West Asia States and territories disestablished in the 1000s