ABKHAZIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF GEORGIA Special Thanks to David Gigauri for Contributing to Article

1236 AD – 1260 AD

•  Mongols invade Georgia and divide it into 8 districts. District which includes the territory of modern day Abkhazia is governed by a Georgian prince Tsotne Dadiani. Tskhumi/Sukhumi area and Abkhazia are still two different regions (within the new districts).

1260 AD – XIV AD

•  Western Georgia breaks away from Eastern and South Georgia, under the name of Imereti, with capital in Kutaisi . Modern day territory of Abkhazia is two principalities under the rule of Shervashidze and Dadiani princes, subject to Georgian Bagrationi Imereli kings.

•  The nobility of Imereti were organised in the following way:

• 

1) H.M. The Most High King. Bagrationi Imereli Dynasty

•  2) Princes of the Blood ( batonishvili ).

•  3) Great Officers of State:

•  a) Patriarch-Catholicos.

•  b) Chief Secretary ( Mtsignobarth-Ukhutsesi ).

•  c) Lord High Steward ( Mandaturth-Ukhutsesi ).

•  d) Lord High Constable ( Amir-Spasalari ).

•  e) Lord High Treasurer ( Medchurchleth-Ukhutsesi ). West Georgian flag of this period (inc. Abkhazia)

•  f) Lord Great Chamberlain ( Msakhurth-Ukhutsesi ).

•  g) Grand Armourer ( Meahjret-Ukhutsesi ).

•  4) Duke of Dukes of Mingrelia ( Samegrelo-eristavt-eristavi ), head of the house of Dadiani.

•  5) Duke of Abkhazia ( Aphkhazeti-eristavt ), head of the house of Shirvashidze .

•  6) Duke of the Guria ( Guria-eristavt ), head of the house of Gurieli.

•  7) Head of the house of the house of Chkheidze, previously Dukes of Radsha.

•  8) Head of the house of Phkheidze ( Phkheidze-tavadi ).

•  9) Head of the house of Abashidze ( Abashidze-tavadi )

•  10) Prince of Satseretlo, head of the house of Tsereteli ( Tsereteli-tavadi ).

•  11) Head of the house of Lortkipanidze ( Lortkipanidze-tavadi ).

•  12) Head of the house of Nijaradze ( Nijaradze-tavadi ).

•  13) Head of the house of Gogoberishidze ( Gogoberishidze-tavadi ).

XIV AD – XIX AD

•  West Georgian Kingdom of Imereti is weakened by Turkish invasions, which results in establishment of 4 semi-independent principalities at different times – Abkhazia, under Shervashidze Princes, in 1491 and again in 1757, as was largely subject to Mengrelian Principality in between. (Mengrelia, under Dadiani Princes, 1320, Guria, under Gurieli Princes, 1491, and Svanetia, under Gelovani, later Dadeshkeliani Princes). Grandees were sovereign within their own domains, enjoying the power of life and death, but owing allegiance to the king. It's also important to note that former districts of Tskhumi/Sukhumi and Odishi at this point become part of Mengrelian principality under the rule of Giorgi Dadiani. Shervashidze rules only the former district of Abkhazia.

•  This XVI century maps drawn up by one of the most famous Portuguese cartographers Diego Homem, and is currently kept at the Paris National Library (Paris, B.N. Cartes et Plans. Res). We can clearly see the city of Pizondd (Pitsunda, one of the west most towns of Abkhazia) is within Mengrelia (Georgia) region.

•  Arab writer Al-Mukhibi (d.1384) and Al - Kalkashandi in “The Encyclopedia of Islam” notes “Georgians have two kings David who rules Tbilisi, and Dadiani who rules Sukhumi and the Abkhaz, both are known as Georgian Kings”. This was also confirmed by Giorgio Interiano and Venetian traveler Josaphat Barbaro (“Megrelia stretches to Circassia”, “Dadiani rules Sebastopolis ( Sukhumi ), make peace with Bediani ruler of Sebastopolis ( Sukhumi ) etc).

•  Genoese Annals note, that to establish colonies (in Gagra, Pitsunda, New-Athos etc) and have a consul in Sukhumi , they needed permission of the Georgian Bediani (Dadiani) Prince.

•  Catholic Bishop Peter Geraldi writes “In Sebastolpolis/Sukhumi live Georgians, Muslims and Jews…”

•  Kelem-Bey Shirvashidze (1789 – 1806) and Aslan-Bey Shirvashidze (1806 – 1810) were the only ones to marry an ethnic Abkhazian (Apsua) and Jiketian princesses. Previously and afterwards Shirvashidze Princes exclusively married Georgian nobility, mainly – Dadiani, Dadeshkeliani, Tsulukidze, Gurieli, Bagrationi and Eristavi families.

 

•  Map by Joseph Nicolas de l'Isle published in 1775, Venice , clearly shows Abkhazian principality as part of Georgian Kingdom , and borders of the principality of Abkhazia ( Sukhumi is part of Mengrelia).

 

•  All sources at the time note (Girardo Pinelli etc), that in between XV – XVII centuries Adyghe (Apsua related ethnic group) speaking mountaineers raid into Abkhazia and Tskhumi areas. This revitalized the local Abkhaz (Apsua) minority. Abkhaz (Apsua) nobles appear – Maan/Margania, Amarshan/Marshania, Emkhaa/Emukhvari etc. Previously, except Achba/Anchabadze princes, all nobility of Abkhazia was exclusively Georgian – Shervashidze (XII), Chkhotua (IX), Apakidze (XIII), Shavliani (IX), Gabunia, Keidia, Lolua, Revia, etc.

•  According to Russian and Italian sources, church in Abkhazia is still under the jurisdiction of Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate in Mtskheta, and all church ministers are ethnic Georgians.

•  Ethnic Abkhazians (Apsua) in general remain Christian, which shows that Georgian influence is dominant, while Abkhazia's neighbors and ethnic relatives Adyghe-Circassians, and the rest of Northern Caucasus have turned to Islam.