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

IX AD – X AD

King Leon II unifies western Georgia in its old borders with capital in Kutaisi under the name Kingdom of Abkhazia , and makes it fully independent from Byzantium and the Arabs

 

Successor of the Egrisi Kingdom , Kingdom of Abkhazia derives from the name of the principality of Abkhazia, where eristav (prince) Leon II previously ruled, within the Georgian kingdom of Lasica/Egrisi , before becoming king of the whole of West Georgia .

National language is Georgian. This is seen from everything that remained from that period - manuscripts, artifacts with Georgian writing on them (i.e. Bedia goblet), churches and monasteries with Georgian frescoes and writing (Ilori Church, Likhni Monastery, Bedia Church, Anukhvi Church, Samati, Tselikari, Tsebelda castle, Dzikhazurgi, etc). Also all church ceremonies were now conducted in Georgian and not Greek as before. There is no mention of Abkhazian words in any script.

Architecture of buildings of that period is also purely Georgian.

Ruling dynasty Leonids, were of unclear origin (most probably initially of Byzantine descent as they have Byzantine names), but they only intermarried with the Georgian nobility, specifically Tao-Klarjeti Bagrationis etc. Also Georgian Svan dynasty Shavliani ruled for a period in that era (as we've seen since I AD Georgian Svans ruled the area of Abkhazia, so trend continues.)

Capital was in Kutaisi , as it has always been, while the area of modern day Abkhazia in this kingdom is divided by King Leon II into 3 different principalities Abkhaz, Tskhumi and Bedia.

Foreigners never divided the term Abkhazian Kingdom from being Georgian. As an example Turcoman writer Khikani writes – “I became a citizen of Abkhazia and started to speak Georgian.” or Arab writer Yakut, writes “Abkhazia is inhabited by Georgians” etc.

Its therefore important to note that the name “Abkhazia” is a name of a region and not the people, as Abkhazia is made up of 3 different Georgian ethnic groups (Megrelians, Svans and Meskhs) and Apsua (self-name of an ethnic group we now call Abkhazians). So Abkhazia and Abkhazians as an example can be seen as Britain and British, and not like England/English or Scotland/Scottish.

Church of Abkhazia as before remains under the jurisdiction of the Georgian Church and remains so ever after.

XI AD – XIII AD

Kingdom of Abkhazia voluntarily unites with East Georgian kingdom, into one united country under Georgian King Bagrat III Bagrationi, under the name – Kingdom of Georgia . This remains so for over two centuries. Territory of modern day Abkhazia is still divided into three provinces created by Leon II – Abkhazia, Tskhumi and Odishi.

Official title of Kings of Georgia until 19 th century – “ By the will of our Lord, King of the Abkhazis, Kartvelians, Ranians, Kakhetians and the Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah and Master of all the East and West”. 

any churches, monasteries, fortresses are built at this period in Abkhazia, and again all with Georgian writings. A fine example is the Besleti Bridge , with fine Georgian inscriptions.

Georgian Shervashidze Princes – descent from Shirvan Shahs. Served the Georgian court after Georgia invaded Shirvan. Later appointed by king of Georgia as princes of Abkhazia province. Principalities of Abkhazia, Bedia and Odishi had no more rights than any other principality in Georgia (i.e. Svaneti, Lechkhumi etc), it was just a method of governing, where they were not even responsible to the king directly, but to the minister of imperial court. Several of these ministers with responsibilities in western Georgia were of Dadiani family, again of Svan descent.