Kingdom of Abkhazia აფხაზთა სამეფო apkhazta samepo | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 778–1008 | |||||||||
 Flag of Kingdom of Abkhazia in theMiddle Ages. Based on the map of the Catalan cartographerGabriel de Vallseca. | |||||||||
.png) The Kingdom of Abkhazia from 850–950, at the peak of its territorial expansion. (Superimposed on modern borders.) Kingdom of Abkhazia Tributaries and sphere of influences | |||||||||
| Capital | Anacopia (778–786) Kutaisi (786–1008) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Georgian (language of literacy and culture) Greek/Georgian (religious)[a] Arabic (numismatics)[b] | ||||||||
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox (Georgian Orthodox Church, Pre Schism) | ||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||
| archon | |||||||||
| Anos (first) | |||||||||
| Leon I (last) | |||||||||
| King | |||||||||
• 767–811 | Leon II (first) | ||||||||
• 978–1014 | Bagrat II (last)[c] | ||||||||
| Historical era | Early Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Declared independence fromByzantine | 778 | ||||||||
• Unification of theGeorgian State | 1008 | ||||||||
| Currency | Various Byzantine and Arab coins[3] | ||||||||
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| Today part of | |||||||||
TheKingdom of Abkhazia (Georgian:აფხაზთა სამეფო,romanized:apkhazta samepo;lit. 'Kingdom of the Abkhazians') was amedievalfeudal state in theCaucasus which was established in the 780s. Through dynastic succession, itwas united in 1008 with theKingdom of the Iberians, forming theKingdom of Georgia.
Byzantine sources record that in the early years of the 10th century Abkhazia stretched three hundredGreek miles along theBlack Sea coast, from the frontiers of thethema ofChaldia to the mouth of the riverNicopsis, with theCaucasus behind it.
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Abkhazia was aprincedom underByzantine authority. It lay chiefly along theBlack Sea coast in what is now the northwestern part of the modern-dayGeorgia (disputed Republic ofAbkhazia[4]) and extended northward into the territory of today'sKrasnodar Krai ofRussia. It hadAnacopia as its capital. Abkhazia was ruled by a hereditaryarchon who effectively functioned as a Byzantine viceroy. The country was chieflyChristian and the city ofPityus was a seat of anarchbishop directly subordinated to thePatriarch of Constantinople. Another Abasgian episcopal see was that ofSoterioupolis.[5]
In 735, a largeexpedition led by Arab general Marwan was launched against the Georgian kingdoms. The Arabs, pursuing the retreating Georgian princes – brothersMirian andArchil – surged into Abkhazia in 736.Dysentery andfloods, combined with a stubborn resistance offered by the archonLeon I and hisIberian and Lazic allies, made the invaders retreat. Leon I then married Mirian's daughter, and a successor,Leon II exploited this dynastic union to acquireLazica in the 770s. Presumably considered as asuccessor state of Lazica (Egrisi, in Georgian sources), this new polity continued to be referred to asEgrisi (Lazica) in some contemporary Georgian (e.g.,The Vitae of the Georgian Kings byLeonti Mroveli) andArmenian (e.g.,The History of Armenia byHovannes Draskhanakertsi) chronicles.[6]
The successful defense against the Arabs, and new territorial gains, gave the Abkhazian princes enough power to claim more autonomy from theByzantine Empire. Towards circa 778,Leon II won his full independence with the help of theKhazars; he assumed the title of "King of the Abkhazians" and transferred his capital to the western Georgian city ofKutaisi. According to Georgian annals, Leon subdivided his kingdom into eight duchies:Abkhazia proper,Tskhumi,Bedia,Guria,Racha andTakveri,Svaneti,Argveti, andKutatisi.[7] 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 fromConstantinople and recognized the authority of theCatholicate of Mtskheta; language of the church in Abkhazia shifted fromGreek toGeorgian, as Byzantine power decreased and doctrinal differences disappeared.[8]
The most prosperous period of the Abkhazian kingdom was between 850 and 950. Beginning withGeorge I (c.864 – 871), the increasingly expansionist tendencies of the kingdom led to the enlargement of its realm to the east. The Abkhazian kings controlledduchy of Kartli (central and part of eastern Georgia), and interfered in the affairs of theArmenian and GeorgianBagratids. In about 908 KingConstantine III (c.894 – 923) had finally annexed a significant portion of Kartli, bringing his borders close to theArab-controlled Tbilisi. For a brief period of time,Kakheti andHereti in eastern Georgia also recognized the Abkhazian suzerainty. Constantine III also tried to extend his influence overAlania by supporting theirChristianization. Under his son,George II (c.923 – 957), the Abkhazian Kingdom reached a climax of power and prestige. George was also known as a promoter ofOrthodox Christianity and a patron of Georgian Christian culture. He helped to establish Christianity as an official religion inAlania, winning the thanks ofConstantinople. 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 ofLeon III (c.960–969), Kakheti and Hereti emancipated themselves from the Abkhazian rule. A bittercivil war and feudal revolts which began underDemetrius III (c.969–976) led the kingdom into complete anarchy under the unfortunateTheodosius III the Blind (c.975 – 978), a weak and inauspicious king.[citation needed]
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By that time the hegemony in theSouth Caucasus had finally passed to the GeorgianBagratids ofTao-Klarjeti. In 978, the Bagratid princeBagrat, nephew (sister's son) of the heirless Theodosius, occupied the Abkhazian throne with the help of his adoptive fatherDavid III of Tao. 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 fatherGurgen 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 theKingdom of Georgia.[citation needed]
Most Abkhazian kings, with the exception ofJohn andAdarnase of theShavliani (presumably ofSvan 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. PrinceCyril Toumanoff relates the name of Anos to the later Abkhaz noble family ofAnchabadze.[9] By convention, the regnal numbers of the Abkhazian kings continue from those of thearchons ofAbasgia. There is also some lack of consistency about the dates of their reigns. The chronology below is given as per Toumanoff.[citation needed]
| King | Reign | Dynasty |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Leon II | 780 – 828 | Anchabadze |
| 2.Theodosius II | 828 – 855 | Anchabadze |
| 3.Demetrius II | 855 – 864 | Anchabadze |
| 4.George I | 864 – 871 | Anchabadze |
| 5.John (usurper) | 871 – 873 | Shavliani |
| 6.Adarnase | 887 – 893 | Shavliani |
| 8.Bagrat I | 882 – 894 | Anchabadze |
| 9.Constantine III | 894 – 923 | Anchabadze |
| 10.George II | 923 – 957 | Anchabadze |
| 11.Leon III | 957 – 967 | Anchabadze |
| 12.Demetrius III | 967 – 975 | Anchabadze |
| 13.Theodosius III | 975 – 978 | Anchabadze |
| 14.Bagrat III | 978 – 1008 | Bagrationi |
Writing the kingdom's primary history was dominated byGeorgian andByzantine sources supported by modern epigraphic and archaeological records.[citation needed]
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.[10]
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.[10]
Most international scholars agree that it is extremely difficult to judge the ethnic identity of the various population segments[11] 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 alsoMingrelians,Laz, andSvans withtheir distinct languages that are related to theGeorgian language) and Abkhaz (Abasgoi,Apsilae, andZygii) peoples.[12] 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 replacingGreek as the language of literacy and culture.[13]
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