| Duchy of Tskhumi ცხუმის საერისთავო | |||||||||
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| Duchy of theKingdom of Georgia; thenKingdom of Imereti | |||||||||
| 786–1354 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Administrative division of the medievalKingdom of Georgia in 13th century.. | |||||||||
| Capital | Tskhumi | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
• Established | 786 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1354 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Georgia | ||||||||
TheDuchy of Tskhumi (Georgian:ცხუმის საერისთავო) was aduchy (saeristavo) in amedieval Georgia. Ruled by aHouse of Shervashidze, the duchy existed from 8th to 14th century, in the north-western part ofGeorgia and comprised territories around modernSukhumi,Georgia.
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Duchy of Tskhumi was probably formed as a separatedfeudal entity during the reign ofLeon II on the lands of ancientApsiles. Forming one of the eight duchies ofKingdom of Abkhazia, it comprised territories aboveLazica up toAnakopia andAlania.[1]Bagrat's castle served as the seat of theEristavi of Tskhumi.
In 1033,Bagrat IV's half-brotherDemetre organized the plot with the aim of dethrone his brother. Although an attempt by some great nobles to exploit Demetre's possible aspirations to the throne in their opposition to Bagrat's rule failed. Now threatened by Bagrat, thedowager Queen Alda defected to the Byzantines and surrendered Anakopia to the emperorRomanos III who honored her son Demetre with the rank ofmagistros.[2] According to the words of the chronicler ofThe Georgian Chronicles: King Bagrat defeated united army of his opponents and then besieged Anakopia, then he went back, leavingEristav of Abkhazia - Otago Chachasdze and his army to take charge of the fortress. Owing to the active support of the Abkhazian Eristav, Bagrat IV managed to return the fortress of Anakopia to Georgia.
In 12th century, kingDavid the Builder appointed the son ofshahShirvan Otagho as aviceroy of Abkhazia, who later became the founder ofHouse of Shervashidze. The city of Tskhumi (Sukhumi) became the summer residence of theGeorgian kings. According to Russian scholar V. Sizov, it became an important "cultural and administrative center of theGeorgian state.[3] The historianYuri Voronov also conjectured that castle might have hosted the queen-regnantTamar of Georgia during her stays in Abkhazia in the early 13th century. During this period the Eristavi (Duke) of Tskhumi wasOtagho Shervashidze.[4]
In the 1240s,Mongols divided Georgia into eight military-administrative sectors (Tumens), the territory of contemporary Abkhazia formed part of the duman administered byTsotne Dadiani ofOdishi.[3]Vakhushti notes that Duchy started to decline in 14th century after consolidation of power in western Georgia by dukes of Odishi. During the civil war between the successors ofImeretian KingDavid Narin —Constantine andMichael, Duke of Odishi,Giorgi I Dadiani, subjugated much of the duchy of Tskhumi and expanded his possessions up to Anakopia, while the Shervashidze entrenched inAbkhazia, from that time on Georgian monarchs were recognizing Tskhumi as a feudal domains ofHouse of Dadiani.
In the 12th–13th centuries, Tskhumi became a center of traffic with the European maritime powers. TheRepublic of Genoa established their short-lived trading factory at Tskhumi (Sebastopolis) early in the 14th century. Tskhumi served as capital of the Odishi-Megrelian rulers, it was in this city thatVamek I (c. 1384-1396), the most influential Dadiani, minted his coins. Documents of the 15th century clearly distinguished Tskhumi fromPrincipality of Abkhazia.[5] TheOttoman navy occupied the town in 1451, but for a short time. Later contested between the princes ofAbkhazia andMingrelia, Tskhumi (Suhum-Kale) temporarily fell to the Ottoman hands in 1578.
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