Principality of Abkhazia

For the early medieval principality of Abkhazia, see Kingdom of Abkhazia.
Principality of Abkhazia
Аԥсуа Аҳратәра (Abkhaz)
Aṕsua Aħratəra (English)
1463[1]–1864
Flag of Abkhazia
Top:
State flag (1770–1866)
Bottom:
State flag (1808–1810)
18th-century coat of arms according to Vakhushti of Abkhazia
18th-century coat of arms according to Vakhushti
The Principality of Abkhazia (Abassia) in the 1850s
The Principality of Abkhazia (Abassia) in the 1850s
StatusPrincipality
CapitalZupu (Lykhny)[2]
43°09′N 40°37′E / 43.150°N 40.617°E / 43.150; 40.617
Official languagesAbkhaz, Russian(1810), Turkish(1500), Georgian(1805 western provinces)[3][4] [5]
Other languagesAbkhaz, Mingrelian, Ubykh, Russian
Prince; 
• c.1451-1465 (first)
Rabia Sharvashidze
• 1823–1864 (last)
Mikhail Sharvashidze
Historical eraEarly Modern Period
• Established
1463[1]
• Disestablished
1864
Location of Abkhazia
Map of the territory of Great and Small Abasia (Abkhazia) in 1808[6] [4]
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Kingdom of Imereti
Russian Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Principality of Abkhazia (Aṕsny Aħratəra) (Abkhaz) emerged as a separate feudal entity in the 15th-16th centuries, amid the civil wars in the Kingdom of Georgia that concluded with the dissolution of the unified Georgian monarchy. The principality retained a degree of autonomy under Ottoman and then Russian rule, but was eventually absorbed into the Russian Empire in 1864.

  1. ^ Hoiberg, Dale H. (2010)
  2. ^ "Г. А. Дзидзария. Восстание 1866 года в Абхазии (Сух., 1955)". apsnyteka.org. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  3. ^ Ronald, Suny (22 October 1994). The Making of the Georgian Nation, Second Edition. Indiana University Press. p. 321. ISBN 0-253-20915-3.
  4. ^ a b Khorava, Bezhan (2021-01-01). "ABKHAZIA FROM THE 16 TH CENTURY TO THE BEGINNING OF THE 19 TH CENTURY §1. Abkhazia in the 16 th -17 th Centuries". Why Abkhazia is Georgia. A True History.
  5. ^ Hewitt, George (2013-11-19). The Abkhazians: A Handbook. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-80205-8.
  6. ^ "§12. Владетель Абхазии Келешбей Чачба". www.apsuara.ru. Retrieved 2024-04-01.