Early Abkhazia states[1]

The independent Abkhaz state system originated in the V-VII centuries from the formation of the Byzantine dependent state when it was governed by the Byzantine protégé, Leon the 1st.

Eventually Abkhazia became an independent sovereign state in the VIII century AD.

Abkhaz’s tsar Leon the 2nd is named the founder of the Abkhaz sovereign state.

With the decline of the Greek empire, Leon the 2nd, who inherited the ruling of Abazgia (ancient Abkhazia), separated from them. During the formation of Abkhaz Kingdom, neighbouring Kingdoms had no relation to it, for many reasons, including the absence of their own statehood[2].  (see the map of 800 AD)

    Much later, gradually, in parallel to the existing Abazgia Kingdom there appeared several other small kingdoms: Mengrelia, Guria, Imeretia, Kakhetia and Kartli. It is important to mention that Abkhazians name themselves Apsua and their country Abkhazia as Apsny. Current Georgians name themselves Kartvels and their country as Sakartvelo, linguistically this originated from the kingdom of Kartli[3].  Georgians have a different language from Abkhazians & Mengrels.     The weakening kingdom of Abazgia forced this territory to join other kingdoms to form greater states.  At this time there appeared the kingdoms of Abkhazo-Kartvel & Abkhazo-Imperiti where Abkhazian played a major role.  Later these kingdoms would fall into disruption.    At the beginning of the XVI—XVII centuries Abkhazia was invaded by the Ottoman Empire which put a block on Abkhaz relations with Europe.  (See the map of 1500 AD)   At the end of 18 century, the Russian empire emerged as a strong contender to the Ottoman empire in the Caucuses. It started to absorb the small kingdoms of the area. Here there appeared a Russian interest in the local ethnic groups.    The first of the Caucasus kingdoms to enter Russia was the Kingdom of Kartli- Kakhetia in 1783.  Two documents were drafted and signed: The first one was the “Oath of Loyalty to the Russian Emperors and the Declaration of Acknowledgement of the Russian Ruler as theirs”.  The second was the so-called Georgian Treaty.    Although the Kingdom Kartli-Kakhetian entered the Russian Empire without territories of other kingdoms, according to the Georgian Treaty, Russia started to consider its expansion in the area through the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakhetian, as a gate and its appointed governor.  Note, the term “Georgian” or “Georgia” was not used in any legal documents until the Georgian Treaty of 1783. In his communications to Katherine the Great the king of Kartli and Kakhetia, Irakly the 2nd [4], never mentioned even once a toponymy “Sakartvelo” or “Georgia”. However, in this treaty, for the first time, “Georgian people” were acknowledged and so was their church. The word Georgia is most likely a derivative of some Gyurdzhistan territory — "country of wolves" (From the Persian language)[5].     The statehood and sovereignty of the kingdom of Kartli-Kakhetian within the Russian Empire was abolished in 1801[6]. Other kingdoms of the area joined the Russian Empire afterwards. For example, Mengrelia joined Russia in 1803 and her autonomy was annulled in 1875. Guria joined in 1810 and her sovereignty was lost in 1828. The Kingdom of Imereti joined Russia in 1804 and was abolished in 1810. The Kingdom of Abkhazia, which, by the XIX century was already an independent sovereign kingdom, by no means was one of the above mentioned. In 1806, the king of Abkhazia Kaleshbei (Sharvashidze) applied for the first time for Abkhazia to be a part of the Russian empire. Tsar Alexander the 1st took his time in deciding. In 1810, Abkhazia was granted a protection under Russian might, which protected the Abkhaz kingdom from the Ottoman Empire. After that Abkhazia preserved its autonomy in Russia for the next 54 years.