Duchy of Abkhazia

The Duchy of Abkhazia is a country located west of the Grand Duchy of Georgia, South of Soviet Rus and east of the Black Sea. Abkhazia is a Puppet State of Germany created during it's conquest of the Eastern Front and the scramble of the Russian Empire.

## History

### Origin

In the beginning of the 19th century, while the Russians and Ottomans were vying for control of the region, the rulers of Abkhazia shifted back and forth across the religious divide. The first attempt to enter into relations with Russia was made by Keilash Bey in 1803, shortly after the incorporation of eastern Georgia into the expanding Tsarist empire (1801). However, the pro-Ottoman orientation prevailed for a short time after his assassination by his son Aslan-Bey on 2 May 1808. On 2 July 1810, the Russian Marines stormed Sukhum-Kale and had Aslan-Bey replaced with his rival brother, Sefer-Bey (1810–1821), who had converted to Christianity and assumed the name of George. Abkhazia joined the Russian Empire as an autonomous principality, in 1810. However, George's rule was limited and many mountain regions were as independent as before. The next Russo-Turkish war strongly enhanced the Russian positions, leading to a further split in the Abkhaz elite, mainly along religious divisions. During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Russian forces had to evacuate Abkhazia and Prince Michael (1822–1864) seemingly switched to the Ottomans.

Later on, the Russian presence strengthened and the highlanders of Western Caucasia were finally subjugated by Russia in 1864. The autonomy of Abkhazia, which had functioned as a pro-Russian "buffer zone" in this troublesome region, was no longer needed by the Tsarist government and the rule of the Shervashidze came to an end; in November 1864, Prince Michael was forced to renounce his rights and resettle in Voronezh. Later that same year, Abkhazia was incorporated into the Russian Empire as a special military province of Sukhum-Kale which was transformed, in 1883, into an *okrug* as part of the Kutais *Guberniya*. Large numbers of Muslim Abkhazians, said to have constituted as much as 40% of the Abkhazian population, emigrated to the Ottoman Empire between 1864 and 1878 with other Muslim population of Caucasus, a process known as *Muhajirism*.

Large areas of the region were left uninhabited and many Armenians, Georgians, Russians and others subsequently migrated to Abkhazia, resettling much of the vacated territory. Some Georgian historians assert that Georgian tribes (Svans and Mingrelians) had populated Abkhazia since the time of the Colchis kingdom.

By official decision of the Russian authorities the residents of Abkhazia and Samurzakano had to study and pray in Russian. After the mass deportation of 1878, Abkhazians were left in the minority, officially branded "guilty people", and had no leader capable of mounting serious opposition to Russification.

British mountaineer Douglas Freshfield (who led an expedition to the Caucasus and was the first to climb Kazbek) described the denuded territories of Abkhazia in a moving chapter 'The Solitude of Abkhazia' in *The Exploration of the Caucasus* published in 1892.

On 17 March 1898 the synodal department of the Russian Orthodox Church of Georgia-Imereti, by order 2771, again prohibited teaching and the conduct of religious services in church schools and churches of the Sukhumi district in Georgian. Mass protests by the Georgian population of Abkhazia and Samurzakano followed, news of which reached the Russian emperor. On 3 September 1898 the Holy Synod issued order 4880 which decreed that those parishes where the congregation was Mingrelians i.e. Georgians, conduct both church services and church education in Georgian, while Abkhazian parishes use old Slavic. In the Sukhumi district, this order was carried out in only three of 42 parishes. Tedo Sakhokia demanded the Russian authorities introduce Abkhazian and Georgian languages in church services and education. The official response was a criminal case brought against Tedo Sakhokia and leaders of his "Georgian Party" active in Abkhazia.

### Becoming a German Puppet State

Abkhazia was conquered by the German Empire during it's conquest of Russia to prevent the spread of communism. Abkhazia was created as a Duchy with Petre Bagration-Gruzinsky a noble from the former royal family of Georgia as the Duke of Abkhazia.

## Government

The Government of Abkhazia is an Absolute Monarchy ruled by the Duke who has autocratic powers and is in charge of all Government and religious institutions in Abkhazia. Other than the Duke, the only members in Government are the Reichkommissar and the Prime Minister who are appointed by the German Government.

#### **Administrative Cabinet of Abkhazia**

* **Reichkommissar:** Arthur Freiherr
* **Prime Minister:** Rauf Orbay
* **Minister of Internal and Foreign Affairs:** Aleksandr Konstantinovich Shervashidze
* **Chief of Army:** George Vladimirovitch Shervashidze

## Military

Abkhazia only has an army that consists of 9 Infantry Divisions and a Navy of 100 Patrol Boats as the official Military of the Country. This is due to Abkhazia's short size.

## Foreign Relations

* Colonial Relations with the German Empire
* Great Relations with the Grand Duchy of Georgia and the Ottoman Sultanate
* Bad Relations with Soviet Rus.