Letschchumi
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Letschchumi ( Georgian ლეჩხუმი , lɛt͡ʃχʊmɪ ) is a historical-geographical region in western Georgia . It mainly enclosed the area of today's municipality Zageri and also some parts of the municipalities Zqaltubo and Ambrolauri . In the West Lechkhumi was of Mingrelia with the Aschi Mountains ( Georgian ასხი , asχɪ ), north of Svaneti by the Lechkhumi Mountains , east of Racha by the river Askiszqali, Rioni and Tawschawa Mountains and in the south of Imereti by the River Lechidari and the Chwamli mountain (also called Chomli) bordered.
The oldest remains of human settlements in Letschchumi date from the Neolithic Age . There are also several archaeological finds from the late Bronze Age . In ancient times , the Letschchumi area seems to have been densely populated.
In the older Georgian documents, the region is referred to by the name Sarkine ( Georgian სარკინე ), which in Georgian means "the region of iron". In the non-Georgian sources, the area appears as a region within the kingdom of Lasika in the 6th century at Prokopios of Caesarea under the name Scymnia . The administrative center of Letschchumi was originally Zageri , the seat of the local ruler, the Eristawi. In the 10th century Letschchumi was dissolved and divided between the principalities of Takweri, Ratscha and Okriba. Lechchumi later reappears as an independent administrative region within the Kingdom of Georgia . Since then, the Lailaschi settlement has become the region's most important trade and economic center. After the collapse of the unified Georgian Kingdom, Letschchumi was subordinated to the newly established Kingdom of Imereti . From the second half of the 17th century there was a striving for independence from Imereti. During this time a new ruler appears with the title "Letschchumis Tawi" (German "Head of Letschchumi"). In the struggle for independence, the feudal Inassaridze family had some success, after which the Chikowani family ruled the region. In 1714, Beschan Dadiani ( Georgian ბეჟან დადიანი ), Prince of Odischi , "Lord of Letschchumi" and subordinated the area to the Principality of Odischi ( Mingrelia ). In the last years of the 18th century the imeretic King Solomon II tried unsuccessfully to recapture Letschchumi. After the conquest of Mingrelia by the Russian Empire , the administrative region of Ujesd Letschchumi emerged.
literature
- Bertadze, T., Georgische Sowjetenzyklopädie , Volume 6, Tiflis 1983, p. 208 (Georgian: ბერაძე, თ., ქსე, ტომი 6, თბილისი, 1983, გვ. 208)
- Essays on the History of Georgia, Volume 4, Tbilisi, 1973 (Georgian: საქართველოს ისტორიის ნარკვევები, ტომი 4, თბილისი, 1973)
