Short History of Georgia

I have to say the Republic of Georgia is a little off the beaten path. No, it isn't a 3rd world country, but neither is it an up-and-coming super power.  Since I knew little about this region until recently, I thought I would share a few of the most interesting facts I have learned in regards to it's history.

The Georgian Orthodox Jvari Monastery (Monastery of the Cross) was built in the 6th century A.D. overlooking Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Caucasian Iberia. The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Georgia has been continuously inhabited since the early stone age.  They were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as the region of Iberia and Colchis and were considered and advanced society with well formed political systems in place.  Colchis may sound familiar from your past knowledge of Greek mythology, as it was the place that Jason and the Argonauts went to find the golden fleece.

After the Romans began their conquest, the area now known as Georgia became a client-state of Rome for nearly 400 years.  They named Christianity as their national religion in 327 AD, which gave a great stimulus to the development of literature, arts and the unification of the country.  After Rome fell, Georgia was aligned with Byzantium and thrived.

Due to its geographical location between the powers of the Byzantine Empire and Persia, it became a buffer zone of sorts.  Power switched back and forth between these two powers until the Middle Ages.  Then, Georgian kings pushed out the Turks and regained power and saw a rebirth of their culture and political structure.

Wikipedia, that great source that is *always* to be trusted says, "this early Georgian renaissance, which preceded its European analogue, was characterized by the flourishing of romantic- chivalric tradition, breakthroughs in philosophy, and an array of political innovations in society and state organization, including religious and ethnic tolerance."



In the late 1700's, Georgia entered into treaties with Russia with the idea that Russia would help defend them against the Turks.  They did not come to their aid, and the Turks continuous attacks weakened the region.  Then, in 1800, Russia forcibly decreed Georgia was now under their control.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared their independence and had it until 1921 when the Red Army invaded.  It wasn't until 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, that Georgia was able to declare Independence again.

Russia still claims it has control over two areas of present day Georgia -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 

Georgia is on very friendly terms with America as it sees us as a much-needed ally against further oppression by Russia. 

I am very much looking forward to seeing this country for the first time and learning more while I am there about its rich history.  Sander and I have been learning more about the Byzantine Empire and I am fascinated at how often we have overlooked this part of history in the west.  The Byzantine Empire was alive and well during the dark ages in Europe and in many ways kept learning alive when the west forgot.  Georgia was a big part of this.

Ok, I hope this wasn't too nerdy of a post.  If no one reads it, it at least helped me organize my research and cement it in my own mind.

*Most of my "facts" come from the CIA factbook and wikipedia.