georgia
The nation of Georgia was
first unified as a kingdom under the Bagrationi
dynasty in the 9th to 10th century, arising from a number of
predecessor states of ancient Colchis and Iberia.
The kingdom of
Georgia flourished
during the 10th to 12th centuries, and fell to the Mongol
invasions of Georgia and Armenia by
1243, and after a brief reunion under George
V of Georgia to the Timurid
Empire. By 1490, Georgia was fragmented into a number of petty
kingdoms and principalities, which throughout the Early Modern
period struggled to maintain their autonomy against Safavid and Ottoman domination
until Georgia was finally annexed
by the Russian Empire in
1801. After a brief bid for independence with the Democratic
Republic of Georgia of
1918–1921, Georgia was part of theTranscaucasian Socialist
Federative Soviet Republic from
1922 to 1936, and then formed the Georgian
Soviet Socialist Republic until
the dissolution of the Soviet Union.