Georgia (Country)

The earliest archaeological evidence of wine- making from grapes was found in Georgia and dates back to 6,000 BC.

Georgians have their own unique three alphabets which according to traditional accounts was invented by King Pharnavaz I of Iberia in the 3rd century BC.

King Tamar was the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom of Georgia in 12th-13th centuries and was the first woman king in the country’s history. The Georgians didn’t have a word for queen by the time this female ascended to the throne, so they dubbed her king instead.

The Georgians had been fighting against the Seljuk Turks for centuries, and they had managed to maintain their independence. However, in 1225, the Seljuk Sultan Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu invaded Georgia with a large army in retaliation for the Georgians' support of his rival, the Abbasid Caliph. 

On March 9, 1226, after fierce fighting and with the help of local Muslims, Seljuk Turk forces, led by Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu, captured the city of Tiflis (now Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia). then part of the Kingdom of Georgia. An estimated 100,000 Georgian Christians were massacred in the city. The Seljuks killed indiscriminately, including women, children, and the elderly. They also destroyed churches and monasteries. The massacre was a major setback for the Georgians, and it weakened their kingdom and left a lasting legacy of hatred and distrust between the Georgians and the Turks.

On November 21, 1386, the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur captured and sacked the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The city was heavily fortified and defended by King Bagrat V, but Timur's forces were able to overcome the resistance and take control of the city. As a result of the conquest, King Bagrat V was forced to convert to Islam. After capturing Tbilisi, Timur continued his campaign in Georgia, sacking several other cities and towns.

Near the turn of the 19th century the 19-year-old son of a shoemaker, Josef Dzhugashvili was expelled from Tiflis Theological Seminary, the best teaching establishment in Georgia, where he was also studying to be a priest. He had fourteen times been caught reading banned books, including works by Marx, Darwin and Victor Hugo. Later in his life he adopted the name "Stalin" meaning "Man of Steel" which Lenin had given him. Josef Stalin was to rise to the highest position, leading the Soviet Union from April 3, 1922 until his death on March 5, 1953.

Joseph Stalin, seated outdoors at Berlin conference in 1945

Soviet Russia recognized the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in the 1920 Treaty of Moscow only to invade the country six months later.

Landscape in South Ossetia's Dzhava District.

The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic held the first multiparty legislature election in the country's history on October 28, 1990.

The Georgian independence referendum took place on March 31, 1991: nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union. Ten days later, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia declared independence.

Following Georgia's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union Zviad Gamsakhurdia became the first elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era on May 26, 1991.

Gamsakhurdia was a prominent dissident and intellectual during the Soviet period and played a key role in the national liberation movement in Georgia. As President, he pursued a nationalist agenda, advocating for Georgia's independence and the restoration of its historical borders, including the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which had autonomous status within the Soviet Union.

South Ossetia, a region in Georgia, declared independence from Georgia on November 28, 1991, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, this declaration has only gained limited acceptance from the international community. Georgia considers South Ossetia to be a breakaway region and has not recognized its independence. The United Nations and most member states also do not recognize South Ossetia as an independent state.

Russia, however, has recognized South Ossetia as an independent state since 2008. This recognition followed the Russo-Georgian War, in which Russia militarily intervened in support of South Ossetian separatists.

Gamsakhurdia's presidency was marked by political turmoil and internal conflicts. His authoritarian governing style and the deteriorating economic conditions in the country led to widespread protests and opposition. In 1992, a violent coup d'état took place, forcing Gamsakhurdia into exile. He remained in opposition and attempted to regain power until his death in 1993 under disputed circumstances.

After Georgia moved to join NATO, with the support of voters, Russia invaded in 2008. It has meddled in the country’s politics ever since. 

Georgia is the country with most King Georges in history. Their last king, George XII (sometimes known as George XIII), died in 1800.

In 2009 Georgia was thrown out of the Eurovision Song Contest after its entry, “We Don't Wanna Put In“ - widely seen as a swipe at Valdimir Putin – was deemed too political.

The national flag of the Republic of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", was restored to official use on January 14, 2014 after a hiatus of some 500 years.

The population of Georgia is about 5 million. About 1.3 million of these live in the capital Tbilisi, which was founded around AD 400, after the end of the Roman Empire.

Abkhazia is a self-declared republic within Georgia, which is only recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and the Pacific island of Nauru. Despite the lack of general recognition, elections were held among its estimated 250,000-strong population in 2017.

Most of the people speak Georgian as their first language, though some also speak Azerbaijani, Armenian, Russian or other languages.