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The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; tr, ), are a nation and Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Georgian kingdoms. Significant Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, Greece, Iran, Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union.
Georgians are ethno-linguistically separate from all of their neighboring nations and primarily speak Georgian, a Kartvelian language with no known relation to any other language family in the world. Georgians arose from Colchis and Iberian of classical antiquity; Colchis was interconnected with the Ancient Greece, whereas Iberia was influenced by the Achaemenid Empire until Alexander the Great conquered it. In the early 4th century, the Georgians became one of the first to embrace Christianity. Currently, the majority of Georgians are Orthodox Christians, with most following their national Georgian Orthodox Church; there are also small Georgian Catholic and Muslim communities as well as a significant number of irreligious Georgians. Located in the Caucasus, on the continental crossroads of Europe and Asia, the High Middle Ages saw Georgian people form a unified Kingdom of Georgia in 1008 AD, later inaugurating the Georgian Golden Age. This lasted until the kingdom was weakened and later disintegrated as the result of the 13th–15th-century invasions of the Mongols and Timur, the Black Death, the Fall of Constantinople, as well as internal divisions following the death of George V the Brilliant in 1346, the last of the great kings of Georgia.
Thereafter and throughout the early modern period, Georgians became politically fractured and were locked in conflict with much larger Muslim empires to its south, like the Ottoman Empire and successive dynasties of Iran. Georgians started looking for allies and found the Russians on the political horizon as a possible replacement for the lost Byzantine Empire "for the sake of the Christian faith". The Georgian kings and Russian tsars exchanged no less than 17 embassies, culminating in 1783 when Heraclius II of the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti forged an alliance with the Russian Empire. However, the Russo-Georgian alliance backfired as Russia was unwilling to fulfill the terms of the treaty, proceeding to annex Georgia in a piecemeal manner throughout the 1800s. Georgians reasserted their independence from Russia under the First Georgian Republic from 1918 to 1921 and finally in 1991 from the Soviet Union.
The Georgian nation was formed out of a diverse set of geographic subgroups, each with its characteristic traditions, manners, dialects and, in the case of Svans and Mingrelians, own regional languages. The Georgian language has its own Georgian script and extensive written tradition dating back to the 5th century. According to unofficial estimates from the State Ministry on Diaspora Issues of Georgia, there are about 5 million Georgians in the world. Statistics 22.04.2015
The term "Georgians" is derived from the country of Georgia. In the past, lore-based theories were given by the medieval French traveller Jacques de Vitry, who explained the name's origin by the popularity of Saint George amongst Georgians,Grigol Peradze. "The Pilgrims' derivation of the name Georgia". Georgica, Autumn, 1937, nos. 4 & 5, 208–209 while traveller Jean Chardin thought that "Georgia" came from Greek γεωργός ("tiller of the land"), as when the Greeks came into the region (in Colchis) they encountered a developed agricultural society.
However, as Alexander Mikaberidze adds, these explanations for the word Georgians/Georgia are rejected by the scholarly community, who point to the Persian language word gurğ/gurğān ("wolf" (1997). 9783110128840, Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110128840) as the root of the word. (2026). 9781442241466, Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442241466 Starting with the Persian word gurğ/gurğān, the word was later adopted in numerous other languages, including Slavic and West European languages. (2026). 9780820459912, Peter Lang. ISBN 9780820459912 This term itself might have been established through the ancient Iranian appellation of the near-Caspian Sea region, which was referred to as Hyrcania ("land of the wolves"Rapp (2016), location: 1086).
In antiquity, the ancient Greeks and Roman people knew the Georgian peoples as Colchians and Iberians. Eastern Georgian tribes (Tibarenians/Iberians) formed their kingdom in the 7th century BCE, while western Georgian tribes (Colchians) established the kingdom of Colchis (), predating the foundation of Kingdom of Iberia in the east.
The formation of these early kingdoms contributed to the consolidation of the Georgian nation. The Jewish historian Josephus mentions Georgians as Iberes, also called Thobel (Tubal). David Marshall Lang argued that the root Tibar gave rise to Iber, leading the Greeks to use the term Iberian for eastern Georgians.
Tribes such as Diauehi (in Assyria) and Taochi (in Greek sources) lived in northeastern Anatolia and are considered ancestors of the Georgians. Modern Georgians still refer to this region as Tao-Klarjeti, part of present-day Turkey, where some Georgian-speaking communities persist.
Colchians, first mentioned in the annals of Tiglath-Pileser I and Urartu king Sarduri II, included western Georgian tribes such as the Meskhetians, while Iberians (or Tiberians/Tiberanians) lived in eastern Georgia. Both played a crucial role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation. According to the scholar of the Caucasian studies Cyril Toumanoff:
In eastern Georgia, during the 6th–4th centuries BCE, Kartlian tribes consolidated power around Mtskheta, founding the Kingdom of Kartli (Iberia) under Pharnavaz I and establishing the Parnavazian.
Colchis later became the Roman province of Egrisi under Roman legati, while Iberia accepted Roman protection. By the 3rd century CE, the Laz people established the kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi), lasting until 562 CE.
The Kingdom of Iberia adopted Christianity under King Mirian III (traditionally 324), with St. Nino credited for the conversion. By the mid-4th century, both Lazica and Iberia were officially Christian, aligning with Byzantine Empire culture. Persian rule later introduced Zoroastrianism alongside Christianity in some regions.
King Vakhtang I Gorgasali restored Iberian statehood and promoted independence, though subsequent rulers were sometimes Persian vassals, and the kingdom was occasionally governed by Marzban. By the late 7th century, Byzantine-Persian rivalry declined, paving the way for Arab conquest.
The decline of centralized authority created conditions for the rise of the Bagrationi dynasty in the 9th century. Ashot I (r. 813–830) consolidated power in Tao-Klarjeti and extended his influence over Iberia, earning recognition from both the Abbasid Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Later, Adarnase IV succeeded in unifying most Georgian territories and was crowned King of the Iberians in 888.
In western Georgia, the Kingdom of Abkhazia gradually unified local tribes during the 8th century and expanded into Kartli in the 9th–10th centuries. However, persistent dynastic disputes, rival noble factions, and internal instability gradually weakened the Abkhazian monarchy.
Meanwhile, in southern Georgia, David III of Tao emerged as a dominant regional ruler, advocating for the political unification of Georgian territories. Recognizing the potential for consolidation, he supported the young Bagrat III, who held hereditary claims to multiple Georgian thrones. Through a combination of military campaigns, diplomatic alliances, and dynastic legitimacy, Bagrat III successfully unified the principal Georgian polities. In 1008, he was crowned as the first king of a unified Georgia, marking the establishment of a consolidated Georgian state that would later achieve significant cultural and political prominence.
During the 11th century, Georgia faced internal noble conflicts and Byzantine interference, but both the Georgian and Byzantine states opposed the expansion of the Seljuk Empire. After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Georgia assumed control over eastern Anatolia and led military campaigns against Turkish forces throughout the 1080s.
Georgia reached its political and cultural zenith in the 12th and early 13th centuries under the reigns of David IV (r. 1089–1125) and Tamar (r. 1184–1213), a period commonly referred to as the Georgian Golden Age. (2026). 9780415593465 ISBN 9780415593465 (1999). 9780893572785, Slavica. ISBN 9780893572785
David IV centralized royal authority, defeated Turkish forces at the Battle of Didgori in 1121, and abolished the Emirate of Tbilisi.
Tamar further strengthened the Georgian state, earning the title of "king of kings". She neutralized internal opposition, expanded Georgian territories into present-day Azerbaijan, Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northern Iran, and established the Empire of Trebizond as a vassal state.
The decline of the Georgian kingdom began after Jalal ad-Din captured Tbilisi in 1226, followed by the Mongol invasions. George V the Brilliant (r. 1314–1346) later restored political unity and revitalized Christian culture. However, subsequent Timurid invasions and persistent internal conflicts hindered full consolidation of the kingdom, ultimately contributing to its fragmentation in the 15th century.
Vassal Georgian states occasionally rebelled. Continuous Ottoman–Persian Wars and deportations reduced Georgia’s population to 784,700 by the late 18th century. Eastern Georgia, under Iranian suzerainty since the Peace of Amasya, regained independence after Nader Shah’s death in 1747 and was reunited under Heraclius II.
In 1783, the Treaty of Georgievsk made Eastern Georgia a Russian protectorate, guaranteeing the Bagrationi dynasty’s rule in exchange for Russian control over foreign affairs.
Russia failed to defend Georgia in 1795 when Qajar dynasty sacked Tbilisi. Although Russia launched a punitive campaign, it later annexed Eastern Georgia in 1801, abolished the Bagrationi dynasty, and ended the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Pyotr Bagration, a Bagrationi descendant, later became a prominent Russian general in the Napoleonic wars.
Many Georgians were upset by the loss of independence of the Georgian Orthodox Church. The Russian clergy took control of Georgian churches and monasteries, prohibiting use of the Georgian liturgy and desecrating medieval Georgian frescoes on various churches all across Georgia.
From 1855 to 1907, Prince Ilia Chavchavadze led a Georgian patriotic movement, funding schools, supporting the national theatre, and founding the newspaper Iveria. His efforts, backed by intellectuals such as Giorgi Tsereteli, Ivane Machabeli, Akaki Tsereteli, Niko Nikoladze, Alexander Kazbegi, and Iakob Gogebashvili, revived national consciousness.
The late 19th century saw a Georgian literary revival. Chavchavadze excelled in poetry, novels, short stories, and essays. Akaki Tsereteli became known as "the immortal nightingale of the Georgian people." Alongside Niko Nikoladze and Iakob Gogebashvili, these figures were central to the modern Georgian cultural renaissance.
The Russian Revolution of October 1917 plunged Russia into a bloody civil war during which several outlying Russian territories declared independence. Georgia was one of them, proclaiming the establishment of the independent Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) on 26 May 1918. The new country was governed by the Social Democratic Party of Georgia, which established a multi-party system, in sharp contrast to the "dictatorship of the proletariat" established by the Bolsheviks in Russia. In February 1921, the Red Army invaded Georgia and after a short war occupied the country.
After Perestroika, mass pro-independence protests began to emerge in Georgia from 1988 onward, led by prominent Georgian nationalist figures such as Merab Kostava and Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The following year, the brutal suppression by Soviet forces of a large, peaceful demonstration in Tbilisi on 4–9 April 1989 became a pivotal moment, severely undermining the legitimacy of continued Soviet rule in the country.
In October 1990, the first multi-party elections were held in Soviet Georgia, which were the first multi-party elections in the entire Soviet Union in which the opposition groups were registered as formal political parties. The Round Table—Free Georgia coalition, led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia, secured victory in this election and formed a new government. On 9 April 1991, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Supreme Council of Georgia after a referendum held on 31 March.
All of these languages comprise the Kartvelian language family, along with the Laz language of the Laz people, which has speakers in both Turkey and Georgia.
The Georgian language has at least 18 dialects, including , , , , Adjarian dialect, (in Turkey), , , Saingilo (in Azerbaijan), Tusheti, Khevsureti, Khevi, , Ertso-Tianeti, Mtiuleti, Fereydanian (in Fereydunshahr and Fereydan, Iran), , and Javakheti.
As was true elsewhere, the Christian church in Georgia was crucial to the development of a written language, and most of the earliest written works were religious texts. Medieval Georgian culture was greatly influenced by Eastern Orthodoxy and the Georgian Orthodox Church, which promoted and often sponsored the creation of many works of religious devotion. These included churches and monasteries, works of art such as , and hagiography of Georgian saints.
Today, 83.9% of the Georgian population, most of whom are ethnic Georgian, follow Eastern Orthodox Christianity. A sizable Georgian Muslim population exists in Adjara. This autonomous Republic borders Turkey, and was part of the Ottoman Empire for a longer amount of time than other parts of the country. Those Georgian Muslims practice the Sunni Hanafi form of Islam. Islam has however declined in Adjara during the 20th century, due to Soviet anti-religious policies, cultural integration with the national Orthodox majority, and strong missionary efforts by the Georgian Orthodox Church.Thomas Liles, "Islam and religious transformation in Adjara", ECMI Working Paper, February 2012, [2] , accessed 4 June 2012 In the early modern period, converted Georgian recruits were often used by the Persian and Ottoman Empires for elite military units such as the Mameluks, Qizilbash, and ghilman. The Iranian Georgians are all reportedly Shia Muslims today, while Ingiloy people (indigenous to Azerbaijan), Laz people (indigenous to Turkey), Imerkhevians (indigenous to Turkey), and Georgians in Turkey (who descend from Georgian immigrants) are mostly Sunni Muslim.
There is also a small number of Georgian Jews, tracing their ancestors to the Babylonian captivity.
In addition to traditional religious confessions, Georgia retains irreligious segments of society, as well as a significant portion of nominally religious individuals who do not actively practice their faith. Caucasus Analytical Digest No.20 , Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 11 October 2010
The importance of both food and drink to Georgian culture is best observed during a Caucasian feast, or Keipi, when a huge assortment of dishes is prepared, always accompanied by large amounts of wine, and dinner can last for hours. In a Georgian feast, the role of the tamada (toastmaster) is an important and honoured position.
In countries of the former Soviet Union, Georgian food is popular due to the immigration of Georgians to other Soviet republics, in particular Russia. In Russia all major cities have many Georgian restaurants and Russian restaurants often feature Georgian food items on their menu.
The origins of Georgian polyphony are generally considered pre-Christian.Javakhishvili, Ivane (2010). "The Views and Theories of Georgian Authors". In: Rusudan Tsurtsumia & Joseph Jordania (eds.), Echoes from Georgia: Seventeen Arguments on Georgian Polyphony, pp. 19–34. New York: Nova Science. Common features include ostinato patterns, drone techniques and the use of sharp dissonances. Dimitri Arakishvili identified the characteristic C–F–G sonority as the "Georgian Triad".Arakishvili, Dimitri (1905). Short Review of the Development of Georgian (Kartlian and Kakhetian) Folk Songs. Moscow: K. Menshov. (in Russian) Georgian polyphonic singing was among the first on the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. Georgian polyphonic singing was relisted on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008. It was inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia registry in 2011.
Georgian scale systems often rely on combinations of perfect fourths and fifths,Gogotishvili, Vladimer (2010). "On Authentic and Plagal Types of Monotonic Scales in Georgian Traditional Vocal Polyphony". In: Tsurtsumia & Jordania (eds.), Echoes from Georgia, pp. 147–156. producing interval structures that diverge from Western equal temperament. Non-tempered intonation has survived most consistently in Svaneti.
From early gramophone recordings preserved by Anzor Erkomaishvili to the emergence of large Soviet-era choirs and postwar ensembles such as Rustavi Ensemble and Georgian Voices, Georgian polyphony has gained international visibility. From the 1960s onward, groups like Orera, and later The Shin, incorporated traditional material into popular and jazz-influenced idioms.
Research on Georgian traditional music has been shaped by scholars including Dimitri Arakishvili, Zakaria Paliashvili, and later ethnomusicologists. Important contributions by foreign researchers such as Siegfried Nadel have also influenced the field.Encyclopedic Dictionary of Georgian Music. Tbilisi, 2015, p. 358. The establishment of the International Research Centre for Traditional Polyphony in 2003 reinforced Georgia’s role in international polyphony studies. Papers presented at the Symposia
Georgian tribes inhabited the eastern part of the Black Sea coast several centuries before the adoption of Christianity. The works of the ancient Greek geographer Strabo contain vivid descriptions of the pagan rituals of the Georgians, which included elements of dance. The arrival of Christianity introduced significant changes into the life of the population; however, many rituals were preserved and adapted to the new religion. Within these rituals, dance gradually assumed a leading role, while the religious content diminished. In this way, Georgian dances developed into an integral element of folk artistic culture.
It is known that by the 4th century BCE, secular music was widespread among Georgian tribes. The Colchis tribes began their battles with martial songs and dances.
During the Middle Ages, dance became increasingly professionalized, and performances were frequently held in the palaces of kings and feudal lords. At this time, solo and paired dances underwent significant development, and canonical dance movements became firmly established.
Georgian dance employs several means of self-expression. Young men seek to demonstrate strength, agility, and bravery. Male choreography is characterized by sharp and vigorous movements, including turns, leaps, jumps, and steps performed on the toes or knees. In contrast, the female dance is distinguished by smoothness and grace.Borzov, A. A. Dances of the Various Peoples of the USSR. Moscow: GITIS, 1988, p. 12.
In the 9th and 10th centuries, Christian theological literature flourished alongside a growing sense of Georgian national identity, exemplified by "Praise and Exaltation of the Georgian Language" by John Zosimus.
David IV's unification of Georgia in the 11th century marked a golden age for culture. Byzantine-influenced Christian literature thrived, and secular literature emerged, drawing on Georgian folklore as well as Persian and Arabic traditions. Heroic epics, love tales, and knightly adventures became prominent, with poetry as the dominant form.
The reign of Queen Tamar (AD 1184-1213) marked the pinnacle of medieval Georgian literature. This period witnessed a flourishing of literary production, with Shota Rustaveli's epic poem, "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" ( Vepkhistqaosani), emerging as a masterpiece. Considered one of the most significant works of Georgian literature,Elbakidze, M. Medieval Georgian Romance by Shota Rustaveli in the Context of European Chivalry Romance. Intercultural Perspective, p. 129. the poem narrates the adventures of Avtandil, a knight sent by Queen Tinatin on a quest to find another mysterious knight. The story unfolds with twists, culminating in a double wedding.
Following Queen Tamar's reign, Georgia's political fragmentation and foreign invasions led to a decline in literary output.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw a resurgence in literary activity. Kings like Teimuraz I and Archil II contributed to the field. This period produced notable works like The Book of Wisdom and Lies by Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani, alongside works by David Guramishvili and Besiki.
In the 19th century, Romanticism dominated Georgian literature under Alexander Chavchavadze, Grigol Orbeliani, and Nikoloz Baratashvili. The following generation, influenced by the "Tergdaleulebi" movement, emphasized Literary realism and social issues, with writers such as Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Alexander Kazbegi, and Vazha-Pshavela.
In the early 20th century, Kutaisi became a center for the symbolist "Blue Horns" group, including Paolo Iashvili, Grigol Robakidze, Giorgi Leonidze, Titsian Tabidze and Galaktion Tabidze.Ninoshvili, L. (2011). The 1990s "Kutaisi Wave": Music and Youth Movement in a Postindustrial Periphery. Current Musicology, (91). p. 12
This vibrant literary activity was interrupted by the Great Purge of the 1930s, which silenced many writers who were unwilling to conform to socialist realism.
Prominent 20th-century prose writers include Mikheil Javakhishvili, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Nodar Dumbadze, and Otar Chiladze.Rayfield, Donald (2000), , pp. 283-7. Routledge, .
Even if a member of any of these subgroups moves to a different region, they will still be known by the name of their ancestral region. For example, if a moves to Tbilisi (part of the Kartli region) he will not automatically identify himself as despite actually living in Kartli. This may, however, change if substantial amount of time passes. For example, there are some Mingrelians who have lived in the Imereti region for centuries and are now identified as Imeretian or Imeretian-Mingrelians.
Last names from mountainous eastern Georgian provinces (such as Khevsureti, etc.) can be distinguished by the suffix – uri (ური), or – uli (ული). Most Svans last names typically end in – ani (ანი), Mingrelians in – ia (ია), - ua (უა), or - ava (ავა), and Laz people in – shi (ში).
| Adjarians | აჭარელი achareli | Adjara | Adjarian dialect |
| Gurians | გურული guruli | Guria | Gurian dialect |
| Imeretians | იმერელი imereli | Imereti | Imeretian dialect |
| Javakhians | ჯავახი javakhi | Javakheti | Javakhian dialect |
| Kakhetians | კახელი kakheli | Kakheti | Kakhetian dialect |
| Kartlians | ქართლელი kartleli | Kartli | Kartlian dialect |
| Khevsurians | ხევსური khevsuri | Khevsureti | Khevsurian dialect |
| Lechkhumians | ლეჩხუმელი lechkhumeli | Lechkhumi | Lechkhumian dialect |
| Mingrelians | მეგრელი megreli | Samegrelo | Mingrelian language |
| Meskhetians | მესხი meskhi | Meskheti (Samtskhe) | Meskhian dialect |
| Mokhevians | მოხევე mokheve | Khevi | Mokhevian dialect |
| Mtiuleti | მთიული mtiuli | Mtiuleti | Mtiuletian-Gudamaqrian dialect |
| Pshavians | ფშაველი pshaveli | Pshavi | Pshavian dialect |
| Rachians | რაჭველი rachveli | Racha | Rachan dialect |
| Svan people | სვანი svani | Svaneti | Svan language |
| Tushetians | თუში tushi | Tusheti | Tushetian dialect |
The 1897 Russian census (which accounted people by language), had Imeretian, Svan language and Mingrelian languages separate from Georgian. Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. During the 1926 Soviet census, Svans and Mingrelians were accounted separately from Georgian. ССР ГРУЗИЯ (1926 г.) Svan and Mingrelian languages are both Kartvelian languages and are closely related to the national Georgian language.
| Laz people | ლაზი lazi | Lazistan (Turkey) | Laz language | 250,000 Pat Yale, Jean-Bernard Carillet, Virginia Maxwell, Miriam Raphael (2026). 9781740596831, Lonely Planet. . ISBN 9781740596831 | Religion: Muslim majority, Orthodox MinorityRoger Rosen, Jeffrey Jay Foxx (September 1991) The Georgian Republic, Passport Books, Lincolnwood, IL |
| Fereydani | ფერეიდნელი pereidneli | Fereydan (Iran) | Fereydanian dialect | 100,000+ | Religion: Muslim |
| Chveneburi | ჩვენებური chveneburi | Black Sea Region (Turkey) | Georgian language | 91,000–1,000,000 | Religion: Muslim |
| Ingiloy people | ინგილო ingilo | Saingilo (Azerbaijan) | Ingiloan dialect | 12,000 | Religion: Muslim majority, Orthodox minority |
| Imerkhevians (Shavshians) | შავში shavshi | Shavsheti (Turkey) | Imerkhevian dialect | Religion: Muslim | |
| Dvals | დვალი dvali | Georgia (Racha and Khevi regions) and Russia (North Ossetia) | Dval language |
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