Stosunki Gruzji z Europą Zachodnią i państwem polsko-litewskim w latach 1453–1783

Following the fall of the Byzantine Empire (1453) and the Empire of the Trebizond (1461) the fragmented Georgia made a desperate attempt at participating in European countries’ various efforts aimed at coalitions (political and military alike) against the Islamic Turkey posing a threat to the Christian world. In the 17th century, the captive Bagrationi dynasty managed to build up lasting trade relations with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and intense cultural and religious contacts with the Papacy. The dynamically changing geopolitical system in the Caucasus region ultimately predestined the Russian Empire to become Georgia’s natural ally in the subsequent century as no other country could offer tangible military assistance to Georgia.