Kingdom of Iberia

Caucasian Iberia, also called the Kingdom of Iberia or Kartli, was a Georgian kingdom in the eastern and southern part of present-day Georgia. It bordered Colchis to the west, Caucasian Albania to the east and Armenia to the south. The kingdom emerged in the late fourth century BC, when Pharnavaz I, according to medieval Georgian chronicles, overthrew a local ruler and founded the Pharnavazid dynasty. Its early capital was Armaztsikhe, and Mtskheta became the political and religious centre; Tbilisi later rose in importance. Iberia controlled the mountain passes of the Caucasus, including the Darial Pass, and was repeatedly contested by Rome, Parthia and Sassanid Persia. In the early fourth century King Mirian III adopted Christianity, making it the state religion and tying the kingdom to the Christian world. From the early sixth century Sassanid influence became direct rule, and in 580 King Hormizd IV abolished the monarchy after the death of Bakur III, turning Iberia into a Persian province governed by a marzpan. The Bagrationi dynasty later united Iberia with Colchis to form the medieval Kingdom of Georgia. The name Caucasian Iberia distinguishes it from the Iberian Peninsula in south-western Europe.