Before the unification of the country by the Bagrationi dynasty in the 10th century, several Georgian states including Iberia and Colchis, managed to subsist between the Roman Empire (later the Byzantine Empire, after the fall of Rome's western half) to the West and the Sassanid Empire (later replaced by the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates) to the East. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, the Kingdom of Georgia was a major regional power, which withstood invasions by the Seljuk Empire, Mongol Empire, and Timurid Empire, before its fragmentation and submission to the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. Many Georgians fought in the armies of the empires that ruled the country from the 16th century, be it the Safavids (and successive Afsharids and Qajars), the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, and the nation kept a reputation for military valor and skill. [dubious – discuss] Since 1991, the newly independent Georgia has taken part in many conflicts: its conflicts with Russia culminated in the 2008 Russo–Georgian War, while its alliance with the United States led to Georgia's participation in the Afghan and Iraq Wars.
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