Yedisan

Meskheti (Georgian: მესხეთის; Meskhet’is) formally known as the Republic of Meskheti (რესპუბლიკა მესხეთის; Respublika Meskhet’is) is a sovereign state located in, boarding , and. Its capital and largest city is Pashvillak, and its total population of 4, 263, 411 people. Meskheti is a,  with the President acting has head of state and the chancellor the.

Originally the home to Slavic nomads the modern state of Meskheti was formed when settlers sailed across the  to trade with Kievian traders in modern day Ukraine. Establishing the port city of Pashvillak, the Georgian settlers eventually inhabited large tacts of land. When the Kingdom of Georgia split in 1490 the Georgian settlers in Pashvillak declared the formation of the Kingdom of Meskheti, named after the Southern regions of Georgia. The Meskhetians fought with the Kievians, until drawing up roughly the modern day boarders of Meskheti. The Kingdom embraced the religion becoming a blend of European and Georgian culture with vibrant trade across the Black Sea. However in 1548 Meskheti was conquered by the, only gaining independence from them in 1882 as the reformed Kingdom of Meskhati. During Meskheti was initially unaligned, before siding with the  in 1915, only to be occupied by Romania a year later where the monarchy was disposed and the Holy State of Meskheti established with the head of the Meskhetian Orthodox Church Abraam II being installed as Patriarch of a. The interwar period saw Meskheti advance economically, but political instability meant that in 1934 Simoni Vardzelashvili leader of the Meskhetian National Fascist Party take power as the Prime Minister of Meskheti.

In 1942 Vardzelashvili sided with in  fighting   on the  in  as well as contribute towards the  of Eastern Europe. Soviet forces occupied Meskheti in 1944, overseeing the creation of the People's Democratic Republic of Meskheti. Pro-democracy protests in 1989 saw the overthrow of the communist regime and Meskheti's transitions towards a capitalist, democratic country.

Meskheti has struggled economically since democratisation, with shock therapy economics leading to poverty and inequality within Meskheti. Meskheti is a member of the, , , and.

Georgian settlers
In 1450 Georgian settlers led by Zhordania Dzhugashvili sailed across the to, partly to establish trade relations and partly to escape from the political turmoil that faced the. The vogue saw many onboard the ships die, with the journey taking over six months. However in 1451 Dzhugashvili arrived at the coast of Eastern Europe, where he set up the port town of Pashvillak. In 1467 a second vogue led by Solomon Erelishi saw more Georgians emigrate to Pashvillak, where the Georgian settlers began to expand mainly as farmers. In 1469 Dzhugashvili crowned himself as the King of Pashvillak, and ordered the settlers to continue expansion into surrounding lands.

The Kingdom of Pashvillak for its first 25 years saw opposition from neighbouring city states, prompting the Georgians to often fight against these city states for control. Despite the odd territorial gains Pashvillak remained isolated with the kingdom facing very little expansion. The ascension of King Akaki II in 1493 saw the Kingdom of Pashvillak change its name to the kingdom of Meskheti, after the southern regions of Georgia. Akaki II saw Meskheti develop a strictly society as well as establish the Meskhetian Orthodox Church. Akaki helped develop Meskheti as an important trading post with Meskhetian goods such as cloths being traded along the Black Sea to the and the modern territories of  and. During this time Meskheti became militarily weak facing attacks from the and. This military weakness prompted King Akaki II in 1512 to enforce conscription in Meskheti, creating the first real army of Meskheti.

Despite this Meskheti was still dependent on Ottoman military support to protect it from hostile neighbours. By 1540 Meskheti was almost entirely in the throes of the Ottoman Empire which remained the only state that was willing to support the fledgeling state. Meskheti itself became more isolated as members of the clergy became the dominant figures in Meskhetian society, and principal advisor's to the king. Many of these priests saw the Ottoman empire as a threat due to its strong Islamic traditions, and thus began to advise against forging closer relations.

Ottoman occupation
The coronation of Queen Ketevan I of Meskheti in 1542 almost immediately saw relations deteriorate between the Meskheti and the Ottoman Empire, with Queen Ketevan seeing the Islamic influence of the Ottomans as a threat to the Eastern Orthodox Church which by this time had become deeply engrained into Meskhetian society. This effectively cut off Meskhetian trading routes with many in Meskheti living in squalor and poverty. In 1548 the Ottomans invaded Meskheti taking Pashvillak relatively quickly. Queen Ketevan on the advice of the clergy and her lords signed an agreement with the Ottomans, with Meskheti becoming an within the empire.

Early Ottoman rule saw the introduction of Islam to Meskheti. The Eastern Orthodox Church's role was severely limited under Ottoman rule with Meskheti's religious traditions being oppressed by the Ottomans. Most unpopular was the Ottoman policy of which resulted in civil unrest in Meskheti. This civil unrest caused the Ottomans to enforce harsher measures onto Meskheti, although resistance still remained in the north of the country where Eastern Orthodox traditions were still practiced as the norm.

Kingdom of Meskheti
The decline of the Ottoman empire in the late 1800's reignited the nationalist movement in Meskheti, with many showing open resistance to the Ottomans through the more frequent use of the Georgian language. After civil unrest in Pashvillak the Ottomans negotiated the Treaty of Hirashibli which saw the creation of the Princely State of Pashvillak ruled by Aleksandre I in 1864. Modernisation in the Ottoman empire enabled the clergy to gain more power, with frequent resistance to Ottoman rule demonstrated resulting in conflict erupting within Meskheti.

In 1880 Prince Aleksandre II of Pashvillak sought aid from and  in the Meskhetian Uprising, where the Ottoman empire was pushed out of Meskheti after two years of conflict. Much of northern Meskheti was given to the Russia in return for the Russian military support. Upon the independence of Meskheti Aleksandre II was crowned as the King of the newly formed Kingdom of Meskheti.

Much of the Ottoman traditions were abolished with the re-establishment of the Meskhetian Orthodox Church as the primary religious institution of Meskheti. Alexsandre II also oversaw the rehabilitation of Meskhetian patriotic figures such as Zhordania Dzhugashvili and Akai II. Even the previously reviled Ketevan I was romanticised as a staunch Meskhetian nationalist.

Alexsandre II also saw rapid industrialisation in Meskheti, with Pashvillak once again becoming a major trading post for Eastern European nations. This industrialisation saw the growth of culture and business in Meskheti, although it also created a large gap between the increasingly wealthy nobility and clergy and the workers who lived in poverty.

Government
Meskheti's politics take place within a   with a. The Constitution of Meskheti labels the country as a, nation. Officially Meskheti is a state, however in reality only the Meskheti Democratic Party and the Socialist Party of Meskheti hold any political legitimacy with Meskheti effectively being a  state. The State Council of Meskheti serves as the of Meskheti whilst the State Congress is designated as the.
 * The is the President of Meskheti who plays a largely ceremonial role. The President is however the  of the military with the power to declare war, approve and ratify laws, and give pardons. The President also helps appoint members of the State Council. The president is elected every four years through a.
 * The body of Meskheti is divided into two houses - the State Council (upper house) and the State Congress (lower house). The State Council's 81 members are appointed directly by the Cabinet as well as subject to review under the President. The State Congress are elected every four years in general elections through a  voting system with . The party or coalition that has the most seats in the State Congress forms the official government of Meskheti. There are 81 seats in the State Council and 128 in the State Congress.
 * The branch of Meskheti is led by the Chancellor of Meskheti who serves as the . The Chancellor is the leader of the political party that either holds a majority of seats in the State Congress (at least 65) or is the leader of a coalition. The Chancellor is responsible for putting together the Chancellery of Meskheti, a cabinet of ministers who are picked from members of the ruling party in the State Congress by the Chancellor. The Chancellery is responsible for running the majority of government operations in Meskheti.