In the XIX century in the Russian Empire, student zemlyachestva (communities) were informal associations of students organized according to their place of origin—province, region, or ethno-cultural area.
They existed primarily in major university centers such as Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, and Kharkiv.
The most famous and emblematic figure of the Georgian student community was Ilia Chavchavadze (1837–1907).
It was he who, in 1857–1861 (while a student at the Faculty of Law of Saint Petersburg University), became the first chairman of the Georgian student community.
Under his influence, Georgians refused to remain within the general “Caucasian” community (dominated by Armenians and Azerbaijanis) and created a separate national association.