Russian Timeline

800 CE

Jan 17, 800

Scandinavian Warriors (Varangians) & Slavs settle near Volga & Dnieper Rivers. They were Scandinavians in Eastern Europe who were often associated with Byzantium and the Byzantine emperor's Varangian Guard. These mercenaries were almost entirely men who either returned to their Scandinavian homeland or married into the local Slavic culture.

1200 CE

Feb 17, 1200

Mongols invade Kiev - rule area for over 200 years. Mongol Empire invaded and conquered Kievan Rus' in the 13th century, in which he destroyed numerous cities, including Ryazan, Kolomna, Moscow, Vladimir and Kiev.

1470 CE

Mar 18, 1470

Ivan III “The Great” ended Mongol rule; expanded territory. Ivan III the Great was the grand prince of Moscow and the grand prince of all Russia. During his reign, the Russian state gained independence from the Mongol Tatars, finally ending 200 years of their rule.Their marriage facilitated the annexation of Tver, which had been Moscow's major rival since 1300.

1530 CE

Apr 20, 1530

Ivan IV “The Terrible” became Russia’s first crowned czar. He was the Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan was the son of Vasili III, and was appointed Grand Prince at three years old after his father's death. He is known as “Terrible”, it's because he was one. He created new policies that took away rights of peasants, executed a bunch of people, accusing them of conspiracy and beat up his daughter-in-law.

(1855-1881)

May 18, 1855

Czar Alexander II assassinated-
*Serfs moved to cities
*Non-Russians faced prejudice
*Russification - which encouraged people to speak Russian & follow E Orthodox Christianity
*Workers sought Socialism

1917

Jun 21, 1917

Bolsheviks seized control from Czar Nicholas II
*Bolsheviks - revolutionary group, believing in Communism, led by Vladimir Lenin

(1922-1952)

Jul 5, 1922

Joseph Stalin governed Russia with an ‘Iron Fist’.
*Eliminated those who disagreed w/his policies
*Killed 20-25 million Russians (Hunger, Murder)
*Defeated Hitler in WWII
*Demanded half of Europe after WWII

1985

Aug 3, 1985

Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power. Capping his rapid rise through the Communist Party hierarchy, Mikhail Gorbachev is picked as the new general secretary and leader of the Soviet Union, following the death of Konstantin Chernenko the day before. Gorbachev oversaw a radical transformation of Soviet society and foreign policy during the next six years.

1991

Oct 7, 1991

*Communism collapses (Republics declared independence)
*Boris Yeltsin named 1st President
*Command to Market economy

1999

Sep 17, 1999

Vladimir Putin - became President
*Stabilized economy
*Joined NATO
*Named successor - Dimitry Medvedev
*Appointed self “Prime Minister” 2008
*Ran for 3rd term : 2011:
*Still President (6 year terms)