Russian history timeline

This chart puts 9 Russian states on one timeline in order, from Kievan Rus (882 to 1240 CE) to Russian Federation (1991 CE to the present). On these dates, Kievan Rus lasted longest, about 358 years.

See it on the interactive chart

Slavic
Mongolic

Kievan Rus is part of the history of Ukraine and Belarus as well as Russia. Every bar links to a page listing the sources its dates were checked against.

In order

Kievan Rus

882 to 1240 CE. about 358 years. capital Kiev. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

According to the Primary Chronicle, the Varangian prince Oleg took Kiev in 882 and imposed tribute on the East Slav tribes. Vladimir I adopted Orthodox Christianity in 988. The state split into rival principalities and fell to the Mongols in 1240.

Novgorod Republic

1136 to 1478 CE. about 342 years. capital Novgorod. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Novgorod expelled its prince in 1136 and became a merchant republic with an elected archbishop and a veche assembly, trading furs with the Hanse. Ivan III of Moscow annexed it in 1478.

Vladimir-Suzdal

c. 1157 to 1331 CE. about 174 years. capital Vladimir. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Andrey Bogolyubsky moved his capital to Vladimir and sacked Kiev in 1169. Under Mongol rule its grand princely title passed to Tver and then to Moscow.

Golden Horde

1242 to 1502 CE. about 260 years. capital Sarai. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Batu's Mongol khanate ruled the steppe from Sarai on the lower Volga and took tribute from the Rus princes for two centuries. Its Mongol elite adopted Islam and the Kipchak language.

Grand Principality of Moscow

1263 to 1547 CE. about 284 years. capital Moscow. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Founded as an appanage for Daniel, son of Alexander Nevsky, Moscow grew rich collecting the khan's tribute from other Russian princes. Ivan III tripled Russian territory, and his defeat of the Tatars in 1480 traditionally ends Tatar overlordship.

Tsardom of Russia

1547 to 1721 CE. about 174 years. capital Moscow. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Ivan IV took the title of tsar in 1547 and conquered Kazan and Astrakhan. After the Time of Troubles the Romanovs, from 1613, pushed across Siberia to the Pacific.

Russian Empire

1721 to 1917 CE. about 196 years. capital Saint Petersburg. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

Peter the Great proclaimed the empire after defeating Sweden. It spanned Europe and northern Asia, beat Napoleon in 1812 and freed the serfs in 1861, then collapsed in revolution in 1917.

Soviet Union

1922 to 1991 CE. about 69 years. capital Moscow. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

A one-party communist federation built by Lenin and Stalin through forced industrialisation and terror. It bore the heaviest losses in defeating Nazi Germany, led one side of the Cold War and dissolved in December 1991.

Russian Federation

1991 CE to the present. about 34 years so far. capital Moscow. Russia and the Steppe, Europe.

The successor state of the Soviet Union, whose politics Vladimir Putin has dominated since 2000. It annexed Crimea in 2014, which most countries do not recognise, and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Major events

988 Baptism of the Rus. Vladimir I of Kiev adopts Orthodox Christianity from Byzantium and has the people of Kiev baptised in the Dnieper. Source: Wikipedia: Christianization of Kievan Rus'
1240 Mongols sack Kiev. Batu Khan's Mongol army takes Kiev after a short siege in late 1240. Galicia and Volhynia then submit to Mongol rule, and the Mongols advance west into Hungary and Poland. Source: Wikipedia: Siege of Kiev (1240)
1914 First World War begins. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June sets off a war that causes 15 to 22 million deaths and ends with the collapse of four empires. Source: Wikipedia: World War I
1917 Russian Revolution. The tsar abdicates in March, and in November the Bolsheviks under Lenin seize power in Petrograd. Source: Wikipedia: Russian Revolution, Wikipedia: February Revolution
1932 Holodomor. A man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine kills millions in 1932 and 1933; recent estimates run from 3.5 to 5 million. Ukraine and 33 other UN members call it genocide, while scholars dispute whether it was intended or aimed at Ukrainians. Source: Wikipedia: Holodomor
1939 Second World War begins. Germany invades Poland on 1 September. The war in Europe kills tens of millions, including six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, before Germany surrenders in May 1945. Source: Wikipedia: World War II, Wikipedia: The Holocaust
1942 Battle of Stalingrad. Axis forces attack the Soviet city from August 1942, and the German 6th Army surrenders on 2 February 1943. Generally regarded as the turning point of the European theatre, it is considered the deadliest battle of the Second World War. Source: Wikipedia: Battle of Stalingrad
1986 Chernobyl disaster. Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl plant in Soviet Ukraine explodes on 26 April, causing dozens of direct deaths and a major release of radioactive material. Long-term death estimates vary, from up to 4,000 (United Nations) to 16,000 across Europe. Source: Wikipedia: Chernobyl disaster
1991 Dissolution of the Soviet Union. After a failed coup in August the Soviet republics declare independence, and the USSR is formally dissolved on 26 December. Source: Wikipedia: Dissolution of the Soviet Union
2014 Russia annexes Crimea. Russian forces occupy Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and Russia annexes it after a referendum held under occupation. The UN General Assembly rejected the annexation and deems Crimea occupied; Russia defends the vote as self-determination. Source: Wikipedia: 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since the Second World War. Source: Wikipedia: Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present)

Questions

What is the order of Russian states?

By start date: Kievan Rus, Novgorod Republic, Vladimir-Suzdal, Golden Horde, Grand Principality of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire, Soviet Union and Russian Federation.

Which of the Russian states lasted longest?

On this timeline, Kievan Rus, at about 358 years (882 to 1240 CE).

How many Russian states were there?

This timeline shows 9. Other lists count differently, depending on how they treat rival states and periods of division.

Which came first?

Kievan Rus, 882 to 1240 CE, is the earliest on this timeline.

Where do these dates come from?

Each row's dates were checked against the sources listed on that row's own page, mostly English Wikipedia articles, which cite the underlying scholarship. Dates that are uncertain are marked c.