World History Timeline

Countries / Europe

History of Russia

60 notable historical events in Russia, in chronological order.

War · 23Politics · 22Dynasty · 4Treaty · 8Revolution · 8Science · 2Technology · 4Exploration · 4Religion · 1Economy · 1Disaster · 2Birth · 1Death · 4

9th century

  1. c. 862★★★★★

    Rurik comes to rule Novgorod (traditional)

    According to the Primary Chronicle, the Varangian chieftain Rurik was invited to rule Novgorod in 862, traditionally the start of the Rurik dynasty.

    DynastyPolitics· Russia

10th century

  1. 988★★★★★

    Christianization of Kievan Rus'

    Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev is baptized and makes Byzantine Orthodox Christianity the religion of the Rus'.

    Religion· Ukraine, Russia, Belarus

13th century

  1. 1237 – 1240★★★★★

    Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'

    Mongol armies under Batu devastate the Rus' principalities and take Kiev in 1240, beginning over two centuries of Golden Horde domination.

    War· Russia, Ukraine
  2. April 5, 1242★★★★★

    Battle on the Ice

    Forces of Novgorod led by Alexander Nevsky defeat the German knights of the Livonian Order on frozen Lake Peipus.

    War· Russia, Estonia

15th century

  1. 1480★★★★★

    Great Stand on the Ugra River

    Ivan III of Moscow faces down the Great Horde, which withdraws; traditionally seen as the end of Tatar overlordship in Russia.

    WarPolitics· Russia

16th century

  1. 1547★★★★★

    Ivan IV crowned first Tsar of All Russia

    Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) is crowned in Moscow with the title of Tsar, marking the beginning of the Tsardom of Russia.

    DynastyPolitics· Russia

17th century

  2. 1689★★★★★

    Treaty of Nerchinsk

    The first treaty between Qing China and Tsarist Russia sets their border along the Amur River region.

    Treaty· China, Russia

18th century

  1. May 27, 1703★★★★★

    Peter the Great founds Saint Petersburg

    Tsar Peter I lays the foundations of Saint Petersburg at the mouth of the Neva; the city becomes Russia's capital in 1712.

    Politics· Russia
  2. July 8, 1709★★★★★

    Battle of Poltava

    Peter the Great's Russian army crushes the Swedish army of Charles XII, ending Sweden's great-power status and raising Russia's standing in Eastern Europe.

    War· Ukraine, Russia, Sweden
  3. 1721★★★★★

    Russian Empire proclaimed

    After victory in the Great Northern War, confirmed by the Treaty of Nystad, Peter I takes the title of Emperor and Russia becomes the Russian Empire.

    PoliticsTreaty· Russia, Sweden
  4. 1756 – 1763★★★★★

    Seven Years' War

    A global conflict among the European powers fought in Europe, North America and India; Britain gains colonial supremacy and Prussia confirms its great-power status.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Spain, United States, Canada, India
  5. 1772 – 1795★★★★★

    Partitions of Poland

    Russia, Prussia and Austria carve up the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in three partitions, erasing it from the map of Europe by 1795.

    PoliticsTreaty· Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Austria

19th century

  1. December 2, 1805★★★★★

    Battle of Austerlitz

    Napoleon defeats a combined Russian and Austrian army in the "Battle of the Three Emperors", one of his most celebrated victories.

    War· Czechia, France, Austria, Russia
  2. June 24, 1812 – December 1812★★★★★

    French invasion of Russia

    Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman into Russia and takes Moscow, but is forced into a winter retreat with catastrophic losses.

    War· Russia, France, Lithuania, Belarus
  3. September 7, 1812★★★★★

    Battle of Borodino

    The bloodiest battle of Napoleon's invasion of Russia is fought near Moscow; the Russians withdraw, allowing the French to enter Moscow a week later.

    War· Russia, France
  4. 1814 – June 9, 1815★★★★★

    Congress of Vienna

    The European powers meet in Vienna to reorder the continent after the Napoleonic Wars, redrawing the map of Europe and establishing a balance of power.

    TreatyPolitics· Austria, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France
  5. 1853 – 1856★★★★★

    Crimean War

    An alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia defeats Russia, with fighting centred on the siege of Sevastopol in Crimea.

    War· Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine
  6. March 3, 1861★★★★★

    Emancipation of the serfs in Russia

    Tsar Alexander II issues the emancipation manifesto, freeing more than 20 million serfs across the Russian Empire.

    PoliticsEconomy· Russia
  7. March 30, 1867★★★★★

    Alaska Purchase

    The United States signs a treaty to buy Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million.

    Treaty· United States, Russia
  8. 1869★★★★★

    Mendeleev's periodic table

    Dmitri Mendeleev arranges the chemical elements by atomic weight and properties, predicting elements not yet discovered.

    Science· Russia
  9. April 22, 1870★★★★★

    Birth of Vladimir Lenin

    Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, later known as Lenin, leader of the October Revolution, is born in Simbirsk.

    Birth· Russia
  10. June 1878 – July 1878★★★★★

    Congress of Berlin

    The European powers reorganise the Balkans after the Russo-Turkish War, recognising the independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania.

    TreatyPolitics· Germany, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Austria, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, Bulgaria
  11. March 13, 1881★★★★★

    Assassination of Tsar Alexander II

    Tsar Alexander II is killed by a bomb thrown by members of the revolutionary group Narodnaya Volya in Saint Petersburg.

    PoliticsDeath· Russia

20th century

  1. February 8, 1904 – September 5, 1905★★★★★

    Russo-Japanese War

    Japan defeats the Russian Empire in a war over Manchuria and Korea, the first modern victory of an Asian power over a European one.

    War· Japan, Russia, China, South Korea
  2. January 22, 1905★★★★★

    Bloody Sunday in Saint Petersburg

    Soldiers fire on peaceful workers marching to the Winter Palace, sparking the Russian Revolution of 1905.

    RevolutionPolitics· Russia
  3. July 28, 1914 – November 11, 1918★★★★★

    World War I

    Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, drawing Europe's powers into a global war that lasts until the armistice of 11 November 1918.

    War· Austria, Serbia, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia
  4. 1917 – 1922★★★★★

    Russian Civil War

    The Bolshevik Red Army fights the White movement and other forces after the October Revolution; the Bolsheviks emerge victorious.

    WarRevolution· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan
  6. November 7, 1917★★★★★

    October Revolution

    The Bolsheviks led by Lenin overthrow the Provisional Government in Petrograd (25 October in the Julian calendar then used in Russia).

    Revolution· Russia
  7. July 17, 1918★★★★★

    Execution of the Romanov family

    Former Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, their children and their retainers are shot by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg.

    DeathRevolution· Russia
  8. 1921★★★★★

    Mongolian Revolution of 1921

    With Soviet Red Army support, Mongolian revolutionaries led by Sükhbaatar take power, paving the way for a socialist state.

    Revolution· Mongolia, Russia
  9. December 30, 1922★★★★★

    Founding of the Soviet Union

    The Treaty on the Creation of the USSR unites Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian Federation into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

    Politics· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
  10. January 21, 1924★★★★★

    Death of Lenin

    Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Soviet state, dies after a series of strokes, opening a power struggle won by Stalin.

    DeathPolitics· Russia
  11. May 1939 – September 1939★★★★★

    Battles of Khalkhin Gol

    Soviet and Mongolian forces under Georgy Zhukov defeat the Japanese on the Mongolian–Manchurian border.

    War· Mongolia, Japan, Russia, China
  12. August 23, 1939★★★★★

    Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

    Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression pact with a secret protocol dividing Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

    Treaty· Germany, Russia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland
  13. September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945★★★★★

    World War II

    Germany invades Poland, starting the deadliest conflict in human history, which ends with Japan's formal surrender on 2 September 1945.

    War· Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Russia, United States, Japan, China
  14. June 22, 1941★★★★★

    Operation Barbarossa: Germany invades the Soviet Union

    Nazi Germany and its allies launch a massive invasion of the Soviet Union, opening the Eastern Front, the largest theatre of the Second World War.

    War· Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia
  15. September 8, 1941 – January 27, 1944★★★★★

    Siege of Leningrad

    German and Finnish forces besiege Leningrad for nearly 900 days; around a million civilians die, mostly from starvation.

    WarDisaster· Russia, Germany, Finland
  16. August 23, 1942 – February 2, 1943★★★★★

    Battle of Stalingrad

    The Red Army encircles and forces the surrender of the German Sixth Army, a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front.

    War· Russia, Germany
  17. July 5, 1943 – August 23, 1943★★★★★

    Battle of Kursk

    Germany's last major offensive on the Eastern Front fails against Soviet defences in one of the largest tank battles in history.

    War· Russia, Germany
  18. January 27, 1945★★★★★

    Liberation of Auschwitz

    The Red Army liberates the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, where about 1.1 million people were murdered; the date is now International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

    War· Poland, Germany, Russia
  19. February 4, 1945 – February 11, 1945★★★★★

    Yalta Conference

    Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet at Yalta to discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the world.

    PoliticsTreaty· Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Russia
  20. May 8, 1945★★★★★

    Victory in Europe Day

    The Allies formally accept Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, ending the Second World War in Europe.

    War· Germany, United Kingdom, United States, France, Russia
  21. November 20, 1945 – October 1, 1946★★★★★

    Nuremberg trials

    An international military tribunal tries leading Nazi figures for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Politics· Germany, United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia
  22. June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949★★★★★

    Berlin Blockade and Airlift

    The Soviet Union blocks road and rail access to West Berlin; the Western Allies respond by supplying the city through an airlift for almost a year.

    Politics· Germany, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, France
  23. March 5, 1953★★★★★

    Death of Joseph Stalin

    Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union since the mid-1920s, dies near Moscow, opening the way to de-Stalinisation under Khrushchev.

    DeathPolitics· Russia
  24. October 23, 1956 – November 10, 1956★★★★★

    Hungarian Revolution of 1956

    A nationwide uprising against Hungary's Soviet-backed government is crushed by Soviet forces.

    Revolution· Hungary, Russia
  25. October 4, 1957★★★★★

    Launch of Sputnik 1

    The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, Earth's first artificial satellite, opening the Space Age.

    TechnologyExploration· Russia, Kazakhstan
  26. April 12, 1961★★★★★

    Gagarin becomes the first human in space

    Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard Vostok 1, becoming the first human in space.

    ExplorationTechnology· Russia, Kazakhstan
  27. October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962★★★★★

    Cuban Missile Crisis

    A 13-day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba brings the world closest to nuclear war.

    Politics· Cuba, United States, Russia
  29. January 5, 1968 – August 21, 1968★★★★★

    Prague Spring

    A period of political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubček ends when Warsaw Pact armies invade the country.

    PoliticsRevolution· Czechia, Slovakia, Russia
  30. March 11, 1985★★★★★

    Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader

    Mikhail Gorbachev is chosen as General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and goes on to launch the policies of perestroika and glasnost.

    Politics· Russia
  31. April 26, 1986★★★★★

    Chernobyl disaster

    Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine explodes, spreading radioactive material across Europe in the worst nuclear accident in history.

    DisasterTechnology· Ukraine, Belarus, Russia
  32. December 26, 1991★★★★★

    Dissolution of the Soviet Union

    The Supreme Soviet formally dissolves the USSR, a day after Gorbachev's resignation.

    Politics· Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan

21st century

  1. August 2008★★★★★

    Russo-Georgian War

    A brief war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia and Abkhazia; Russia afterwards recognises both regions as independent states.

    War· Georgia, Russia
  2. March 18, 2014★★★★★

    Russia annexes Crimea

    After seizing the peninsula and holding an internationally unrecognised referendum, Russia annexes Ukraine's Crimea.

    PoliticsWar· Ukraine, Russia
  3. February 24, 2022★★★★★

    Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine

    Russia launches a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, starting the largest war in Europe since the Second World War and displacing millions of people.

    War· Ukraine, Russia
History of Russia · World History Timeline