World History Timeline

Timeline

23 events

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

18th century

  1. 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
  2. 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

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. 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

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. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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

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
Timeline · World History Timeline