9th century – Founding of Kievan Rus, the first major East Slavic state. Oleg, ruler of Novgorod, who went on to seize Kiev, which owing to its strategic location on the Dnieper River, became the capital of Kievan Rus. In 988 Vladimir accepts Orthodox Christianity and begins conversion of Kievan Rus to the Byzantine rite, thus russian foreign policy history the course for Christianity in the east. Kiev becoming eastern Europe’s chief political and cultural centre.
Mongol domination1237-40 – Mongols invade the Rus principalities, destroying numerous cities and ending Kiev’s power. Golden Horde in southern Russia and the Khan of the Golden Horde becomes overlord of all the Russian princes. Ivan I is granted the title of Grand Prince after helping to defeat an anti-Tatar uprising in the principality of Tver, Moscow’s great rival. 15th century – The Muscovite princes pursue a policy of “gathering the Russian lands”, a drive to annex all East Slavic lands. Great Russian lands by conquest or by the voluntary allegiance of princes.
The Battle of the Ugra in 1480 marks the end of Tatar dominance. 1581 – Cossacks begin conquering Siberia for Russia. Romanovs 1613 – National Council elects Michael Romanov as tsar, ending a long period of instability and foreign intervention. Romanov dynasty rules Russia until 1917 revolution. 1689-1725 – Peter the Great introduces far-reaching reforms, including a regular conscript army and navy, subordinating the Orthodox Church to himself and reorganising government structures along European lines. 1721 – Russia acquires territory of modern Estonia and Latvia after decades of war with Sweden, establishing naval presence in Baltic Sea and ‘window on Europe’.
1772-1814 – Russia conquers Crimea, Ukraine, Georgia, and what later became Belarus, Moldova, as well as parts of Poland. 1798-1815 – Russia takes part in the European coalitions against Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, defeating Napoleon’s invasion in 1812 and contributing to his overthrow. Army officers return home bringing liberal ideas from Europe, spurring efforts to rein in Romanov autocracy. 1825 – Abortive attempt by liberal army officers to establish constitutional government crushed in Decembrist Revolt. 1834-59 – Russia faces determined resistance to their bid to annex North Caucasus. 1853-57 – Russia suffers setback in attempt to seize territory from declining Ottoman Empire through its defeat in Crimean War. 1864-65 – Kazakh steppes and Central Asian Muslim states annexed.
1877-78 – Russian-Turkish War sees Russia seize land from Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus and establish client states in the Balkans. 1897 – Marxist Social Democratic Party founded, and in 1903 splits into Menshevik and more radical Bolshevik factions. 1904-05 – Russian expansion in Manchuria leads to war with Japan – and the 1905 revolution, which forced Tsar Nicholas II to grant a constitution and establish a parliament, the Duma. 1906-1911 – Constitutional rule in tempered by authoritarian government of Peter Stolypin, whose attempts to reform land ownership were only partly successful. 1914 – Russian-Austrian rivalry in Balkans contributes to outbreak of World War I, in which Russia fought alongside Britain and France. 1917 March – Poor performance in the war and mismanagement of the economy at home prompt mutinies in the armed forces and street disturbances in major cities. Provisional Governments seek to continue war against Germany despite disintegrating military and unrest at home.
