This article is about the specific polity Grand Duchy of Moscow and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.
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Was a Russian Principality of the Late Middle Ages centered on Moscow and a predecessor of Russia. The polity originated in 1263 from an hereditary division of the Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal, a vassal of the Golden Horde at the time. Moscow gained full sovereignty by 1480, when the overlordship of the Golden Horde officially ended after its defeat in the Great Stand on the Ugra River. Moscow annexed large territories over time, through conquest or inheritance, and by 1547 it controlled most of modern-day European Russia. Ivan IV was crowned Tsar in 1547, creating the Tsardom of Russia. The polity also includes some (mainly former Lithuanian territories) that were conquered in the period 1376-1480 where probably the Golden Horde had no influence.
Summary
After the decline of Kievan Rus, the principality of Moscow emerged as one the successor states, gradually growing in power and territory. The Mongols imposed a system of tribute and exploitation on the Russian principalities, but Moscow was able to convince the Mongol khan to grant its prince the title of Grand Prince.
Ivan I of Moscow, known as "Moneybags," used his position to consolidate power and expand the territory of Muscovy. Ivan III (the Great) further strengthened central control, ended Mongol domination, and regained territories lost to the Polish-Lithuanian Empire.
Ivan IV (the Terrible) instituted a reign of terror to eliminate opposition, but also carried out some administrative reforms. His legacy was a more centralized and autocratic Russian state.
The extinction of the Rurik dynasty led to a period of dynastic struggle and foreign intervention known as the Time of Troubles, until the Romanov dynasty was established in 1613.
Establishment
January 1376: The Sugorsk Principality fell to the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
Chronology
Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation
Was a series of wars fought between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Khanate of Kazan from 1439, until Kazan was finally conquered by the Tsardom of Russia under Ivan the Terrible in 1552.
1.1.Wars of Ivan III
Russian military campaign against the Khanate of Kazan by Ivan III.
November 1480: The Great Stand on the Ugra River was a standoff between the forces of Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, and the Grand Prince Ivan III of Muscovy in 1480 on the banks of the Ugra River, which ended when the Tatars departed without conflict. It is seen in Russian historiography as the end of Tatar/Mongol rule over Moscow.
January 1484: Principality of Tver conquered by Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1484: The Grand Duchy of Moscow gained the Elets principality (Елец) from Ryazan by an agreement.
January 1484: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1484.
January 1486: The Kholm Principality lasted until the annexation of the Tver principality of Moscow in 1486.
January 1486: The Mikulinskoe principality was ruled by Prince Ivan Mikulinsky until it was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1485. The annexation marked the end of Mikulinsky's rule and the incorporation of the territory into the expanding Moscow principality. It lasted until the annexation of the Tver principality of Moscow in 1486.
January 1490: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1490.
January 1495: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1495.
January 1500: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1500.
January 1501: The Putivl Principality is acquired by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1505: Ruza conquered by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1506: A huge army of the Kazan and Nogai Tatars advanced towards Nizhny Novgorod and besieged the city.
1.1.1.First Lithuanian-Muscovite border war
Was a war of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, in alliance with the Crimean Khanate, against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Ruthenia in alliance with the Golden Horde Khan Akhmat.
1.1.2.Russo-Swedish War (1495-1497)
Was a border war which occurred between the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Kingdom of Sweden.
January 1497: Svante Nilsson, a Swedish nobleman and military leader, led the occupation of Ivangorod in 1496. Ivangorod was a strategically important fortress located on the border between Sweden and Russia.
February 1497: In 1497, during the Russo-Swedish War, the Swedes, led by King Hans of Denmark, set the fortress of Ivangorod ablaze before sailing back to their homeland. This event marked a significant victory for the Grand Duchy of Moscow in their conflict with Sweden.
1.1.3.Second Lithuanian-Muscovite border war
Was a war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
1.1.3.1.Truce (Second Lithuanian-Muscovite border war)
A six-year truce was concluded on the Feast of the Annunciation, ending the Second Muscovite Border War. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania lost approximately 210,000 square kilometres (81,000 sq mi), or a third of its territory.
1.2.Wars of Vasily III
Russian military campaign against the Khanate of Kazan by Vasily III.
January 1507: In 1506, Moxammat Amin, a ruler of all occupied regions, decided to seek peace and pay homage to Vasily III of Russia, the successor of Ivan the Great. This marked a significant shift in power dynamics in the region, with the territory ultimately going to the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1511: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1511.
January 1511: In 1510, Grand Prince of Moscow Vasili III arrived in Pskov and ended the Pskov Republic and its autonomous rights.
January 1521: The Principality of Ryazan is acquired by Moscow.
September 1521: End of the Crimean campaign against the Muscovites.
January 1523: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1523: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1524: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1524.
January 1534: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1534: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1538: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1538: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1539: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1539: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1540: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1540: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1541: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1541: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
January 1542: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
February 1542: Kazan attack in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. After the raid the Kazans left the region.
1.2.1.Truce (Fourth Lithuanian-Muscovite border war)
Was a treaty that ended the Lithuanian-Muscovite War (1512-1522). The Grand Duchy of Moscow retained Smolensk.
Were a series of wars between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow (later the Tsardom of Russia).
2.1.Fourth Lithuanian-Muscovite border war
Was a war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1515: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1515.
2.2.Fifth Lithuanian-Muscovite border war
Was a war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1536: The Lithuanian army under Hetman Radziwill, Andrei Nemirovich, Polish Hetman Jan Tarnowski, and Semen Belsky launched a powerful counterattack and took Homel and Starodub.
January 1538: Lithuania and Russia negotiated a five-year truce, without prisoner exchange, in which Homel stayed under the Lithuanian king's control, while the Moscovites kept Sebezh and Zavoloche.
Conquests and wars with Ottoman involvement during the rule of Suleiman I.
August 1521: In July 1521 there was a Crimean campaign against the Muscovite Empire.
January 1381: The Kemsky Principality was established by Prince Yury of Moscow in the Kema river region in 1380. However, it quickly fragmented into smaller territories, including the Sheleshpansky, Kemsky, and Kargolomsky appanages.
January 1381: After the breakup of the Sheleshpansky Principality in 1380, it fragmented into smaller territories known as Sheleshpansky, Kemsky, and Kargolomsky appanages. These were smaller regions ruled by different princes or nobles within the former principality.
January 1381: The new principality did not last long, and after 1380 it broke up into even smaller Sheleshpansky , Kemsky and Kargolomsky appanages.
January 1405: The Fominsk-Berezuisk Principality is acquired by the Moscovites.
January 1446: The Kozelsk Principality is acquired by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
January 1463: Expansion of the Grand Duchy of Moscow by 1462.
January 1501: In 1500, the territory of Sosvinske (Сосьвінське) was established as a principality.
January 1547: In 1547, Ivan IV was crowned king of Russia.
Disestablishment
January 1547: In 1547, Ivan IV was crowned king of Russia.
Selected Sources
Koshelev, A. (1904): The complete collection of Russian Chronicles, vol.13, Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Атлас 7 класс История России 16 - конец 17 века (Atlas, 7th grade, History of Russia, 16th - end of the 17th century.) , Дрофа Publisher (2015), Moscow (Russia), p. 2
Атлас. 6 класс. История России с древнейших времен до XVI века (Atlas. 6th grade. History of Russia from ancient times to the 16th century.) , Дрофа Publisher (2015), Moscow (Russia), p. 23
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Grand Duchy of Moscow
