Ryazan History

Ryazan is one of the oldest cities in central Russia. Its name was mentioned in the chronicles much earlier than that of Moscow or Vladimir. It is customary to consider the modern population of Ryazan to be descendants of the Vyatichi, who established an independent principality making Ryazan the centre of it.

In 1237 the city of Ryazan was the first to face the attack of Batu Khan’s horde. Notwithstanding the resistance of its defenders, the city was taken and laid flat. The heroic defense of old Ryazan and Evpatiy Kolovrat’s feat create a prominent page in the history of Russia. At the end of the XIII century Pereyaslavl-Ryazanskii becomes the centre of the principality.

Pereyaslavl-Ryazanskii was first mentioned in the chronicles in 1095. The territory of the modern Kremlin on the bank of the Lybed is considered to be the place where the city was founded. At that time here came together the Moscow, Astrakhan and Vladimir trade routes. In the XIV-XV centuries it was an important administrative, commercial and trade centre. In 1778, under the rule of Catherine the Great, the Ryazan Province was established and its centre was renamed after the original capital of the principality, Ryazan.