Kievan Rus'

Timeline

1. c. 882–980Kiev · KievAccording to the Primary Chronicle, Oleg established the capital at Kiev, gradually conquering surrounding East Slavic tribes to form a political center with Kiev at its core, and controlling the Dnieper-Baltic trade corridor.
2. 988–1015Kiev · KievVladimir I accepted Byzantine Orthodox baptism, built religious structures such as Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, promoted the spread of the church system and written culture, and strengthened the grand prince's religious-political authority over the principalities.
3. 1001–1010Kiev · KievVladimir I still resided in Kiev in his late years; Rus' maintained active trade with Byzantium, the North, and the steppe peoples; the church and artisan classes grew, laying the foundation for the later compilation of the Russkaya Pravda and the cultural peak of Yaroslav's era.
4. 1019–1132Kiev · KievYaroslav the Great compiled the Russkaya Pravda in Kiev, expanded Saint Sophia Cathedral, and forged marriages with European royal houses, bringing Kievan Rus' to its peak; afterward the principalities fragmented, and Kiev remained nominally the capital of the common ruler but its real power gradually waned.