Founding of Moscow (1147): From Wooden Fort to Grand Principality

Moscow first appears in the historical record in 1147, when the Hypatian Chronicle reports that Prince Yuri Dolgoruky of Rostov-Suzdal invited his ally Sviatoslav Olgovich to meet him there. At the time it was a small settlement on a hill above the Moskva River on the edge of Yuri’s lands. Within two centuries this frontier outpost became the seat of the grand princes of Vladimir and the core of the future Russian state.

Before 1147

The hill where the Kremlin now stands, at the meeting of the Moskva and Neglinnaya rivers, was inhabited long before the chronicles mention it. Archaeologists have found traces of Iron Age settlement, and finds from the 11th and early 12th centuries show a small Slavic community there.

In the 12th century the area belonged to the principality of Rostov-Suzdal in the north-east of Kievan Rus, ruled by Yuri Vladimirovich, a younger son of Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev. Yuri’s nickname, Dolgoruky (“long-armed”), reflects his far-reaching ambitions, above all his repeated attempts to win the throne of Kiev.

The chronicle entry of 1147

In the 1140s the princes of Rus were divided by a long struggle for Kiev. Yuri allied with Sviatoslav Olgovich, prince of Novgorod-Seversky, against their rivals. According to the Hypatian Chronicle, Yuri sent a message asking Sviatoslav to come to him “in Moscow”. The meeting took place in the spring of 1147, traditionally dated to 4 April, and Yuri gave a great feast for his guest.

This short passage is the earliest written mention of the town. It does not say that Moscow was founded in 1147, only that it existed and was suitable for hosting a princely meeting. By convention, however, 1147 is treated as Moscow’s founding date. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1947 and its 850th in 1997.

The first fortress

A later chronicle records that in 1156 Yuri, or his son Andrei Bogolyubsky acting on his behalf, built a wooden fortress (a “grad”) at Moscow. This first Kremlin occupied only a small part of the present site, at the south-western corner of Borovitsky Hill. Yuri himself died in Kiev in 1157, having finally become grand prince there.

For the next century Moscow remained a minor town in the north-eastern lands later known as Vladimir-Suzdal. In the winter of 1237–1238 the Mongol armies of Batu Khan burned it on their way to Vladimir (see Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus).

Rise of the principality

Moscow’s rise began under Daniel Alexandrovich, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, who received the town as his share of the family lands, probably in the 1260s or 1270s. Daniel expanded his small principality and founded the Danilov Monastery. He died in 1303.

His sons competed with the princes of Tver for the title of grand prince of Vladimir, which was granted by the khans of the Golden Horde. Ivan I, nicknamed Kalita (“money bag”), won the title in 1328 with Mongol support and collected tribute for the khan from other Russian princes. Around the same time Metropolitan Peter, head of the Russian Church, settled in Moscow, where he died in 1326. His successors stayed, making Moscow the religious centre of the Russian lands.

Ivan’s grandson Dmitry built the first white-stone Kremlin walls in 1367–1368. In 1380 he led a Russian army to victory over the Mongol general Mamai at the Battle of Kulikovo, earning the name Donskoy. A century later, Ivan III the Great united most of the Russian lands under Moscow’s rule.

Myths and facts

Myth: Moscow was founded on a single day in 1147. The chronicle entry records a meeting, not a foundation. People lived on the site earlier, and the first known fortifications date from 1156.

Myth: Yuri Dolgoruky planned Moscow as a capital. For Yuri, Moscow was one small stronghold among many; his own centres were Rostov and Suzdal, and his main goal was Kiev. Moscow’s later importance was the work of Daniel’s descendants in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Fact: the name is older than the town’s records. The city takes its name from the Moskva River. The origin of the river’s name is uncertain, with Slavic, Finnic and Baltic explanations all proposed.

Timeline

• 1147, spring: First chronicle mention; Yuri Dolgoruky hosts Sviatoslav Olgovich at Moscow.
• 1156: A wooden fortress is built at Moscow.
• 1157: Yuri Dolgoruky dies in Kiev.
• 1237–1238, winter: Mongol armies burn Moscow.
• c. 1260s–1270s: Daniel Alexandrovich becomes the first prince of Moscow.
• 1328: Ivan I Kalita becomes grand prince of Vladimir.
• 1367–1368: Dmitry Donskoy builds white-stone Kremlin walls.
• 1380: Victory at Kulikovo.

Why it matters

The modest entry of 1147 marks the start of the written history of one of the world’s great capitals. Moscow’s story, from a wooden fort on a frontier hill to the seat of grand princes, illustrates how political skill, cooperation with the Golden Horde and the support of the Church allowed a minor principality to dominate the Russian lands.