History Of Moscow

The first mentioning of Moscow as a settlement in the annals of history dates back to 1147. This very year is, thus, considered to be the year of its foundation. Moscow’s founder is YuriVladimirovitch Dolgorukiy, Prince of Suzdal. His followers in forming Muscovy were the famed Princes and Czars Andrey Bogolubskiy, Ivan Kalita, Dmitry Donskoy, Ivan the 3d, Boris Godunov, Mikhail Romanov and manyothers. After Peter the Great came to the throne cities and towns of the Russian state were assigned to provinces headed by governors. Till 1917 governors of Moscow faithfully served the city and theRussian state. Muscovites still remember names of many: Boyar Streshnev, Count Tchernishov, Prince Volkonskiy, Count Rostopchin, Prince Golitsin. All in all, there were more than 50 of them.Since 1917 the functions of the local administration’s head were carried out by chairmen of executive committees of the Moscow Soviet of People’s Deputies. Lately these functions have been performedby mayors of Moscow. Almost nine centuries have already passed. Our city was repeatedly conquered and destroyed but again and again it was successfully rebuilt. At present Moscow is one of the largestcities of the world. The exceptionally favorable location of Moscow gave it advantages over other cities of the emerging Russia. From the very beginning the territorial development of Moscow wasdetermined by the need to have a reliable defense. There were constant threats of invasion by nomadic hordes from the South and East and by Lithuanian and Polish conquerors from the West. During that timesuch famous convent-fortresses as the Simonov, Spaso-Andronikov and Novo-Devichiy ones were built on approaches to Moscow. After the victory in the Kulikovskaya battle (1380) and the ’Ugra standing’(1480) that put an end to the Tartar-Mongolian yoke the might of Muscovy started to quickly grow. In the 15th century by the size of its territory and population Moscow surpassed London, Prague and...