Kiev: Difference between revisions
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==History== | ==History== | ||
Following are some historical milestones of | Following are some historical milestones of Kiev's history: | ||
* Legend has it that | * Legend has it that Kiev was founded about 500 CE by three brothers -- Ky, Khoriv, and Shchek -- along with their sister Lybid. | ||
* Around 900 CE, King Oleh from Scandinavia seized power over the city, starting the Kyivan Rus' dynasty. (The term rus' means red-haired.) | * Around 900 CE, King Oleh from Scandinavia seized power over the city, starting the Kyivan Rus' dynasty. (The term rus' means red-haired.) | ||
* For 100 years the region expanded as a riverine trade route, sending fur, honey, and slaves south to Constantinople, and receiving luxury goods in return. | * For 100 years the region expanded as a riverine trade route, sending fur, honey, and slaves south to Constantinople, and receiving luxury goods in return. | ||
* Around 1000 CE, King Volodymyr married into Constantinople royalty and forcibly converted the people of | * Around 1000 CE, King Volodymyr married into Constantinople royalty and forcibly converted the people of Kiev from paganism to Orthodox Christianity. Subsequently Yaroslav the Wise (Volodymyr's son) expanded Kiev into a major sociopolitical and economic center. | ||
* Mongol raiders sacked | * Mongol raiders sacked Kiev in 1240, and the city languished and shrank. | ||
* About 1800, czarist policies encouraged an influx of Russian immigration, boosting the population considerably. | * About 1800, czarist policies encouraged an influx of Russian immigration, boosting the population considerably. | ||
* In the early 1900s, the Bolshevik Revolution resulted in many Red versus White battles in and around | * In the early 1900s, the Bolshevik Revolution resulted in many Red versus White battles in and around Kiev, and subsequent Stalinist famines killed many. | ||
* Early in the 1940s, the German invasion of World War II also destroyed many lives, both military and civilian. | * Early in the 1940s, the German invasion of World War II also destroyed many lives, both military and civilian. | ||
* Around 1990, as the Soviet Union crumbled, Ukrainians agitated for independence, ultimately leading to the peaceful democratic Orange Revolution in the first decade of the 21st Century. | * Around 1990, as the Soviet Union crumbled, Ukrainians agitated for independence, ultimately leading to the peaceful democratic Orange Revolution in the first decade of the 21st Century. | ||
Revision as of 15:08, 5 March 2014
Kiev (Kyiv in Ukrainian) is the capital city of Ukraine, located in the north-central part of the country along the banks of the river Dnipro (Dnieper river). It has a population of about three million.
The Kiev oblast is the province surrounding the city of Kiev.
History
Following are some historical milestones of Kiev's history:
- Legend has it that Kiev was founded about 500 CE by three brothers -- Ky, Khoriv, and Shchek -- along with their sister Lybid.
- Around 900 CE, King Oleh from Scandinavia seized power over the city, starting the Kyivan Rus' dynasty. (The term rus' means red-haired.)
- For 100 years the region expanded as a riverine trade route, sending fur, honey, and slaves south to Constantinople, and receiving luxury goods in return.
- Around 1000 CE, King Volodymyr married into Constantinople royalty and forcibly converted the people of Kiev from paganism to Orthodox Christianity. Subsequently Yaroslav the Wise (Volodymyr's son) expanded Kiev into a major sociopolitical and economic center.
- Mongol raiders sacked Kiev in 1240, and the city languished and shrank.
- About 1800, czarist policies encouraged an influx of Russian immigration, boosting the population considerably.
- In the early 1900s, the Bolshevik Revolution resulted in many Red versus White battles in and around Kiev, and subsequent Stalinist famines killed many.
- Early in the 1940s, the German invasion of World War II also destroyed many lives, both military and civilian.
- Around 1990, as the Soviet Union crumbled, Ukrainians agitated for independence, ultimately leading to the peaceful democratic Orange Revolution in the first decade of the 21st Century.