The history of Minsk spans around 1000 years with the city first recorded in 1067.
Early East Slavs settled the forested hills of today's Minsk by the 9th century. They had been migrating from further south and pushing the preceding Balts northwards. The valley of Svislach river was settlement boundary between two Early East Slavs' tribal unions – Krivichs and Dregovichs. By 980 the area was incorporated into the early medieval Principality of Polatsk, one of the earliest East Slav states along with the principalities of Kiev and Novgorod. From 1101, it was the capital of an eponymous principality. From 1242 it formed part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, since 1386 in the Polish–Lithuanian union, and from 1569 it was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. With the Partitions of Poland, it passed to Russia, then was contested by several entities following World War I, eventually becoming the capital of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, and of modern Belarus since 1991.
Overview There is no exact historical record for the date when Minsk was founded. It was first mentioned (as Mensk) in the Primary Chronicle in 1067. That year the chronicle recorded a bloody battle between troops of Polatsk and Kiev princes on the banks of Niamiha river (tributary of Svislach). Minsk, which was a Principality of Polatsk town, was burnt down by the Kievan army during a war between Kiev and Polatsk. 1067 is now widely attributed as a founding year of Minsk, though the town (by then fortified by wooden walls) should have existed for some time before it could have been burnt down. Some historians believe, that Minsk evolved from an earlier village, which may have been founded as early as the 9th or 10th centuries. Recent archeological excavations support this idea.
There is a theory that Minsk was initially located 16 km to the southwest, on the banks of Menka river. According to this view, Kievan troops first seized the town and then marched to the mouth of the Niamiha, the location of a small fort, where the chronicled battle occurred. Later, the fort was rebuilt and renamed Mensk.
There are several theories on the origin of the name.
The settlement on the banks of Menka river to the southwest of today's Minsk. Remnants of a 10th-century settlement on the banks of the Menka were found by archeologists in the 1930s. There is a legend of a giant man with a name Menesk who lived in the area and gave the name to a settlement. The city name comes from the Slavonic word "мена" ("miena" – "barter" or "trade" in English"), as Minsk initially served as a trading settlement around a marketplace. However, it is less likely, as Slavs rarely used names for trade or craft for their towns. Most towns and cities have been named after rivers or governing princes. Niamiha river may have had another name then, possibly Meniha. This would explain why a settlement on its banks would be named Mensk.
Governance timeline 5th century–8th centuryTo tribal union of Dregovichs8th century–9th centuryTo tribal union of Krivichs870–882To Novgorod882–972To Kiev972–980To Novgorod980–980To Kiev10th century–1101To Principality of Polatsk1101–1129To Principality of Minsk1129–1146To Principality of Kiev1146–1242To Principality of Minsk1242–1569To Grand Duchy of Lithuania1569–1654To Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth1654–1667Under Russian occupation1667–1708To Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth1708–1709Under Swedish occupation followed by Russian occupation1709–1793To Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth1793–1812To Russian Empire1812–1813Under French occupation1813–1917To Russian Empire1918–1918Under German occupation1918–1919To Belarusian People's Republic1919–1919To Byelorussian SSR1919–1920Under Polish occupation1921–1941To Byelorussian SSR, since 1922 in the Soviet Union1941–1944Under German occupation1944–1991To Byelorussian SSR, constituent republic of the Soviet Union1991—To Belarus
Early history After the town was rebuilt after the 1067 battle, it was located 100–150 to the south of Niamiha and Svislach confluence. It was centred on a wooden fort, surrounded by a flooded ditch and by an earth mound. This area of Minsk later evolved into Zamchyshcha, or 'Citadel'. It included a church and several living quarters. In the later years Minsk grew southwards on the right bank of Svislach. Outside the town walls craftsmen and traders were building wooden houses along narrow streets with wooden flooring. Trading settlement formed the Nizhni Rynak ('Lower Market') quarter, now area around Niamiha metro station.
In the early 12th century Principality of Polatsk disintegrated into smaller fiefs. Principality of Minsk was established by one of the Polatsk dynasty princes. First Prince of Minsk was Hleb Usiaslavavich (died in 1119), who expanded the town and built its first stone church (reconstructed basement of the Church of Virgin Mary is now unearthed and can be found near Svislach embankment). During Prince Hleb's reign Minsk was twice besieged (in 1104 and in 1115) by troops of Kiev and other principalities, but withstand the invaders.
In 1129 Principality of Minsk was annexed by Kiev, the dominant city of Kievan Rus', however in 1146 the Polatsk dynasty regained control of the principality. By 1150 Minsk has rivaled Polatsk as the major city in the former Principality of Polatsk. Princes of Minsk and Polatsk were engaged in years of struggle trying to unite all lands previously under the rule of Polatsk.
In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Minsk escaped the Mongol invasion of Rus in 1237–1239. However, in later years it was attacked by nomadic invaders from the Golden Horde, who turned many principalities of disintegrated Kievan Rus' into their vassal states. Trying to avoid the Tatar yoke, the Principality of Minsk sought protection from Lithuanian princes to the west, who had been consolidating their power in the region. In 1242 Minsk became a part of the expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was annexed peacefully and local elites enjoyed high ranking in the society of the Grand Duchy. For instance, a treaty between Lithuania and the Novgorod Republic was signed for Lithuanian Prince Gediminas by Vasily, the then ruler of Minsk.
In 1441 Lithuanian prince Casimir IV Jagiellon included Minsk into a list of cities enjoying certain privileges. During the reign of his son Aleksander Jagiellon Minsk received its town privileges (Magdeburg law) in 1499. The city was governed by a magistrate headed by an appointed governor, usually an influential local landlord.
By 1450 Minsk was among 15 largest cities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with about the population of 5,000. It was an important and wealthy trading city profiting from its favourable location. It was on the ancient trading roads connecting Smolensk and Moscow in the east to Poland and Central Europe in the west, and linking Novgorod and Vilnius in the north and northwest respectively with Ukraine. Historical records suggest that Minsk contributed large sums to the treasury of the Grand Duchy.
Minsk was often a target for foreign invasions. In 1505 it was raided by Crimean Khanate army, in 1508 besieged by the troops of Muscovy, who also raided the vicinity of Minsk in 1514 and 1519. To restore the wealth of the city, Sigismund II Augustus extended town privileges in 1552, allowing trade fairs, and transferred some agricultural lands around the city to Minsk.
In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
In 1569 after the Union of Lublin the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland merged into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, while still maintaining themselves as two separate entities legally, militarily and socially. Since then, a Polish community settled in Minsk – government clerks, officers and craftsmen.
By the middle of the 16th century, Minsk was an important economic and cultural centre of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The city contained several guilds of craftsmen and was an important trading centre. Minsk merchants exported wood, tar, wax, blacksmith's work, glass, skins and furs. They brought in salt, wine, spices, fabrics and metals. Minsk had a thriving merchant port on Svislach river, which connected the city with Kiev and Smolensk.
Minsk was an important centre for Eastern Orthodox Church and boasted seven Orthodox religious brotherhoods. After the Union of Brest there was a rise of influence of both Uniate church and Roman Catholic Church. They were wealthier under the Polish rule and received funding for building new monasteries and churches. In the 16th century Minsk was an important cultural centre with schools and printing works. It was also in this time that Jews began the settle in the city. In 1591 Minsk received its first coat-of-arms, depicting Virgin Mary and the angels. By the early 17th century Minsk had some stone houses in Verkhni Horad (Uppert Town) and was surrounded by new earth mound with stone fortifications. There were two suburbs outside the city walls – Traetskae suburb on the left bank of the Svislach and Rakauskaye suburb to the west of the city, on the trading route to Vilnius and Warsaw.
In 1654 Minsk was conquered by troops of Tsar Alexei of Russia. Russians governed the city until 1667, when it was regained by the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania John II Casimir Vasa. By the end of the Deluge, Minsk had only about 2,000 residents and just 300 houses. Other cities and towns of Lithuania were also heavily devastated by the war. The second wave of devastation occurred during the Great Northern War when Minsk was occupied in 1708 and 1709 – by the Swedish army of Charles XII and then by the Russian army of Peter the Great. Minsk paid large retributions to both foreign armies.
The last decades of the Polish-Lithuanian rule were indicated by decline or very slow development. Minsk was a small provincial town of little economic or military significance. By 1790 it had population of 6,500–7,000 and was slowly rebuilding to the city limits of 1654. In 1785 the city magistrate was also complemented with an elected city council. Most of Minsk residents were Jews and Poles, while Belarusians were a minority. There was also a small minority of Belarusian-speaking Tartars living in Tatarskaya Slabada to the northwest of the then city limits.
Russian rule Minsk was annexed by Russia in 1793 as a consequence of the Second Partition of Poland. In 1796 it became centre of the Minsk Governorate (province). All Polish street names were changed to Russian ones, however spelling of the city's name remained unchanged.
In 1805 a municipal garden was established by the Minsk governor for the enjoyment of local residents. By 1811 Minsk had about 11,000 residents. Its development was interrupted by Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. During the French occupation there was a struggle between the Polish and Belarusian elites for the control of the city. Poles strove for a revival of the Kingdom of Poland while Belarusians hoped for their national homeland. By the end of the French occupation Minsk had only 3,500 residents and large parts of the city were completely destroyed during the fighting between the French and the Russian armies.
In 1830 was one of the centres of the November Uprising in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After 1831, the use of Belarusian and Polish languages has been banned, and Russian was the only official language. In 1835 Minsk was officially included into the Pale of Settlement, which later led to a rise in Jewish population.