CChronica Maps

Smolensk: History, Former Names & Timeline

Old city on the upper Dnieper guarding the western approach to Moscow, which changed hands between Lithuania, Poland and Russia for centuries.

Map showing Smolensk in 1600Smolensk
Border map for 1600. See Europe in 1600.

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Former names of Smolensk

FromNameNote
AD 863Smolensk

Timeline of Smolensk

YearEvent
AD 863Smolensk first appears in the Primary Chronicle
1404Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania takes Smolensk
1514Vasily III of Moscow takes Smolensk
1611Poland–Lithuania takes the city after a two-year siege
1654Russia retakes Smolensk
1812Napoleon defeats the Russians at Smolensk
1941The Battle of Smolensk slows the German advance

Who ruled Smolensk

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

PeriodState
500 BC–199Plain-Pottery culture
200–799Unclaimed / no data
800–899Slavonic tribes
900–1099Kievan Rus'
1100–1199Kievan Rus'
1200–1299Other Rus Principalities
1300–1399Ryazan
1400–1599Poland-Lithuania
1600–1782Tsardom of Muscovy
1783–1919Russian Empire
1920–1929USSR
1930–1937White Russia
1938–1993USSR
1994–todayRussia

Nearby cities

Further reading

Questions about Smolensk

Which states have ruled Smolensk?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Smolensk lies within 11 different states: Plain-Pottery culture, Slavonic tribes, Kievan Rus', Other Rus Principalities, Ryazan, Poland-Lithuania, Tsardom of Muscovy, Russian Empire, USSR, White Russia and others.

What are the key dates in the history of Smolensk?

AD 863: Smolensk first appears in the Primary Chronicle. 1404: Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania takes Smolensk. 1514: Vasily III of Moscow takes Smolensk. 1611: Poland–Lithuania takes the city after a two-year siege. 1654: Russia retakes Smolensk.

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.