Tallinn: History, Former Names & Timeline
A Hanseatic town on the Gulf of Finland ruled in turn by Denmark, the Teutonic Order, Sweden and Russia.
TallinnExplore Tallinn in the interactive map
Former names of Tallinn
| From | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1154 | Kolyvan / Tallinn | |
| 1219 | Reval | castle built by the Danes |
| 1918 | Tallinn |
Timeline of Tallinn
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1219 | Valdemar II of Denmark takes the site and builds a castle |
| 1561 | Submits to Sweden |
| 1710 | Taken by Russia in the Great Northern War |
| 1918 | Estonia declares independence |
| 1991 | Estonia restores its independence |
Who ruled Tallinn
Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.
| Period | State |
|---|---|
| 500 BC–699 | Unclaimed / no data |
| 700–799 | Balts |
| 800–899 | Ests |
| 900–999 | Chuds |
| 1000–1099 | Baltic tribes |
| 1100–1299 | Unclaimed / no data |
| 1300–1399 | Denmark |
| 1400–1599 | Teutonic Knights |
| 1600–1782 | Sweden |
| 1783–1919 | Russian Empire |
| 1920–1944 | Estonia |
| 1945–1993 | USSR |
| 1994–today | Estonia |