Significant Events in the History of Belarus

Below is a summary of the most important dates in Belarusian history, from the 7^th century to the present day:

7^th – 9^th century	First settlement of Slavonic peoples on the territory of present- day Belarusia: Krivichi, Dregovichi, Radimichi
862	First mention of the towns Turov and Polotsk in the Nestor Chronicle
980	First mention in the Nestor Chronicle of Polotsk as a principality, ruled over by Prince Rogvolod
988	Foundation of the Kievan Rus
10^th century	Start of the spread of Christianity in Belarus
992	Foundation of the first eparchy (a diocese in the Orthodox Church) in Polotsk
1044 – 1066	Construction of the first Orthodox Church in Polotsk, the Cathedral of Saint Sophia
3. March 1067	Battle on the Nemiga, first mention of Minsk
Beginning of the 13^th century	Crusades of the Teutonic Order on Belarusian territory
1237 – 1241	Invasions and conquest of Belarusian territory by the Tatars (the Golden Horde)
Mid 13^th century	Foundation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1253	Coronation of the first Lithuanian King, Mindaugas, in Novogrudok
1384	The „Pahonia“ became the coat of arms for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1385	Union of Krewo between the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1390	Adoption of Magdeburg Law in Brest
1410	Battle of Tannenberg
1499	Adoption of Magdeburg Law in Minsk
1506 – 1510	Construction of the castle in Mir (today: UNESCO World Heritage site)
1517	Franzysk Skaryna prints the first book (Book of Psalms) in the Ruthenian language in Prague)
1529,1566,1588	Textualisation of the statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the first codification of legislature in Eastern Europe
1558 – 1583	Livonian War – conflict between Russia, Sweden, Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania over the Baltic
7^th May 1583	Laying of foundation stone for Nezvish Castle (today: UNESCO World Heritage site)
1^st July 1569	Union of Lublin, founding of Poland-Lithuania
1596	Church Union von Brest
1604 – 1618	Intervention of Poland-Lithuania in Russia
1700 – 1721	Great Northern War
1772,1793,1795	Partitioning of Poland
3^rd May 1791	Constitution of the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania
1794	Kosciuszko uprising
23^rd May 1794	Decree by Tsarina Katharina II concerning the settlement of Jews in a homeland of their own
1798 – 1855	Years of birth and death of the Belarusian-Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz
24^th June 1812	Napoleon crosses the River Neman, beginning of the Russian Campaign
1812 – 1820	Development and establishment of the Jesuit academy in Polotsk
1820	Founding of the religious order Society of Jesus, the Jesuit academy in Polotsk and other educational institutions in Belarus
1824 – 1839	Construction of the Augustow Canal linking the Rivers Neman and Vistula near Grodno
1830-1831	National liberation movement for the revival of Poland-Lithuania
1861	Abolition of serfdom in Russia and Belarus
1882 – 1942	Years of birth and death of the Belarusian national poet Yanka Kupala
1882 – 1956	Years of birth and death of the Belarusian national poet and author Yakub Kolas
13–15^th March 1898	First congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in Minsk
October 1917	October Revolution, Proclamation of Soviet rule in Belarus
1^st August 1914 – 11^th November 1918	First World War
25^th February 1918	Start of German occupation in Belarus
3^rd March 1918	Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
25^th March 1918	Founding of Belarusian People’s Republic
1^st January 1919	Proclamation of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus (BSSR)
27^th February 1919	Proclamation of the Lithuanian Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
17^th July 1919	Dissolution of the Lithuanian Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
8^th August 1919 – 11^th July 1920	Occupation of Minsk by Polish troops
1920	Opening of the first Belarusian dramatic theatre (today: Yanka Kupala Theatre)
October 1921	Founding of the Belarusian state university
1921	Transition from the economic policy of war communism to the New Economic Policy (NEP)
1^st January 1929	Inauguration of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences
1^st September 1939	Outbreak of the Second World War
22^nd June 1941 24^th June 1941	Outbreak of the Great Patriotic War (Russian for Second World War) Founding of the first partisan units under the leadership of Vasily (Vasil) Korzh
Winter 1941/42	Construction of the first concentration camps and ghettos on Belarusian soil
23^rd June – 28^th August 1944	Soviet liberation offensive called “Bagration”
3^rd July 1944	Liberation of the Belarusian capital, Minsk
27^th April 1945	Affiliation of the Belarusian SSR to the UN, as founding member
16^th August 1945	Treaty between the USSR and Poland concerning the Soviet/Polish border
14^th December 1947	Monetary reform in the USSR (incl. Belarus), abolition of food coupons
1^st January 1956	Broadcast of the first television programme from the Minsk television centre
26^th June 1974	Minsk: conferral of the honorary title “Hero City”
15^th June 1977 – 30^th June 1984	Construction of the Minsk underground
14^th April 1978	Passage of the new constitution of the BSSR
26^th April 1986	Chernobyl: worst imaginable accident, contamination of about 23% of the total Belarusian territory
26^th January 1990	Belarusian becomes the second official language alongside Russian
19^th September 1991	Alteration of the state’s official title from Belarusian SSR to Republic of Belarus
26^th December 1991	Break-up of the Soviet Union, founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States
30^th January 1992	Belarus becomes a member of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
13^th – 27^th February 1994	First participation of an independent Belarusian team in the Winter Olympic Games
15^th March 1994	Passage of the constitution of the Republic of Belarus
8^th July 1994	First International Slavonic Bazaar Arts Festival in Vitebsk
10^th July 1994	Election of the first Belarusian president Alexander Lukaschenko
Deсember 1999	Agreement between Russia and Belarus on close cooperation and possible establishment of a joint union
Septemer 2001/td>	Re-election of Alexander Lukaschenko, still in office today
May 2014	78^th Ice HockeyWorld Championship in Minsk