History Belarus

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The major historic periods of Belarusian history:

– 100—40 thousand years ago — the territory of Belarus started to be populated

– 27–24 thousand years ago — the first settlements appeared on the territory.

– V—VII century AD — the Belarusian territory was inhabited by Slavonic tribes.

– 862 AD — the first manuscript mentioning of Belarusian city — Polotsk.

– X century AD — the spread of the Christianity.

– The second half of the X century AD — the foundation of Polotsk Duchy

– 1067 — the first mentioning of Minsk in connection with the battle on the Nemiga river.

– 1230–es –the Belarusian lands and duchies took part in the creation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was necessitated by the threat from the Crusaders and Mongols and Tartars. In the second half of the XIII century it annexed Belarus. Novogrudok became the center city.

– 1 July, 1569 — The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland united into a federal state called Rzecz Pospolita to struggle against the Principality of Moscow.

– 6 October, 1596 — Brest Church Unia. Brest Church Unia under which the Orthodox Church of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania recognised the supremacy of the Pope and the Catholic dogmas, while preserving its own rituals.

– 1772, 1793, 1795 — as a result of Rzecz Pospolita divisions belarusian lands were included in the Russian Empire. Rzecz Pospolita seized to exist as a state. Belarus was subjected to territorial–administrative division according to the Russian pattern, Russian taxes and duties were introduced.

– 1812 — the Patriotic war against Napoleon I invasion. The territory of Belarus was the main theatre of the war action.

– 1830—1831 — a national liberation rebel of shliahta (the nobility) revolt for the restoration of Rzecz Pospolita within the boundaries of 1772 but was cruelly defeated by Russia.

– 1863—1864 — the rebel led by Kastus Kalinovsky.

– 1917 (October–November) — February and October Revolutions — Soviet power claimed its power over the unoccupied territory of Belarus.

– 1918 (November–December) — Belarusian territory was liberated from the German occupation. The independence of Belarus is proclaimed and Belarusian People’s Republic is created.

– 1 January, 1919 — the Revolutionary Workers and Peasants’ Government of Byelorussia proclaimed the formation of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (the BSSR).

– 18 March, 1921 — Treaty of Peace was signed in Riga, according to which Western Belarus becomes a part of Poland.

– 1939 (September) — the Red Army crossed the soviet–polish border. Western Belarus is re–united with Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

– 1941 — 1944 — the fascist Germany occupation of Belarus.

– 1991 — the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR adopted the Declaration “On the State Sovereignty of the BSSR” signed by the heads of states and governments of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

– 8 Decmber,1991 — the BSSR Supreme Soviet ratified the Agreement on the disintegration of the USSR, denouncing the Union treaty of 1922, and creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) signed by the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine at Viskuli in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The USSR seized to exist. The Republic of Belarus became an independent sovereign State.

– 15 March,1994 — the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus was adopted by the Supreme Soviet.

– 1999 (December) — the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State of Russia and Belarus and the Program of Actions were signed.