Principality of Ryazan The first written mention of the city, under the name of
Pereslavl, dates to 1095. The city became part of the independent
Principality of Ryazan, which had existed since 1129, centered on the old city of Ryazan. The first ruler of Ryazan was supposedly
Yaroslav Sviatoslavich, Prince of Ryazan and Murom (cities of
Kievan Rus').
Invasion by Mongols In the 12th century, the lands of Ryazan – being located on the border between woodlands and the
steppe – suffered numerous invasions from the southern and northern parts of European Russia. Southern invasions were usually carried out by the
Cumans; on the northern side Ryazan was in conflict with
Vladimir-Suzdal, who by the end of the 12th century had burnt the capital of Ryazan several times. In the 13th century, Ryazan was the
first Russian city to face Mongolian invasion by the hordes of
Batu Khan. On 21 December 1237, after a short siege, it was
completely destroyed and never recovered. As a result of the takeover, the seat of the principality was moved about to the town of Pereslavl-Ryazansky, which subsequently took the name of the destroyed capital. The site of the old capital now carries the name of
Staraya Ryazan (
Old Ryazan), close to
Spassk-Ryazansky. Maps of the 16th-18th centuries show Ryazan (Old Ryazan) and Pereslavl-Ryazan together.
Golden Horde In 1380, during the
Battle of Kulikovo, the Grand Prince of Ryazan Oleg and his men came under a coalition of
Mamai, a strongman of the Tatar
Golden Horde, and the Grand Duke of
Lithuania, against the armies under the command of the Grand Prince of
Vladimir,
Dmitry Donskoy. Late in the 13th century, the Princes of Ryazan moved their capital to Pereyaslavl' (), which is known as Ryazan from the 16th century (officially renamed in 1778). The principality was finally dissolved and incorporated into the
Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1521. The principality's last duke,
Ivan V of Ryazan, was imprisoned for a short time for being suspected of a treasonous attempt to seal a treaty with
Crimean Khanate in order to outweigh Moscow's influence. The duke fled to the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania where he died no later than 1534. Being the southernmost border of Rus' lands at the time, Ryazan continued to suffer from invasions of
Crimean Tatars and their allies.
Grand Duchy of Moscow Tsardom of Russia Time of Troubles In June of 1605 Ryazan became a seat for
Greek Cypriot-born
Patriarch Ignatius, a
clergyman who was sent by
Russian Orthodox Church to serve as an
archbishop of Ryazan. He was notorious for becoming the first church official to recognize a Poland-backed impostor False-Dmitry as a legitimate monarch, alleged Czar of
Tsardom of Russia, after meeting with his forces in
Tula. Around that time Ryazan ex-duchy became a home for various noble families, most notable of which are Lyapunovs, whose brothers
Prokopy and
Zakhary Lyapunov played a significant roles in shaping Russian history during the
Time of Troubles.
Soviet Union During
World War II, Ryazan was repeatedly bombed by German
Luftwaffe. Immediately after the war, rapid development of the city began, and it became a major industrial, scientific, and military center of the European part of Russia. On 19 October 1960 a
petroleum refinery produced its first gasoline. Ryazan housed the USSR's only producer of potato-harvesting equipment at the time. Ryazselmash factory (), an accounting machines plant, and a heavy forging equipment plant, among others, were also built. In September 1999, Ryazan suffered a series of attempted
apartment bombings (see
Ryazan Incident below). As of 2001, Ryazan remained significantly politically and economically influenced by the neighboring
Moscow Oblast. == Culture ==