When did Vladimir-Suzdal exist?

Vladimir-Suzdal existed 1157–1389. On this map it is drawn 1294–1486.

How large was Vladimir-Suzdal?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Vladimir-Suzdal covered about 218,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Northern Eurasia · The medieval principalities

Vladimir-Suzdal

1157–1389

The Grand Principality of Vladimir, successor to Rostov-Suzdal, became the premier principality of north-eastern Rus' after Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital to Vladimir in 1157. After the Mongol conquest, the grand-princely title of Vladimir became the supreme rank among the Rus' princes, conferred by yarlyk (patent) from the Golden Horde — the prize contested above all between Tver and Moscow.

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Existed: 1157–1389
Shown on the map: 1294–1486
Peak area: 218k km²
Region: Northern Eurasia

Name and status

Rulers and golden age

After Andrei's murder (1174), his brother Vsevolod the Big Nest (Grand Prince 1176–1212) presided over the principality's golden age, the most powerful of the Rus' princes of his day (his epithet reflects his large family). He was succeeded amid a war between his sons Konstantin and Yuri II. Yuri II of Vladimir (r. 1212–1216, 1218–1238), founder of Nizhny Novgorod, was killed at the Battle of the Sit River (4 March 1238) during the Mongol invasion.

Culture

The principality produced the distinctive white-stone architecture of the "Vladimir-Suzdal school": the Dormition and St. Demetrius Cathedrals in Vladimir, the Golden Gates, and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.

Decline

Under Mongol overlordship the grand-princely title rotated among competing princely lines. The last independent grand prince of Vladimir was Dmitry Donskoy (1363–1389), who merged the Vladimir title permanently with the Grand Principality of Moscow — after which Vladimir ceased to be a separate grand principality (disestablished 1389) and the Muscovite grand princes held the Vladimir dignity by inheritance.

Common questions

What was Vladimir-Suzdal?: The Grand Principality of Vladimir, successor to Rostov-Suzdal, became the premier principality of north-eastern Rus' after Andrei Bogolyubsky moved the capital to Vladimir in 1157. After the Mongol conquest, the grand-princely title of Vladimir became the supreme rank among the Rus' princes, conferred by yarlyk (patent) from the Golden Horde — the prize contested above all between Tver and Moscow.
When did Vladimir-Suzdal exist?: Vladimir-Suzdal existed 1157–1389. On this map it is drawn 1294–1486.
How large was Vladimir-Suzdal?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Vladimir-Suzdal covered about 218,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled Vladimir-Suzdal?: After Andrei's murder (1174), his brother Vsevolod the Big Nest (Grand Prince 1176–1212) presided over the principality's golden age, the most powerful of the Rus' princes of his day (his epithet reflects his large family). He was succeeded amid a war between his sons Konstantin and Yuri II.
How did Vladimir-Suzdal end?: Under Mongol overlordship the grand-princely title rotated among competing princely lines. The last independent grand prince of Vladimir was Dmitry Donskoy (1363–1389), who merged the Vladimir title permanently with the Grand Principality of Moscow — after which Vladimir ceased to be a separate grand principality (disestablished 1389) and the Muscovite grand princes held the Vladimir dignity by inheritance.
What did the economy and culture of Vladimir-Suzdal rest on?: The principality produced the distinctive white-stone architecture of the "Vladimir-Suzdal school": the Dormition and St. Demetrius Cathedrals in Vladimir, the Golden Gates, and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each polity, ruler and battle as the basis of these profiles, cross-checked against Encyclopaedia Britannica, the World History Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Russian History, and against the scholarship of Janet Martin, Charles Halperin, Serhii Plokhy, Simon Franklin and Krivosheev. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Vladimir-Suzdal en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir-Suzdal

This entry was last updated 20 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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