972 Sviatoslav is defeated at Silistria and compelled to evacuate the Balkan peninsula.
973 On his retreat, Sviatoslav is surprised and killed by the Petchenegs of the Dnieper.
977 Rout of Oleg by Iaropolk and his death.
980 Vladimir, after killing Iaropolk, becomes sole ruler.
988 Vladimir is baptized and makes Greek Christianity the state religion. On the day of his baptism he marries a daughter of the Byzantine emperor Romanos II.
1015 Vladimir dies and the country is divided among his eight sons and a nephew.
1019 Iaroslav, prince of Novgorod and the youngest son of Vladimir, finally becomes grand prince, and removes his capital to Kiev.
1054 Iaroslav dies. The country is divided among his five sons, one of whom, Iziaslav, is recognised as grand prince of Kiev. The custom, first introduced by Sviatoslav of breaking up the country into appanages, has now reached its full fruition. Russia has become an extremely loose federation of principalities. The central authority has been reduced to a nullity, and the period is filled with wars among the petty princes. This, of course, weakened the power of Russia for resisting foreign invaders, and made it an easy prey to the eastern nomadic tribes, from the Polovtsi to the Tatars. The chief events during this period are the foundation of Moscow (1147), the rise of Suzdal in Vladimir, and the pillaging of Kiev (1169) by Prince Andrew Bogoliubski of Suzdal. The hegemony of Kiev comes to an end for all time. The principal figures during this period are those of Vladimir II, surnamed Monomakh (1113-1125), and of Andrew Bogoliubski (1157-1175), who strove to re-establish some sort of unity and was assassinated by his nobles.
1068 The people of Kiev liberate Vseslav and make him grand prince.
1069 Iziaslav is restored by Boleslaw the Bold of Poland.