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- 5th century: Slavic tribes enter present-day Belarus, populated by Baltic tribes since the 3rd century, leading to the gradual assimilation of the Balts into the Slavic tribes.
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Grand Principality of Rus'
- 882: Varangians from Sweden settle in present-day Northern Russia. Rurik or Rørik, a Varangian chieftain, became in 862 the first prince of Rus', centered in Novgorod. His son Oleg conquers Kiev (Kiyiv) and makes it the capital of Rus'. It succeeds the Rus' Khaganate. The state is from that moment also rendered as Kievan Rus'. Rus' includes large parts of present-day Northern, Western and South Western Russia, Ukraine, Polish Galicia and Belarus. In this state the Varangians merge into the East Slavs.
- Since 980s: The grand princes of Rus'(or Kiev), like Vladimir Svyatoslavich, create principalities inside Rus' as appanages. Among them are Chernigov, Halych, Kiev, Minsk, Moscow, Murom-Ryazan, Novgorod, Novgorod-Seversk, Pereyaslavl, Polotsk, Rostov, Smolensk, Tmutarkan, Turov, Tver, Vladimir-Suzdal, Volhynia, and Yaroslavl.
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Principality of Turov[1]
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Principality of Polotsk[1]
- 989: Izyaslav Vladimirovich, son of Vladimir Svyatoslavich, becomes the first prince of Polotsk. Later Polotsk gets divided in sub-principalities.
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Principality of Minsk
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Grand Duchy Lithuania
- 1242: Minsk is absorbed by Lithuania in order to avoid rule by the Golden Horde.
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- 1307: Turov joins Lithuania, followed the same year by Polotsk.
- 1493: Ivan III of Moscow commences a war with grand duke Aleksandras Jogailaitis of Lithuania over the possession of the region at the Oka river. The next year Lithuania loses territory to Russia.
- 1500: Ivan III stages a new war with Aleksandras Jogailaitis, leading after a victory at Vedrosha and further fightings to further losses of territory to Russia in 1503.
- 1507: Grand prince Vasili III of Moscow intervenes in a rebellion against grand duke Sigismund of Lithuania.
- 1508: Both the Russians and the rebels are defeated.
- 1512: Vasily III commences a new war with Poland-Lithuania.
- 1514: Moscow conquers Smolensk. With the victory at Orsha Poland-Lithuania stops the further expansion of Moscow into their dominion.
- 1522: The war between Moscow and Poland-Lithuania ends with a truce.
- 1534-1537: After the death of Vasily grand duke Sigismund of Lithuania commences a war to regain the lost territories. The war ends after little gains with a truce.
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Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- 1569: Lithuania merges with Poland into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1618: The Truce of Deulino ends the war between Poland-Lithuania and Moscow, after a Polish-Lithuanian victory.
- 1632-1634: Russia commences a war to conquer Smolensk from Poland-Lithuania. It is defeated and with the Treaty of Polyanovka the war ends.
- 1655: Russia conquers large parts of the east of Poland-Lithuania.
- 1658: The war between Russia and Poland-Lithuania resumes.
- 1667: After recapturing most of the areas earlier conquered by Russia, the Treaty of Andrusovo ends the war between Russia and Poland-Lithuania.
- 1686: With the Treaty of Perpetual Peace Russia and Poland agree on their borders.
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Russian Empire
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Russian Republic
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Belarusian People's Republic
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Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
- 1919: This republic merges with the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic into Lithuania-Belarus, a Soviet puppet state. The same year it is defeated by Poland
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Republic of Poland
- 1920: Part of the region becomes part of Poland.
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Byelorussian Socialist Soviet Republic
- 1920: Russia conquers part of the region and establishes a communist republic. It defeats a separatist insurgency.
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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German Empire
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Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
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Republic of Belarus
- 1991: The Supreme Soviet of the Belarussian SSR proclaims the secession of the Soviet Union and continues as the parliament of the Republic of Belarus. The first president is Stanislav Shushkevich. Belarus is a founding member of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- 1994: The constitution stipulates a popularly elected executive president. In practice Belarus is ruled in an authoritarian way. The political system is dominated by the president and his supporters. Belarus is a founding member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
- 2015: Belarus is a founding member of the Eurasian Economic Union.
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