History of Ukraine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prehistoric Ukraine, as part of the Pontic steppe, has played an important role in Eurasian cultural contacts, including the spread of the Chalcolithic, the Bronze Age, Indo-European expansion and the domestication of the horse.[1][2][3] Part of Scythia in antiquity and settled by Getae, in the migration period, Ukraine is also the site of early Slavic expansion, and enters history proper with the establishment of the medieval state of Kievan Rus, which emerged as a powerful nation in the Middle Ages but disintegrated in the 12th century. After the middle of the 14th century, present-day Ukrainian territories came under the rule of three external powers:

1. the Golden Hord
2. Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland - during the 15th century these lands came under the rule of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland
3. the Crimean Khanate