It is not always possible to determine the exact founding date of cities with a long history. Such settlements were not created in one day, but formed over decades, or even centuries. This fully applies to Moscow. For the day the capital of present-day Russia was founded, the date is taken when Moscow was first mentioned in the annals.
Year of birth of Moscow
Annals of legend say that in early spring of 1147, Suzdal prince Yuri Dolgoruky went with his squad to Novgorod, and then sent a message to his ally, Prince Svyatoslav of Seversky. In the letter, the contents of which are given in the Ipatiev Chronicle, Yuri invited an associate to come "to Moscow". This is the first mention of Moscow that has come down to the present.
Accompanied by his son Oleg Svyatoslav arrived in Moscow city with rich gifts. On April 4, 1147, a feast was held in the city, news of which quickly spread around the Russian lands. After this event, Moscow became widely known. Of course, the date of formation of the city is very arbitrary, because Moscow existed as a fairly large settlement long before the meeting of the Russian princes.
