Ryazan was the first major Russian city to fall during the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus in 1237. Batu Khan’s forces entered the Principality of Ryazan in the autumn of that year, defeating its army before besieging the capital, now known as Old Ryazan or Staraya Ryazan.
The siege lasted from December 16 to December 21, 1237. Mongol troops used catapults and other siege methods to breach the city’s defenses. After capturing Ryazan, they killed or enslaved much of its population and burned the city. The original settlement was never rebuilt as a major urban center.
This episode opened the Mongol advance into the northeastern Rus lands. After Ryazan, Batu Khan’s army moved toward Vladimir-Suzdal, attacking cities including Kolomna, Moscow, and Vladimir. A common mix-up is the modern city of Ryazan: the medieval capital destroyed in 1237 was Old Ryazan, located southeast of the present city. The modern city later inherited the name after the principality’s seat moved to Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky.