Poltava's history runs into extreme antiquity. Primitive man's sites were positioned here 15 thousand years ago. In VI-V centuries B.C. Scythian nomadic tribes and husbandmen lived here. In year 150 A.D. a tribe led by Bushlay arrived from Atil, Volga region. By order of Boris Agardh, the king of the Atil dynasty (150-189 A.D),
Bushlay had conquered this land for Atil, where he established a first settlement on the banks of the river which later was named Bariskul (Vorskla) in honour of Bar's (panther) year, the present-day territory of Poltava. This settlement was named after him - Bushlay. But soon afterwards his opponents,
presumably from local tribes killed him and devastated the newly built settlement. Those spared survivors from Bushlay's tribe buried their founder in the vicinity of the settlement's ruins. The younger brother of Attila the Hun who was at the head of Bleda's Hun state and who had another name Bulut Shud,
established a stronghold in 434 A.D on the place of contemporary Poltava city, right at the site where Bushlay's settlement had been before and where the latter had met his death. But as it is known Bleda had not survived long. In 445 A.D he was assassinated by his brother, who assumed absolute control over feudal multi-tribal Hun union state in its early period.
The stronghold build by Bleda and whose name was Baltavar, was completely destroyed. From the first quarter of a VII century the ancient Bulgarian chronicles made mention of Baltavar as the headquarters of the elder brother of Bulgarian grand duke Alburi, Kurbat (Kubrat, in accordance with Byzantine's sources), who later on became the khan then kahan (king, emperor) of the Great Bulgaria.
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In VII-XIII centuries A.D. Slavic tribes (East Slavs) lived here.
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In 1173 the inhabited locality “Ltava” was mentioned in historical records.
Glorified in a great literary work, “The Lay of the Warfare waged by Igor Sviatoslavich”, Igor Sviatoslavich, (the son of Sviatoslav Olgovich, the prince of Chernigov) from 1198 the prince of Novhorod-Siversky and Chernihiv assembled the troops and set off for Vorskla. Rusich men (Russian people) captured a nomad spy, interrogated him and found out that Polovets khans Kobyak and Konchak had gone to Pereiaslav with their hordes.
Igor having heard the news crossed Vorskla near Ltava and gave chase to Polovets men, ran them down near Pereiaslav, where a great battle took place. An old Russian chronicler said, a lot of enemies had been slaughtered, taken as prisoners, the rest escaped.
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At the time of Mongol invasion (in the beginning of 13th century) Ltava was swept away and fell out of historical records for quite some time. At the start of 15th century it reappeared with the modern name – Poltava. At that time it belonged to Vitovt, the duke of the Grand Lithuania, who in 1430 handed Poltava over to the grand duke Alexandr Glinsky. In 1482 Poltava was assaulted by the khan of the Crimean Khanate Mengli Giray.
Since 1503 Poltava belonged to the grand duke M.Glinsky. In 1508 Poltava was taken away by Sigismund I because of treason. However it was returned back to Glinsky's family later.
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In 1537 Baybuza, Glinsky's family son-in-law, becomes the city owner. In 1630 Poltava was given to nobleman Bartolomey Obalkovsky. In 1641 it was passed on to S. Koniecpolski, and in1646 was captured by Ukrainian magnate Jeremi Vishnevsky, catholic by faith. According to a written record for 1641 Poltava received city status.
Approximately at that time, a self-government form of administration was introduced, so called Magdeburg rights, though feudal lords interfered in internal affairs of the city nevertheless. Craftsman worked in the city – potters, farriers, boot-makers.
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During a Liberation War under the Command of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Poltava served as a supplier of gunpowder, weapons and foodstuffs. Since 1648 Poltava was the center of Poltava regiment. The whole Ukraine's territory was divided into territorial military installations - regiments.
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In 1657-1658 a mutiny burst out in Poltava against the Ukrainian hetman Ivan Vyhovsky. The Pro-Moscow colonel of the Poltava Martyn Pushkar was at the head of it. Hetman Vyhovsky stifled that rebellion, and Poltava was plundered by hetman's allies – tatars.
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In 1660-1680 a civil war raged throughout Ukraine. Poltava was assaulted by tatars several times.
New fortifications were built around Poltava as a result. The city was ramparted and surrounded with a ditch. An oak paling with five towers, ten bastions and 28 field guns encircled its area.
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In 1700-1721 there was a so called Northern War going on between Russia and Sweden. In 1709, one of the decisive battles of that war took place near Poltava. The army of the Swedish king Charles XII was advancing towards Moscow over Ukraine's territory.
Poltava fortress defended by three Russian regiments was in its way. The fortress's garrison contained the Swedish attacks for some time, then the Russian army's primary forces led by Tsar Peter I offered their help. In June 27th 1709, the decisive battle took place.There were 42 000 servicemen in the Russian army,
the Swedish side numbered approximately 30 000 militants. Other sources say, there were 55 000 combatants (with the exception of auxiliary units) and 72 field guns in the Russian army, and 25 000 men and 4 field guns in the Swedish army. The battle began on the Swedish army's initiative, but the Russian army taking advantage of manpower and artillery repulsed the attack and inflicted a defeat on the Swedes.
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At the beginning of 18th century, there were several workshops comprising 300 craftsmen in Poltava. At that time the Russian administration of Poltava abolished Magdeburg rights for the city. The city was renowned for its fairs at that time (there were four of them).
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From 1775 Poltava was a part of Novorossiysk province. In 1784 Poltava became a part of Katerinoslavsk region. At that year, there lived 1226 merchants, petty bourgeoisie and workmen in Poltava. Poltava's ilyinsky fair was famous all over Ukraine. About 40 000 people visited it all the year round. The merchants from Odessa alone bought merchandise for a sum of more then one million rubles.
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In 1796-1802 Poltava was a part of Chernigov Governorate, and from 1802 it became a Poltava Governorate's center. At the beginning of 19th century, the city was under vigorous reconstruction. Thus, in 1803-1805 the city center was built. A round square was in the middle of it, with eight streets radiating outwards. In 1804-1811 the seven office blocks were constructed, a main bridge over Vorskla was erected, one street got paved.
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At the same time, educational institutions began to open. In 1799 the Volostnoe uchilishche of Poltava (elementary school, where future clerks for work in public and country management were taught) was inaugurated. In 1808 a gymnasium was opened. In 1818 the Institut Blagorodnyh Devits (Seminary for Young ladies) and religious school were opened. In 1820 a School of Gardening appeared, and in 1840 a military school opened its doors.
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The city's cultural life was always rich. The renowned writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol studied in a trade school in 1818-1819. Famous playwright Michael Petrovich Starycky, historian and public figure Mykhailo Petrovych Drahomanov, mathematician Mikhail Vasilievich Ostrogradsky all studied in Poltava gymnasium. World-famous Ukrainian poet Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko paid a visit to the city in 1844.
Ivan Petrovych Kotlyarevsky, Ukrainian poet and writer was born here. Ivan Semenovych Nechuy-Levytsky the Ukrainian writer worked here in 1865-1866, and in 1871 Panas Myrny created his works here. The famous scientist and geographer, Vasily Vasili'evich Dokuchaev, with his disciple Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky worked in Poltava. In 1891 on V.V Dokuchaev's initiative the Poltava Museum of Local History and Lore was opened.
The famous doctor Nikolai Vasilyevich Sklifosovsky, worked in Poltava as well.
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The weekly newspaper “Poltavskie gubernskie vedomosti” – “Poltava Local News” was firstly published on the 2nd April 1838. As to the city's population we take into account the following numbers: in 1802 - 7 975 people lived in the city, in 1838 – 15 521 people, in 1842 – 16 787 people, and in 1851 there lived 20 819 people.
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In 1890 O.F. Malcev established a mental hospital with free access here.
On August 30th 1903 the monument to Ivan Petrovych Kotlyarevsky was inaugurated in Poltava. Many prominent Ukrainian writers and poets came to the inauguration.
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In 1900-1921 Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko, a well-known writer, lived and worked in Poltava.
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At the beginning of 20th century there were 53 plant facilities; tobacco, macaroni, sausage factories were functioning. The city's population grew to 60 131 men in 1916. In the city one could see a Pedagogical Institute, College of Commerce, Realnoe Uchilishche (secondary school), School for land surveyors, School for blind girls, three Theological seminaries,
six Zemskay shkola (elementary schools in countryside opened by Zemstvo which was a form of local government), twenty seven Tserkovno-prihodska shkola (elementary schools managed by clergy) at that time. There were 5 operational clubs and 9 libraries as well.
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In 1917, after October events, the pro-Russian and pro-Bolshevik members of the Sovet rabochih i soldatskih deputatov (The Council of Workers and Soldiers' Deputies) of Poltava were getting the upper hand in the city. On December 17, 1917 the troops of Central Rada (socialist-dominated Council) broke up Poltava Council. Afterwards, however, the Krasnaya Gvardiya (Red Guards - armed groups of workers) captured the city.
Then Poltava fell into the German occupation zone. On November 27, 1918 the armed Communists entered the city, but two days later were dislodged by Ukrainian state troops.
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After the civil war won by Russian Communists, Poltava became a part of the Ukrainskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika (Ukranian Soviet Socialist Republic).
In 1923 there were 224 active small enterprises in the city. Saw-mill, printing plant, confectionary plant and so on were on stream. In 1924 the city had 23 schools with 1231 pupils.
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In 1929 a meat-packing factory exporting its output to Great Britain and Holland was put into operation.
In 1926 the monument in honour of Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko was unveiled. In 1928 the Literary-Memorial museum devoted to writer Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was opened.
In 1934 the monument to Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was opened.
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In 1931 the Poltava plant “Metal” had produced a first typewriter in the USSR.
In 1932-1933 the Communist government of the USSR had organized the Great Famine-Genocide in Soviet Ukraine, Poltava included. The purpose of that was extermination of independent peasantry, the rest were forced into kolkhoz (collective farms). People were deprived of their last foodstuffs and livestock, nevertheless distilleries kept on working on grain and sugar all round.
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In 1937-1938 Stalin's repressions reached their maximum. Many innocents were arrested, shot dead, exiled to Siberia or to the North.
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iv align="justify" class="style6"> In 1941 the Great Patriotic War broke out. On September 18, 1941 the fascists captured the city.
The Soviet army liberated the city on September 23.
The city's population grew in that way: 1924 – 75 639 people, 1926 – 92 515 people, 1939 – 130 305 people, 1959 – 143 097 people, 1965 – 170 100 people, 1966 – 177 515 people.
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In 1967 the city counted 19 hospitals, 33 schools with 24 000 pupils, 3 institutes, (Poltava State V. G. Korolenko Pedagogical Institute, Poltava State Agrarian Institute, Poltava Civil Engineering Institute) with 10 446 students, plus 107 libraries.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Poltava became a part of Ukraine. The city was growing with an astonishing rate, an airport with railway station were built. Population grew to 300 000 people.
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