{{Quote box | width = 30em | align = | bgcolor = #B0C4DE | title = Historical affiliations | fontsize = 80% | quote = Kievan Rus' 879–1132 Principality of Kiev 1132–1471 ∟ part of the Kievan Rus' from 1132 to 1243 ∟ part of Vladimir-Suzdal from 1243 to 1271 ∟ part of the Kingdom of Rus' from 1271 to 1301 ∟ vassal of the Golden Horde from 1301 to 1362 ∟ part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1362 to 1471 Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1471–1569 Crown of the Kingdom of Poland 1569–1648 ∟ part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Cossack Hetmanate 1648–1737 ∟ part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1648 to 1667 ∟ part of the Tsardom of Russia from 1667 to 1721 ∟ part of the Russian Empire from 1721 to 1737 Russian Empire 1737–1917 Ukrainian People's Republic 1917–1918 Ukrainian State 1918 Ukrainian People's Republic 1918–1920 Ukrainian SSR 1919–1941 ∟ part of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1941 Reichskommissariat Ukraine 1941–1944 ∟ part of German-occupied Europe from 1941 to 1944 Ukrainian SSR 1944–1991 ∟ part of the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1991 Ukraine 1991–present }} The history of Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, officially begins with its founding year as 482, but the city may date back at least 2,000 years. Archaeology dates the site of the oldest known settlement in the area to 25,000 years BC. Kyiv was the historical capital of medieval Kievan Rus' from 879 to 1240, and is now the largest city and the capital of Ukraine. Legend states that three brothers, Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv, and their sister Lybid, founded the city. Kyiv thus takes its name from Kyi, the eldest brother. The exact century of the city's foundation has not been determined. Legend has it that Saint Andrew (d. AD 60/70) prophesied the emergence of a great city on the future location of Kyiv. He was allegedly fascinated by the spectacular location on the hilly shores of the Dnieper River. The city is thought to have existed as early as the 6th century, initially as a Slavic settlement. Gradually acquiring eminence as the center of the East Slavic civilization, Kyiv reached its Golden Age as the center of Kievan Rus' in the 10th–12th centuries. Its political, but not cultural, importance drastically declined when, in 1169, it was pillaged by the troops of Andrey Bogolyubsky; the old town was destroyed, and