The Walled City
Archeological evidence shows that the area that is modern day Moscow has been inhabited as far back as the stone age, however, the first written mention of the city Moscow was in 1147. Several years later, in 1156 Yuri Dolgurky built the wooden wall around a collection of the buildings called the Kremlin. This did not last long, however, as Moscow was sacked by Mongols in 1238. Undaunted, Muscovites rebuilt the city with oak towers.
The city grew gradually and became the capitol of the Muscovy providence. In the 1300s, the stone walls of the Kremlin were built and stone bridges were built across the river. Residential wooden buildings were built outside the wall as were several churches, including the fortified monastery of Andronikov.
However, once again the city was slaked by invaders from the east in 1382. Shortly thereafter the Kremlin was further fortified and its inner buildings were built, including the Cathedral of the Assumption and Annunciation.
By the middle of the 1500s, the stone wall was built around the existing city (the middle ring in the picture). Several years later a wooden wall was built around the outskirts (the outer wall shown in this map from around 1600).