Konstantinovsk

The Don settlements that preceded Konstantinovsk were Babskaya and Vedernikovskaya. Babskaya's origins are conventionally traced to the Cossack town mentioned in 1593, while Vedernikov is recorded in 1672. Their position beside the river made them part of the chain of Cossack communities along the Don, before the later town acquired its name and consolidated form.

The two settlements experienced different fortunes. Kuban Tatars attacked Babskaya in July 1737, and a fire destroyed almost the entire stanitsa in July 1782. Vedernikovskaya became the richer and more populous neighbour. Imperial administration increasingly reshaped this local landscape: the Don territory was divided into seven districts in 1802, and the regulations of 1835 established a more formal division of military and civil government. In 1836 the First Don District's administrative offices opened at Vedernikovskaya. Its cramped site soon raised difficulties for further construction, setting the problem that would eventually lead to the relocation and union of the neighbouring settlements.