Pronsk

Pronsk occupies a narrow height above the Pronya, a tributary of the Oka. It was the seat of a principality whose rulers belonged to the Ryazan dynasty, and its fortified site guarded the river valley on the southern edge of the Rus' lands. The town's position exposed it to the dangers of the steppe as well as the rivalries of neighbouring princes.

Mongol forces took Pronsk in 1237, devastating its principality. The town and its countryside recovered over the following centuries, and Pronsk was rebuilt as a fortified centre. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it formed part of the Russian frontier defences. Streltsy, Cossacks and gunners lived in settlements around the fort, whose names recalled their service. By the end of the seventeenth century the frontier had moved farther south, and many former servicemen settled on farmland around the town.