This book for the general reader offers a survey of the history of Belarus from the earliest period up to the beginning of the 20th century. On its pages readers will meet the great figures of Belarusian history. They will discover how Belarusians lived at different stages of their history, what wars they had to fight and how they developed culturally. The book contains more than two thousand illustrations, including unique manuscript miniatures, mediaeval engravings and rare photographs. Many of the illustrations have never previously been published. The history of Belarus is here presented as an integral part of the development of European civilisation as a whole.