It was founded as a military strong point of the Russian kingdom in 1589. The city was repeatedly destroyed in country revolts and burned down in fires, but was reconstructed again and again. The wooden Kremlin taking the area of 4,66 hectares and the settlements beyond the fortress were surrounded with a stockaded town. Its first dwellers were gunners, mandative builders, seigniorial children, and the clergy. In 1781 Tsivilsk got the status of a district city. In the 17th century the city lost its military value and turned into the center for commerce and industry, with merchants and handicraftsmen among its population.