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The city formed around the kremlin that was built at the confluence of the Pskova and the Velikaya Rivers. Initially, built of wood, the first stone walls of the kremlin were built in 1309 and completely replaced the wooden structure in 1380, including erection of the nine towers.

The earliest mention of the city, originally known as Pleskov, comes in 903. At that time, Igor of Kiev married a local noblewoman who was later canonized as St. [[Olga of Kiev|Olga (Helena)]]. St. Olga was the first noble of ancient Rus to accept Orthodox Christianity. Her grandson and pupil [[Vladimir of Kiev]] directed the conversion of all [[Baptism of Rus'|Kievan Rus]] to Holy Orthodoxy in 988. The first prince of Pskov was St. Vladimir's younger son Sudislav. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the town was politically attached to the Novgorod Republic. In 1241, Pskov was captured by the Teutonic knights, but it was liberated by St. [[Alexander Nevsky]] after he defeated the knights in April 1242 on the ice of Lake Chudskoye (Peipus).