 The area of the district was originally populated by the Finnic peoples, in the 11th century, Slavs started to arrive.Until the 15th century, the area belonged to the Novgorod Republic, and subsequently, together with Novgorod, it was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Moscow.The area belonged to Bezhetsk Pyatina, one of the five pyatinas into which Novgorod Lands were divided.