Starodub has been known since the 11th century, when it was a part of Severia. It was burned to the ground by the Mongols in the 13th century. It became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century, and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1503–1618, Starodub was a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow and then Commonwealth until 1648. During the Khmelnytskyi Uprising, Zaporozhian Cossacks seized the town, and 188 families of local Ruthenian nobility recognized the Ukrainian hetman as a new governor. Starodub became the center of Starodub Cossack Regiment and enjoyed a large measure of autonomy between 1666 and 1686.