Human settlements in the area adjacent to the Kremlin appeared as early as the Mesolithic era. Archaeological excavations show the presence of large settlements in the modern areas of Fefelovo Bor, Kanishevo, Borki, and on Rybackaya Street. Slavic tribes began to populate these places in the 6th-7th centuries. The large settlement of Borkovskoye, located on the Oka Island, actively traded with Byzantium and countries of the East and West. Another important fortified settlement was the Boris-Gleb hillfort, which later became the Pereyaslavl residence of archbishops and Borisoglebskaya Square. The large number of settlements and the presence of a trading port necessitated the construction of a fortified city to protect the population and surroundings. This city became Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky.

The date of the founding of the Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky Kremlin is indicated in the Followed Psalter, which is kept in the museum-reserve: "In the year 1095, the city of Pereyaslavl Ryazansk was founded near the church of St. Nicholas the Old, followed by the Psalter of the Ilyinsk Church, 1570, p.378."

In the 11th century, the Kremlin of Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky was a fortified fortress located in the northwestern part of the modern architectural complex, on the site of the current Church of the Holy Spirit, covering an area of 2 hectares. Around the fortress were slobodas and unfortified settlements where peasants, fishermen, and craftsmen lived. The streets were paved with wood, and the yards were located close to each other. The princely terem likely stood on the site of the modern Dukhivskaya Church. The surrounding area was covered with forests, and the Trubezh and Lybed rivers were navigable. On the hill were the lakes Bystroye and Karasevo, from which water was taken during sieges. During floods, the rivers and Oka overflowed, turning the Kremlin hill into an island.

Excavations at the Zhitny excavation, dating back to the second half of the 12th century, confirm that Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky emerged one and a half centuries earlier than the first mention in the chronicle of 1300. Initially, it was one of the fortresses of the Ryazan principality. After the destruction of Ryazan by the Mongol-Tatars in 1285, Archbishop Vasily of Ryazan moved the episcopal see to Pereyaslavl, and in the mid-14th century, the capital of the principality was also moved here. From the 12th century, the city grew, occupying the entire Kremlin hill, which required the expansion of defensive structures. New wooden walls and towers were built. The southern slope posed a danger, so in the 12th century, a defensive rampart and moat began to be constructed. Until the mid-17th century, walls stood on it. Lithuanian chronicles of the 14th century note that the city was located in a "naturally defensive place," and its fortifications impressed as a capital castle. By the 15th century, a fortified ostrog appeared near the city, and stone construction began. The first stone building was the Assumption Cathedral, followed by the Glebov Tower and the Archangel Cathedral.

The Kremlin was surrounded by defensive outposts: Borisoglebskaya Fortress, Trinity, Solotchinsky, Poschupovsky, and Bogoyavlensky monasteries. The Kremlin and Pereyaslavl became the starting point of the defensive line of the Moscow principality.

In the 18th century, with the expansion of the borders of the Russian Empire, military construction in Pereyaslavl ceased, giving way to civil architecture. The wooden walls and towers of the Kremlin deteriorated. In 1778, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky was renamed Ryazan, and in 1796 it became the center of the Ryazan province. The city began to be rebuilt according to a regular plan, and the dilapidated walls and towers of the Kremlin were demolished. Administrative, secular, and cultural life concentrated in new centers. The reconstruction of the Kremlin continued: in 1789, the construction of the bell tower of the Assumption Cathedral began, and the Christ the Savior Cathedral was reconstructed. Until the end of the 19th century, reconstructions of the Archbishop's Palace took place. The river port on the Trubezh remained the main one. A stone church was built on Spassky Yar. In 1884, the Ryazan Historical Museum was established, and in 1895, the Cathedral Boulevard was arranged next to the Kremlin, along with the construction of the Triumphal Arch.

In 1918, all museums and collections were merged into the provincial historical and art museum. The main building of the museum in 1922 became the Archbishop's Chambers of the Ryazan Kremlin. The first restoration surveys began in the 20s-30s. Projects for the restoration of the complex and areas beyond the city were prepared. The museum employed renowned specialists, but further work was interrupted by the Great Patriotic War.

At the beginning of the war, an air defense firing point was located on the Kremlin rampart, and artillery training sessions took place at the foot. Bombings did not affect the Kremlin. Since the 1950s, large-scale restoration of the complex began. The main problem was the condition of the foundation of the Assumption Cathedral and the bell tower. Specialists from the metro construction were involved in the restoration. Landscaping of the territory began, with the appearance of the Trubezh embankment, green alleys and squares, building lighting, and the establishment of the Cathedral Park. Since 1964, a planetarium and museum exhibitions operated in the Assumption Cathedral. Buildings were transferred to administrative institutions, with the Christ the Savior Cathedral and the Church of the Epiphany housing the regional archive, the Dukhivskaya Church becoming a museum library, and the Ilyinsky Temple turning into a scientific lecture hall. In 1968, the Ryazan Kremlin became a historical and architectural museum-reserve with a special protection status.