The city gave its name to the Principality of Halych, the historic province of Galicia (Halychyna), and the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia,[3][4][5] of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local rulers moved to Lviv.

[7] The city's name, though spelled identically in modern East Slavic languages (Галич), is pronounced Halych in Ukrainian and Galich in Russian.

In Polish the name is rendered Halicz; in the Yiddish language Helitsh or Heylitsh (העליטש); in Latin, Galic; in Hungarian, Halics; in Romanian, Halici.

In fact, a kurgan referred to by locals as "Halychyna's tomb", excavated in 1996, contained a ritual cremation site and a bronze weapon and gold disc that could have belonged to a noble leader.

[8] Max Vasmer and modern Slavists generally agree that "Halych" is an adjective derived from the East Slavic word for "jackdaw" ("halka").

More systematic findings from a wide number of archaeological cultures dated from 5500 BC, indicate continuous occupation of the region for the past 7,000 years, and suggest the population of Halych increased significantly in the 7th and 8th centuries BCE.

The chronicles describe a stay of Hungarian tribes led by Prince Álmos in Halych on their way through Slavic land to Pannonia.

[11] Located in confluence of Dniester and its tributaries, the Old Halych appeared on the basis of several early settlements and trading sites of White Croats,[8][12][13] that in 12–13th centuries merged into a single conurbation.

[11] The central part of the human settlement with the Dormition Cathedral and princely chambers, fortified with powerful ramparts and moats, was located over Lukva River (Dniester's tributary) at the place of contemporary village of Krylos.

[11] The first dynasty of Halych, descending from Vladimir of Novgorod, a Rurik family branch known as Rostislavichi, culminated in Yaroslav Osmomysl (1153–1187) – after whose rule Béla III of Hungary briefly conquered the Principality in 1188—before going extinct in 1199.

The same year Roman the Great founded the new Rurikid dynasty, uniting Halychyna and Volhynia into the more powerful principality of Halych-Volhynia.

The excavations of 1933–42 (Jaroslaw Pasternak), 1951–52 (Karger M.K., Aulikh V.), and 1955 uncovered remains of houses, workshops, fortifications, and ten churches built of white stone.

In 1349, following the death of Duke Bolesław Jerzy II of Mazovia and the Galicia–Volhynia Wars, Halych was annexed by Polish King Casimir III the Great.

Five years later, Pope Gregory XI created in Avignon the Archdiocese of Halicz, which controlled the Dioceses of Kholm (Chełm), Peremyshl (Przemyśl) and Volodymyr-Volynskyi (Włodzimierz Wołyński).

On September 16, 1920, during the Polish–Soviet War, the Battle of Dytiatyn took place near Halicz, and on March 15, 1923, the Conference of Ambassadors recognized permanent Polish control over eastern part of former Galicia.