Abstract: Taking the upper and middle Yangtze River basins as the main study area, we reconstructed the extreme flood events over the past millennium, based on literature, flood inscriptions, and modern water level data. We analyzed the patterns and differences in the occurrence of flooding events during different periods. The following significant conclusions were reached: (1) Extreme flood events for 45 years were reconstructed up to the country's founding. The average occurrence frequency was 18a, with an uneven inter-annual distribution; (2) the reconstructed flood years were extended to 2002 using modern observed water level data. A complete flood chronology were obtained from 1153 to 2002,where the years 1954, 1981, and 1998 were added; (3) according to the analysis of flood frequency and climate conditions, the frequency of floods in the study area over the past millennium was variable, with an increasing trend over the last two centuries. The frequency and driving mechanism of the flood years varied among periods. The Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age were characterized by the differences in cooling and warming, monsoons, and rainfall zones resulting from climatic variability. In contrast, human activities primarily influenced the Modern Warm Period, and the frequency and intensity of flooding events generally increased with time.