diff --git a/roomserver/internal/query.go b/roomserver/internal/query.go
index 8a8c8e7d0..8043746ca 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/query.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/query.go
@@ -535,9 +535,14 @@ func (r *RoomserverInternalAPI) backfillViaFederation(ctx context.Context, req *
 		return fmt.Errorf("backfillViaFederation: unknown room version for room %s : %w", req.RoomID, err)
 	}
 	requester := newBackfillRequester(r.DB, r.FedClient, r.ServerName)
+	// Request 100 items regardless of what the query asks for.
+	// We don't want to go much higher than this.
+	// We can't honour exactly the limit as some sytests rely on requesting more for tests to pass
+	// (so we don't need to hit /state_ids which the test has no listener for)
+	// Specifically the test "Outbound federation can backfill events"
 	events, err := gomatrixserverlib.RequestBackfill(
 		ctx, requester,
-		r.KeyRing, req.RoomID, roomVer, req.EarliestEventsIDs, req.Limit)
+		r.KeyRing, req.RoomID, roomVer, req.EarliestEventsIDs, 100)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/query_backfill.go b/roomserver/internal/query_backfill.go
index d42038e74..82f7238d7 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/query_backfill.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/query_backfill.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/storage"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/roomserver/types"
 	"github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib"
+	"github.com/matrix-org/util"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
@@ -37,6 +38,11 @@ func (b *backfillRequester) StateIDsBeforeEvent(ctx context.Context, targetEvent
 	if ids, ok := b.eventIDToBeforeStateIDs[targetEvent.EventID()]; ok {
 		return ids, nil
 	}
+	if len(targetEvent.PrevEventIDs()) == 0 && targetEvent.Type() == "m.room.create" && targetEvent.StateKeyEquals("") {
+		util.GetLogger(ctx).WithField("room_id", targetEvent.RoomID()).Info("Backfilled to the beginning of the room")
+		b.eventIDToBeforeStateIDs[targetEvent.EventID()] = []string{}
+		return nil, nil
+	}
 	// if we have exactly 1 prev event and we know the state of the room at that prev event, then just roll forward the prev event.
 	// Else, we have to hit /state_ids because either we don't know the state at all at this event (new backwards extremity) or
 	// we don't know the result of state res to merge forks (2 or more prev_events)
diff --git a/syncapi/routing/messages.go b/syncapi/routing/messages.go
index 67de6df7e..811188cc8 100644
--- a/syncapi/routing/messages.go
+++ b/syncapi/routing/messages.go
@@ -412,7 +412,14 @@ func (r *messagesReq) backfill(roomID string, fromEventIDs []string, limit int)
 		}
 	}
 
-	return res.Events, nil
+	// we may have got more than the requested limit so resize now
+	events := res.Events
+	if len(events) > limit {
+		// last `limit` events
+		events = events[len(events)-limit:]
+	}
+
+	return events, nil
 }
 
 // setToDefault returns the default value for the "to" query parameter of a
diff --git a/sytest-whitelist b/sytest-whitelist
index 035b9b36e..4a8af13a6 100644
--- a/sytest-whitelist
+++ b/sytest-whitelist
@@ -279,3 +279,4 @@ Inbound federation can return missing events for invite visibility
 Inbound federation can get public room list
 An event which redacts itself should be ignored
 A pair of events which redact each other should be ignored
+Outbound federation can backfill events