Vilnius Voivodeship

The Vilnius Voivodeship (Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx, Template:Langx) was one of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania's voivodeships, which existed from the voivodeship's creation in 1413 to the destruction of the Lithuanian state in 1795.Template:Sfn This voivodeship was Lithuania's largest, most politically and economically important.Template:Sfn

History

• Coat of arms of the Vilnius Voivodeship
• The Voivodeship's coat of arms in 1430s, depicted in the Armorial Lyncenich
  The Voivodeship's coat of arms in 1430s, depicted in the Armorial Lyncenich
• The Voivodeship's coat of arms in 1555
  The Voivodeship's coat of arms in 1555
• As depicted in 1712
  As depicted in 1712
• As depicted in 1720
  As depicted in 1720
• As depicted in 1875
  As depicted in 1875

1413-1566

The Vilnius Voivodeship was created instead of the Vilnius Viceroyalty (Template:Langx) during the Pact of Horodło in 1413.Template:Sfn

The core of the Vilnius Voivodeship was the Vilnius County, which was composed of the Vilnius Bailiwick (Template:Langx), which was composed of the manors of Vilnius, Nemenčinė, Švenčionys, Dysna and other places, in addition to almost all of Lithuania on both side of Neris.Template:Sfn Also included was the Breslauja Viceroyalty (Template:Langx), Template:Interlanguage link, the lands of the dukes Giedraičiai and the counties of the so-called Lithuanian Rus', which included Maladzyechna, Template:Interlanguage link, Minsk, Barysaw, Rechytsa, Template:Ill, Propoysk‑Chachersk.Template:Sfn In the Upper Dnieper, the Vilnius Voivodeship had half of the Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Ill and Babruysk parishes, whose remaining part belonged to the Trakai Voivodeship.Template:Sfn From Vitebsk's lands, the Vilnius Voivodeship received Mogilev, which belonged to the Grand Duchess of Lithuania, Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Interlanguage link and Template:Interlanguage link.Template:Sfn Moreover, the Principalities of Alšėnai, Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Interlanguage link, Slutsk, Trobos and Izyaslavl were part of the Vilnius Voivodeship.Template:Sfn Novogrudok became a separate Voivodeship in 1507.Template:Sfn

The Vilnius Voivodeship was the location of many large estates.Template:Sfn These were centred on the following places and owned by those families: Goštautai owned Hieraniony, the Radziwiłłs had Nyasvizh and Dubingiai, Zaberezinskiai had Zaberezinas, while the Astikai had Vyžuonos.Template:Sfn

1566-1795

In 1566, during the administrative and judicial reforms of 1564–66, Vilnius Voivodeship was divided into the counties of Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Interlanguage link, Template:Interlanguage link (assigned from Trakai Voivodeship), Template:Interlanguage link.Template:Sfn Simultaneously, Vitebsk' lands, the Upper Dnieper, most of the Lithuanian Rus', the Principalities of Kletsk and Sluck were separated from the Vilnius Voivodeship.Template:Sfn

Aftermath

19th century

After the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Vilnius Voivodeship was occupied by the Russian Empire.Template:Sfn Most of the territory became the Vilna Governorate. In 1843, its northern part was assigned to Kovno Governorate.

20th century

After World War I, the lands of the former Vilnius Voivodeship were fought over by the Lithuanian Army, Central Lithuania with its Army, the Polish Army, and the Red Army. Following the annexation of Central Lithuania by Poland, during the Interwar, most of the former Voivodeship ended up under the Second Polish Republic while the rest was ruled by Lithuanians. According to the Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty in 1920, most of the former voivodeship should have been part of Lithuania. After World War II, the occupying Soviet Union assigned most of the voivodeship's territory that was previously under Polish rule to the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Geography and administrative division

File:Vilnia. Вільня (XVII).jpg

Wilno, capital of the voivodeship, in the 17th century

Geographically the area was centred on the city of Vilnius, which had always been the capital of the entity and the seat of a voivode. However, the actual territory of the voivodeship varied over time. Together with the Trakai Voivodeship it was known as Lithuania propria. Until the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the voivodeship, also known as a palatinate, was composed of five counties (Lithuanian: plural - pavietai, singular - pavietas):

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Voivodes

The Voivode of Vilnius was ranked first in importance among the secular members of the Lithuanian Council of Lords.Template:Sfn In the voivode hierarchy of Poland-Lithuania, established by the Union of Lublin in 1569, the Voivode of Vilnius, who was also a senator of the Polish–Lithuanian Sejm, took the fourth place and the Castellan of Vilnius - the sixth place.Template:Sfn

See also

• Administrative divisions of Lithuania