Nowogródek Voivodeship
Polish: Województwo nowogródzkie
Latin: Palatinatus Novogrodensis
Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1507–1795
Coat of arms of
Coat of arms

The Nowogródek Voivodeship within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1619
CapitalNowogródek
Area 
• 
33,200 km2 (12,800 sq mi)
History 
• Established
1507
1795
Contained within
 • Country Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1507–1569)
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795)
 • Member state Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1569–1795)
Political subdivisionscounties: three, and the Duchy of Sluck and Kopyl
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Trakai Voivodeship
Russian Empire

Nowogródek Voivodeship (Polish: województwo nowogródzkie, Latin: Palatinatus Novogrodensis, Lithuanian: Naugarduko vaivadija; Belarusian: Навагра́дзкае ваяво́дзтва) was a voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1507 to 1795, with the capital in the town of Nowogródek (now Novogrudok, Belarus). Since 1569 it was located in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, as part of Lithuania.

History

The Voivodeship was composed of three counties, Novogrudok, Vawkavysk, Slonim, as well as the Duchy of Slutsk. It had two senators, two deputies for the Sejm, and two deputies for the Lithuanian Tribunal. Its capital was the town of Nyazvizh with the Radziwiłł family's castle and treasury.[1] Novogrudok Voivodeship ceased to exist along with the Polish-Lithuanian state when it was partitioned out of existence.[2]

Zygmunt Gloger in his monumental book Historical Geography of the Lands of Old Poland provides this description of the Nowogródek Voivodeship:

“Slavic lands along the upper Neman, after collapse of the Kievan Rus’ were in 1241 ransacked by the forces of the Mongol Empire, under Batu Khan. After the Mongol raid, it turned into a desert, and was annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In c. 1500, local Lithuanian dukes were named voivodes, thus Nowogródek Voivodeship was created. Like the neighbouring Brest Litovsk Voivodeship, Nowogródek Voivodeship was rather narrow but very long, stretching from the upper Narew and Białowieża Forest, to the spot where the Ptsich flows into the Pripyat (...)

Nowogródek Voivodeship was divided into three counties: those of Nowogródek, Wolkowysk, and Slonim. Furthermore, it included the Duchy of Sluck and Kapyl. Each county had its own sejmik, with each electing two deputies to the Sejm, and two to the Lithuanian Tribunal. It had only two senators, who were the Voivode and the Castellan of Nowogródek (...) Northern part of the voivodeship, mainly the County of Nowogródek and the Duchy of Sluck were among most fertile lands in Lithuania, with hilly landscape and several beautiful towns, such as Tuhanowicze, Switez and Woroncza".

Voivodes

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nowogrodek Voivodeship, description by Zygmunt Gloger. Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski.
  2. ↑ Żmigrodzki, Józef. "Nowogródek i okolice". Nowogródek, 1931. Nakładem Nowogródzkiego Oddziału Polsk. Tow. Krajoznawczego z zasiłkiem Ministerstwa Robót Publicznych. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011.

53°36′06″N 25°49′38″E / 53.601723°N 25.827310°E / 53.601723; 25.827310

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