The Kiev Voivodeship ( pl, województwo kijowskie, la, Palatinatus Kioviensis, uk, Київське воєводство, ''Kyjivśke vojevodstvo'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1471 until 1569 and of the

Crown of the Kingdom of Poland The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, includ ...

from 1569 until 1793, as part of Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown. The voivodeship was established in 1471 upon the death of the last prince of Kiev

Simeon Olelkovich Simeon (Simon) Olelkovich ( be, Сямён Алелькавіч, uk, Семен Олелькович, russian: Семён Олелькович, lt, Simonas Olelkaitis; 1420–1470) was the last Prince of Kiev from 1454 to 1470 and the Prince of ...

and transformation of the Duchy of Kiev ( appanage duchy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania) into the Voivodeship of Kiev.

Description

The voivodeship was established in 1471 under the order of King Casimir IV Jagiellon soon after the death of

Semen Olelkovich The House of Olelkovich ( be, Алелькавічы, lt, Olelkaičiai, pl, Olelkowicze, uk, Олельковичі) was a 15th–16th-century princely family from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Their main possession was the Duchy of Slutsk–K ...

. It had replaced the former Principality of Kiev, ruled by Lithuanian-Ruthenian Olelkovich princes (related to House of Algirdas and Olshansky family). Its first administrative center was

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, but when the city was given to

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

in 1667 by

Treaty of Andrusovo The Truce of Andrusovo ( pl, Rozejm w Andruszowie, russian: Андрусовское перемирие, ''Andrusovskoye Pieriemiriye'', also sometimes known as Treaty of Andrusovo) established a thirteen-and-a-half year truce, signed in 1667 bet ...

, the capital moved to

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, a ...

( pl, Żytomierz), where it remained until 1793. It was the biggest voivodeship of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by land area, covering, among others, the land of Zaporizhian Cossacks.

Municipal government

The governor of the voivodeship was voivode (

List of voivodes of Kiev This the list of voivodes of Kiev. A Kiev voivode ( pl, wojewoda kijowski) was the major administrative position in Kiev Voivodship, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1471 until 1569 and in of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 unti ...

). In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the other two major administrative positions were

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

and bishop (biskup kijowski). *

* Castellan of Kijow (city governor) * Vogt of Kijow

Flag and coat of arms

The flag on one side had

Lithuanian Pogon The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a Horseback, mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest armorial of Europe, Eur ...

on red field and on other side black bear on white field with his front left paw raised up.

Regional council ('' sejmik'')

Regional council for all Ruthenian lands

* Sudova Vyshnia

Regional council pl, sejmik poselski i deputacki seats

* Kive * Ovruch *

Administrative division

Counties

* Kijow County, Kijow (Biała Cerkiew,

Bila Tserkva Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...

, since 1659) * Owrucz County, Owrucz * Żytomierz County, Żytomierz

Other former counties

* Putywl County, Putywl (lost after the second Muscovite–Lithuanian War) * Mozyrz County, Mozyrz (transferred to Minsk Voivodeship under the Union of Lublin) * Czerkasy County, Czerkasy (liquidated in 1566) * Czarnobyl County, Czarnobyl (liquidated in 1566)

Former counties lost under the Treaty of Andrusovo

* Lubecz County, Lubecz * Oster County, Oster * City of Kijow

Elderships (Starostwo)

Instead of some liquidated counties in 1566 there were established elderships: Biała Cerkiew, Kaniów, Korsun, Romanówka, Czerkasy, Czigrin.

Free royal cities

Berezań Berezan (, , yi, בערעזאַן, ) is a city in Brovary Raion, Kyiv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Berezan urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . There is an important railway junction in th ...

Biała Cerkiew Bila Tserkva ( uk, Бі́ла Це́рква ; ) is a city in the center of Ukraine, the largest city in Kyiv Oblast (after Kyiv, which is the administrative center, but not part of the oblast), and part of the Right Bank. It serves as the admi ...

Bohusław Bohuslav ( uk, Богуслав, yi, באָסלעוו or ''Boslov'') is a city on the Ros River in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: . It hosts the administration of Bohuslav urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Uk ...

Czehryń Chyhyryn ( uk, Чигирин, ) is a city and historic site located in Cherkasy Raion of Cherkasy Oblast of central Ukraine. From 1648 to 1669 the city was a Hetman residence. After a forced relocation of the Ruthenian Orthodox metropolitan see ...

* Czerkasy *

Jagodzin Jagodzin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Węgliniec, within Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (pr ...

* Kaniów * Kijów * Korsuń * Myrhorod * Oster *

Owrucz Ovruch ( uk, Овруч, pl, Owrucz, yi, , russian: О́вруч) is a city in Korosten Raion, in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was the administrative center of the former Ovruch Raion (district). It has ...

Stebliw Stebliv ( uk, Стеблів, russian: Стеблёв) is an urban-type settlement located in Zvenyhorodka Raion (district) of Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Stebliv settlement hromada, one of the hr ...

Trechtymirów Trakhtemyriv ( uk, Трахтемирів, pl, Trechtymirów) is a very small village in Cherkasy Raion, Cherkasy Oblast. It belongs to Bobrytsia rural hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In the past it was a city and quartered the Registe ...

Żytomierz Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, a ...

Neighbouring Voivodeships and regions

* Bratslav Voivodeship * Podolian Voivodeship *

Brest Litovsk Voivodeship Brest Litovsk Voivodeship ( Belarusian: ''Берасьцейскае ваяводзтва'', Polish: ''Województwo brzeskolitewskie'') was a unit of administrative territorial division and a seat of local government (voivode) within the Grand ...

* Minsk Voivodeship * Chernihiv Voivodeship *

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Duchy of Moscow, Muscovite Russia, Muscovite Rus' or Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое княжество Московское, Velikoye knyazhestvo Moskovskoye; also known in English simply as Muscovy from the Lati ...

* Crimean Khanate * Yedisan

References

Kijow Voivodeship, description by Zygmunt Gloger

External links

Kyiv voivodeship
in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
Cossack era on Ukrainian Government portalThe Zaphorozian Cossacks
* Województwo kijowskie Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland and other slavic lands
* Palatinatus Kioviensis Pars. Boristhenem ''alias'' Dzikie Pola
Wild Fields">Dzikie Pola

by Joannis Janssonii. Amsterdam. 1663.
Der königlichen Republik Polen Woiwodschaft Kiow
das ist die obere Polnische Ukraine oder Klein Polens oestlicher Theil. Nor. 46 Vienna. Franz Johann Josef von Reilly 1791
Kyiv Voivodeship
in the Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine {{coord, 50.450000, 30.523333, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark Voivodeships of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Early Modern history of Ukraine Former voivodeships of Grand Duchy of Lithuania Geographic history of Ukraine 1471 establishments in Europe 15th-century establishments in Lithuania 1793 disestablishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth History of Kyiv History of Kyiv Oblast