Smolensk Governorate (russian: Смоленская губерния, Smolenskaja gubernija), or the Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division (a ''
guberniya'') of the
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...
, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the 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 the Great Northern War ...
, and the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
. It existed, with interruptions, between 1708 and 1929.
Smolensk Governorate, together with seven other governorates, was established on , 1708, by an
edict
An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement".
''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum.
Notable edicts
* Telepinu Proc ...
from
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
.
[Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов](_blank)
As with the rest of the governorates, neither the borders nor internal subdivisions of Smolensk Governorate were defined; instead, the territory was defined as a set of cities, and section of lands adjacent to those cities.
History
On , 1713, Smolensk Governorate was abolished and its territory was divided between
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and
Riga Governorates.
Smolensk Province was created as a result. The governorate was re-established in 1726, and Smolensk Province was re-incorporated into the Governorate. In 1775, it was included, along with parts of Moscow and
Belgorod Governorates, into
Smolensk Viceroyalty
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
. The governorate was again restored in 1796.
After the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mom ...
, Smolensk Governorate was base of independent
Western Oblast/Western Commune,
Soviet Socialist Republic of Belarus,
Lithuanian–Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Litbel), and finally incorporated into the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
.
Eventually, on January 14, 1929, Smolensk Governorate was abolished and its territory was incorporated into
Western Oblast.
Subdivisions
Smolensk Governorate, together with seven other governorates, was established on , 1708, by
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
's
edict
An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement".
''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum.
Notable edicts
* Telepinu Proc ...
.
As with the rest of the governorates, neither the borders nor internal subdivisions of Smolensk Governorate were defined; instead, the territory was defined as a set of cities and the lands adjacent to those cities.
At the time of establishment, the following thirty cities were included into Smolensk Governorate,
In 1713, when Smolensk Governorate was abolished and merged into Riga Governorate, the following five
uyezd
An uezd (also spelled uyezd; rus, уе́зд, p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context ( uk, повіт), or Kreis in Baltic-German context, was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the ea ...
s were established in the area formally occupied by the governorate (the administrative centers are given in parentheses),
*
Belsky Uyezd (
Bely);
*
Dorogobuzhsky Uyezd (
Dorogobuzh
Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...
);
*
Roslavlsky Uyezd (
Roslavl);
*
Smolensky Uyezd (
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
);
*
Vyazemsky Uyezd (
Vyazma
Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Thr ...
).
After Smolensk Governorate was re-established in 1726, it was subdivided into these five uyezds.
In 1775, Smolensk Viceroyalty was subdivided into 12 uyezds, which remained when it was transformed back to a governorate in 1802
(the administrative centers, which all had the town status, are in parentheses),
*
Belsky Uyezd (
Bely);
*
Dorogobuzhsky Uyezd (
Dorogobuzh
Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...
);
*
Dukhovshchinsky Uyezd Dukhovshchinsky Uyezd (''Духовщинский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the central part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Dukhovshchina.
Demo ...
(
Dukhovshchina);
*
Gzhatsky Uyezd Gzhatsky Uyezd (''Гжатский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Gzhatsk (''Gagarin'').
Demogra ...
(
Gzhatsk
Gagarin (russian: Гага́рин), known until 1968 as Gzhatsk (), is a town and the administrative centre of Gagarinsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Gzhat River, northeast of Smolensk, the administrative centre of t ...
);
*
Krasninsky Uyezd (
Krasny);
*
Porechsky Uyezd Porechsky Uyezd (''Поречский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Porechye (''Demidov'').
Dem ...
(
Porechye);
*
Roslavlsky Uyezd (
Roslavl);
*
Smolensky Uyezd (
Smolensk
Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...
);
*
Sychyovsky Uyezd Sychyovsky Uyezd (''Сычёвский уезд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Smolensk Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Sychyovka.
Demographics
At ...
(
Sychyovka);
*
Vyazemsky Uyezd (
Vyazma
Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Thr ...
);
*
Yelninsky Uyezd (
Yelnya);
*
Yukhnovsky Uyezd (
Yukhnov
Yukhnov (russian: Ю́хнов) is a town and the administrative center of Yukhnovsky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Kunava River (Oka's basin) northwest of Kaluga, the administrative center of the oblast. Population:
Histor ...
).
Demography
Language
*Population by mother tongue according to the Imperial census of 1897.
Religion
*According to the Imperial census of 1897.
Religion Statistics of 1897
References
Further reading
*Голубовский П. В. (1895
История Смоленской земли до начала XV столетия
(''History of the Smolensk land prior to the beginning of the 15th century'')
{{Coord, 54.7828, N, 32.0453, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Governorates of the Russian Empire
History of Smolensk Oblast
States and territories established in 1708
States and territories disestablished in 1713
States and territories established in 1726
States and territories disestablished in 1775
States and territories established in 1796
States and territories disestablished in 1929
1708 establishments in Russia
1726 establishments in the Russian Empire
Governorates of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic