Taurida Oblast (russian: Таврическая область, ''Tavricheskaya oblast′'') was an

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of ...

(province) of 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. ...

. It roughly corresponded to most of the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...

and parts of the Southern Ukraine regions. It was created out of territories of the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate ( crh, , or ), officially the Great Horde and Desht-i Kipchak () and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary ( la, Tartaria Minor), was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to ...

, which Russia annexed in 1783. In 1796 it was merged into the

Novorossiya Governorate Novorossiya Governorate (russian: Новороссийская губерния, Novorossiyskaya guberniya, New Russia Governorate; uk, Новоросійська губернія), was a governorate of the Russian Empire in the previously O ...

. The oblast was created under the Imperial ukase of 13 February 1784 signed by

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

. The administrative seat of the region was declared the city of

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, ...

. Before 1784

Qarasuvbazar Bilohirsk (until 1944 – Karasubazar, uk, Білогірськ, translit=Bilohirsk; russian: Белого́рск, translit=Belogorsk, crh, Qarasuvbazar/Къарасувбазар) is a town and the administrative centre in Belohirsk Raion, o ...

served as a temporary administrative center.

Administrative structure

The oblast was divided into seven counties (

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 ...

). * Dnieper county – centered in Aleshki (

Oleshky Oleshky ( uk, Оле́шки, Oleshky, ; russian: Алёшки) is a town in Kherson Raion, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine, located on the left bank of the Dnieper River with the town of Solontsi to the south. It is the oldest city of the obl ...

) * Levkopol county – centered in Levkopol (

Feodosiya uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

) * Melitopol county – centered in

Melitopol Melitopol ( uk, Меліто́поль, translit=Melitópol’, ; russian: Мелитополь; based on el, Μελιτόπολις - "honey city") is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Zaporizhz ...

(since 1791 in Great

Tokmak Tokmak may refer to one of the following: * Tokmak, Ukraine, a city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine *Tokmak, Uzbekistan, a city in Uzbekistan *Tokmok, a city in Kyrgyzstan, often also spelt Tokmak *Molochna The Molochna (, russian: Моло́чн ...

) * Perekop county – centered in

Perekop Perekop (Ukrainian & Russian: Перекоп; ; ) is an urban-type settlement located on the Perekop Isthmus connecting the Crimean peninsula to the Ukrainian mainland. It is known for the fortress Or Qapi that served as the gateway to Crimea. ...

* Phanagoria (Tmutarakan) county – centered in

Phanagoria Phanagoria ( grc, Φαναγόρεια, Phanagóreia; russian: Фанагория, translit=Fanagoriya) was the largest ancient Greek city on the Taman peninsula, spread over two plateaus along the eastern shore of the Cimmerian Bosporus. The ...

* Simferopol county – centered in

* Yevpatoria county – centered in

Yevpatoriya Yevpatoria ( uk, Євпаторія, Yevpatoriia; russian: Евпатория, Yevpatoriya; crh, , , gr, Ευπατορία) is a city of regional significance in Western Crimea, north of Kalamita Bay. Yevpatoria serves as the administrativ ...

. In 1787 Levkopol and Levkopol county were renamed into Feodosiya and Feodosiya county respectfully. In 1791 an administrative seat of Melitopol county was moved to Great

. On 12 December 1796 the oblast was abolished, its territory was redivided into two counties (Aqmescit (former Simferopol) and Perekop) and passed to the

. The city of Simferopol name was changed to Aqmescit.

References

{{Ukraine-hist-stub Oblasts of the Russian Empire Crimea in the Russian Empire States and territories established in 1860 States and territories disestablished in 1918 Political history of Crimea