Turov (, russian: Туров, lt, Turava, uk, Ту́рів, pl, Turów, yi, טוראָוו, Turov) is a town in the
Zhytkavichy District
Žytkavičy Rajon, Žytkavicki Rajon ( be, Жыткавіцкі раён) is a district of Gomel Region, in Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Р ...
of
Gomel Region
Gomel Region or Gomel Oblast or Homiel Voblasts ( be, Го́мельская во́бласць, Homielskaja vobłasć, russian: Гомельская область, Gomelskaya oblast) is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center i ...
of
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
and the former capital of the medieval
Principality of Turov and Pinsk
The Principality of Turov, also called Principality of Turov and Pinsk ( be, Турава-Пінскае княства, russian: Турово-Пинское княжество, uk, Турово-Пінське князівство) or Turovian Rus ...
.
History
Turov was an ancient capital of the
Dregovichs
The Dregoviches or Dregovichi ( Belarusian: дрыгавічы, ''dryhavičy'', ; russian: дреговичи, dregovichi; ua, дреговичі, drehovychi) were one of the tribal unions of Early East Slavs, and inhabited the territories ...
tribe - one of the three
Eastern Slavic tribes that are considered ancestors of the modern
Belarusian people
, native_name_lang = be
, pop = 9.5–10 million
, image =
, caption =
, popplace = 7.99 million
, region1 =
, pop1 = 600,000–768,000
, region2 =
, pop2 ...
(the others being
Krivichs
The Krivichs (Kryvichs) ( be, крывічы, kryvičý, ; rus, кри́вичи, p='krʲivʲɪtɕɪ, kríviči) were a tribal union of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. It is suggested that originally the Krivichi were na ...
and
Drevlians
The Drevlians ( uk, Древляни, Drevliany, russian: Древля́не, Drevlyane) were a tribe of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 10th centuries, which inhabited the territories of Polesia and right-bank Ukraine, west of the ea ...
). Turov was first mentioned in the ''
Tale of Bygone Years'' from 980. It is located in the southern part of Belarus, in the historical region of
Polesia
Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...
.
According to legend, the city was founded at the crossing of Yazda and Strumen rivers by Duke Tur - hence the name Turov. Other etymology draws the name from ''Tur'', the Slavic name of the
Aurochs. Both rivers join with the
Pripyat river
The Pripyat or Prypiat ( , uk, Прип'ять, ; be, Прыпяць, translit=Prypiać}, ; pl, Prypeć, ; russian: Припять, ) is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine ag ...
, which in turn flows into the
Dnieper
}
The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...
and then leads to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...
. This river route was known to
Viking
Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
s, who used it extensively for communication and during their frequent raids to
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
.
The
Varangian
The Varangians (; non, Væringjar; gkm, Βάραγγοι, ''Várangoi'';[Varangian]
" Online Etymo ...
dynasty of
Ruriks became dukes in the neighboring Duchy of
Kiev. Soon Turov also came under the dominion of a local branch of dukes of the
Rurik Dynasty
The Rurik dynasty ( be, Ру́рыкавічы, Rúrykavichy; russian: Рю́риковичи, Ryúrikovichi, ; uk, Рю́риковичі, Riúrykovychi, ; literally "sons/scions of Rurik"), also known as the Rurikid dynasty or Rurikids, was ...
and particularly of
Izyaslav I
Iziaslav Yaroslavich ( orv, Изѧславь Ѩрославичь; russian: Изяслав Ярославич; uk, Ізяслав Ярославич; 1024 – 3 October 1078, baptized as ''Demetrius'') was a Kniaz' ( Prince) of Turov and Gran ...
, son of
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was al ...
. In that period the town of Turaŭ was not only an important trade center within the
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
, due to its proximity to major trade routes running from the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
to the Byzantine Empire, but also one of the most important cities of the Rus among
Kiev,
Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
,
Novgorod, and
Pereyaslav
Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta and Trubizh rivers ...
. The
Prince of Turov The Prince of Turov was the ''kniaz'', the ruler or sub-ruler, of the Rus' Principality of Turov, a lordship based on the city of Turov, now Turaŭ in Homiel Voblast, Belarus.
Although not mentioned in his ''Testament'' of 1054, the city of Tur ...
, the main contender to the throne of the
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
before their subjugation to the
Monomakhs considerably influenced the early politics of the neighboring
Duchy of Poland in the 11th century having together an intertwined history.
Thanks to the towns' strategic location, many different crafts were developed and practiced in Turov. It was also home to bishops
Cyril of Turov and Laverentiy of Turov. In 1005 the first
Roman Christian bishopric on the territory of Belarus was founded in Turov. The town's period of prosperity ended with a number of feudal conflicts in the 12th century. Soon afterwards Turaŭ lost much of its importance as well as its autonomy.
In 1320 Turov became a part of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
having closely assimilated with the
Prince of Minsk
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. In 1430 it became a
private town
A private town is a town owned by a private person or a family.
History of Private Towns in Poland
In the history of Poland, private towns (''miasta prywatne'') were towns within the lands owned by magnates, bishops, knights, princes, etc.
...
of the
Grand Duke Svitrigaila. In the end of the 15th century Turaŭ became a property of Grand Court Marshal of Lithuania
Michal Glinski. In 1502 it was damaged by a
Tatar invasion
This article lists conflicts in Europe during the invasions of and subsequent occupations by the Mongol Empire and its successor states. The Mongol invasion of Europe took place in the 13th century. This resulted in the occupation of much of Easter ...
. After Glinski's betrayal and escape to
Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1508, Turov was confiscated by the family of
Konstanty Ostrogski
Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski (c. 1460 – 10 August 1530; lt, Konstantinas Ostrogiškis; uk, Костянтин Іванович Острозький, translit=Kostiantyn Ivanovych Ostrozkyi; be, Канстантын Іванавіч Ас ...
, who started the reconstruction, but the town was yet again destroyed by the Tatars in 1521. The
Ostrogski
The House of Ostrogski ( pl, Ostrogscy, lt, Ostrogiškiai, ua, Острозькі - ''Ostroz'ki'') was one of the more prominent families in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The fa ...
family owned the town for more than a century, until it was given as a
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...
to the
Sapieha
The House of Sapieha (; be, Сапега, ''Sapieha''; lt, Sapiega) is a Polish-Lithuanian noble and magnate family of Lithuanian and Ruthenian origin,Энцыклапедыя ВКЛ. Т.2, арт. "Сапегі" descending from the med ...
and then
Potocki magnate families. During
The Deluge
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is the Hebrew version of the universal flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microc ...
the town was taken by Muscovy, but was soon retaken by
Janusz Radziwiłł. After the period of constant wars with Muscovy, the town was severely damaged. By 1667, Turov had only 111 households left of the 401 there in 1648.
The town never fully recovered. After the
Second Partition of Poland
The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian W ...
in 1793 it was annexed by Russia and remained a small, provincial town for most of the 19th century. From that time onwards it shared the fate of the nearby town of
Gomel
Gomel (russian: Гомель, ) or Homiel ( be, Гомель, ) is the administrative centre of Gomel Region and the second-largest city in Belarus with 526,872 inhabitants (2015 census).
Etymology
There are at least six narratives of the o ...
.
in 1810, the wooden Orthodox Church of All Saints was built in Turov. It has survived down to this day, never having been rebuilt. Inside the church are kept the weeping icon of St Nicholas, and two old Christian crosses covered in legends and stories. The church remains as a centre of Orthodox life in the town.
The Jewish Population In Turov
The
shtetl
A shtetl or shtetel (; yi, שטעטל, translit=shtetl (singular); שטעטלעך, romanized: ''shtetlekh'' (plural)) is a Yiddish term for the small towns with predominantly Ashkenazi Jewish populations which existed in Eastern Europe before ...
(Jewish community) in Turov began in the 16th century. The population of Jewish people reached its peak at the end of the 19th century. After that time they began to emigrate to larger cities and to other countries. Turov was subjected to
pogroms (violence against Jewish communities), but the Jewish population managed to hang on through
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and the
Russian Revolution. Even after the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
took over, the Jewish population continued to carry on their traditions and there was a degree of tolerance among the non-Jewish population of Turov. Greater efforts to suppress religious activity began in the 1930s.
[Smilovitsky, Leonid, A Byelorussian Border Shtetl in the 1920s and 1930s: The Case of Turov](_blank)
/ref>
In 1921 two schools opened in Turov, both a general school and a Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...
school; both were attended by Jewish students. There were three synagogues in Turov, one Misnagdim and two Hasidic. All three closed in the early 1930s.
The Jewish population in Turov was wiped out during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Some Jews volunteered to join the army to fight the Germans. The first German army units to come through Turov, in July 1941, did nothing to the Jewish population. The Holocaust began with the arrival of later units. Very few families returned after the war and as of 2003 there were only three Jewish people living in Turov.
Town flag
The Turov Flag was accepted by town's council on September 27, 2001 and was included in Belarus' coats of arms registry on January 23, 2002.
Additionally, it has a rectangular form with width to length ratio equal 1 : 2, and consists of three horizontal bands: blue (6/9 of width), white (1/9 of width) and red (2/9 of width).
Books
*(in Belarusian, Russian and English) T.A.Khvagina (2005) ''POLESYE from the Bug to the Ubort'', Minsk Vysheysha shkola
Vysheysha shkola ( be, Вышэйшая школа) is a state-owned publishing house in Minsk, Belarus, specialized in publishing academic books.
External links
website of the publishing house
Companies with year of establishment missing
Pu ...
,
*(in Belarusian, Russian and English) 2016, Turov Rhapsody, Minsk, Four Quarters Book Publishing,
See also
*Heck Cattle
Heck cattle are a hardy breed of domestic cattle. These cattle are the result of an attempt by Heinz and Lutz Heck to breed back the extinct aurochs (''Bos primigenius'') from modern aurochs-derived cattle in the 1920s and 1930s. Controver ...
- Turov's name was based on Aurochs, and a herd of Heck Cattle was introduced into Turov region as a practice of rewilding
Rewilding may refer to:
*Rewilding (conservation biology), the return of habitats to a natural state
**Rewilding Europe
Rewilding Europe is a non-profit organisation based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, working to create rewilded landscapes through ...
.
References
External links
Dregovichs
Mozyrsky Uyezd
Zhytkavichy District
Towns in Belarus
Populated places in Gomel Region
Holocaust locations in Belarus
{{Belarus-stub