Polotsk or Połock Voivodeship (; ; , ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
(
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...
) since the 15th century until the
partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...
in 1793.
History

The voivodeship history can be traced to the
Principality of Polotsk
The Principality of Polotsk (obsolete spelling: ''Polock''; ; ), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality. The origin and date of the establishment of the state are uncertain. Chronicles of Kievan Rus' ...
, conquered by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania around late 14th / early 15th centuries. From 1504 the former Principality was recognized as a
voivodeship
A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...
.
Zygmunt Gloger
Zygmunt Gloger (3November 184516August 1910) was a Polish historian, archaeologist, geographer and ethnographer, bearer of the Wilczekosy coat of arms. Gloger founded the precursor of modern and widely popular Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Socie ...
in his monumental book Historical Geography of the Lands of Old Poland provides this description of the Połock Voivodeship:
“Połock, in Latin Polocia, Polocium, lies on the right bank of the
Dvina, and is regarded as one of the oldest
gords of
Rus’. In the 13th century, the
Principality of Polotsk
The Principality of Polotsk (obsolete spelling: ''Polock''; ; ), also known as the Duchy of Polotsk or Polotskian Rus', was a medieval principality. The origin and date of the establishment of the state are uncertain. Chronicles of Kievan Rus' ...
was ruled by Kievan princes, but in app. 1225 it was seized by the Lithuanians under Duke
Mindaugas
Mindaugas (, , , , ; c. 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known grand duke of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a ...
(...) Duke
Vytautas
Vytautas the Great (; 27 October 1430) was a ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was also the prince of Grodno (1370–1382), prince of Lutsk (1387–1389), and the postulated king of the Hussites.
In modern Lithuania, Vytautas is revere ...
named the first
starosta
Starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', ) is a community elder in some Slavic lands.
The Slavic root of "starost" translates as "senior". Since the Middle Ages, it has designated an official in a leadersh ...
of Połock, and in app. 1500, the starosta was renamed into the
Voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
of Połock, while the Duchy was turned into a voivodeship, divided into halves by the Dvina (...)
The voivodeship had two senators, who were the Voivode and the Castellan of Połock (...) Since it was not too large and its population was not numerous, furthermore, its capital was located in the middle, the voivodeship was not divided into counties. Its courts were located in Połock, where the
sejmik
A sejmik (, diminutive of ''sejm'', occasionally translated as a ''dietine''; ) was one of various local parliaments in the history of Poland and history of Lithuania. The first sejmiks were regional assemblies in the Kingdom of Poland (before ...
s also took place. Połock Voivodeship had two envoys in the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
, and two deputies to the Lithuanian Tribunal”.
Population
* 109,848 in 1790
[↑ Tabela: Summaryusz Generalny wszelkich dochodów Rzeczypospolitey tak w Koronie iako i w Litwie z kalkulacyą mil kwadratowych, tak со do dymów, podatków, iako i ludzi, w: Dziennik rządowo-ekonomiczno handlowy. Zaymuiący różne Wiadomości, Rządowe, Handlowe, Ekonomiczne, Fabryczne, Kontraktowe na Dobra, Summy, i Produkta. Zajmujący 3 miesiące kwiecień may czerwiec 1790. R.5. T. II. Warszawa 1790.]
Administration
Voivodeship Governor (
Wojewoda) seat:
*
Połock
Administrative division:
* this voivodeship was not divided into counties
Number of
Senators:
* 2
Number of envoys in the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
:
* 2
Voivodes
*
Stanisław Hlebowicz
*
Albertas Goštautas
*
Stanisław Ościk
*
Piotr Kiszka
*
Jan Hlebowicz
*
Stanisław Dowojno
*
Mikołaj Dorohostajski
*
Andrzej Sapieha
*
Michał Drucki-Sokoliński
*
Janusz Kiszka
*
Aleksander Ludwik Radziwiłł
*
Jan Karol Kopeć
*
Kazimierz Jan Sapieha
*
Jan Jacek Ogiński
*
Dominik Michał Słuszka
*
Stanisław Ernest Denhoff
*
Aleksander Michał Sapieha
*
Józef Sylwester Sosnowski
*
Tadeusz Żaba
References
Bibliography
Polock Voivodeship, description by Zygmunt Gloger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polock Voivodeship
Voivodeships of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Voivodeships of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1504 establishments in Lithuania
1793 disestablishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Early modern history of Belarus
Polotsk