Vilna Governorate

The Vilna Governorate (1795–1915; also known as Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate from 1801 until 1840; Russian: Виленская губерния, Vilenskaya guberniya, Lithuanian: Vilniaus gubernija, Polish: gubernia wileńska) or Government of Vilnius was a governorate (guberniya) of the Russian Empire created after the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795. It was part of the Lithuanian General Governorate, which was called the Vilnius General Governorate after 1830, and was attached to the Northwestern Krai. The seat was in Vilnius (Vilna in Russian), where the Governors General resided.

Vilna Governorate
Виленская губерния (Russian)
Vilniaus gubernija  (Lithuanian)
Gubernia wileńska  (Polish)
Governorate of the Russian Empire
1795–1915
Coat of arms

Vilna Governorate (light green), 1843–1915, with modern Lithuania outlined
CapitalVilna
History 
1795
1915
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Vilnius Voivodeship
Lithuania District
Today part of Belarus
 Lithuania
Vilna Governorate (light green), 1795–97, again with modern Lithuania outlined
Vilna Governorate in 1897
Coat of arms of Vilna Governorate used since 1845

History

The first governorates, Vilnius Governorate (consisting of eleven uyezds or districts) and Slonim Governorate, were established after the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Just a year later, on December 12, 1796, by order of Tsar Paul I they were merged into one governorate, called the Lithuanian Governorate, with its capital in Vilnius.[1] By order of Tsar Alexander I on September 9, 1801, the Lithuanian Governorate was split into the Lithuania-Vilnius Governorate and the Lithuania-Grodno Governorate. After 39 years, the word "Lithuania" was dropped from the two names by Nicholas I.[2] In 1843, another administrative reform took place, creating the Kovno Governorate (Kovno in Russian) out of seven western districts of the Vilnius Governorate, including all of Samogitia. The Vilnius Governorate received three additional districts: Vileyka and Dzisna from the Minsk Governorate and Lida from Grodno Governorate.[3] It was divided to districts of Vilnius, Trakai, Disna, Oshmyany, Lida, Vileyka and Sventiany. This arrangement remained unchanged until World War I. A part of the Vilnius Governorate was then included in the Lithuania District of Ober-Ost, formed by the occupying German Empire.

During the Polish–Soviet War, the area was annexed by Poland. The Council of Ambassadors and the international community (with the exception of Lithuania) recognized Polish sovereignty over Vilnus region in 1923.[4] In 1923, the Wilno Voivodeship was created, which existed until 1939, when the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania and Poland and returned most, but not all, of the Polish-annexed land to Lithuania.

Demographics

In 1834, the Vilnius Governorate had about 789,000 inhabitants; by 1897, the population had grown to about 1,591,000 residents[5] (37 per km2).

Population per 1897 Census
LanguagePeople%[6][7]
Belarusian 891 903 56.1%
German 3 873 0.2%
Lithuanian 279 720 17.6%
Polish 130 054 8.2%
Russian 78 623 4.9%
Tatar 1 969 0.1%
Ukrainian 919 0.1%
Yiddish 202 374 12.7%
Other 1 119 0.1%
Total 1 591 207 100%

Between 1944 and 1946, about 150,000 people, mostly but not all of Polish extraction left the area for Poland (about 10% of this group may have been Lithuanians hoping to escape Soviet rule). Between 1955 and 1959, another 46,000 Polish-speakers left Lithuania (see the Ethnic history of the Vilnius region). Meanwhile, the Jewish population of the area, just as in the rest of Lithuania, was virtually exterminated by the Nazis during World War II. As of 2001, ethnic Lithuanians once again predominated within the city of Vilnius (59%), but the area of the former governorate as a whole remained about 62% Polish, with the percentage of Russians (8.6) and Belarusians (4.4) having dwindled to a tiny minority.

Subdivisions

Uyezds in 1795Uyezds in 1843
Ashmiany
Braslaw (since 1835 Novoaleksandrovsk (Zarasai County)(To Kovno Governorate)
(From Minsk Governorate)Dzisna
Kovno County(To Kovno Governorate)
(From Grodno Governorate)Lida
Rossieny County(To Kovno Governorate)
Shavli County(To Kovno Governorate)
Švenčionys
Telshi County(To Kovno Governorate)
Trakai
Ukmergė(To Kovno Governorate)
Upytė (since 1843 Panevėžys)(To Kovno Governorate)
(From Minsk Governorate)Vileyka
Vilna County

Ethnic composition

Russian authorities periodically performed censuses. However, they reported strikingly different numbers:[8]

YearTotal Lithuanians Poles Belarusians Russians Jews Other
1862838,464418,88050%154,38618%146,43117%14,9502%76,8029%27,0353%
1865891,715210,27324%154,38617%418,28947%27,8453%76,8029%4,1200%
18831,192,000417,20035%281,31224%239,59220%-176,41615%77,4807%
18971,561,713274,41418%126,7708%880,94056%75,8035%197,92913%5,8570%
19091,550,057231,84815%188,93112%570,35137%408,81726%146,0669%4,0940%

See also

References

  1. Kulakauskas, Antanas (2002). "Administracinės reformos". Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Elektroninės leidybos namai. ISBN 9986-9216-9-4. Archived from the original on 2008-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
  2. "Литовская губерния". Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary (in Russian). 1890–1906.
  3. Simas Sužiedėlis, ed. (1970–1978). "Administration". Encyclopedia Lituanica. I. Boston, Massachusetts: Juozas Kapočius. pp. 17–21. LCC 74-114275.
  4. Jan Tomasz Gross. Revolution from Abroad: The Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia. Princeton University Press. 2002. p. 3.
  5. Vaitiekūnas, Stasys (2006). Lietuvos gyventojai: Per du tūkstantmečius (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. pp. 79, 92. ISBN 5-420-01585-4.
  6. "Vilnius governorate - total population".
  7. Meyers Konversations-Lexikon. 6th edition, Vol. 20, Leipzig and Vienna 1909, pp. 655-656.
  8. Nikolajew, Christina Juditha (2005). Zum Zusammenhang zwischen nationaler Identitätsbildung und Katholischer Kirche in Litauen (PDF) (in German). Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. p. 16.

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