The
administrative division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the result of the long and complicated history of the
fragmentation of the Polish Kingdom and the
union of Poland and Lithuania.
The lands that once belonged to the Commonwealth are now largely distributed among several
Central,
Eastern, and
Northern European countries today:
Poland (except
western Poland),
Lithuania,
Latvia,
Belarus, most of
Ukraine, parts of
Russia, southern half of
Estonia, and smaller pieces in
Slovakia,
Romania and
Moldova.
Terminology
While the term "Poland" was also commonly used to denote this whole polity, Poland was in fact only part of a greater whole — the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which comprised primarily two parts:
The Crown in turn comprised two "
prowincjas":
Greater Poland and
Lesser Poland. These and a third province, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, were the only three regions that were properly termed "provinces." The Commonwealth was further divided into smaller administrative units known as
voivodeships (
województwa - note that some sources use the word
palatinate instead of
voivodeship). Each voivodeship was governed by a
Voivode (governor). Voivodeships were further divided into
starostwa, each
starostwo being governed by a
starosta. Cities were governed by
castellans. There were frequent exceptions to these rules, often involving the
ziemia subunit of administration: for details on the administrative structure of the Commonwealth, see the article on
offices in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Administrative division
thumb|450px|Map showing voivodeships of the Commonwealth of the Two Nations as of 1629
By provinces, voivodships and lesser entities.
Crown of the Polish Kingdom (Polish Crown)
Crown of the Polish Kingdom or just colloquially the
Crown () is the name for the
territories under
Polish direct administration in the times of
Kingdom of Poland until the end of
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in
1795.
Two important ecclesiastical entities with high degree of autonomy within the Crown of Poland were
Duchy of Siewierz and
Prince-Bishopric of Warmia.
Fiefs of Crown of Poland included the
Lauenburg and Bütow Land and two
condominiums (joint domain) with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania:
Duchy of Livonia and
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia.
Some enclaves in the Bohemian area of
Spisz were also part of Poland (due to the
Treaty of Lubowla).
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania or just colloquially the Lithuania () is the name for the territories under direct
Lithuanian administration in the times of
medieval sovereign Lithuanian statehood, and later until the end of common Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth statehood in 1795.
Just before the
Union of Lublin (1569), four voivodeships (
Kiev,
Podlaskie,
Bracław, and
Wołyń) of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania were transferred to Polish Crown by direct order of
Sigismund II Augustus and the
Duchy of Livonia, that was acquired in 1561, became
condominium (joint domain) of both Lithuania and Poland.
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was another condominium.
After 1569, Lithuania had eight voivodeships and one eldership remaining:
One of the oldest Lithuanian territories, the
Duchy of Samogitia, had a status equal to that of a voivodeship, but retained the name of a Duchy.
After the
Livonian War (1558–1582), Lithuania acquired vassal state
Duchy of Courland with capital in
Jelgava.
Fiefs
Duchy of Prussia (1525 - 1701)
The
Duchy of Prussia was a
duchy in the eastern part of
Prussia from 1525–1701. In 1525 during the
Protestant Reformation, the
Grand Master of the
Teutonic Knights, Albert, secularized the order's Prussian territory, becoming
Albert, Duke of Prussia. His duchy, which had its capital in
Königsberg (
Kaliningrad), was established as a fief of the
Crown of Poland.
Duchy of Livonia (Inflanty) (1569 - 1772)
The
Duchy of Livonia was a territory of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania — and later a joint domain (
Condominium) of the Polish Crown and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (Courland) (1562 - 1791)
The
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia is a
duchy in the
Baltic region that existed from
1562 to
1791 as a vassal state of the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In
1791 it gained full independence, but on
March 28,
1795, it was annexed by the
Russian Empire in the third
Partition of Poland.
Proposed divisions
Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth
thumb|100px|Coat of Arms for a Polish–
Lithuanian–Ruthenian CommonwealthThought was given at various times to the creation of a
Duchy of Ruthenia, particularly during the 1648
Cossack insurrection against Polish rule in Ukraine. Such a Duchy, as proposed in the 1658
Treaty of Hadiach, would have been a full member of the Commonwealth, which would thereupon have become a tripartite
Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth, but due to szlachta demands, Muscovite invasion, and division among the Cossacks, the plan was never implemented.
Polish-Lithuanian-Muscovite Commonwealth
For similar reasons, plans for a
Polish-Lithuanian-Muscovite Commonwealth also were never realized, although during the
Polish-Muscovite War (1605-1618) the Polish Prince (later, King)
Władysław IV Waza was briefly elected Tsar of Muscovy.
