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Black Ruthenia, Black Rus' or Black Russia are variant conventional term used for a region around Navahrudak (Novgorodok), in the western part of contemporary Belarus
Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
 on the upper reaches of the Neman River
Neman River

Neman or Nemunas is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipeda....
. The phrase first appeared in Western European sources circa 1360 but referring to Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Galicia prior to World War I.Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the old-Slavonic use of colours for the cardinal points on the compass....
 (in modern Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
). The name "Black Ruthenia" is more often found in historical writings from the 18th century.






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Black Ruthenia, Black Rus' or Black Russia are variant conventional term used for a region around Navahrudak (Novgorodok), in the western part of contemporary Belarus
Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
 on the upper reaches of the Neman River
Neman River

Neman or Nemunas is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipeda....
. The phrase first appeared in Western European sources circa 1360 but referring to Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Galicia prior to World War I.Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the old-Slavonic use of colours for the cardinal points on the compass....
 (in modern Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
). The name "Black Ruthenia" is more often found in historical writings from the 18th century. Early Rus'ian sources themselves rarely use the terms "White Rus" or "Black Rus". Besides Navahrudak, other important cities were Hrodna
Hrodna

Hrodna or Grodno , is a city in Belarus. It is located on the Neman River , close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania . It has 325,164 inhabitants ....
 (Grodno), Slonim
Slonim

Slonim is a city in Belarus in the Hrodna voblast and Slonim Rayon, located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa Rivers, 143 km southeast of Hrodna ....
, Volkovysk (Vaukavysk), Lida
Lida

Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus....
, and Niasvizh.

From 1239, most of Black Ruthenia was usually controlled by the monarch of the Lithuanian principality
Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until the 18th century. It was founded by Lithuanians, at the time one of the Lithuanian mythology Baltic tribes, whose initial lands covered Auk?taitija, the eastern part of present day Lithuania....
, Mindaugas
Mindaugas

Mindaugas was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a 1219 treaty as an elder duke, and in 1236 as the leader of all the Lithuanians....
. 1239 - 1248 was the period with the highest frequency of attacks on Rus'ian territories by Mindaugas, who was taking advantage of Rus' weakened condition after the Tartar invasions. At this time Mindaugas took control of Black Ruthenia with the Castle of Novgorodok. Mindaugas may have been invited by authorities of Novgorodok to rule after he had to leave his native land, he then passed a power to his son Vaišvilkas
Vaišvilkas

Vai?elga or Vai?vilkas was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . He was son of Mindaugas, the first and only King of Lithuania.Nothing is known about Vai?vilkas' youth as he entered historical sources only in 1254 when he made a treaty, in the name of his father King Mindaugas, with Daniel of Halych of Halych-Volhynia....
. In 1249 Tautvilas
Tautvilas

Tautvilas or Tautvila was Duke of Polatsk and one of the sons of Dausprungas and nephews of King of Lithuania Mindaugas. Tautvilas together with his brother Edivydas and uncle Vykintas waged a civil war against Mindaugas....
, Erdvilas, and Vykintas
Vykintas

Vykintas was Duke of Samogitia and rival to future King of Lithuania Mindaugas. In 1236 he probably led Samogitian forces in the Battle of the Sun against the Livonian Order....
 fled to Daniel Romanovich, the Prince of Galich. Daniel helped them to organize a coalition against Mindaugas and attacked territory in Black Rus'. In the meantime, Vykintas managed to bribe the Yotvingians
Yotvingians

Yotvingians or Sudovians were a Balts people with close cultural ties to the Lithuanians and Prussians. The Sudovian language was a Western Baltic language nearest to Prussian language, but with small variations....
 and half of the Samogitians
Samogitians

Samogitians are a Balts ethnic group inhabiting the region of Samogitia in Lithuania. Many speak the Samogitian dialect of the Lithuanian language....
, and come to an agreement with Livonian Brothers of the Sword
Livonian Brothers of the Sword

Bishop Albert of Riga founded the military order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1202; Pope Innocent III sanctioned the establishment in 1204....
. In 1254 Prince Daniel overpowered Novgorodok and passed the territory to his son Roman Danilovich, with whom it remained for several years, before being restored to Vaišvilkas, who died in 1267. He was followed by other princes of Lithuanian origin. From the end of the 13th century Black Rus', together with the original Lithuania, comprised the nucleus of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was an Eastern and Central European state from the 12th /13th century until the 18th century. It was founded by Lithuanians, at the time one of the Lithuanian mythology Baltic tribes, whose initial lands covered Auk?taitija, the eastern part of present day Lithuania....
.

See also


  • Carpathian Ruthenia
    Carpathian Ruthenia

    Carpathian Ruthenia, List of acronyms and initialisms: A#AK Transcarpathian Ruthenia, Rusinko, Subcarpathian Rus, Subcarpathia is a small region in Central Europe, now mostly in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkivshchyna and Romanian Maramures....
  • Nowogródek Voivodeship
  • Red Ruthenia
    Red Ruthenia

    Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Galicia prior to World War I.Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the old-Slavonic use of colours for the cardinal points on the compass....
  • Ruthenia
    Ruthenia

    Ruthenia is a geographic and culturo-ethnic name applied to the parts of Eastern Europe populated by Eastern Slavic peoples, as well as to the past Russian states that existed in these territories....
  • White Ruthenia


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