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The Viln? Governorate (1801-1840 often called Lithuania-Vilna Governorate) (Vilenskaya guberniya, ) or Government of Vilna was a governorate (guberniya
Guberniya

Guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor or , a word borrowed from Latin , in turn from Greek ....
) of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
 created after the Third Partition
Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth....
 of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 in 1795.






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Lithuania 1795
Vilnius Coa 1845
The Viln? Governorate (1801-1840 often called Lithuania-Vilna Governorate) (Vilenskaya guberniya, ) or Government of Vilna was a governorate (guberniya
Guberniya

Guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of Imperial Russia, usually translated as government, governorate, or province. A guberniya was ruled by a governor or , a word borrowed from Latin , in turn from Greek ....
) of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
 created after the Third Partition
Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth....
 of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
 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
Northwestern Krai

Northwestern Krai , a part of the Western Krai, was a subdivision of Imperial Russia. It included the following six guberniyas:*Vilna Governorate...
. The seat was in Vilna (Vilnius
Vilnius

Vilnius is the largest city and the Capital of Lithuania, with a population of 555,613 as of 2008. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality....
) where the Governors General resided.

Name and territorial changes

The first governorates, Vilna Governorate (consisting of eleven uyezd
Uyezd

Uyezd or uezd was an admistrative subdivision of Rus' , Muscovy, and Russian Empire used from the 13th century, originally describing groups of several volosts formed around the most important cities....
s or districts) and Slonim Governorate, were established after the third partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth....
. Just a year later, on December 12 1796, by order of Tsar Paul I
Paul I of Russia

Paul was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801....
 they were merged into one governorate, called Lithuania Governorate
Lithuania Governorate

The Lithuania Governorate was a short-lived governorate of the Russian Empire. After the Partitions of Poland in 1795, the former territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were divided between the Vilna Governorate and the Slonim Governorate by Catherine II of Russia....
, with its capital in Vilnius. By order of Tsar Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia

Alexander I of Russia , also known as Alexander the Blessed served as Tsar of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and Ruler of Poland from 1815 to 1825, as well as the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland....
 on September 9 1801 Lithuania Governorate was split into the Lithuania-Vilna Governorate and the Lithuania-Grodno Governorate. After thirty nine years, the word "Lithuania" was dropped from the two names by Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia

Nicholas I , , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the List of Russian rulers. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometres....
. In 1843 another administrative reform took place, creating Kovno Governorate
Kovno Governorate

The Kovno Governorate or Government of Kovno was a governorate of the Russian Empire. Its capital was Kovno . It was formed on 18 December 1842 by tsar Nicholas of Russia from the western part of the Vilna Governorate, and the order was carried out on 1 July 1843....
 out of seven western districts of the Vilna Governorate, including all of Samogitia
Samogitia

Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania....
. Vilna Governorate received three additional districts: Vileyka
Vileyka

Vileyka [vi'l?ejk?] ? the Vileyka district center of the Minsk Voblast of the Belarus. It is located on the river Viliya, 100 km to northwest from Minsk....
 and Dzisna
Dzisna

Dzisna , is a town in the Vitsebsk Voblast of Belarus. It's located on the left bank of the Daugava River, near the confluence of Dysna. It has 2,700 inhabitants ....
 from Minsk Governorate
Minsk Governorate

The Minsk Governorate or Government of Minsk was a governorate of the Russian Empire. The seat was in Minsk. It was created in 1793 from the land acquired in the partitions of Poland, and lasted until the fall of Russian Empire in 1917....
 and 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....
 from Grodno Governorate
Grodno Governorate

The Grodno Governorate, was a governorate of the Russian Empire....
. This arrangement remained unchanged until World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. A part of it was then included in the Wilna Administrative Area of Ober-Ost, formed by the occupying German Empire
German Empire

The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of William I, German Emperor as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became Weimar republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of William II, German Emperor ....
.

In 1834 the governorate had about 789,000 inhabitants; in 1897 the number grew to about 1,591,000.

Subdivisions

Uyezds in 1795 Uyezds in 1843
Ashmiany
Braslaw (since 1835 Novoaleksandrovsk (Zarasai
Zarasai

Zarasai is a city in northeastern Lithuania, surrounded by many lakes and rivers: to the southwest of the city is Lake Zarasas, north ? Lake Zarasaitis, southeast ? Lake Baltas, and east ? Lake Grie?tas....
)) 		To Kovno Governorate
From Minsk Governorate Dzisna
Dzisna

Dzisna , is a town in the Vitsebsk Voblast of Belarus. It's located on the left bank of the Daugava River, near the confluence of Dysna. It has 2,700 inhabitants ....
Kovno (Kaunas
Kaunas

Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania and a Temporary capital of Lithuania. It is served by the freeways European route E67 and A1 highway ....
) 		To Kovno Governorate
From Grodno Governorate 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....
Raseiniai
Raseiniai

Raseiniai is a city in Lithuania. It is located on the south eastern foothills of the Samogitians highland, some north from the A1 highway ....
 		 To Kovno Governorate
Šiauliai
Šiauliai

?iauliai is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 129,075. It is the capital of ?iauliai County. Unofficially, the city is the capital of Northern Lithuania....
 		 To Kovno Governorate
Švencionys
Švencionys

?vencionys is a city north of Vilnius in Lithuania, with a population of 5,658 . About one-third of the current population belongs to the Polish minority in Lithuania....
Telšiai
Telšiai

Tel?iai is a city in Lithuania with about 35,000 inhabitants. It is the Capital of Tel?iai County, and it is located on Lake Mastis....
 		 To Kovno Governorate
Trakai
Trakai

Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination....
Ukmerge
Ukmerge

Ukmerge is a city in Vilnius County, Lithuania, located 78 km northwest of Vilnius, with a population of about 28,000 ....
 		 To Kovno Governorate
Upyte
Upyte

Upyte is a small village in Paneve?ys district municipality in northern Lithuania. It is situated some 12 km southwest of Paneve?ys on the banks of Ve?eta Creek....
 (since 1843 Panevežys
Panevežys

Paneve?ys is the fifth largest List of cities in Lithuania in Lithuania. It occupies 50 square kilometers with more than 115,000 inhabitants....
) 		To Kovno Governorate
From Minsk Governorate Vileyka
Vileyka

Vileyka [vi'l?ejk?] ? the Vileyka district center of the Minsk Voblast of the Belarus. It is located on the river Viliya, 100 km to northwest from Minsk....
Vilna (Vilnius)

Governors General residing in Vilnius

  • Levin August, Count von Bennigsen (1801)
  • Alexander Michailovic Rimsky-Korsakov
    Alexander Korsakov

    Alexander Michailovic Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian General remembered as an unlucky assistant to Alexander Suvorov during his Suvorov's Italian and Swiss expedition....
     (1805 - 1830)
  • Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov-Vilensky
    Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov-Vilensky

    Count Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov was one of the most reactionary Russian imperial statesmen of the 19th century. He should not be confused with his grandson, Mikhail Nikolayevich Muravyov, who served as Russian Foreign Minister between 1897 and 1900....
     (1863-1865)
  • Aleksandr Potapov (1868-1874)


Ethnic composition

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

Year Total Lithuanians Poles Belarusians Russians Jews Other
1862 838,464 418,880 50% 154,386 18% 146,431 17% 14,950 2% 76,802 9% 27,035 3%
1865 891,715 210,273 24% 154,386 17% 418,289 47% 27,845 3% 76,802 9% 4,120 0%
1883 1,192,000 417,200 35% 281,312 24% 239,592 20% - 176,416 15% 77,480 7%
1897 1,561,713 274,414 18% 126,770 8% 880,940 56% 75,803 5% 197,929 13% 5,857 0%
1909 1,550,057 231,848 15% 188,931 12% 570,351 37% 408,817 26% 146,066 9% 4,094 0%


See also

  • Ethnic history of the Vilnius region
  • History of Vilnius
    History of Vilnius

    This article is about the history of Vilnius, the capital and largest city of Lithuania....
  • Poland
    Second Polish Republic

    The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II....
    ’s Wilno Voivodeship
  • Byelorussia’s Vileyka Voblast
    Vileyka Voblast

    Vileyka Voblast was a territorial unit in the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic created out of the eastern powiats of the Wilno Voivodeship after the annexation of West Belarus into the BSSR in November 1939....