Voivodes of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Encyclopedia
Voivodes of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were one of the highest ranking officials who could sit in the Senate of Poland
. They were the officials in charge of the voivodeship
s (provinces/palatinates) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The office first appears as Palatine (Palatinus) who was the first person after the King. As Poland broke into separate principalities each Prince had his court and his own Palatine. When the Kingdom was (partially) reunited the Palatines became heads of the former Principalities now turned into Palatinates. As such they were members of the King's council (comites palatini). The title got merged with the Polish Wojewoda (Slavic
Woi-woda/вои-вода (Cyrillic) consists of two parts with meaning army or war and guide or direct and it is a lexical and institutional equivalent of the Latin Dux Exercituum and the German Herzog all meaning "leader of the army"). The difference between Wojewoda and Herzog is that Herzog, after being a rank appointed by the Monarch became a hereditary title of honour, while Wojewoda remained appointed for life and continued as a real-power position before it also lost meaning to the Starostas. Polish historians still use Palatyn and Wojewoda as synonyms.
Ruthenia
(Ruś Halicka), the largest those in the Royal Prussia
(Prusy Królewskie). Those competences changed in time as well.
The office was created in the Kingdom of Poland under Piasts
, and from the Crown of the Polish Kingdom
spread to Grand Duchy of Lithuania
after 1569 as an overseer of voivodeship and its administration, but the effectiveness and real powers of this office decreased, so that in the Kingdom of Poland under Jagiellons
it was a much less significant post. In the realm of the military, voivodeship retained just the role of the leader of pospolite ruszenie
. Administrative competences were limited to the role of Marshal of the sejmik
, but even that disappeared by the time of the Commonwealth. His control over the cities was mostly an honorary function, as formally it was the competence of the starost. One of the few competences that voivodes retained throughout history was the power to set and enforce prices (although in fact this competence was delegated to the sub-voivode (podwojewoda)).
Voivodes of Cracow, Poznań, Wilno, Troki, Sandomierz and Kalisz (as well as the Castellan of Cracow) had the keys to the Crown Treasury (skarbiec koronny) on Wawel
.
Voivodes were appointed by the king until 1775, when the competence to appoint them was passed to Permanent Council
(Rada Nieustająca). The exceptions to this rule were the voivodes of Połock and Wilno, who were elected by the szlachta
(nobility) from those lands (although they still had to be approved by the King). As all officials in the Commonwealth, only members of szlachta were eglible to be hold an official post.
From 1565, the principle of "incompatibilitas" ("incompatibility") forbade voivodes and castellans to hold a second title as a minister, except for the post of hetman, as well as another voivode of starosta
grodowy in his own voivodeship.
In the Commonwealth, where the nobility forbade the use of foreign honorary hereditary titles, lifetime titles connected with offices were still considered legal to use. Also the wives and children of a dignitary enjoyed their own forms of his title. Therefore even through the powers of the voivode were relatively small, it was a prestigious position much coveted by the nobles. The palatinal families (rodziny wojewodzinskie) are one of the highest rank among today's Polish aristocracy, just next below Princes of dynastic origin.
Although many individual voivodes had significant power in the Commonwealth, it was not because of their title, but because of their wealth and influence that eventually secured them the prestigious title of the voivode. So it's not the title that secured the title.
in 1569 to 37 by the time of its end
in 1795.
This is a list of voivodes as they were seated in the Senate of Poland. They sat after the bishop
s, as the first secular officials, although in practice their power was lesser than that of Ministers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (who however sat last in the Senate).
Note that among them were seated three distinguished castellans (wyróznieni kasztelanowie): Castellan of Kraków (who had seniority over all voivodes), Castellan of Wilno (who sat after the Voivode of Sandomierz) and Castellan of Troki (who sat after the Voivode of Sieradz). There was also one starost (Starost of Żmudź) who sat after the Voivode of Łęczyca.
For the chronological list of specific office holders, see the specific articles below.
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
. They were the officials in charge of the voivodeship
Voivodeship
Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....
s (provinces/palatinates) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The office first appears as Palatine (Palatinus) who was the first person after the King. As Poland broke into separate principalities each Prince had his court and his own Palatine. When the Kingdom was (partially) reunited the Palatines became heads of the former Principalities now turned into Palatinates. As such they were members of the King's council (comites palatini). The title got merged with the Polish Wojewoda (Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
Woi-woda/вои-вода (Cyrillic) consists of two parts with meaning army or war and guide or direct and it is a lexical and institutional equivalent of the Latin Dux Exercituum and the German Herzog all meaning "leader of the army"). The difference between Wojewoda and Herzog is that Herzog, after being a rank appointed by the Monarch became a hereditary title of honour, while Wojewoda remained appointed for life and continued as a real-power position before it also lost meaning to the Starostas. Polish historians still use Palatyn and Wojewoda as synonyms.
Competences
The competences of voivodes varied, as they were influenced by historical precedents related to their voivodeships. The smallest were those of the voivodes in HalychHalych
Halych is a historic city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The town gave its name to the historic province and kingdom of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, of which it was the capital until the early 14th century, when the seat of the local princes was moved to Lviv...
Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
(Ruś Halicka), the largest those in the Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia was a Region of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Polish Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land , Malbork Voivodeship , Gdańsk , Toruń , and Elbląg . It is distinguished from Ducal Prussia...
(Prusy Królewskie). Those competences changed in time as well.
The office was created in the Kingdom of Poland under Piasts
Kingdom of Poland (1025–1138)
The Kingdom of Poland was the Polish state from the coronation of the first King Bolesław I the Brave in 1025 to the union with Lithuania and the rule of the Jagiellon dynasty in 1385.-Early Kingdom:The basis for the development of a Polish state was laid by the Piast, which were preeminent since...
, and from the Crown of the Polish Kingdom
Crown of the Polish Kingdom
The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland , or simply the Crown , is the name for the unit of administrative division, the territories under direct administration of Polish nobility from middle-ages to late 18th century...
spread to Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...
after 1569 as an overseer of voivodeship and its administration, but the effectiveness and real powers of this office decreased, so that in the Kingdom of Poland under Jagiellons
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
it was a much less significant post. In the realm of the military, voivodeship retained just the role of the leader of pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie
Pospolite ruszenie , is an anachronistic term describing the mobilisation of armed forces, especially during the period of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The tradition of wartime mobilisation of part of the population existed from before the 13th century to the 19th century...
. Administrative competences were limited to the role of Marshal of the sejmik
Sejmik
A sejmik was a regional assembly in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and earlier in the Kingdom of Poland. Sejmiks existed until the end of the Commonwealth in 1795 following the partitions of the Commonwealth...
, but even that disappeared by the time of the Commonwealth. His control over the cities was mostly an honorary function, as formally it was the competence of the starost. One of the few competences that voivodes retained throughout history was the power to set and enforce prices (although in fact this competence was delegated to the sub-voivode (podwojewoda)).
Voivodes of Cracow, Poznań, Wilno, Troki, Sandomierz and Kalisz (as well as the Castellan of Cracow) had the keys to the Crown Treasury (skarbiec koronny) on Wawel
Wawel
Wawel is an architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River in Kraków, Poland, at an altitude of 228 metres above the sea level. It is a place of great significance to the Polish people. The Royal Castle with an armoury and the...
.
Voivodes were appointed by the king until 1775, when the competence to appoint them was passed to Permanent Council
Permanent Council
The Permanent Council was the highest administrative authority in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between 1775 and 1789 and the first modern government in Europe...
(Rada Nieustająca). The exceptions to this rule were the voivodes of Połock and Wilno, who were elected by the szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
(nobility) from those lands (although they still had to be approved by the King). As all officials in the Commonwealth, only members of szlachta were eglible to be hold an official post.
From 1565, the principle of "incompatibilitas" ("incompatibility") forbade voivodes and castellans to hold a second title as a minister, except for the post of hetman, as well as another voivode of starosta
Starosta
Starost is a title for an official or unofficial position of leadership that has been used in various contexts through most of Slavic history. It can be translated as "elder"...
grodowy in his own voivodeship.
In the Commonwealth, where the nobility forbade the use of foreign honorary hereditary titles, lifetime titles connected with offices were still considered legal to use. Also the wives and children of a dignitary enjoyed their own forms of his title. Therefore even through the powers of the voivode were relatively small, it was a prestigious position much coveted by the nobles. The palatinal families (rodziny wojewodzinskie) are one of the highest rank among today's Polish aristocracy, just next below Princes of dynastic origin.
Although many individual voivodes had significant power in the Commonwealth, it was not because of their title, but because of their wealth and influence that eventually secured them the prestigious title of the voivode. So it's not the title that secured the title.
List
Even when a voivodeship ceased to exist due to shifting borders, the office remained intact and the voivode preserved his privileges like the right to sit and vote in the Senate. Thus the number of voivodes increased in time, from 32 after the creation of the CommonwealthUnion of Lublin
The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...
in 1569 to 37 by the time of its end
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, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
in 1795.
This is a list of voivodes as they were seated in the Senate of Poland. They sat after the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s, as the first secular officials, although in practice their power was lesser than that of Ministers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (who however sat last in the Senate).
Note that among them were seated three distinguished castellans (wyróznieni kasztelanowie): Castellan of Kraków (who had seniority over all voivodes), Castellan of Wilno (who sat after the Voivode of Sandomierz) and Castellan of Troki (who sat after the Voivode of Sieradz). There was also one starost (Starost of Żmudź) who sat after the Voivode of Łęczyca.
For the chronological list of specific office holders, see the specific articles below.
- In 1569, after Union of LublinUnion of LublinThe Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...
:- Voivode of KrakówKraków VoivodeshipKraków Voivodeship, refers to several historical Voivodeships of Poland in the surrounding regions, with the city of Kraków as its capital.- Kraków Voivodeship 1975-1998 :...
(wojewoda krakowski). Seat: KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. - Voivode of PoznańPoznan Voivodeship-1975 to 1998:From 1975 to 1998, Poznań Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Poznań.Major cities and towns :...
(wojewoda poznański). Seat: PoznańPoznanPoznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
. - Voivode of WilnoWilno VoivodeshipThe Wilno Voivodeship was one of Voivodeships in the Second Polish Republic, with the capital in Wilno. It was created in 1926 and populated predominantly by Poles with notable minorities of Belarusians, Jews, and Lithuanians....
(Vilnius) (wojewoda wileński). Seat: Wilno. - Voivode of SandomierzSandomierz VoivodeshipSandomierz Voivodeship was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Little Poland region. Originally Sandomierz Voivodeship also covered the area around Lublin, but in 1474 its three eastern counties...
(wojewoda sandomierski). Seat: SandomierzSandomierzSandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
. - Voivode of KaliszKalisz Voivodeship-Kalisz Voivodeship 1975–1998:Kalisz Voivodeship 1975–1998 was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship.Capital city: Kalisz...
(wojewoda kaliski). Seat: KaliszKaliszKalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
. - Voivode of TrokiTrakai VoivodeshipTrakai Voivodeship, Trakai Palatinate, or Troki Voivodeship , was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1413 until 1795.-History:...
(wojewoda trocki). Seat: Troki. - Voivode of SieradzSieradz VoivodeshipSieradz Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship.-1975-1998:Capital city: SieradzMajor cities and towns: :* Zduńska Wola ;...
(wojewoda sieradzki). Seat: SieradzSieradzSieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...
. - Voivode of ŁęczycaŁęczyca VoivodeshipŁęczyca Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century until the partitions of Poland in 1772-1795...
(wojewoda łęczycki). Seat: Łęczyca. - Voivode of Brześć KujawskiBrzesc Kujawski VoivodeshipBrześć Kujawski Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795...
(wojewoda brzeski kujawawski). Seat: Brześć KujawskiBrzesc KujawskiBrześć Kujawski is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Population - 4,521 , Poland.It has been the seat of one of two small duchies into which Kuyavia has been temporarily divided....
. - Voivode of KijówKijów VoivodeshipThe Kiev Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1471 until 1569 and of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1569 until 1793 as part of Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown....
(Kiev) (wojewoda kijowski). Seat: KijówKijówKijów may refer to:*Polish name for Kiev, the capital of Ukraine*Kijów, Silesian Voivodeship *Kijów, Lubusz Voivodeship *Kijów, Opole Voivodeship...
. - Voivode of Inowrocław (wojewoda inowrocławski). Seat: Inowrocław.
- Voivode of RuśRuthenian VoivodeshipRuthenia Voivodeship was an administrative division of the Kingdom of Poland . Together with Bełz Voivodeship, it formed Lesser Poland Province with its capital city in Kraków. Part of Lesser Poland region...
(Ruthenia) (wojewoda ruski). Seat: Lwów (Lviv). - Voivode of Wołyń (wojewoda wołyński). Seat: Łuck.
- Voivode of PodolePodole VoivodeshipThe Podole Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland, since the 14th century till 1793/1795, except for a short period of Ottoman Empire administration as Podolia Eyalet. Together with the Bracław Voivodeship it formed the historical province...
(wojewoda podolski). Seat: Kamieniec Podolski. - Voivode of SmoleńskSmolensk VoivodeshipSmolensk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth....
(wojewoda smoleński). Seat: SmoleńskSmolenskSmolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
. Notes: province lost in 1650s, titular office only afterwards. - Voivode of LublinLublin Voivodeship- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....
(wojewoda lubelski). Seat: LublinLublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. - Voivode of Połock (wojewoda połocki). Seat: Połock.
- Voivode of Bełsk (Bełz) (wojewoda bełski). Seat: Bełsk (Bełz).
- Voivode of Nowogródek (wojewoda nowogrodzki). Seat: Nowogródek.
- Voivode of Płock (wojewoda płocki). Seat: Płock.
- Voivode of WitebskWitebsk VoivodeshipVitebsk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 15th century till the partitions of Poland in 1795.Voivodeship Governor seat:...
(wojewoda witebski). Seat: Witebsk. - Voivode of MasoviaMasovian Voivodeship-Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...
(wojewoda mazowiecki). Seat: WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
(Warszawa). - Voivode of PodlachiaPodlaskie VoivodeshipPodlaskie Voivodeship , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. It borders on Masovian Voivodeship to the west, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the northwest, Lublin Voivodeship to the south, the Belarusssian Voblasts of Grodno and Brest to the east, the Lithuanian Counties of Alytus and...
(wojewoda podlaski). Seat: DrohiczynDrohiczynDrohiczyn is a small historic town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town with population 2,110 is situated on a bank of the Bug River.- History :...
. - Voivode of RawaRawa VoivodeshipRawa Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 15th century till the partitions of Poland in 1795. It was part of the Greater Polish prowincja...
(wojewoda rawski). Seat: Rawa MazowieckaRawa MazowieckaRawa Mazowiecka is a town in central Poland, with 17,765 inhabitants . It lies in the Łódź Voivodeship and is the capital of Rawa County.First mentioned in 1288, it received city rights in 1321....
. - Voivode of Brześć LitewskiBrzesc Litewski VoivodeshipBrest Litovsk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative territorial division and a seat of local government within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1566 until the May Constitution in 1791, and from 1791 to 1795 as a voivodeship in...
(wojewoda brzeski litewski). - Voivode of Chełmno (wojewoda chełminski). Seat: Chełmno.
- Voivode of Mścisław (wojewoda mścisławski). Seat: Mścisław.
- Voivode of MalborkMalbork VoivodeshipThe Malbork Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 1454/1466 until the partitions in 1772-1795. Together with the Pomeranian and Chełmno Voivodeships and the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia it formed the historical province of Royal Prussia...
(wojewoda malborski). Seat: MalborkMalborkMalbork is a town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region , with 38,478 inhabitants . Situated in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, it was previously assigned to Elbląg Voivodeship...
. - Voivode of Bracław (wojewoda bracławski). Seat: Bracław.
- Voivode of PomeraniaPomeranian VoivodeshipPomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...
(wojewoda pomorski). Seat: GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(Danzig). - Voivode of MińskMinsk VoivodeshipMinsk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413 and later in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth till the partitions of the Commonwealth in 1795...
(wojewoda miński). Seat: MińskMinsk- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
. - Voivode of InflantyLivonian VoivodeshipThe Inflanty Voivodeship , or Livonian Voivodeship , also known as Polish Livonia, was an administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in the 1620s out of the Wenden Voivodeship and lasted until the First Partition of Poland in 1772...
(Livonia) (wojewoda inflandzki). Seat: Dyneburg.
- Voivode of Kraków
- Created around 1598 and lost in the 1620s:
- Voivode of WendenWenden VoivodeshipWenden Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in the 1620s...
(wojewoda wendenski). Seat: WendenCesisCēsis , is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river overlooking the woods below...
(Cēsis). - Voivode of ParnawaParnawa VoivodeshipThe Parnawa Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in the 1620s....
(wojewoda parnawski). Seat: Parnawa. - Voivode of DorpatDorpat VoivodeshipThe Dorpat Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1598 till the Swedish conquest of Livonia in the 1620s.The seat of the voivode was Dorpat...
(wojewoda dorpacki or wojewoda derpski). Seat: Dorpat.
- Voivode of Wenden
- Created in 1635:
- Voivode of CzernihówCzernihów VoivodeshipChernihiv Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 1635 until Khmelnytsky Uprising in 1648...
(wojewoda czernihowski). Seat: Czernihów.
- Voivode of Czernihów
- Created in 1768:
- Voivode of GnieznoGniezno VoivodeshipGniezno Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland for a short time from 1768, when it was cut from the Kalisz Voivodeship, to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793...
(wojewoda gnieźnieński). Seat: GnieznoGnieznoGniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...
. Notes: Created in 1768 from the remains of Kalisz Voivodeship after the First Partition. See Gniezno VoivodeshipGniezno VoivodeshipGniezno Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland for a short time from 1768, when it was cut from the Kalisz Voivodeship, to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793...
- Voivode of Gniezno