Podlachia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Podlachia
Podlasie
Historical region
Baroque Holy Trinity Church in Tykocin
Branicki Palace in Białystok
Basilica of the Assumption in Węgrów
Biebrza National Park
UTC+2 (CEST
)
Podlachia (Podlasie) and other historical lands of Poland against the background of modern administrative borders (names in Polish)

Podlachia,

Bug River is included in the modern Podlaskie Voivodeship with the capital in Białystok
.

Names and etymology

The region is called Podlasie, Podlasko or Podlasze in

Yiddish, and Podlachia in Latin
.

There are two hypotheses regarding the origin of the name of the region. According to the first one, the name is derived from the Polish word las ("forest"), and means "near the forest".[3] A common folk derivation is from the Proto-Slavic word les or las meaning "forest", i.e., it is "by the wood(s)" or an "area of forests", making Podlachia close in meaning to adjacent Polesia. The theory has been questioned, as it does not properly take into consideration the vowel shifts "a" > "e" > "i" in various Slavic languages (in fact, it mixes vowels from different languages).

According to the second theory, the name is derived from the word liakh (or lach,

Lechia). Some claim it to mean "under Polish rule", though in the Middle Ages Podlachia was only partially under Polish rule, and since 1446 until 1569 the area belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. A better variant of this theory holds that the name originates from the period when the territory was within the Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, along the borderline with the Mazovia province, primarily a fief of the Poland of the Piasts and later on part of the Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons
.

Geography

Historic Podlachian borders in green

Podlachia is located along the middle stretch of the

Bug River between Mazovia in the west, Polesia and Volhynia in the east, the Narew River in the north and the Chełm Land in the south.[3] The borders of Podlachia changed with time and was not the same as historical Podlaskie Voivodeship.[3] Podlachia is sometimes divided into two parts (southern and northern), which had different administrative subordination.[3]

Traditional capital of Podlachia is Drohiczyn that lies into northern and southern parts. The former is included in the modern-day Podlaskie Voivodeship with its capital at Białystok (the historical boundary goes exactly through the city). Sometimes, Siedlce has been considered the capital of the region.

History

The Podlaskie Voivodeship in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1635.

Podlaskie Voivodeship is a multicultural and multi-religious region. It is the region where people's identity has been shaped throughout history by both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, and since the Reformation, also by Evangelical churches. Until today, Podlaskie has been considered Poland's most culturally diverse region.[4] Throughout its early history, Podlachia was inhabited by various tribes of different ethnic roots. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the area was inhabited by East Slavic tribes, mostly by Drevlians, with settlements of Dregoviches to the north beyond the Narew River and likely Dulebes to the south,[3] although a Masovian-like population had also been present.[5]

In the 14th century the area was annexed by the

Branicki family and the development of the textile industry
.

Partition and Napoleonic Wars

Following the 1795 Third Partition of Poland which brought an end to Poland-Lithuania, the former Podlachia Voivodeship was divided between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Habsburg monarchy (Austrian Empire from 1804), with the Bug forming the border between them. Part of Podlachia's eastern border became the boundary between Prussia and the Russian Empire. Within Prussia the Podlachian territory was organised as part of the Białystok Department of New East Prussia, which also included parts of the former Mazovian and Trakai Voivodeships; the Habsburg portion lay mostly within the Siedlce Kreis of West Galicia (Galicia and Lodomeria from 1803).

In 1807, by the

Uyezds (roughly "counties") and the western part of Belostok Uyezd. The small amounts of Podlachian territory in the Duchy of Warsaw lay within the Łomża Department, itself based on the territory of the Prussian Białystok Departement after the removal of the Belostock Oblast. The Habsburg part of Podlachia became part of the Duchy of Warsaw by the 1809 Treaty of Schönbrunn, forming much of the Siedlce Department
. Although Prussian and Austrian rule was brief, it has remained administratively divided by the Bug ever since.

Russian rule

Congress Poland c. 1830.
  Augustów Voivodeship
  Podlachia Voivodeship
Belostok Oblast 1807–42
  Belostok Uyezd
  Bielsk Uyezd
  Drohiczyn Uyezd

At the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, the

Podlachian and Augustów Governorates
in 1837.

In 1842 the Belostok Oblast was dissolved and merged into Grodno Governorate,[3] and the Drohiczyn Uyezd was merged into Bielsk Uyezd. In 1844 the Podlachian Governorate was merged into the Lublin Governorate.

In the 19th century the region was a stronghold of Polish resistance against Russian rule. Stanisław Brzóska, the last partisan of the January Uprising, operated there until 1865. He was hanged publicly by the Russians in Sokołów Podlaski in May 1865. As a result of the uprising, in 1867 Congress Poland was formally absorbed into Russia as the Vistula Land (Privislinsky Krai), although the Kingdom still nominally existed. The Podlachian Governorate was also restored under the name Siedlce Governorate, and the Augustów Governorate was split between the Łomża and Suwałki Governorates; Augustów itself went to Suwałki Governorate while the rest of the Podlachian territory went to the Łomża Governorate.

According to

the Russian Imperial Census of 1897, the most spoken languages in the Siedlce Governorate were Polish (66.13%), Yiddish (15.56%) and Ukrainian (13.95%).[6] At the same time the most spoken languages in Bielsk Uyezd were Ukrainian (39.1%), Polish (34.9%), Yiddish (14.9%), Russian (5.9%) and Belarusian (4.9%);[7] those in the Białystok Uyezd were Polish (33.95%), Yiddish (28.34%), Belarusian (26.13%), Russian (6.68%) and German (3.59%).[8]

In 1912 Siedlce Governorate was once again abolished and divided between the

Kiev General Governorate
.

World War I to present

During World War I the area was occupied by the German Empire, with most of the Vistula Land falling under the Government General of Warsaw (later the Central Powers puppet Kingdom of Poland) while the areas further east, including Białystok and the Suwałki Governorate, fell under Ober Ost.

In the aftermath of World War I and the Russian Revolution, parts of the region, particularly Białystok, were contested by several states but ultimately became part of the Second Polish Republic following the Polish–Soviet War. During the interwar period the northern part fell entirely within the Białystok Voivodeship while the southern part belonged to the Lublin Voivodeship; the April 1938 reforms transferred Węgrów and Sokołów from Lublin to the Warsaw Voivodeship.

In 1939 Poland was

Byelorussian SSR. Nazi Germany would annex the Soviet part as the Bialystok District
in 1941. The region once again returned to Polish control in 1945.

In 1999 the modern Podlaskie Voivodeship was established which encompasses the northern part of historic Podlachia, including Białystok and Drohiczyn, as well as surrounding areas, including Łomża and Suwałki. Its southern border lies along the Bug.

Demographics

Ethnic situation

Aleksandr Rittikh
with ethnic composition of Podlachia, 1875

While today Podlachia is mostly inhabited by

Polish census of 2002, in Podlaskie Voivodeship there were 46,041 Belarusians (3.9%) and 1,366 Ukrainians (0.1%).[10] Autochthonous inhabitants have difficulties in national self-identification and identifying of their language.[11][12] They often identify their nationality as "tutejszy" (literally "locals").[13] Based on comparison of a survey and the census, Marek Barwiński supposes that people with a low level of national identity during the census usually choose the major nationality in their region.[14]

See also: Podlashuks

Orthodox autochthonous inhabitants are known as

Russian Imperial Army.[15] Many scientific researches prove that the orthodox population in Podlachia have Ukrainian origin (19th century censuses, historical and linguistic researches), though today the number of people with the Ukrainian identity is very small.[16]

Until the 19th century, Podlachia was populated by the Polish-speaking

Ukrainian Cossacks).[citation needed
]

In the 19th century, the inhabitants of Podlachia were under the rule of the

Wincenty Lewoniuk and 12 companions were killed by Russian soldiers in Pratulin. In reaction to these measures, the Ruthenians of southern Podlachia began to identify themselves with the national movement of the Roman Catholic Poles. To preserve the full communion with the Pope, they changed their rite from Eastern to Latin before the compulsory conversion of Greek Catholics into Orthodox. In 1912, Russian authorities issued a tolerance edict that made it possible to change confession from Orthodox to Roman Catholic (but not to Greek-Catholic, which had been completely deleted). A majority of the inhabitants of southern Podlachia changed their faith from Orthodox to Roman Catholic. At present, very few people in this area speak Ruthenian and nearly all consider themselves Poles. Meanwhile, the eastern part of northern Podlachia is still populated by Belarusians.[citation needed
]

Podlachia is also the cultural center of Poland's small Tatar minority as well.[citation needed] After the annexation of eastern Poland into the Soviet Union following World War II, Poland was left with only 2 Tatar villages, Bohoniki and Kruszyniany (both outside the historical borders of Podlachia). Some Tatars from the territories annexed to the USSR have been repatriated to Poland and clustered in cities, particularly Białystok.[citation needed] In 1925 the Muslim Religious Union (Muzułmański Związek Religijny) was formed in Białystok. In 1992, the Union of Tatars of the Republic of Poland (Związek Tatarów Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) with autonomous branches in Białystok and Gdańsk began operating.[citation needed]

Language

The dominant language in Podlaskie Voivodeship is Polish.[17] Autochthonous inhabitants speak a Podlachian variety. Many linguists relate them to the Ukrainian language.[18][19] Linguists have been exploring them since 19th century, when they were also known as Siedlce dialects (because of the name of Siedlce Governorate, where the dialects were mostly investigated).[20] There is a problem if they should be considered as part of west Polisian dialects subgroup [uk] or as a separate subgroup of northern dialectal group [uk] of the Ukrainian language.[21] In the Northern Podlachia Podlachian subdialects are also often considered to be Belarusian dialects[22][20] or sometimes Ruthenian dialects.[23]

Since the locals are known as

khakhly, the local language is also called Khakhlatska mova (Ukrainian: хахлацька мова, "khokhols' language").[15] S. Zhelekhov wrote in 1884 that the people call their language "Polesian, but those, who were in the army (in the soldiers) call it Khakhlatska".[24]

Cities and towns

City Population (2015–16)[25] Pop. (1931) Administrative division Additional information
1. Brest 340,141 48,431 Brest Region Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of
royal city
of Poland.
2. Białystok 295,981 91,335 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former
Branicki family
.
3. Biała Podlaska 57,414 17,549 Lublin Voivodeship Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it was rather considered part of Polesia, nowadays the area is referred to as Southern Podlachia; former private town of the Radziwiłł family.
4. Kobryn 52,655 10,101 Brest Region Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
5. Augustów 30,449 12,147 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
6. Byaroza 29,408 4,521 Brest Region Area was part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
7. Bielsk Podlaski 26,336 7,029 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland, capital of Bielsk Land.
8. Hajnówka 21,559 Podlaskie Voivodeship
9. Sokołów Podlaski 18,720 9,901 Masovian Voivodeship Former private town of the
Kiszka
and Radziwiłł families.
10. Pruzhany 18,459 8,013 Brest Region Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
11. Międzyrzec Podlaski 17,117 16,837 Lublin Voivodeship Part of Podlachia until 1574, after 1574 it was rather considered part of Polesia, nowadays the area is referred to as Southern Podlachia, former private town.
12. Łapy 16,005 6,674 Podlaskie Voivodeship
13. Siemiatycze 14,766 6,816 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former private town of the
Jabłonowski family
.
14. Włodawa 13,643 8,519 Lublin Voivodeship Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it was rather considered part of Polesia, nowadays the area is referred to as Southern Podlasie; former private town.
15. Zhabinka 13,357 Brest Region Area was part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
16. Węgrów 12,796 9,416 Masovian Voivodeship Former private town of the Radziwiłł family, westernmost town of Podlachia.
17. Malaryta 11,823 Brest Region Area was part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
18. Mońki 10,352 Podlaskie Voivodeship
19. Wysokie Mazowieckie 9,503 3,977 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former private town.
20. Kamyenyets 8,405 3,001 Brest Region Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
21. Łosice 7,099 5,026 Masovian Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
22. Terespol 5,815 2,308 Lublin Voivodeship Part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it was rather considered part of Polesia, nowadays the area is referred to as Southern Podlachia; former private town.
23. Choroszcz 5,782 2,905 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former private town of the Branicki family.
24. Vysokaye 5,164 2,739 Brest Region Area was part of Podlachia until 1566, after 1566 it is rather considered part of Polesia.
25. Ciechanowiec 4,840 4,029 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former private town.
26. Brańsk 3,867 4,204 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
27. Knyszyn 2,850 4,123 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland, royal residence of King Sigismund II Augustus.
28. Szepietowo 2,282 Podlaskie Voivodeship Youngest town of Podlachia.
29. Kosów Lacki 2,187 Masovian Voivodeship
30. Drohiczyn 2,125 2,309 Podlaskie Voivodeship Historical capital of Podlachia, former royal city of Poland, capital of Drohiczyn Land.
31. Tykocin 2,014 3,290 Podlaskie Voivodeship
32. Goniądz 1,900 3,449 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
33. Mordy 1,819 3,287 Masovian Voivodeship Former private town of the Radziwiłł and Ciecierski families.
34. Rajgród 1,626 2,432 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
35. Kleszczele 1,345 2,029 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.
36. Suraż 1,008 1,379 Podlaskie Voivodeship Former royal city of Poland.

Gallery

References

  1. ^ Paul Robert Magocsi. Historical Atlas of Central Europe: From the early fifth century to the present. Thames & Hudson, 2002.
    - William Fiddian Reddaway. The Cambridge History of Poland: Volume 2. 1971.
    - Zigmantas Kiaupa. The History of Lithuania. Baltos Lankos, 2005. p.52.
    - Zenon E. Kohut, Bohdan Y. Nebesio, Myroslav Yurkevich. Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Scarecrow Press, 2005.
    - Jerzy Kłoczowski. A History of Polish Christianity. Cambridge University Press, 2000, p.268.
  2. ISBN 978-1-00-128802-4.
    - The Gate of Podlasie
    - Podlasie Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
    - Introducing Mazovia & Podlasie
    - Podlasie24
    - Podlasie Jazz Festival
  3. ^
    Volodymyr Kubijovyč. "Podlachia". Encyclopedia of Ukraine
    . Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ Górczyk, Wojciech Jerzy (January 2020). "The Former Reformati Order's Monasteries Route": 22. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ISBN 83-87026-70-0
    .
  6. ^ "Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку, губерниям и областям". www.demoscope.ru (in Russian). Демоскоп Weekly. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской Империи 1897 г. Распределение населения по родному языку и уездам 50 губерний Европейской России". www.demoscope.ru (in Russian). Демоскоп Weekly. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  8. ^ "The First General Census of the Russian Empire of 1897. Breakdown of population by mother tongue and districts* in 50 Governorates of the European Russia". www.demoscope.ru. Demoscope Weekly. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  9. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 1.
  10. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 9.
  11. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 6, 18.
  12. ^ Arkushyn 2019, p. 116-117.
  13. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 7.
  14. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 12.
  15. ^ a b c Arkushyn 2019, p. 118.
  16. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 8, 18.
  17. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 14.
  18. ^ Arkushyn 2019, p. 115-116.
  19. ^ Barwiński 2005, p. 17-18.
  20. ^ a b Lesiv 1997, p. 291.
  21. ^ Arkushyn 2019, p. 116.
  22. ^ Arkushyn 2019, p. 115.
  23. ^ Lesiv 1997, p. 368.
  24. ^ Lesiv 1997, p. 283.
  25. ^ "Lista miast w Polsce (Spis miast, mapa miast, liczba ludności, powierzchnia, wyszukiwarka)".

Sources

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Podlachia&oldid=1218082064"