User:Ajh1492/PK

Privislyansky Krai (Russian: Привислянский Край, Polish: Kraj Przywiślański) was the name applied for the lands of the former Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland). It is sometimes referred to as Vistula Land or Vistula Country.

The territory was a namestnichestvo until 1875 and later Governorate General.

History[edit]

The 1867 reform, initiated after the failure of the January Uprising, was designed to tie the Congress Kingdom more tightly to the administration structure of the Russian Empire. It divided larger governorates into smaller ones and introduced a new lower level entity, gminas. In the 1880s, the official language was changed to Russian and Polish was banned both from the office and education. A minor reform of 1893 transferred some territory from the Płock and Łomża Governorates to Warsaw Governorate.

The 1912 reform created a new governorate - Chełm Governorate - from parts of the Siedlce and Lublin Governorates. However this was split off from the Privislinsky Krai and made part of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire.

During World War I, in 1915 the area was occupied by the Central Powers who proposed the Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918). In 1915 during World War I the Krai was looted and abandoned by the retreating Russian army, trying to emulate the scorched earth policy of 1812;^[1]^[2] the Russians also evicted and deported hundreds of thousands of its inhabitants suspected of collaborating with the enemy.^[1]^[3]^[4]

Government[edit]

The office of namestnik was never officially abolished; however, after the January 1863 Uprising it disappeared along with the Kingdom. The last namestnik was Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg, who served from 1863 to his death in 1874. No namestnik was named to replace him;^[5] however, the role of namestnik—viceroy of the former Kingdom passed to the Governor-General of Warsaw^[6]—or, to be more specific, of the Warsaw Military District (Polish: Warszawski Okręg Wojskowy, Russian: Варшавский Военный Округ). However, in the internal correspondence of Russian Imperial offices this functionary was still called namestnik.

The governor-general answered directly to the Tsar and exercised much broader powers than had the namestnik. In particular, he controlled all the military forces in the region and oversaw the judicial systems (he could impose death sentences without trial). He could also issue "declarations with the force of law," which could alter existing laws.

Viceroys of the Kingdom of Poland[edit]

Friedrich Wilhelm Rembert von Berg (1863–74)

Governors-general of Warsaw[edit]

Count Paul Demetrius Kotzebue (1874–80)
Pyotr Albedinsky (1880–83)
Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko (1883–94)
Pavel Andreyevich Shuvalov (1894–1896)
Alexander Imeretinsky (1896–1900)
Mikhail Chertkov (1900–05)
Konstantin Maximovich (1905)
Georgi Skalon (1905–14)
Yakov Zhilinskiy (1914)
Pavel Yengalychev (1914–1915)

Administrative Divisions[edit]

The 1867 reform, initiated after the failure of the January Uprising divided larger governorates into smaller ones. A new lower level entity, gmina, was introduced. This time 10 governorates were formed:

Governorate	Name in Russian	Name in Polish	Seat
Warsaw Governorate	Варшавская губерния	Gubernia warszawska	Warsaw
Kalisz Governorate	Калишская губерния	Gubernia kaliska	Kalisz
Kielce Governorate	Келецкая губерния	Gubernia kielecka	Kielce
Łomża Governorate	Ломжинская губерния	Gubernia łomżyńska	Łomża
Lublin Governorate	Люблинская губерния	Gubernia lubelska	Lublin
Piotrków Governorate	Петроковская губерния	Gubernia piotrkowska	Piotrków
Płock Governorate	Плоцкская губерния	Gubernia płocka	Płock
Radom Governorate	Радомская губерния	Gubernia radomska	Radom
Siedlce Governorate	Седлецкая губерния	Gubernia siedlecka	Siedlce
Suwalki Governorate	Сувалкская губерния	Gubernia suwalska	Suwałki

A minor reform of 1893 transferred some territory from the Płock and Łomża Governorates to Warsaw Governorate.

Governorate	Name in Russian	Name in Polish	Seat	Area, in thousands of km²	Population, in thousands,(1905)
Warsaw Governorate	Варшавская губерния	Gubernia warszawska	Warszawa	17,6	2233
Kalisz Governorate	Калишская губерния	Gubernia kaliska	Kalisz	11,3	964
Kielce Governorate	Келецкая губерния	Gubernia kielecka	Kielce	10,2	899
Łomża Governorate	Ломжинская губерния	Gubernia lubelska	Łomża	10,6	645
Lublin Governorate	Люблинская губерния	Gubernia łomżyńska	Lublin	16,9	1341
Piotrków Governorate	Петроковская губерния	Gubernia piotrkowska	Piotrków	12,2	1640
Płock Governorate	Плоцкская губерния	Gubernia płocka	Płock	9,4	613
Radom Governorate	Радомская губерния	Gubernia radomska	Radom	12,4	917
Siedlce Governorate	Седлецкая губерния	Gubernia siedlecka	Siedlce	14,3	894
Suwalki Governorate	Сувалкская губерния	Gubernia suwalska	Suwałki	12,4	629

The 1912 reform created a new governorate - Kholm Governorate - from parts of the Sedlets and Lublin Governorates. However this was split off and made part of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire.

External links[edit]

What is the history of the gubernias of Poland?
(in Polish) Zygmunt Gloger, Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski, Rodział 15: W wieku XIX
Partial translation of the Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich (a gazetteer from late 19th century)

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b John N. Horne, Alan Kramer, German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial, Yale University Press, 2001, ISBN 0300107919, Google Print, p. 83
^ Roger Chickering, Stig Förster, Great War, Total War: Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918, Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0521773520, Google Print, p.160
^ Barnett R. Rubin, Jack L. Snyder, Post-Soviet Political Order: Conflict and State Building, Routledge, 1998, ISBN 0415170699, Google Print, p.43
^ Alan Kramer, Dynamic of Destruction: Culture and Mass Killing in the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 0192803425, Google Print, p.151
^ Hugo Stumm, Russia's Advance Eastward, 1874, p. 140, note 1. Google Print [1]
^ Thomas Mitchell, Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland, and Finland, 1888, p. 460. Google Print [2]

[[Category:Governorates of the Russian Empire]] [[Category:Governorates of Congress Poland]] [[Category:History of the administrative divisions of Russia]] [[Category:Polish historical regions]] [[Category:Subdivisions of Poland]]

[JHAK-1] John N. Horne, Alan Kramer, German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial, Yale University Press, 2001, ISBN 0300107919, Google Print, p. 83

[2] Roger Chickering, Stig Förster, Great War, Total War: Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918, Cambridge University Press, 2000, ISBN 0521773520, Google Print, p.160

[3] Barnett R. Rubin, Jack L. Snyder, Post-Soviet Political Order: Conflict and State Building, Routledge, 1998, ISBN 0415170699, Google Print, p.43

[4] Alan Kramer, Dynamic of Destruction: Culture and Mass Killing in the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2007, ISBN 0192803425, Google Print, p.151

[Berg-last-5] Hugo Stumm, Russia's Advance Eastward, 1874, p. 140, note 1. Google Print [1]

[passed-6] Thomas Mitchell, Handbook for Travellers in Russia, Poland, and Finland, 1888, p. 460. Google Print [2]

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