1471–1793 →
→ Area 200,000 km² | 1793 500,000 | |
 | ||
1793 200,000 km (77,220 sq mi) Political subdivisions counties 9 (1471-1569)
7 (1569-1667)
3 (1667-1793) Capitals Kiev (1471–1667), Zhytomyr | ||
The Kiev Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo kijowskie, Ukrainian: Київське воєводство, Kyivske voyevodstvo) 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.
Contents
Description
The voivodeship was established in 1471 under the order of King Casimir IV Jagiellon soon after the death of Semen Olelkovich. It had replaced the former Principality of Kiev, ruled by Lithuanian-Ruthenian Olelkovich princes (related to House of Algirdas and Olshansky family).
Its first administrative center was Kiev, but when the city was given to Imperial Russia in 1667 by Treaty of Andrusovo, the capital moved to Zhytomyr (Polish: Żytomierz), where it remained until 1793.
It was the biggest voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by land area, covering, among others, the land of Zaporizhian Cossacks.
Municipal government
The governor of the voivodeship was voivode (voivode of Kiev). In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the other two major administrative positions were castellan and bishop (biskup kijowski).
Regional council (sejmik)
Regional council for all Ruthenian lands
Regional council seats
Counties
Other former counties
Former counties lost under the Treaty of Andrusovo
Elderships (Starostwo)
Instead of some liquidated counties in 1566 there were established elderships: Biała Cerkiew, Kaniów, Korsun, Romanówka, Czerkasy, Czigrin.