In the Polish language, the term is not capitalized (ziemia chełmińska, Chelmno Land; not Ziemia Chełmińska). All ziemias are named after main urban centers (or gords) of a given area: ziemia krakowska (after Kraków), or ziemia lubelska (after Lublin). In some cases, the suffix "-szczyzna" is added to the name of a ziemia: ziemia lubelska is also called Lubelszczyzna, while ziemia opolska (named after Opole) - Opolszczyzna.
The term ziemia appeared for the first time in medieval Poland (12th-13th centuries), after the fragmentation of Poland. It referred to a former princedom or duchy, which was unified with the Polish Kingdom, and lost its political sovereignty, but retained its hierarchy of officials and bureaucracy. From around the 14th century some of the former princedoms, now ziemias, were assigned to officials known as voivodes and became primary units of administration known as voivodeships (provinces). Therefore, the Duchy of Sandomierz was turned into the Land of Sandomierz, which in the early 14th century became Sandomierz Voivodeship.
However, in some cases ziemias were not transformed into voivodeships. They were subordinated to a voivodeship and a certain voivode, but nevertheless retained some distinct privileges and properties, such as often having their own sejmik (regional parliament), and were still referred to as a ziemia, not a voivodeship. Some voivodeships, such as Ruthenian Voivodeship or Masovian Voivodeship, consisted of several ziemias, each divided into counties (powiat). Over subsequent centuries, ziemias became increasingly integrated into their voivodeships and lost most of their autonomy.
Today they are not units of administration, and in modern Poland are only generic geographical terms referring to certain parts of Poland. Currently, the term ziemia may apply to any area, historic or not, which is located around a main town or city. In Ukraine the term was intended to be introduced by Mykhailo Hrushevskyi in Ukraine as part of the administrative reform in 1918 which was interrupted by the Pavlo Skoropadskyi coup in April of that year. Currently oblasts of Ukraine are alternatively known through adding -shchyna to the administrative center's name such as Zhytomyrshchyna for Zhytomyr Oblast.
List of ziemias in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Red Ruthenia, or Red Rus' , is a term used since the Middle Ages for the south-western principalities of the Kievan Rus', namely the Principality of Peremyshl and the Principality of Belz. Nowadays the region comprises parts of western Ukraine and adjoining parts of south-eastern Poland. It has also sometimes included parts of Lesser Poland, Podolia, Right-bank Ukraine and Volhynia. Centred on Przemyśl (Peremyshl) and Belz, it has included major cities such as: Chełm, Zamość, Rzeszów, Krosno and Sanok, as well as Lviv and Ternopil.
The Ruthenian Voivodeship, also called Rus’ voivodeship, was a voivodeship of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1434 until the 1772 First Partition of Poland with a center in the city of Lviv. Together with a number of other voivodeships of southern and eastern part of the Kingdom of Poland, it formed Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown, with its capital city in Kraków. Following the Partitions of Poland, most of Ruthenian Voivodeship, except for its northeastern corner, was annexed by the Habsburg monarchy, as part of the province of Galicia. Today, the former Ruthenian Voivodeship is divided between Poland and Ukraine.
Sandomierz 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 Lesser Poland region. Originally Sandomierz Voivodeship also covered the area around Lublin, but in 1474 its three eastern counties were organized into Lublin Voivodeship. In the 16th century, it had 374 parishes, 100 towns and 2586 villages. The voivodeship was based on the Sandomerz ziemia, which earlier was the Duchy of Sandomierz. The Duchy of Sandomierz was created in 1138 by King Bolesław III Wrymouth, who in his testament divided Poland into five principalities. One of them, with the capital at Sandomierz, was assigned to Krzywousty's son, Henry of Sandomierz. Later on, with southern part of the Seniorate Province, the Duchy of Sandomierz created Lesser Poland, divided into Kraków and Sandomierz Voivodeships.
The Chełmno Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 1454/1466 until the Partitions of Poland in 1772/1795. Together with the Pomeranian and Malbork Voivodeships and the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia it formed the historical province of Royal Prussia. Its capital was at Chełmno.
Masovian Voivodeship was an administrative region of the Kingdom of Poland, and of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from the 1526 to the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795). Together with Płock and Rawa Voivodeships, it formed the province of Masovia. Its area was 23,200 km2., divided into ten lands. The seat of the voivode was Warsaw, local sejmiks also convened in Warsaw, at St. Martin's church.
Łuków County is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland. It was established on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Łuków, which lies 76 kilometres (47 mi) north of the regional capital Lublin. The only other town in the county is Stoczek Łukowski, lying 30 km (19 mi) west of Łuków.
The Podlaskie Voivodeship was formed in 1513 by Sigismund I the Old as a voivodeship in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, from a split off part of the Trakai Voivodeship. After Lithuania's union with the Kingdom of Poland in 1569 and formation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the voivodeship was transferred to the Polish Crown, where it belonged to the Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown.
Płock Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 1495 until the partitions of Poland in 1795. Together with the Rawa Voivodeship and Masovian Voivodeship it formed the former of Duchy of Masovia.
Polish historic regions are regions that were related to a former Polish state, or are within present-day Poland, with or without being identified in its administrative divisions.
Stężyca is a village in Ryki County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Stężyca. It lies approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Ryki and 81 km (50 mi) north-west of the regional capital Lublin.
Castellans of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were the lowest rank of territorial official who could sit in the Senate of Poland. Their numbers varied over time and with the shifting borders of the Commonwealth.
In the history of Poland, a royal city or royal town was an urban settlement within the crown lands.
Stężyca Land was an administrative unit, the so called ziemia, of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The land was composed of only one county, or powiat, and had its seat in the town of Stężyca after which it was named. Until the end of the 16th century, this area was called ziemia or powiat alternatively. From the beginning of the 17th century up to its dissolution, it was usually referred to, especially in official sources, as Stężyca Land. However, this did not mean that it had special political or administrative rights as could be the case with other ziemias. It was called a land because of its peripheral geographic location, being the only county in the northeastern corner of Sandomierz Voivodeship located east of the Vistula river. Today, the territory of former Stężyca Land covers all of Ryki County, the southern part of Garwolin County, and the southwestern corner of Łuków County. Its biggest urban center is Dęblin, which was granted town rights in 1954.
Bielsk Land, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Created in 1413, it originally belonged to the Lithuanian Trakai Voivodeship. In 1513, it became part of newly created Podlasie Voivodeship, and from 1569 until 1795, it belonged to the Kingdom of Poland.
Liw Land, named after the town of Liw, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of Masovian Voivodeship, and existed from the 14th century until the Partitions of Poland. Liw Land was located in eastern part of the historic province of Mazovia. It had an area of 1038 sq. kilometers, and due to its small size, was not divided into counties. Local sejmiks took place at Liw.
Ciechanów Land, named after the town of Ciechanów, located in central Poland, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Divided into three counties, it belonged to the Masovian Voivodeship.
Mielnik Land, also known as Land of Mielnik, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. With its seat in the town of Mielnik, it belonged to Podlasie Voivodeship.
Wizna Land, named after the town of Wizna, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of the Duchy of Mazovia, Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. With its capital in Wizna, it belonged to Masovian Voivodeship. In the 16th century, Wizna Land was divided into two counties: Wizna and Wasosz. The total area of Wizna Land was 1419 km2, with 280 villages.
Zakroczym Land, named after the town of Zakroczym), was an administrative unit (ziemia) of the Duchy of Mazovia, Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of Masovian Voivodeship, and its history dates back to the late Middle Ages, when Zakroczym became seat of a castellan. Local sejmiks took place in Zakroczym.
Janusz II of Płock, was a Polish prince member of the House of Piast in the Masovian branch. He was a duke of Warsaw, Nur, Łomża, Liw, Ciechanów, Wyszogród and Zakroczym during 1454-1471 jointly with his brothers, Duke of Płock, Płońsk, Zawkrze and Wizna during 1462-1471, and after the division of the paternal domains in 1471, sole ruler over Ciechanów and Łomża, since 1475 also ruler over Płock, Płońsk, Zawkrze and Wizna, since 1484 ruler over Błonie, Tarczyn and Kamieniec, since 1489 ruler over Wyszogród.
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