Belarusian nobility
Encyclopedia
Noble people on Belarusian lands ' onMouseout='HidePop("43453")' href="/topics/Szlachta">szlachta
) were usually of Slavic (Ruthenian
) origin in the east or of Baltic (Lithuanian in historical context, Litvin
) origin in the west of the lands of what is now Belarus
. The percentage of nobility among inhabitants of the lands of modern Belarus was very high compared to other countries: 10%-12% at the end of 18th century compared to 1% in Russia
, Prussia
or Austria
of that time. According to the historian Anatol Hrytskievich
, this was because of the necessity to have a large amount of military szlachta was the base for.
and others have been incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, and the Ruthenian gentry became the largest part of the common Lithuanian nobility.
At the same time, the Baltic nobility of Lithuania Propria actively adopted Ruthenian culture, language and traditions. The Lithuanian higher nobility largely embraced Slavic customs and Orthodox Christianity
.Much of the upper class of the Grand Duchy called themselves Lithuanians (Litvin
y), yet spoke the Ruthenian language (also referred to as Old Belarusian language
) In the effect of the processes, Lithuanian higher nobility became largely Ruthenian, while the lesser nobility in the ethnic Baltic lands of what is now Republic of Lithuania continued to use native spoken Lithuanian language. The adapted Old Church Slavonic
and later the Ruthenian language, acquired a status of a main chancery language in the local matters and relations with other Orthodox principalities as lingua franca
, and Latin was used in relations with the Western Europe.
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In the 16th century 80% of feudals on Belarusian lands were of Ruthenian ethnicity and 19% of Baltic. No major conflicts between Ruthenian and Baltic szlachta of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
are known. Equality of their rights was also guaranteed by the Lithuanian Statutes of 1529, 1566 and 1588. As time passed, the differences between Lithuanian and Ruthenian fractions of the nobility of the inside the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
practically disappeared.
was used by most of the szlachta of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, including the Grand Dukes and including the region of Samogitia, both in formal affairs and in private. From the 16th century Polish language
became more actively used, especially by Magnate
s while minor szlachta remained Old Belarusian-speaking.
Since that time the Belarusian szlachta actively adopted Polish
noble customs and traditions, such as Sarmatism
. However, despite that the nobility stayed politically loyal to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and defended it autonomy in disputes with the Polish crown within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
.
Russification
of the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
in the 19th century and early 20th century.
. Tadeusz Kościuszko
(Tadevush Kastsyushka), a nobleman from what is now Belarus, was leader of the Kościuszko Uprising
in 1793. Kastus Kalinouski was the leader of January Uprising
on the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania
.
By the 19th century polonization
of the szlachta on one hand and russification
and violent introduction of Russian Orthodoxy
to the peasantry on the other hand led to a situation where the social barrier between aristocracy and peasantry on Belarusian lands became in many aspects an ethnic barrier. In the 19th century, the era of nationalism, local intellectuals of peasant origin and some szlachta people like Francišak Bahuševič
and Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich contributed to the forming of modern-day Belarusians
as a new nation of Slavonic-speaking inhabitants of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania and basing on the historical and legacy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
and previous Ruthenian kingdoms of Polatsk
and Turau
. At the same time Baltic-speakers of the lands of modern Republic of Lithuania formed into modern-day Lithuanians
and the historical unity of Ruthenians and Lithuanians fell apart.
political movement. Still, some of them, like Raman Skirmunt
, have been sympathetic with the Belarusian national movement and have supported the creation of an independent Belarusian Democratic Republic in 1918.
After the October Revolution
the Belarusian nobility was severely hit by Bolshevist terror. East Belarus
faced Soviet terror already since early 1920s, while most noble people living in West Belarus
were repressed only upon the territory's annexation by the USSR in 1939. Belarusian historians speak of a genocide of the Belarusian gentry carried out by the Bolsheviks
However, by the beginning of the 20th century many minor nobles in Belarus were hardly distinguishable from usual peasants, only top aristocracy faced repressions because of their noble origin.
Upon Belarus regaining independence in 1991, remaining descendants of noble families in Belarus have formed certain organizations, particularly the Union of Belarusian Noble People (Згуртаванне беларускай шляхты). There is, however, a split between the noble people identifying themselves rather with the Polish-Lithuanian szlachta and the Russian dvoryanstvo.
In 2009 descendants of the Radziwill
family have visited their former family castles in Mir
and Niasvizh.
(on the territory of what is now Republic of Lithuania the word bajorai was used).
After passing of the Horodło privileges along with the word bajary the term bajary-szlachta (баяры-шляхта) or simply szlachta
(шляхта) was used in documentation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that was predominantly written in Old Belarusian language
. In 15th-16th centuries nobility in Polesia
or Podlacha was also often called ziamianie (зямяне). Since the second quarter of 16th century the word szlachta (шляхта) became the dominant Belarusian term for noble people.
in 1387 more and more noble people started converting to Roman Catholicism which became the dominant religion among aristocracy.
In the 16th century a large part of Belarusian nobility, both Catholic and Orthodox, converted to Calvinism
and other Protestant churches following the example of the Radziwill
s. However, under the influence of counter-reformation in late 16th century and early 17th century most of them converted to Roman Catholicism. By the annexation of modern Belarusian lands by the Russian Empire
in the end of the 18th century the Belarusian gentry was predominantly Roman Catholic while the rest of the population was mainly Eastern Catholic with a small Eastern Orthodox minority living in the east of modern Belarus. Still, there was also Eastern Orthodox szlachta in the surroundings of Pinsk
, Davyd-Haradok
, Slutsk
and Mahiliou as well as calvinist szlachta.
Belarusian aristocrats had their family symbols already in the 14th century. One of the privileges introduced to the gentry by the Union of Horodlo
was the usage of Polish (sometimes modified) coats of arms.
There are about 5 thousands coats of arms of Polish, Belarusian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian 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...
) were usually of Slavic (Ruthenian
Ruthenian
Ruthenian may refer to:*Ruthenia, a name applied to various parts of Eastern Europe*Ruthenians, a historic ethnic group*Ruthenian Catholic Church, the sui iuris particular church united to the Bishop of Rome and the Roman Catholic Church...
) origin in the east or of Baltic (Lithuanian in historical context, Litvin
Litvin
Litvin literally means Lithuanian person in several Slavic languages. The term may also refer to:* Litvins, in historical context, Slavic people who identified themselves with the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania...
) origin in the west of the lands of what is now Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. The percentage of nobility among inhabitants of the lands of modern Belarus was very high compared to other countries: 10%-12% at the end of 18th century compared to 1% in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
or Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
of that time. According to the historian Anatol Hrytskievich
Anatol Hrytskievich
Dr. Prof. Anatol Hrytskievich is a Belarusian historian. He is a correspondent member of the International Academy of Science of Eurasia , doctor of history , professor ....
, this was because of the necessity to have a large amount of military szlachta was the base for.
History
Ruthenian duchies of Polatsk, Turau and Pinsk, DrutskPrincipality of Drutsk
The Duchy of Drutsk was a state with the centre in Drutsk on the lands of modern Belarus in the Early Middle Ages.The independent Duchy of Drutsk was established after the death of Usiaslau, the duke of Polatsk, in 1101 and the division of the Polatsk territory between Usiaslau's sons...
and others have been incorporated into the 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...
, and the Ruthenian gentry became the largest part of the common Lithuanian nobility.
At the same time, the Baltic nobility of Lithuania Propria actively adopted Ruthenian culture, language and traditions. The Lithuanian higher nobility largely embraced Slavic customs and Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.Much of the upper class of the Grand Duchy called themselves Lithuanians (Litvin
Litvin
Litvin literally means Lithuanian person in several Slavic languages. The term may also refer to:* Litvins, in historical context, Slavic people who identified themselves with the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania...
y), yet spoke the Ruthenian language (also referred to as Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
) In the effect of the processes, Lithuanian higher nobility became largely Ruthenian, while the lesser nobility in the ethnic Baltic lands of what is now Republic of Lithuania continued to use native spoken Lithuanian language. The adapted Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
and later the Ruthenian language, acquired a status of a main chancery language in the local matters and relations with other Orthodox principalities as lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
, and Latin was used in relations with the Western Europe.
Fusion of Ruthenian and Lithuanian gentries
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...
are known. Equality of their rights was also guaranteed by the Lithuanian Statutes of 1529, 1566 and 1588. As time passed, the differences between Lithuanian and Ruthenian fractions of the nobility of the inside the 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...
practically disappeared.
Polonization
Until the 16th century Old Belarusian languageOld Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
was used by most of the szlachta of the 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...
, including the Grand Dukes and including the region of Samogitia, both in formal affairs and in private. From the 16th century Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
became more actively used, especially by Magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
s while minor szlachta remained Old Belarusian-speaking.
Since that time the Belarusian szlachta actively adopted Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
noble customs and traditions, such as Sarmatism
Sarmatism
"Sarmatism" is a term designating the dominant lifestyle, culture and ideology of the szlachta of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Together with "Golden Liberty," it formed a central aspect of the Commonwealth's culture...
. However, despite that the nobility stayed politically loyal to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and defended it autonomy in disputes with the Polish crown within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
.
Russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
of the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
in the 19th century and early 20th century.
Belarus as part of the Russian Empire
In the late 18th and 19th centuries Belarusian szlachta were active participants of anti-Russian uprisings on the territory of the former Polish-Lithuanian CommonwealthPolish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
. Tadeusz Kościuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
(Tadevush Kastsyushka), a nobleman from what is now Belarus, was leader of the Kościuszko Uprising
Kosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
in 1793. Kastus Kalinouski was the leader of January Uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
on the territory of the former 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...
.
By the 19th century polonization
Polonization
Polonization was the acquisition or imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular, Polish language, as experienced in some historic periods by non-Polish populations of territories controlled or substantially influenced by Poland...
of the szlachta on one hand and russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
and violent introduction of Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
to the peasantry on the other hand led to a situation where the social barrier between aristocracy and peasantry on Belarusian lands became in many aspects an ethnic barrier. In the 19th century, the era of nationalism, local intellectuals of peasant origin and some szlachta people like Francišak Bahuševič
Francišak Bahuševic
Francišak Bahuševič -Biography:Was born in Ambary manor in Vilna uezd of Vilna Governorate. As known, this manor in the end life was got by Vasily Tyapinsky. The participant of January Uprising of 1863-1864. After January Uprising left Belarus. Lived in Ukraine. Studied in Nezhinsk legal liceum....
and Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich contributed to the forming of modern-day Belarusians
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
as a new nation of Slavonic-speaking inhabitants of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania and basing on the historical and legacy of the 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...
and previous Ruthenian kingdoms of Polatsk
Polatsk
Polotsk , is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina river. It is the center of Polotsk district in Vitsebsk Voblast. Its population is more than 80,000 people...
and Turau
Turau
Turaŭ or Turaw is a town in the Zhytkavichy Raion of Homiel Province of Belarus and the former capital of the medieval Principality of Turov and Pinsk.-History:...
. At the same time Baltic-speakers of the lands of modern Republic of Lithuania formed into modern-day Lithuanians
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
and the historical unity of Ruthenians and Lithuanians fell apart.
In the 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century the Belarusian nobility has been primarily politically active in the KrajowcyKrajowcy
The Krajowcy was a group of mainly Polish-speaking intellectuals from the Vilnius Region who, in the beginning of the 20th century, opposed the division of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth into nation states along ethnic and linguistic lines. It was a reactionary movement against growing...
political movement. Still, some of them, like Raman Skirmunt
Raman Skirmunt
Raman Skirmunt was a notable Belarusian statesman, aristocrat and landlord.Raman Skirmunt was born in the village Porzecze near Pinsk into the local noble family of the Skirmunts...
, have been sympathetic with the Belarusian national movement and have supported the creation of an independent Belarusian Democratic Republic in 1918.
After the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
the Belarusian nobility was severely hit by Bolshevist terror. East Belarus
East Belarus
thumb|Coat of arms of East BelarusEast Belarus usually refers to the part of Belarus that was under Soviet occupation between 1919 and 1939, as opposed to West Belarus that was part of the Second Polish Republic in that time....
faced Soviet terror already since early 1920s, while most noble people living in West Belarus
West Belarus
West Belarus is the name used in reference to the territory of modern Belarus which belonged to the Second Polish Republic between 1919 and 1939. The area of West Belarus was annexed into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic following staged elections soon after the Nazi-Soviet Invasion of...
were repressed only upon the territory's annexation by the USSR in 1939. Belarusian historians speak of a genocide of the Belarusian gentry carried out by the Bolsheviks
However, by the beginning of the 20th century many minor nobles in Belarus were hardly distinguishable from usual peasants, only top aristocracy faced repressions because of their noble origin.
Upon Belarus regaining independence in 1991, remaining descendants of noble families in Belarus have formed certain organizations, particularly the Union of Belarusian Noble People (Згуртаванне беларускай шляхты). There is, however, a split between the noble people identifying themselves rather with the Polish-Lithuanian szlachta and the Russian dvoryanstvo.
In 2009 descendants of the Radziwill
Radziwill
The Radziwiłł family is an noble family of Lithuanian origin. The descendants of Kristinas Astikas, a close associate of the 14th century Lithuanian ruler Vytautas, were highly prominent for centuries, first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the...
family have visited their former family castles in Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
and Niasvizh.
Naming
Initially, the Belarusian noble people were called bajaryBoyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
(on the territory of what is now Republic of Lithuania the word bajorai was used).
After passing of the Horodło privileges along with the word bajary the term bajary-szlachta (баяры-шляхта) or simply 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...
(шляхта) was used in documentation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that was predominantly written in Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian language
Old Belarusian was a historic East Slavic language, written and spoken at least in the 14th–17th century, and reported spoken as late as the very beginning of the 19th century, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, probably...
. In 15th-16th centuries nobility in Polesia
Polesia
Polesia is one of the largest European swampy areas, located in the south-western part of the Eastern-European Lowland, mainly within Belarus and Ukraine but also partly within Poland and Russia...
or Podlacha was also often called ziamianie (зямяне). Since the second quarter of 16th century the word szlachta (шляхта) became the dominant Belarusian term for noble people.
Religion
By the 14th century the majority of the Belarusian nobility, both Baltic and Ruthenian, were Eastern Orthodox. After the Christianization of pagan Baltic tribes of what is now Republic of LithuaniaChristianization of Lithuania
The Christianization of Lithuania – Christianization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that took place in 1387, initiated by the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila and his cousin Vytautas, that signified the official adoption of Christianity by Lithuanians, one of the last pagan...
in 1387 more and more noble people started converting to Roman Catholicism which became the dominant religion among aristocracy.
In the 16th century a large part of Belarusian nobility, both Catholic and Orthodox, converted to Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
and other Protestant churches following the example of the Radziwill
Radziwill
The Radziwiłł family is an noble family of Lithuanian origin. The descendants of Kristinas Astikas, a close associate of the 14th century Lithuanian ruler Vytautas, were highly prominent for centuries, first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the...
s. However, under the influence of counter-reformation in late 16th century and early 17th century most of them converted to Roman Catholicism. By the annexation of modern Belarusian lands by the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in the end of the 18th century the Belarusian gentry was predominantly Roman Catholic while the rest of the population was mainly Eastern Catholic with a small Eastern Orthodox minority living in the east of modern Belarus. Still, there was also Eastern Orthodox szlachta in the surroundings of Pinsk
Pinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
, Davyd-Haradok
Davyd-Haradok
Davyd-Haradok is a city in the southwestern Belarusian voblast of Brest. It has 7,681 inhabitants .-External links:* *...
, Slutsk
Slutsk
Slutsk is a town in Belarus, located on the Sluch River south of Minsk. As of 2010 its population is of 61,400).-Geography:The town is situated in the south-west of its Voblast, not too far from from the city of Soligorsk.-History:...
and Mahiliou as well as calvinist szlachta.
Heraldry
See Polish heraldryPolish heraldry
Polish heraldry is a branch of heraldry focused on studying the development of coats of arms in the lands of historical Poland , as well as specifically-Polish traits of heraldry. The term is also used to refer to Polish heraldic system, as opposed to systems used elsewhere, notably in Western Europe...
Belarusian aristocrats had their family symbols already in the 14th century. One of the privileges introduced to the gentry by the Union of Horodlo
Union of Horodlo
The Union of Horodło or Pact of Horodło was a set of three acts signed in the town of Horodło on October 2, 1413. The first act was written by Jogaila, King of Poland, and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The second and third acts were composed by the Lithuanian and Polish nobility respectively...
was the usage of Polish (sometimes modified) coats of arms.
There are about 5 thousands coats of arms of Polish, Belarusian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian szlachta.
Notable Belarusian noble families
- RadziwillRadziwillThe Radziwiłł family is an noble family of Lithuanian origin. The descendants of Kristinas Astikas, a close associate of the 14th century Lithuanian ruler Vytautas, were highly prominent for centuries, first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, later in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the...
- SapiehaSapiehaThe Sapieha is a Polish-Lithuanian princely family descending from the medieval boyars of Smolensk. The family acquired great influence in the sixteenth century.-History:...
- Ogiński
- Pac
- OstrogskiOstrogskiOstrogski was one of the greatest Ruthenian princely families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.They were most likely of Rurikid stock and descended from Sviatopolk II of Kiev. Some scholars however claim their descent from Galicia-Volhynia line of Rurikid dynasty. Vasilko Romanovich Prince of...