Berestia
Encyclopedia
Berestia or Land of Berestia is the part of Belarus
ian and Polish
ethnic territory, bounded by the Bug River
, Pripyat River
, Yaselda River, and Narew
(Narva) River.
, Bilsk
, Dorohychyn
, Kobryn
, Kamyanyets and Vizna
.
in 1019. It became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, laid waste by the Mongols
in 1241 (see: Mongol invasion of Europe
), and was not rebuilt until 1275.
In the second part of the 12th century Berestia became the center of the small feudal duchy called Land of Berestia which was part of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In 1164 the Lithuanian Duke Skirmunt took Berestia but did not own it for a long time. Unsuccessful were the attempts of the Polish king Kazimierz II in 1179 and 1182 to join Berestia to Poland.
In 1213 Polish King Leszko occupied Berestia but in 1222 Volhynian duke Vasilka returned the city to the bosom of the Land of Berestia. In the beginning of the 13th century the troops of the Polish king Konrad Mazowiecki occupied the city but the population of Berestia resisted and the king had to return the city to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In the middle of the 13th century the Berestia Land was invaded by Mongols. There is no historical evidence about the depredation of Berestia by them. Mongols
were weakened by fights with Slavonic Duchies and could not move further to Western Europe. Many times Berestia was besieged by enemies, sometimes the town was burnt down totally but every time it was reconstructed.
To defend their territories from invaders the Slavonic dukes built fortification castles and towers. In the 12th century a castle and a fortification to harbor the trade caravans were built in the city. Berestia served as a customs where the merchants paid their taxes for carrying goods. In 1276 Wolyn duke Wlodzimierz Vasilkovich erected high stone tower in the city. Also he ordered to build up another tower on the Lyasnaya river in Bialowierza Puszcza to defend the northern territories of his duchy. The city of Kamienec soon appeared near the second tower in the primeval forest. The tower in Kamienec still stands as a witness of those events.
To the North of Berestia, an old Lithuanian-Belarusian state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
, was emerging. The state appeared on the territories of baltic tribes half-assimilated by Slavs. The dukes of Lithuania managed to escape the subjugation to Russian Dukes and the state was growing and getting stronger. Since the end of the 12th century the Lithuanian territories were attacked by crusaders who wanted to subdue the Baltic and the Russian territories. To resist the crusaders threat the peace treaty between Russian and Lithuanian dukes was signed in 1219.
From 1080 to 1150 the land belonged to the Principality of Turov and Pinsk
(Turiv-Pynske) {Turów
, Pinsk
}, later to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, and after 1320 to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
as part of the Trakai Voivodeship
. From 1569 to 1795 it constituted the Podlaskie Voivodeship
and Brest Litovsk Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
. After the third partition
of the Commonwealth (1795), the territory was annexed to the Russian Empire
.
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 ,...
ian and Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
ethnic territory, bounded by the Bug River
Bug River
The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...
, Pripyat River
Pripyat River
The Pripyat River or Prypiat River is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine again, draining into the Dnieper....
, Yaselda River, and Narew
Narew
The Narew River , in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, is a left tributary of the Vistula river...
(Narva) River.
Cities
Its main cities were BerestiaBrest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
, Bilsk
Bielsk Podlaski
-Roads and Highways:Bielsk Podlaski is at the intersection of two National Road and a Voivodeship Road:* National Road 19 - Kuźnica Białystoka Border Crossing - Kuźnica - Białystok - Bielsk Podlaski - Siemiatycze - Międzyrzec Podlaski - Kock - Lubartów - Lublin - Kraśnik - Janów Lubelski - Nisko...
, Dorohychyn
Drohiczyn
Drohiczyn is a small historic town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town with population 2,110 is situated on a bank of the Bug River.- History :...
, Kobryn
Kobryn
Kobryn or Kobrin is a city in the Brest voblast of Belarus and the center of the Kobryn Raion. The city is located in the southwestern corner of Belarus where the Mukhavets River and Dnepr-Bug Canal meet. The city lies about 52 km east of the city of Brest. Kobryn is located at Latitude...
, Kamyanyets and Vizna
Wizna
Wizna is a village in Łomża County of Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. The Biebrza River flows through town. Wizna is also known for the battle of Wizna which took place in its vicinity during the 1939 Invasion of Poland. At present, farming and food production are the primary...
.
Leadership
Princes of Berestia (Brest)- Sviatoslav Mstislavich Vsevolod Mstislavich son of Mstislav II of KievMstislav II of KievMstislav II Izyaslavich , Kniaz' of Pereyaslav, Volodymyr-Volynsky and Velikiy Kniaz of Kiev . Son of Izyaslav Mstislavich, Velikiy Kniaz' of Kiev....
- Vasilko RomanovichVasilko RomanovichVasilko Romanovich , Prince of Belz , Prince of Brest , and Prince of Volhynia .He was the son of Roman the Great, and the younger brother of Daniel of Galicia....
(1221–1231)
History
The city was founded by the Slavs. As a town, Brest – Berestye in Kievan Rus – was first mentioned in the Primary ChroniclePrimary Chronicle
The Primary Chronicle , Ruthenian Primary Chronicle or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113.- Three editions :...
in 1019. It became part 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...
, laid waste by the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
in 1241 (see: Mongol invasion of Europe
Mongol invasion of Europe
The resumption of the Mongol invasion of Europe, during which the Mongols attacked medieval Rus' principalities and the powers of Poland and Hungary, was marked by the Mongol invasion of Rus starting in 21 December 1237...
), and was not rebuilt until 1275.
In the second part of the 12th century Berestia became the center of the small feudal duchy called Land of Berestia which was part of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In 1164 the Lithuanian Duke Skirmunt took Berestia but did not own it for a long time. Unsuccessful were the attempts of the Polish king Kazimierz II in 1179 and 1182 to join Berestia to Poland.
In 1213 Polish King Leszko occupied Berestia but in 1222 Volhynian duke Vasilka returned the city to the bosom of the Land of Berestia. In the beginning of the 13th century the troops of the Polish king Konrad Mazowiecki occupied the city but the population of Berestia resisted and the king had to return the city to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In the middle of the 13th century the Berestia Land was invaded by Mongols. There is no historical evidence about the depredation of Berestia by them. Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
were weakened by fights with Slavonic Duchies and could not move further to Western Europe. Many times Berestia was besieged by enemies, sometimes the town was burnt down totally but every time it was reconstructed.
To defend their territories from invaders the Slavonic dukes built fortification castles and towers. In the 12th century a castle and a fortification to harbor the trade caravans were built in the city. Berestia served as a customs where the merchants paid their taxes for carrying goods. In 1276 Wolyn duke Wlodzimierz Vasilkovich erected high stone tower in the city. Also he ordered to build up another tower on the Lyasnaya river in Bialowierza Puszcza to defend the northern territories of his duchy. The city of Kamienec soon appeared near the second tower in the primeval forest. The tower in Kamienec still stands as a witness of those events.
To the North of Berestia, an old Lithuanian-Belarusian state, 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...
, was emerging. The state appeared on the territories of baltic tribes half-assimilated by Slavs. The dukes of Lithuania managed to escape the subjugation to Russian Dukes and the state was growing and getting stronger. Since the end of the 12th century the Lithuanian territories were attacked by crusaders who wanted to subdue the Baltic and the Russian territories. To resist the crusaders threat the peace treaty between Russian and Lithuanian dukes was signed in 1219.
From 1080 to 1150 the land belonged to the Principality of Turov and Pinsk
Principality of Turov and Pinsk
The Duchy of Turov and Pinsk was a medieval principality and state on the territory of modern southern Belarus and northern Ukraine. The principality's capital was Turov or Pinsk, other important cities were Mazyr and Slutsk, Lutsk, Brest, and Volodymyr-Volynskyi...
(Turiv-Pynske) {Turów
Turów
Turów may refer to several places in Poland:*Turów, Gmina Głogów in Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Turów, Gmina Pęcław in Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Turów, a former village in Gmina Bogatynia, Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
, 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...
}, later to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, and after 1320 to 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...
as part of the Trakai Voivodeship
Trakai Voivodeship
Trakai Voivodeship, Trakai Palatinate, or Troki Voivodeship , was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1413 until 1795.-History:...
. From 1569 to 1795 it constituted the Podlaskie Voivodeship
Podlaskie Voivodeship (1513–1795)
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....
and Brest Litovsk Voivodeship of 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...
. After the third partition
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
of the Commonwealth (1795), the territory was annexed to 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...
.