Kolsky Uyezd
Encyclopedia
Kolsky Uyezd was an administrative division (an uyezd
) of the Tsardom of Russia
and later of the Russian Empire
.
can be traced to the early 16th century when the Russian monk Trifon founded an Orthodox monastery at Pechenga. Later in 1556, Ivan the Terrible
, by his own will, gave the monastery a large part of land on the peninsula. This land covered territories which Norway—then a part of the kingdom of Denmark–Norway
—traditionally considered as their own. Consequently, Frederick II
, the King of Denmark–Norway, sent two expeditions in the 1580s and in 1586 to give up the peninsula. His claims were, however, contested by Sweden, then the major power in the Baltic region.
At first, Sweden extracted the Kola Peninsula from both Russia and Denmark–Norway in a series of wars and resulting treaties. However, in the later Treaty of Täysinä in 1595, Sweden acknowledged Russian rights in Kola. Claims from Denmark–Norway remained, and therefore in 1582, a Russian voivode was appointed to Kola
to provide for better defenses of the peninsula. The voivode governed the territory which became known as Kolsky Uyezd. Upon its creation, the uyezd covered most of the territory of the Kola Peninsula
, with the exception of Varzuzhskaya
and Umbskaya Volost
s (which were a part of Dvinsky Uyezd), and also the northern part of Karelia
all the way to Lendery.
In 1608–1611, a population census was conducted in the uyezd. The census categorized the Sami people
(called "Lapps" by the census) living in the uyezd into three groups—Terskaya Lapps, who lived west of the line between Kildin Island
and Turiy Headland
of the Turiy Peninsula
; Konchanskaya Lapps, who lived east of that line; and Leshya (wild, unbaptized) Lapps, who lived south of Kandalaksha
all the way south to approximately the 65th parallel
. The territories on which each group lived were also named by the same terms (Terskaya, Konchanskaya, and Leshya).
The territory of the Terskaya Lapps included the Sami pogost
s of Voroninsky, Norensky (Semiostrovsky), Lovozersky, Ponoysky, and Kandala. The territory of Konchanskaya Lapps comprised the pogosts of Babinsky, Yekostrovsky, Maselgsky, Songelsky, Notozersky, Munomoshsky (Kildinsky), Motovsky, Pechengsky, Pazretsky, and Nyavdemsky. In 1623–1624, the territory of the Konchanskaya Lapps was occasionally called the "Upper Lands" .
Apart from the Sami pogosts, the uyezd also included Kandalakshskaya
, Knyazhegubskaya, Kovdskaya, Keretskaya, and Poryegubskaya Volosts, as well as northern Karelia
. Kolsky ostrog
served as the administrative center.
. This changed on , 1708, when Tsar
Peter the Great
divided the country into eight governorates
, and Kolsky and Dvinsky Uyezds became a part of Archangelgorod Governorate
. When Archangelgorod Governorate was abolished by Catherine II
on 1780, Kolsky Uyezd became a part of Arkhangelsk Oblast of Vologda Viceroyalty
. When Arkhangelsk Oblast was re-organized into Arkhangelsk Viceroyalty by Catherine II's decree on , 1784, Kolsky Uyezd became a part of it as well. The borders of the uyezd were also changed—Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts were transferred under its jurisdiction, while most territories in northern Karelia were transferred into Kemsky Uyezd.
Upon Paul I
's accession to the throne in 1796, all viceroyalties in Russia were abolished, and the country was divided into governorates instead. Arkhangelsk Viceroyalty was transformed into Arkhangelsk Governorate
, of which Kolsky Uyezd became a part.
, the territory to the west of the Voryema River
was ceded to Norway. Russia retained only a small plot of land on the left bank of the Paz River
with a 16th-century church of Boris and Gleb, and a pogost.
1828 saw more changes—Knyazhegubskaya Volost was merged into Kandalakshskaya Volost; Chernoretskoye usolye was merged into Kovdskaya Volost, Tetrinskaya slobodka and Pyalitskaya slobodka, along with Ponoy, were merged into Varzuzhskaya Volost, and Poryegubskaya Volost was merged into Umbskaya Volost.
On , 1841, all volosts in the uyezds of Arkhangelsk Governorate were enlarged. In Kolsky Uyezd, only two volosts remained—Kovdskaya, which included old Keretskaya and Kandalakshskaya Volosts and all of the pogosts; and Kuzomenskaya, which was formed from Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts and the territory of the Terskaya Lapps).
After having been reduced nearly to ashes as a result of a bombardment by a British ship in 1854, the town of Kola
went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar Alexander II
approved a State Council
opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into Kemsky Uyezd.
The uyezd was restored on , 1883 when Tsar Alexander III
approved a new opinion of the State Council, although the territory of the restored uyezd was smaller than its pre-1858 territory. In 1899, it was renamed Alexandrovsky Uyezd
.
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
) of the Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
and later of 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...
.
16th–17th centuries
Russian expansion to the Kola PeninsulaKola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
can be traced to the early 16th century when the Russian monk Trifon founded an Orthodox monastery at Pechenga. Later in 1556, Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
, by his own will, gave the monastery a large part of land on the peninsula. This land covered territories which Norway—then a part of the kingdom of Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway
Denmark–Norway is the historiographical name for a former political entity consisting of the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway, including the originally Norwegian dependencies of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
—traditionally considered as their own. Consequently, Frederick II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
, the King of Denmark–Norway, sent two expeditions in the 1580s and in 1586 to give up the peninsula. His claims were, however, contested by Sweden, then the major power in the Baltic region.
At first, Sweden extracted the Kola Peninsula from both Russia and Denmark–Norway in a series of wars and resulting treaties. However, in the later Treaty of Täysinä in 1595, Sweden acknowledged Russian rights in Kola. Claims from Denmark–Norway remained, and therefore in 1582, a Russian voivode was appointed to Kola
Kola (town)
Kola is a town and the administrative center of Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kola and Tuloma Rivers, south of Murmansk and southwest of Severomorsk. It is the oldest town of the Kola Peninsula. Population: 11,060 ; -History:The district of Kolo...
to provide for better defenses of the peninsula. The voivode governed the territory which became known as Kolsky Uyezd. Upon its creation, the uyezd covered most of the territory of the Kola Peninsula
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
, with the exception of Varzuzhskaya
Varzuzhskaya Volost
Varzuzhskaya Volost was an administrative division of the Novgorod Republic and later of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, and the Russian Empire. Its seat was in Varzuga....
and Umbskaya Volost
Umbskaya Volost
Umbskaya Volost was an administrative division of the Novgorod Republic and later of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. Its seat was in Umba....
s (which were a part of Dvinsky Uyezd), and also the northern part of Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
all the way to Lendery.
In 1608–1611, a population census was conducted in the uyezd. The census categorized the Sami people
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
(called "Lapps" by the census) living in the uyezd into three groups—Terskaya Lapps, who lived west of the line between Kildin Island
Kildin Island
Kildin is a small Russian island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway. Administratively, Kildin belongs to the Murmansk Oblast of the Russian Federation....
and Turiy Headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
of the Turiy Peninsula
Turiy Peninsula
Turiy Peninsula is peninsula located in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is the biggest peninsula on the south of Kola Peninsula. It protrudes into the White Sea, with Sosnovaya Bay to the west, and Karzh Bay to the ost.- Sources :*...
; Konchanskaya Lapps, who lived east of that line; and Leshya (wild, unbaptized) Lapps, who lived south of Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, beyond the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ; -History:The settlement has existed since the 11th century...
all the way south to approximately the 65th parallel
65th parallel north
The 65th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 65 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America....
. The territories on which each group lived were also named by the same terms (Terskaya, Konchanskaya, and Leshya).
The territory of the Terskaya Lapps included the Sami pogost
Pogost
Pogost is a historical term with several meanings in the Russian language. It has also been borrowed into Latvian and Finnish , with specific meanings....
s of Voroninsky, Norensky (Semiostrovsky), Lovozersky, Ponoysky, and Kandala. The territory of Konchanskaya Lapps comprised the pogosts of Babinsky, Yekostrovsky, Maselgsky, Songelsky, Notozersky, Munomoshsky (Kildinsky), Motovsky, Pechengsky, Pazretsky, and Nyavdemsky. In 1623–1624, the territory of the Konchanskaya Lapps was occasionally called the "Upper Lands" .
Apart from the Sami pogosts, the uyezd also included Kandalakshskaya
Kandalakshskaya Volost
Kandalakshskaya Volost was an administrative division over time included into various administrative divisions of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR....
, Knyazhegubskaya, Kovdskaya, Keretskaya, and Poryegubskaya Volosts, as well as northern Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
. Kolsky ostrog
Kola (town)
Kola is a town and the administrative center of Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kola and Tuloma Rivers, south of Murmansk and southwest of Severomorsk. It is the oldest town of the Kola Peninsula. Population: 11,060 ; -History:The district of Kolo...
served as the administrative center.
18th century
From the time of its foundation, the uyezd was governed directly from MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. This changed on , 1708, when Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Peter the Great
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
divided the country into eight governorates
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
, and Kolsky and Dvinsky Uyezds became a part of Archangelgorod Governorate
Archangelgorod Governorate
Archangelgorod Governorate , or the Government of Archangelgorod, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1708 until 1780. Its seat was in Archangel...
. When Archangelgorod Governorate was abolished by Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
on 1780, Kolsky Uyezd became a part of Arkhangelsk Oblast of Vologda Viceroyalty
Vologda Viceroyalty
Vologda Viceroyalty was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed in 1780–1796.The viceroyalty was established by a decree of Catherine II on , 1780...
. When Arkhangelsk Oblast was re-organized into Arkhangelsk Viceroyalty by Catherine II's decree on , 1784, Kolsky Uyezd became a part of it as well. The borders of the uyezd were also changed—Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts were transferred under its jurisdiction, while most territories in northern Karelia were transferred into Kemsky Uyezd.
Upon Paul I
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
's accession to the throne in 1796, all viceroyalties in Russia were abolished, and the country was divided into governorates instead. Arkhangelsk Viceroyalty was transformed into Arkhangelsk Governorate
Arkhangelsk Governorate
Archangelsk Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire, which existed from 1796 until 1929. Its seat was in Arkhangelsk...
, of which Kolsky Uyezd became a part.
19th century
The borders of the uyezd were changed again in 1826. According to the treaty between Russia and the Sweden–Norway unionUnion between Sweden and Norway
The Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union....
, the territory to the west of the Voryema River
Jakobselva (Sør-Varanger)
The Jakobselva is a river on the border of Sør-Varanger municipality in Finnmark, Norway, and Murmansk Oblast in Russia.The river is also known as the Grense Jakobselv River...
was ceded to Norway. Russia retained only a small plot of land on the left bank of the Paz River
Paatsjoki
The Paatsjoki River is the outlet from Lake Inari in Finland and flows through Norway and Russia to discharge into the Varangerfjord, not far from Kirkenes. The Varangerfjord connects with the Barents Sea...
with a 16th-century church of Boris and Gleb, and a pogost.
1828 saw more changes—Knyazhegubskaya Volost was merged into Kandalakshskaya Volost; Chernoretskoye usolye was merged into Kovdskaya Volost, Tetrinskaya slobodka and Pyalitskaya slobodka, along with Ponoy, were merged into Varzuzhskaya Volost, and Poryegubskaya Volost was merged into Umbskaya Volost.
On , 1841, all volosts in the uyezds of Arkhangelsk Governorate were enlarged. In Kolsky Uyezd, only two volosts remained—Kovdskaya, which included old Keretskaya and Kandalakshskaya Volosts and all of the pogosts; and Kuzomenskaya, which was formed from Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts and the territory of the Terskaya Lapps).
After having been reduced nearly to ashes as a result of a bombardment by a British ship in 1854, the town of Kola
Kola (town)
Kola is a town and the administrative center of Kolsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kola and Tuloma Rivers, south of Murmansk and southwest of Severomorsk. It is the oldest town of the Kola Peninsula. Population: 11,060 ; -History:The district of Kolo...
went into decline. As a result, on , 1858, Tsar Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
approved a State Council
State Council of Imperial Russia
The State Council was the supreme state advisory body to the Tsar in Imperial Russia.-18th century:Early Tsars' Councils were small and dealt primarily with the external politics....
opinion "On Changing the Governance in the Town of Kola and in Kolsky Uyezd" that Kolsky Uyezd be abolished and its territory merged into Kemsky Uyezd.
The uyezd was restored on , 1883 when Tsar Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
approved a new opinion of the State Council, although the territory of the restored uyezd was smaller than its pre-1858 territory. In 1899, it was renamed Alexandrovsky Uyezd
Alexandrovsky Uyezd
Alexandrovsky Uyezd was an administrative division of Arkhangelsk Governorate of the Russian Empire and later of the Russian SFSR.The origins of Alexandrovsky Uyezd trace back to Kolsky Uyezd, which existed on this territory since the early 16th century until , 1858, when Tsar Alexander II...
.