Ziemia
Encyclopedia
Ziemia (ˈʑɛmja, Land) is a historical unit of administration in Poland
. In Polish the term is not capitalized
(ziemia chełmińska, not Ziemia Chełmińska).
In prehistoric Poland, this term referred to a territory controlled by a given tribe
. The term appeared in medieval Poland (12th-13th centuries), after the fragmentation of Poland. Ziemia referred to a former princedom or duchy
which was reunifed 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 voivodeship
s (provinces). However some ziemias were not transformed into voivodeships. In most cases they were subordinated to a voivodeship and a certain voivode, but retained some privileges and properties of a voivodeship, such as often having their own sejmik
(regional parliament), and were referred to as a ziemia, not a voivodeship.
Over subsequent centuries, ziemias became increasingly integrated into their voivodeships and lost more and more 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.
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...
. In Polish the term is not capitalized
Capitalization
Capitalization is writing a word with its first letter as a majuscule and the remaining letters in minuscules . This of course only applies to those writing systems which have a case distinction...
(ziemia chełmińska, not Ziemia Chełmińska).
In prehistoric Poland, this term referred to a territory controlled by a given tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
. The term appeared in medieval Poland (12th-13th centuries), after the fragmentation of Poland. Ziemia referred to a former princedom or duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
which was reunifed with the Polish Kingdom and lost its political sovereignty but retained its hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
of officials and bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian 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 voivodeship
Voivodeship
Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....
s (provinces). However some ziemias were not transformed into voivodeships. In most cases they were subordinated to a voivodeship and a certain voivode, but retained some privileges and properties of a voivodeship, such as often having their own sejmik
Sejmik
A sejmik was a regional assembly in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and earlier in the Kingdom of Poland. Sejmiks existed until the end of the Commonwealth in 1795 following the partitions of the Commonwealth...
(regional parliament), and were referred to as a ziemia, not a voivodeship.
Over subsequent centuries, ziemias became increasingly integrated into their voivodeships and lost more and more 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.
List of ziemias
- Ziemia chełmińska (Chełmno LandChełmno LandChełmno land or Chełmno region is a historical region of Poland, located in central Poland, bounded by the Vistula and Drwęca rivers....
) - Ziemia chełmska (Chełm Land)
- Ziemia dobrzyńska (Dobrzyń LandDobrzyn LandDobrzyń Land is a historic region around the town of Dobrzyń nad Wisłą in Poland, east of the Vistula River and south of the Drwęca, where it borders on the Kulmerland...
) - Ziemia kaliska (Kalisz Land)
- Ziemia kłodzka (Kłodzko LandKłodzko LandKłodzko Land is a historical region in southwestern Poland. Geographically speaking Kłodzko Land consists of the Kłodzko Valley and the surrounding Sudetes mountains. It is named after its capital city, Kłodzko....
) - Ziemia lęborsko-bytowska (Lauenburg and Bütow LandLauenburg and Bütow LandLauenburg and Bütow Land formed a historical region in eastern in eastern Pomerania. Composed of two districts centered around the towns of Lauenburg and Bütow , it was on the western periphery of Pomerelia...
) - Ziemia lubuska (Lubusz LandLubusz LandLubusz Land is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany, on both sides of the Oder river.Originally the settlement area of the West Slavic Leubuzzi, a Veleti tribe, the swampy area was located east of Mark Brandenburg and west of Greater Poland, south of Pomerania and north...
) - Ziemia lwowska (Lwów LandLwów LandLwów Land was an administrative unit of the Kingdom of Poland and later - of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. With capital in the city of Lviv, it existed between 1340 and 1772. Regional Sejmiks took place in Lviv, also in the same city the Tribunal of Lesser Poland was placed, which was the...
/Lviv Land) - Ziemia michałowska (Michałów Land)
- Ziemia sanocka (Sanok LandSanok LandSanok Land was a historical administrative division unit of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 14th-18th centuries. It consisted of land that now belongs to the powiats of: Sanok, Brzozów, Lesko and partially Krosno and Rzeszów.Ziemia Sanocka was a part of the Ruthenian Voivodeship ...
) - Ziemia sieradzka (Sieradz Land)
- Ziemia śląsko-łużycka (Silesian-Lusatian Land)
- Ziemia wieluńska (Wieluń Land)