Nizhny Novgorod Governorate — an administrative-territorial formation of the 17th–20th centuries within the Russian Empire, centered in Nizhny Novgorod.
Nature of the phenomenon
In the Russian Empire, the name "Nizhny Novgorod Governorate" referred to the lands whose core was the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod appanage principality and adjacent areas of the Volga Region. The governorate was created by Peter I in the course of the provincial reform of the Russian Tsardom in 1714. It was headed by a governor. The first governor was A. P. Izmaylov (from March 1714). Over the course of the governorate's existence, a special official with enhanced powers — a governor-general — was appointed to lead it on four separate occasions.
During the years of Soviet Power, as part of the USSR's economic regionalization, a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated January 14, 1929 transformed it first into Gorky Krai, and in 1937 into Gorky Oblast.
In 1992, as part of democratic reforms, the oblast was renamed Nizhny Novgorod Region, and its head once again came to be called governor. In everyday usage the oblast is referred to as a governorate, as is recalled by the annual governor's balls, noble assembly gatherings, and the like.
Coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate
The coat of arms of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate was approved on December 8, 1856. Description of the coat of arms: "In a silver field, a gules stag passant; antlers of six tines, hooves sable. The shield is surmounted by the Imperial crown and surrounded by golden oak leaves joined by the ribbon of St. Andrew."
The pre-governorate period of the Nizhny Novgorod land. Administrative division
After Nizhny Novgorod came definitively under the control of the Muscovite state in the mid-15th century, governance of the surrounding territories was conducted on the basis of the mestnichestvo (precedence) system. The adjacent territories formed Nizhny Novgorod Uyezd, which bordered the uyezds of Kurmysh, Arzamas, Murom, Balakhna, Gorokhovets, Suzdal, and Yuryev.
By the end of the 16th century, the settlements of the Nizhny Novgorod land were organized into stans — aggregations of holdings of various types (palace, proprietary, and monastic) with no unified administrative structure:
- Berezopolsky Stan (Beryozovoye Pole, Berezepolye) — the most densely populated territories, situated near Nizhny Novgorod in the river basin between the Oka, the Volga, the Kudma, and the Kishma. Within the stan there existed a "well-defined structural unit" — the selo of Bogorodskoye "with its villages," granted by the tsar to Kuzma Minin and his family in 1615 in recognition of his role in organizing the Nizhny Novgorod militia.
- Zakudemsky Stan lay to the east of Berezepolye, situated "beyond the Kudma River" from Nizhny Novgorod's perspective — which is where its name came from. The successful settlement of these territories was aided by the founding of the Makaryev-Zheltovodsky Monastery at the mouth of the Kerzhenets River, which became one of the most powerful Nizhny Novgorod feudal lords in the 17th century.
- Strelitskiy Stan) — territories on the right bank of the Volga at the mouth of the Oka, directly opposite Nizhny Novgorod. The stan took shape only by the 17th century, absorbing the lands of the Strelitskaya volost and the Seyminsky bortniki (beekeepers).
In addition to the stans, territories belonging to palace holdings were clearly distinguished: palace selos with their surrounding villages, villages comprising the "Lukinskaya sokha" centered on the selo of Lukino, the posopnoye (tribute-paying) selo of Slobodskoye, associations of bortniki, and Mordva selos.
In the 1610s volosts began to form: the settlements of the Kozhukhovskiye bortniki at the mouth of the Seyma River became the Kuzhevskaya volost centered on the village of Kozhukhovskaya; the Matyushevskiye bortniki became the Matyushevskaya volost (center: the selo of Matyushino); the settlements of the "Mordva of Teryushevo and Baksheevo" became the palace Teryushevskaya volost; the selo of Sosnovskoye with its villages became the Sosnovskaya volost; the selo of Knyaginino with its villages became the Knyagininskaya volost; the Zavolzhskiye bortniki became the Tolokontsevskaya volost (center: Tolokontsevo); the Strelitskiye bortniki became the Strelitskaya volost. To the same period belongs the first mention, within the Nizhny Novgorod lands, of the Belogorodskaya volost — the patrimonial estate of Yelena Mikhaylovna Repnina, wife of Vasily Shuysky — as well as the Purekhskaya volost centered on the selo of Purekh, the Skorobogatovskaya volost-estate, and the volost of the selo of Solichnoye.
During the 17th century, some volosts passed into Nizhny Novgorod jurisdiction from neighboring uyezds. From Kurmysh Uyezd, for instance, the Lyskovskaya and Murashkinskaya proprietary volosts were added, having passed to the boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov. By that time the population of the selos of Lyskovo and Murashkino exceeded that of Kurmysh by many times over. The reverse also occurred: part of the settlements of the Tolokontsevskaya volost passed to the state-owned Zauzolskaya volost of Balakhna Uyezd.
As noble landownership developed, almost all settlements of the palace volosts, Mordva villages, and bortniki communities passed into the hands of feudal lords. By the mid-17th century, the largest feudal estates in the Russian state — those of the Morozovs, Cherkasskys, Vorotynskys, and Prozorovskys — were concentrated on the territories of Nizhny Novgorod Uyezd.
In 1680, the dumnoy dyak (council secretary) Larion Ivanov drew up a document for Tsar Fyodor Alekseyevich revising the established boyar titles. In the register of titles presented, the namestnik (viceroy) of Nizhny Novgorod ("of the lower Novgorod land") was included among 23 "ranked" titles, occupying 15th place.
In 1682 the mestnichestvo system was abolished, and governance was primarily exercised through namestniki. Among the Nizhny Novgorod namestniki mentioned before the beginning of the 18th century are P. M. Apraxin, G. G. Pushkin, Yu. A. Sitssky, A. Yu. Sitsky, S. L. Streshnev, Yu. P. Trubetskoy, and P. V. Sheremetev.
Formation of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate
During the provincial division of 1708, carried out as part of Peter I's regional reforms, Nizhny Novgorod was assigned to Kazan Governorate. From January 1714, the northwestern portion of its territory was separated out as Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. In addition to Nizhny Novgorod, the governorate comprised the towns of Alatyr, Arzamas, Balakhna, Vasilsursk, Gorokhovets, Kurmysh, Yuryevets, and Yadrin, along with their adjacent territories.
In 1717 the governorate was abolished and the territories were returned to Kazan Governorate, but just two years later, by Peter I's decree of May 29, 1719, the governorate was re-established.
The 17th and 18th centuries were marked by rapid economic development in the Volga Region. New lands were ploughed, a social division of labour was established, and a commodity-money economy developed.
One of the trades was the production of potash — a chemical used in glassmaking, soap-boiling, dyeing, and the manufacture of gunpowder. It was produced in large quantities in Arzamas Uyezd and then exported abroad via Arkhangelsk.
Balakhna was renowned for its salt trade. Timber shipbuilding also flourished there.
Skilled blacksmiths, carpenters, potters, and tailors lived in Lyskovo.
The fame of Pavlovo founders and gunsmiths spread far beyond the region.
The selo of Bogorodskoye with its nine villages was known for its leatherworking trade.
In the early 18th century a large anchor factory was established in Gorodetskaya Volost, and near Vorotynets in the mid-18th century, Demidov's cast-iron and iron foundries were set up.
The largest industrial center of the region was Nizhny Novgorod. It was a hub of rope-making, shipbuilding, and metalworking. Master shipbuilders took part in preparing the Volga fleet for transporting artillery and munitions to Azov. Metalworkers cast bells and anchors, and made weapon locks. The city had tanneries, malt houses, breweries, a brickworks, a steel plant, a pottery, and linen factories.
Nizhny Novgorod merchants conducted large-scale operations with Volga towns, Moscow, Vologda, and Solikamsk, maintained ties with Siberia, and traded beyond the country's borders. Enormous quantities of fish came up the Volga River from Astrakhan, and wholesale trade in grain and salt flourished in Nizhny Novgorod.
From the early years of the 17th century, the Makaryev Monastery, founded in the 15th century opposite Lyskovo, became widely known in the commercial world.
Here, at the monastery walls, an annual Makaryev Fair operated for nearly 200 years. It was the largest international trading gathering. Merchants from the countries of the East, England, Denmark, Sweden, and many other nations brought their goods here. Travelers noted that the trading festival at Makaryev was larger and more prosperous than the famous European fairs in Frankfurt and Leipzig. In 1816, after a fire, the fair was reestablished in Nizhny Novgorod.
In the second half of the 18th century, under the new administrative division, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate was divided into 11 uyezds: Arzamassky, Ardatovsky Uyezd, Balakhninsky, Vasilsky, Gorbatovsky, Knyagininsky, Nizhegorodsky, Makaryevsky, Lukoyanovskiy, Sergachsky, and Semyonovsky. This administrative division remained unchanged until the October Revolution.
Changes to the Governorate's Territory during the Imperial Period
During Catherine II's administrative reform, in 1778 the governorate's territories were first incorporated into the Ryazan Viceroyalty, and in 1779 the Nizhny Novgorod Viceroyalty was established, encompassing the old Nizhny Novgorod Governorate as well as parts of the Ryazan and Vladimir Viceroyalties and a portion of Kazan Governorate[6]. Under Paul I, a reverse renaming took place: the viceroyalties were renamed governorates.
In October 1797, the size of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate was enlarged by territories acquired through the partition of Penza Governorate. After Alexander I ascended to the throne, on 9 September 1801, Penza Governorate was restored to its previous extent.
During the Soviet Period
After the October Revolution of 1917, Nizhny Novgorod Governorate became part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), formed in 1918.
In 1922, the Varnavinsky and Vetluzhsky uyezds of Kostroma Governorate, the Kurmyshsky uyezd of Simbirsk Governorate, and a small portion of Tambov Governorate were incorporated into the governorate.
By a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated 14 January 1929, all governorates were abolished entirely. On the territory of Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast was formed; it also included the territory of the abolished Vyatka Governorate and small portions of Vladimir and Kostroma Governorates.
Interesting Facts
- Nizhny Novgorod Governorate was the most developed in terms of cottage industry in the Russian Empire. Of the numerous pre-revolutionary publications devoted to this subject, particular distinction belongs to the three-volume work "Nizhny Novgorod Governorate According to the Research of the Provincial Zemstvo", the second volume of which is devoted entirely to the governorate's cottage industry. The book is enriched with a great number of unique illustrations. The photographs depict virtually all the principal types of craftsmen's trades, from charcoal burning to the highly complex and labor-intensive art of blacksmithing. See also Khokhloma technique.