Kauno pavieto ribų kaita : XVI a. vidurys - XVIII a. pabaiga

Abstract

In the middle of the 16th century on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania an administrative-territorial reform was carried out. The whole state was divided into 'vaivadijos', and these units were then divided into smaller administrative districts, called 'pavietas'. This reform was the first to define precisely and to separate the territory boundaries of pavietai and vaivadijos. Unfortunately, when a piece of land was ascribed to one or another pavietas, this was not marked on the maps. After the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania in 1569 and the first division of the Republic in 1772, the boundaries of the Grand Duchy were changed. In the first case the Grand Duchy lost southern territories, in the second it lost the vaivadijos of Vitebskas and Mstislaulis. The northern part of Polockas vaivadija and the eastern part of Minskas vaivadija were annexed by the Russian Empire. That is why the existing state of distribution did not satisfy the requirements of reality any more. In the autumn of 1791 a new territorial distribution statute of the Republic was adopted by the Parliament. From the 23 pavietai that existed in the Grand Duchy new 34 pavietai were formed. The reform touched the pavietas of Kaunas as well: from its territory an additional pavietas of Prienai was formed. Later, the parishes of Virbalis and Naumiestis, which previously belonged to the Duchy of Samogitia, were attached, and this changed the boundaries of Samogitia and Trakai vaivadija. We have to note that this reform, as well as many others that were adopted by the Seym, was short-lived.