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Gubernia Minsk
First posted on February 14th 2008, last revised on July 23rd 2010







 History and Administrative Division . The territory of the Government of Mogilev was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania / of Poland-Lithuania until 1772. It was an administrative unit (government, gubernia) of the Russian Empire until the Russian Revolution, following which it was partitioned by the RSFSR and Belarus. Mogilev Gubernia was established in 1777, then consisting of 4 provinces - Mogilev, Mstislavl, Orsha, Rogachev, and in 12 uyezds (districts) : Babinovichi, Belitsa, Chausy, Cherikov, Klimovichi, Kopys, Mogilev, Mstislavl, Orsha, Rogachev, Senno, Stary Bukhov. Mogilev Gubernia was changed into Mogilev Namestichestvo in 1778, and changed again into Mogilev Gubernia in 1796. In 1840 Babinovichi Uyezd was abolished; in 1852 Belitsa Uyezd was renamed Gomel Uyezd. In 1861 Kopys Uyezd was abilished. Gorki Uyezd was created.
Mogilev Gubernia bordered on Vitebsk Gubernia in the north, on Smolensk Gubernia in the east, on Chernigov Gubernia in the south and on Minsk Gubernia in the west.
In 1911 the Zemstvo constitution was introduced in Mogilev Gubernia.

Population . In 1883, Mogilev Gubernia had 1,170,495 inhabitants. The ethnic composition, n order of importance, was Belarussians, Jews, Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Germans. C. 80 % were Russian Orthodox, c. 17 % Jews, c.3 % Roman Catholics, a few Old Believers (Meyer). In 1897 the largest cities were Mogilev and Gomel, both with over 40,000 inhabitants.

Economy . In 1883, 38 % of the area was covered by forest, 29 % was farmland, 16 % pastorage. Leading agricultural products included grain, potatoes, lentals. Leading industries included distillery, paper production, leather processing, flour production, tobacco processing, brewery and match production (Meyer). By 1906, 40 % of the land was held by peasant communities, 48 % by estate owners (mostly nobility) (EB 1911).

Culture . The Julian Calendar was reintroduced in 1800.

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WEB-BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . EXTERNAL FILES
Country Profiles Current Article Mohilevskaya Gubernia, from Wikipedia Russian edition
Historical Articles : Governments : Mogilev, from EB 1911
Articles : Mohilew, from Meyers Konversationslexikon 1885-1892, in German
Links General
on History
Organizations
Historical Dictionary
Timelines Republic of Belarus Timeline
Accounts of History
Economy & Finances List of Match Factories in the Russian Empire : Mogilev Gubernia, from The Virtual Matchbox Label Museum, in Russian
Russia, from Official catalogue of the industrial department, London Exhibition 1862, GB ; search for Mogilev
Ethnography Languages of Belarus, from Ethnologue
Religion Via Crucis. 450 Years of Protestantism in Belarus, in English / Belarussian / Russian
History of the (Greek Catholic) Byelorussian Church, from Eastern Catholic Pastoral Association of Southern California
Jewish Belarus
The Jewish Virtual History Tour : Belarus
Shtetls of Belarus, click Gubernia Mogilev, 172 entries; posted by JewishGen
Russia, from Roman Catholic Hierarchy, scroll down for Mohilev
History of Regions Article Pale of Settlement, from Wikipedia; Pale of Settlement, from Jewish Virtual Library
Administrative-Territorial Division of Belarus : 18th to 20th Centuries, from Archives of Belarus
Local History Articles Mahilyow : History, Gomel : History, Horki, Klimavichy, Mstsislaw, Orsha : History, Rahachow, from Wikipedia
History of Mogilev, by P. Protkin
Structures, Institutions Structurae : Belarus, Gomel
Culture
Biographies
Others

WEB-BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . EXTERNALLY POSTED DOCUMENTS
Historical Data Lists of Statesmen
Population Figures Historical Population Statistics : Belarus, from Population Statistics by Jan Lahmeyer
Documents Archival Collections Russia - Belarus - Ukraine - Uzbekistan Documents, at Central Archive for the History of the Jewish People, Jerusalem
Historical Maps Government Mogilev etc. 1882, from FEEFHS (Blackie & Sons 1882)
1834 Mogilev Gubernia Map, from JewishGen Belarus
Belarus at the end of the XIXth Century, from Belarus Guide, in Russian
Map : Royaume du Pologne, (shows Mogilev Gubernia; Heck, Atlas Geographique et Historique 1835), posted by M. Witkam
Maps : N Mogilev, S Mogilev, (Atlas Marksa, 2nd edition 1910), posted by M. Witkam
Historical
Encyclopedia Entries 		General Articles : Governments : Mogilev, Cities : Mogilev on the Dniepr, Homel, Orsha, from EB 1911
Articles Weissrussen, Weissrussland, Mohilew, Gorki, Homel, Klimowitschi, Orscha, Rogatschew, Strayj-Bychow, Tscherikow, from Meyers Konversationslexikon 1885-1892, in German
Religious Articles Moghilef, Homel, from Jewish Encyclopedia 1901-1906 edition
Economic
Geographical Das Gouvernement Mohilew, pp.487-489 in Th. Fr. Ehrmann, Neueste Kunde vom Russischen Reiche in Europa und Asien, vol.3 of Neueste Länder- und Völkerkunde, 1807, in German, GB
Das Gouvernement Mohilew, pp.274-277 in vol.1 of Das Russische Kaiserreich, seine Geographie, Statistik, Volks- und Regentengeschichte, 1847, in German, GB
W.H. Beable, Russian gazetteer and guide, being an account of the territorial divisions and a description of over 300 of the principal towns and cities of Russia, Finland and Siberia (1919), posted on Internet Archive; Moghilev p.29
Historical
Parliamentary Debates foreign Hansard (British Parliament)
Tour Guides, Travelogues
Institutions Archives Archives of Belarus
Repositories of Primary Sources : Europe : Belarus, from Univ. of Idaho. Mostly Archive Webpages; 31 entries
Musea
Monuments
Libraries Libraries in Belarus, from LibDex, 5 entries
Official Symbols Flags, Coats of Arms Mogilyov Gubernia Coat of Arms, from Vector Images, from Civic Heraldry

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliographies general RHS Bibliography
UK National Archive Online Library
ISBN Database
on Mogilev EBSEES (European Bibliography of Slavic and Eastern European Studies), search for Mogilev
Online Libraries general Internet Archives
Gutenberg Library Online
e-corpus
Country Specific
Online Journals full text online
General Accounts
Historical Dictionary Jan Zaprudnik, Historical Dictionary of Belarus, Lanham Md. : Scarecrow 1998