Black Ruthenia
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Black Ruthenia (or Black Rus, Чēрная Русь in Russian, Ruś Czarna in Polish) is conventional, rather even artificial name of the territory of the 13th-14th centuries in the western half of contemporary Belarus on the upper reaches of the Neman River. The origins of the term are disputed: one version is that it was because for a long time many of its Slavic and Baltic population remained pagan (or "black" in sense of the baptized Slavs); another one points to word чорная (black) in Ruthenian language also could mean western side opposite to белая (white) as eastern side, so it was be able as "West Rus". Nevertheless the Ruthenian sources themselves practically didn't use terms "White Rus" (originally it regarded to Novgorod, then plus Vladimir and north-eastern Rus at all before it moved on the eastern half of the modern Belarusian territory), "Black Rus" or other "coloured" names.
Important towns: Navahradak, Hrodna, Slonim, Vaŭkavysk, Niasviž.
First appeared in the West-European sources under c. 1360 but regarding to modern Ukraine, the name "Black Ruthenia" is more applied in the historiography from the 18th century to a region in the basin of the upper flow of the Neman River, with such towns as Navahradak (for the first time mentioned in the Ruthenian annals under 1116 or 1252), Hrodna (1127), Slonim (1252), Vaukavysk (1252), Niasviž (1223). From the end of the 10th century the area was controlled by the Kiev principality, at the beginning of the 13th century it probably was submitted to the Polatsk principality. Since around 1240 "Black Rus" was kept by the grand duke of neighbouring original Lithuania Mindaugas (May be invited by authorities of Navahradak to rule after he had to leave his native land, Mindaugas then passed a power to his son Vaisvilkas). But around 1250 strong Ruthenian prince Danylo of Halych overrided Navahradak and passed it to his son Roman Danylovich, with whom it remained for several years. Then the area was again ruled by Vaisvilkas (died in 1267), other princes of Lithuanian origin. From the end of the 13th century "Black Rus" together with original Lithuania were composing the basic nucleus of the Baltic-Slavic state - Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Rulers
- -1239 part of the Principality of Hrodna ?
- 1239-1254 Mindaugas and his son Vaisvilkas
- 1254-1258 Roman Danylovich (Rurikovich; d. after 1258)
- 1258-1267 Vaisvilkas (d. 1267)
- 1264-1341 part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- 13th century Narymont
- ?-1341 Narymunt
- 1341-1347 Koriat (Gediminids)
- 1347-13?? Woidete (Gediminids; d. after 1362)
- 13?? -1381 Butaw (Gediminids; d. after 1381)
- 1381-1386 part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- 1384 Yuriy (Gediminids)
- 1386-1390 Towtiwil (Gediminids)
- 1390-1440 Zygimantas Kestutaitis (Gediminids)
- 1440-1441 Michael Boleslaw (Gediminids; d. 1451)
- 1441- part of the Principality of Hrodna ?
See also
Reference
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