The administrative division of
Novgorod Republic is not definitely known; the country was divided into several tysyachas (lit. thousands) and volosts. The city of
Novgorod with its vicinity, as well as a few other towns, were not part of any of those.
Pskov achieved an autonomy from Novgorod in the 13th century; its independence was confirmed by the
Treaty of Bolotovo in 1348.
After the fall of the republic, Novgorod Land, as part of
Muscovy, consisted of 5 pyatinas (literally "fifths") that were further divided into
uyezds and
pogosts. This division was replaced only in the beginning of 18th century when
Peter I introduced
guberniyas.
Novgorod with its vicinity (located on upper Volkhov and near Ilmen Lake) belonged to a separate territorial unit.[citation needed] The city of Novgorod itself was divided into five kontsy (концы) or boroughs: Nerevsky, Zagorodsky, Lyudin, Slavensky and Plotnitsky. The city was also divided into two sides: the left-bank of the Volkhov was called the Sophia Side and the right-bank the Commercial or
Trade Side.[1]
Core
Northwestern Russia – the lands near
Ilmen Lake,
Volkhov River,
Ladoga Lake and
Gulf of Finland, often referred to as Novgorod volost in chronicles, formed the core of the state. The assumptions of the internal structure of independent Novgorod are mostly based on the list of the builders of the Great Bridge over Volkhov (1260s) and the 1471 treaty between Novgorod and
Casimir IV of Poland.[2] The former lists ten parts of Novgorod itself and nine other entities. According to Burov (1993), these were tysyachas that, together with the capital made t'ma (lit. ten thousand), mentioned in the 1471 treaty. Below is the list of tysyachas and their approximate locations:[2]
Rzhev'skaa (Ржевьскаа), to the southwest of Novgorod, near modern
Novorzhev
Bezhichkaa (Бежичкаа), to the east of Novgorod, with the town of
Bezhetsk
Voch'skaa (Вочьскаа; from the indigenous
Votes), in
Ingria
Luskaa (Лускаа), to the west of Novgorod, west of
Luga River (that gave the name to the tysyacha)
Lop'skaya (Лопьская), the southern shore of Ladoga Lake and possibly territories to the north and west of the lake (
Karelian Isthmus (f.e.
Izhorians))
Yazholvich'skaa (Яжолвичьскаа), to the southeast of Novgorod
Knyazha (Княжа), to the south of Novgorod, with the centre in
Staraya Russa, the second most important town in the country.
Other important towns were
Porkhov,
Koporye,
Yama,
Oreshek and
Korela. Most of the towns were in the more economically developed western part of the country, in other parts only ryadki (small town-like settlements) existed or there were no town-like settlements at all.[3]
Vast lands to the east that were being colonised by Novgorod or just paid tribute to it were divided into volosts. Some of those volosts were:[4]
Zavolochye, in the basins of
Northern Dvina and
Onega. Its name means "beyond the portages", meaning the portages between the river systems of Volga and those rivers. It was inhabited mainly by various
Balto-Finnic peoples, though many Slavs migrated there in 13th century escaping Mongol invasions.[citation needed]
After the disintegration of
Kievan Rus' in the 12th century, the city of
Pskov with its surrounding territories along the
Velikaya River,
Lake Peipus,
Pskovskoye Lake and
Narva River became a part of the
Novgorod Republic. It kept its special autonomous rights, including the right for independent construction of suburbs (
Izborsk is the most ancient among them). Due to Pskov's leading role in the struggle against the
Livonian Order, its influence spread significantly. The long reign of
Daumantas (1266–99) and especially his victory in the
Battle of Rakovor (1268) ushered in the period of Pskov's actual independence. The Novgorod
boyars formally recognized Pskov's independence in the
Treaty of Bolotovo (1348), relinquishing their right to appoint the
posadniks of Pskov. The city of Pskov remained dependent on Novgorod only in
ecclesiastical matters until 1589, when a separate bishopric of Pskov was created and the archbishops of Novgorod dropped Pskov from their title and were created "Archbishops of Novgorod the Great and Velikie Luki".[citation needed]
Pyatinas
Map of Novgorodian pyatinas in the 16th century. (For reference, the sea at the top is part of the White Sea and the sea at left is the Gulf of Finland)
After the conquest of Novgorod Land by Muscovy it was divided into 5
pyatinas (fifths):[7]
The Pyatina of Shelon (
Russian: Шелонская пятина,
romanized: Shelonskaya), from
Shelon River, was located between
Lovat and
Luga rivers to the west and southwest of Novgorod.
The Pyatina of the Wods (
Russian: Водская пятина/Вотьская пятина,
romanized: Vodskaya/Votskaya), named after the
Votic people that inhabited the area, was located between Luga and
Volkhov rivers, to the north of Novgorod and on the shores of
Ladoga Lake.
The Pyatina of Obonezay (
Russian: Обонежская пятина,
romanized: Obonezhskaya), from the
Onega Lake, was the biggest pyatina of all. It was located to the northeast of Novgorod on the shores of
White Sea, Ladoga and Onega lakes.
The Pyatina of the Berezayka (
Russian: Бежицкая пятина,
romanized: Bezhetskaya), to the east of the capital.
The Pyatina of Derev (
Russian: Деревская пятина,
romanized: Derevskaya), between
Msta and
Lovat rivers, to the southeast of Novgorod.
^
abV. A. Burov, О сотнях, тысячах и тьме Новгородской Земли. «Новгород и Новгородская Земля. История и археология». Материалы научной конференции, July 1993 (in Russian)
^Bernadsky, Viktor Nikolayevich (1961). Новгород и новгородская земля в XV веке (Novgorod and the Novgorod Land in the 15th Century) (in Russian).
Leningrad (Saint Petersburg): published by the
USSR Academy of Sciences. pp. 112, 145.
^Архивный отдел Администрации Мурманской области. Государственный Архив Мурманской области. (1995). Административно-территориальное деление Мурманской области (1920–1993 гг.). Справочник. Мурманск: Мурманское издательско-полиграфическое предприятие "Север". p. 16.