Subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian territories following the partitions


Following three consecutive partitions of Poland carried out between 1772 and 1795, the sovereign state known as the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth disappeared from the map of Europe. In 1918 following the end of World War One, the territories of the former state re-emerged as the states of Poland and Lithuania among others. In the intervening period, the territory of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was split between the Austrian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Russian Empire. These powers subdivided the territories that they gained and created new for the territories conquered. The subdivisions created were complicated by changes within those empires as well as by the periodic establishment of other forms of the quasi-Polish provinces led by a foreign head of state.
The below subdivisions do not cover the administrative divisions of the French vassal state created by Napoleon - the Duchy of Warsaw. See subdivisions of the Duchy of Warsaw. For the administrative division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth before its final third partition, see subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. For the subdivisions of the lands awarded to the Russian Empire, see subdivisions of Congress Poland and History of the administrative division of Russia. For subdivisions of the lands awarded to the Kingdom of Prussia, see Provinces of Prussia.

Austrian Partition

The Austrian Empire, known from second half of the 19th century as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, annexed territories of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the First Partition and the Third Partition. The territories obtained were subdivided into:
  1. Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. These lands were held from 1772 to 1918.
  2. West Galicia. These lands were held from 1795 to 1809.
  3. Free City of Cracow. Administered as a protectorate by the three powers from 1815 to 1846. Annexed by the Austrian Empire in 1846 as the Grand Duchy of Cracow. While nominally independent within the crown lands, it was de facto administered as part of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria until 1918.
In the First Partition, the Austrian Empire received the largest share of the Polish population, and second largest land share. Austria did not participate in the Second partition. In the Third Partition, Austria annexed 47,000 km² of territories with 1.2 million people. Overall, Austria gained about 18 percent of the former Commonwealth's territory and about 32 percent of its population. From the geographical perspective, much of the Austrian partition corresponded to the Galicia region.

Prussian Partition

The Kingdom of Prussia annexed territories of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in all three partitions. The territories obtained were subdivided into the following.
  1. Netze District - from 1772 to 1793
  2. New Silesia - from 1795 to 1807
  3. New East Prussia - from 1795 to 1807
  4. South Prussia - from 1793 to 1806
  5. East Prussia - from 1773–1829
  6. West Prussia - from 1773–1824.
In the First Partition, Prussia has received 36,000 km² and about 0.6 million people. In the second partition, Prussia had received 58,000 km² and about 1 million people. In the third, similar to the second, Prussia gained 55,000 km² and 1 million people. Overall, Prussia had gained about 20 percent of the former Commonwealth territory and about 23 percent of the population. From the geographical perspective, much of the territories annexed by Prussia formed the province of Greater Poland.

Russian Partition

The Russian Empire which acquired the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in all three Partitions, divided the former territories of the Commonwealth by either creating or enlarging the following guberniyas.
  1. Belarus Governorate
  2. Bratslav Governorate
  3. Chernigov Governorate
  4. Kiev Governorate
  5. Lithuania Governorate, later split into Lithuania-Grodno Governorate and Lithuania-Vilna Governorate, the last one later split into Vilna and Kovno Governorates
  6. Minsk Governorate
  7. Mogilev Governorate
  8. Podolia Governorate
  9. Polotsk Governorate
  10. Pskov Governorate
  11. Slonim Governorate
  12. Volhynia Governorate
After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, the Russian Empire created a separate entity called Congress Poland out of some of the above governorates. See administrative division of Congress Poland for details. Territories in the Russian partition which were not incorporated into Congress Poland were known as the Western Krai, and in Poland as the taken lands.
The Western Krai comprised the following lands of the Commonwealth:
  1. from the first partition of Poland : Polish Inflants, the northern part of the Polotsk Voivodeship, the entire Mstsislaw Voivodeship and Vitebsk Voivodeships, and the southeastern part of the Minsk Voivodeship
  2. from the second partition of Poland : the remaining part of the Minsk Voivodeship, the entire Kiev Voivodeship, Bracław Voivodeship and Vilnius Voivodeships, parts of Podole Voivodeship and eastern parts of the Wołyń Voivodeship and Brest Litovsk Voivodeships
  3. from the third partition of Poland : all the territories east of the Bug River
It consisted of 9 guberniyas: six Belarusian and Lithuanian ones that constituted the Northwestern Krai and three Ukrainian ones that constituted the Southwestern Krai.
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was transformed into Courland Governorate and grouped with the Baltic governorates also known as Governments of Ostsee.
In the first partition, Russia gained 92,000 km² and 1.3 million people. In the second, 250,000 km² and 1 million people. In the third, 120,000 km² and 1.2 million people. Overall, Russia had gained about 62 percent of the former Commonwealth territory and about 45 percent of the population.
During World War I, much of the territories became occupied by the Central Powers and became administered by the Ober Ost.