Taurida Oblast (russian: Таврическая область, ''Tavricheskaya oblast′'') was an

oblast An oblast (; ; Cyrillic (in most languages, including Russian and Ukrainian): , Bulgarian: ) is a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as the Soviet Union and the Kingdo ...

(province) of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

. It roughly corresponded to most of the Crimean Peninsula and parts of the Southern Ukraine regions. It was created out of territories of the Crimean Khanate, which Russia annexed in 1783. In 1796 it was merged into the Novorossiya Governorate. The oblast was created under the Imperial ukase of 13 February 1784 signed by

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

. The administrative seat of the region was declared the city of

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, it is ...

. Before 1784

Qarasuvbazar Bilohirsk (until 1944 – Karasubazar, uk, Білогірськ, translit=Bilohirsk; russian: Белого́рск, translit=Belogorsk, crh, Qarasuvbazar/Къарасувбазар) is a town and the administrative centre in Belohirsk Raion, o ...

served as a temporary administrative center.

Administrative structure

The oblast was divided into seven counties ( uyezd). * Dnieper county – centered in Aleshki ( Oleshky) * Levkopol county – centered in Levkopol ( Feodosiya) * Melitopol county – centered in Melitopol (since 1791 in Great Tokmak) * Perekop county – centered in Perekop * Phanagoria (Tmutarakan) county – centered in Phanagoria * Simferopol county – centered in

* Yevpatoria county – centered in Yevpatoriya. In 1787 Levkopol and Levkopol county were renamed into Feodosiya and Feodosiya county respectfully. In 1791 an administrative seat of Melitopol county was moved to Great Tokmak. On 12 December 1796 the oblast was abolished, its territory was redivided into two counties (Aqmescit (former Simferopol) and Perekop) and passed to the Novorossiya Governorate. The city of Simferopol name was changed to Aqmescit.

References

{{Ukraine-hist-stub Oblasts of the Russian Empire Crimea in the Russian Empire States and territories established in 1860 States and territories disestablished in 1918 Political history of Crimea