A voivodeship is the area administered by a

voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...

(Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval states, much as the title of voivode was equivalent to that of a

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

. Other roughly equivalent titles and areas in medieval

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

included ban (bojan, vojin or bayan) and

banate Ban () was a noble title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century. The most common examples have been found in Croatia. Sources The first known mention of the title ''ban'' is in the ...

. In a modern context, the word normally refers to one of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

s ''( województwa)'' of Poland. , Poland has 16 voivodeships.

Terminology

A voi(e)vod(e) (literally, "leader of warriors" or "war leader", equivalent to the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

"''Dux Exercituum''" and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

"''

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. ...

''") was originally a military commander who stood, in a state's structure, next to the ruler. Later the word came to denote an administrative official. Words for "voivodeship" in various languages include the uk, воєводство; the pl, województwo; the ro, voievodat; the

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: ''voivoda'' (войвода); the Serbian: ''vojvodina'' (војводина), ''vojvodstvo'' (војводство) or ''vojvodovina'' (војводовина); the hu, vajdaság; the be, ваяводства (''vajаvodstva''); the lt, vaivadija. Some of these words, or variants of them, may also be used in English. Named for the word for "voivodeship" is the autonomous

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n province of

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

. Though the word "voivodeship" (other spellings are "voievodship" and "voivodship") appears in English dictionaries such as the

OED The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

and

Webster's ''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's ...

, it is not in common general usage, and voivodeships in Poland and elsewhere are frequently referred to as "

s"."''Jednostki podziału administracyjnego Polski tłumaczymy tak: województwo''—province..." ("Polish administrative units are translated as follows: ''województwo''—

..."). Arkadiusz Belczy
"Tłumaczenie polskich nazw geograficznych na język angielski"
("

Translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

of Polish Geographical Names into English"), 2002-2006. For examples se
New Provinces of Poland (1998)Map of PolandEnglish names of Polish provinces
Depending on context, historic voivodeships may also be referred to as "duchies", "palatinates" (the

word "''palatinatus''" was used for a voivodeship in Poland), "administrative districts" or "regions".

Historical voivodeships

in Southeastern Europe

In the territory of modern

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

and

Moldova Moldova ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Moldova ( ro, Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised state of Transnistr ...

, the regions of

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and for ...

and

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

were formerly voivodeships. The region of

Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpathians, alon ...

, now split between Romania and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, also used to be its own voivodeship, the

Voivodeship of Maramureș The Voivodeship of Maramureș ( ro, Voievodatul Maramureșului, or ), was a Romanian voivodeship centered in the region of the same name. It was the most powerful Romanian entity in or around Transylvania during its time. The Voivodeship of Mar ...

. Historical voivodeships in the territory of modern

include the Voivodeship of Salan (9th–10th centuries), Voivodeship of Sermon (11th century), and Voivodeship of Syrmia of Radoslav Čelnik (1527–1530). A voivodeship called

Serbian Vojvodina The Serbian Vojvodina ( sr, Српска Војводина / ) was a short-lived self-proclaimed Serb autonomous province within the Austrian Empire during the Revolutions of 1848, which existed until 1849 when it was transformed into the new (o ...

was established in 1848–1849; this was transformed into the

Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banat , conventional_long_name = Voivodeship of Serbia and Temes Banate , common_name = Serbia and Banat , subdivision = Crownland , nation = the Austrian Empire , year_start = 1849 , date_start = 18 November , year_end = 1860 , date_end = ...

, a land within the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1849 to 1860. This is the origin of the name of the present-day Serbian autonomous province of

In Poland and Lithuania

For more information about the divisions of Polish lands in particular periods, see Administrative divisions of Poland ("Historical"). Voivodeships in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

(1569–1795): *In the Polish Crown Lands: *Poznań Voivodeship *Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793), Kalisz Voivodeship *Gniezno Voivodeship *Sieradz Voivodeship *Łęczyca Voivodeship *Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship *Inowrocław Voivodeship *Chełmno Voivodeship *Malbork Voivodeship *Pomeranian Voivodeship *Płock Voivodeship *Rawa Voivodeship *Masovian Voivodeship (1526–1795), Masovian Voivodeship *Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795), Kraków Voivodeship *Sandomierz Voivodeship *Lublin Voivodeship *Podlasie Voivodeship *Ruthenian Voivodeship *Bełz Voivodeship *Wołyń Voivodeship (1569–1795), Wolhynia Voivodeship *Podole Voivodeship *Bracław Voivodeship *Kijów Voivodeship *Czernihów Voivodeship *In the historical Grand Duchy of Lithuania: * Vilnius Voivodeship * Trakai Voivodeship * Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507-1795), Nowogródek Voivodeship * Brest-Litovsk Voivodeship * Minsk Voivodeship * Mścisław Voivodeship * Smolensk Voivodeship * Vitebsk Voivodeship * Połock Voivodeship *In the historical Duchy of Livonia: ** Wenden Voivodeship (1598–1620) ** Dorpat Voivodeship (1598–1620) ** Parnawa Voivodeship (1598–1620) ** Inflanty Voivodeship (from the 1620s) Voivodeships of Poland, 1921–1939: *Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939), Silesian Voivodeship (''Województwo Śląskie'') *Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939), Białystok Voivodeship (''Województwo Białostockie'') *Kielce Voivodeship (1919–1939), Kielce Voivodeship (''Województwo Kieleckie'') *Kraków Voivodeship (1919-1939), Kraków Voivodeship (''Województwo Krakowskie'') *Łódź Voivodeship (1919–1939), Łódź Voivodeship (''Województwo Łódzkie'') *Lublin Voivodeship (1919–1939), Lublin Voivodeship (''Województwo Lubelskie'') *Lwów Voivodeship (''Województwo Lwowskie'') *Nowogródek Voivodeship (1919-1939), Nowogródek Voivodeship (''Województwo Nowogrodzkie'') *Polesie Voivodeship (''Województwo Poleskie'') *Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939), Pomeranian Voivodeship (''Województwo Pomorskie'') *Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939), Poznań Voivodeship (''Województwo Poznańskie'') *Stanisławów Voivodeship (''Województwo Stanisławowskie'') *Tarnopol Voivodeship (''Województwo Tarnopolskie'') *Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939), Warsaw Voivodeship (''Województwo Warszawskie'') *Wilno Voivodeship (1923–1939), Wilno Voivodeship (''Województwo Wileńskie'') *Wołyń Voivodeship (1921–1939), Volhynian Voivodeship (''Województwo Wołyńskie'') Voivodeships of Poland, 1945–1975: *Białystok Voivodeship (1945-1975), Białystok Voivodeship *Bydgoszcz Voivodeship *Gdańsk Voivodeship (1945–1975), Gdańsk Voivodeship *Katowice Voivodeship *Kielce Voivodeship *Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1975), Koszalin Voivodeship *Kraków Voivodeship (1945–1975), Kraków Voivodeship *Łódź Voivodeship *Lublin Voivodeship *Olsztyn Voivodeship *Opole Voivodeship *Poznań Voivodeship *Rzeszów Voivodeship *Szczecin Voivodeship (1946–1975), Szczecin Voivodeship *Warsaw Voivodeship (1945–75), Warsaw Voivodeship *Wrocław Voivodeship *Zielona Góra Voivodeship Voivodeships of Poland, 1975–1998: *Biała Podlaska Voivodeship *Białystok Voivodeship (1975-1998), Białystok Voivodeship *Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship *Bydgoszcz Voivodeship *Chełm Voivodeship *Ciechanów Voivodeship *Częstochowa Voivodeship *Elbląg Voivodeship *Gdańsk Voivodeship (1975–1998), Gdańsk Voivodeship *Gorzów Voivodeship *Jelenia Góra Voivodeship *Kalisz Voivodeship (1975–1998), Kalisz Voivodeship *Katowice Voivodeship *Kielce Voivodeship *Konin Voivodeship *Koszalin Voivodeship (1975–1998), Koszalin Voivodeship *Kraków Voivodeship (1975–1998), Kraków Voivodeship *Krosno Voivodeship *Legnica Voivodeship *Leszno Voivodeship *Łódź Voivodeship *Łomża Voivodeship *Lublin Voivodeship *Nowy Sacz Voivodeship *Olsztyn Voivodeship *Opole Voivodeship *Ostrołęka Voivodeship *Piotrków Voivodeship *Piła Voivodeship *Poznań Voivodeship *Przemyśl Voivodeship *Płock Voivodeship *Radom Voivodeship *Rzeszów Voivodeship *Siedlce Voivodeship *Sieradz Voivodeship *Skierniewice Voivodeship *Suwałki Voivodeship *Szczecin Voivodeship (1975–1998), Szczecin Voivodeship *Słupsk Voivodeship *Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship *Tarnów Voivodeship *Toruń Voivodeship *Warsaw Voivodeship (1975-1998), Warsaw Voivodeship *Wałbrzych Voivodeship *Wrocław Voivodeship *Włocławek Voivodeship *Zamość Voivodeship *Zielona Góra Voivodeship

References

{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities Former subdivisions of Belarus Geographic history of Hungary Medieval Romania Geographic history of Latvia Geographic history of Ukraine Geographic history of Moldova Geography of Poland Types of administrative division Subdivisions of the Ottoman Empire