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 me ...

(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 A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between ...

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 r ...

. 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, whi ...

included ban (bojan, vojin or bayan) and banate. 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 out ...

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 languages, 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 ...

"''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: ''voivoda'' (войвода); the

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

: ''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 Hu ...

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 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 n ...

, 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 Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

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 Transnistri ...

, 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: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...

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 A ...

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 inva ...

, also used to be its own voivodeship, the Voivodeship of Maramureș. 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, a land within the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

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 Crown of the Kingdom of ...

(1569–1795): *In the Polish Crown Lands: * Poznań Voivodeship * Kalisz Voivodeship *

Gniezno Voivodeship Gniezno Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo Gnieźnieńskie'', Latin: ''Palatinatus Gnesnensis'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland for a short time from 1768, when it was cut from the Kalisz Voivodeship, to ...

Sieradz Voivodeship Sieradz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship. A Voivodeship is an area administered by a voivode (Governor), and the Sieradz Voivodeshi ...

* Łęczyca Voivodeship * Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship * Inowrocław Voivodeship * Chełmno Voivodeship * Malbork Voivodeship *

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomorskie Region, or Pomerania Province ( Polish: ''Województwo pomorskie'' ; ( Kashubian: ''Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò'' ), is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. Th ...

Płock Voivodeship Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to ...

* Rawa Voivodeship *

Masovian Voivodeship The Masovian Voivodeship, also known as the Mazovia Province ( pl, województwo mazowieckie ) is a voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, with its capital located in the city of Warsaw, which also serves as the capital of the country. Th ...

* Kraków Voivodeship *

Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo Sandomierskie, la, Palatinatus Sandomirensis) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Polan ...

Lublin Voivodeship The Lublin Voivodeship, also known as the Lublin Province ( Polish: ''województwo lubelskie'' ), is a voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in southeastern part of the country. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Lublin, C ...

Podlasie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province ( pl, Województwo podlaskie, ) is a voivodeship ( province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest ...

Ruthenian Voivodeship The Ruthenian Voivodeship (Latin: ''Palatinatus russiae'', Polish: ''Województwo ruskie'', Ukrainian: ''Руське воєводство'', romanized: ''Ruske voievodstvo''), also called Rus’ voivodeship, was a voivodeship of the Crown o ...

* Bełz Voivodeship * Wolhynia Voivodeship * Podole Voivodeship * Bracław Voivodeship * Kijów Voivodeship *

Czernihów Voivodeship Czernihów (Chernihiv) Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo czernihowskie, links=no) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland (part of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) from 1635 until Khmelnytsky Uprising in ...

*In the historical

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was Partitions of Poland, partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire, Habsburg Empire of ...

: *

Vilnius Voivodeship pl, Województwo wileńskie , conventional_long_name = Vilnius Voivodeship , common_name = Vilnius , subdivision = Voivodeship , nation = Grand Duchy of Lithuania (part of the federative Polish–Lithua ...

* Trakai Voivodeship * Nowogródek Voivodeship * Brest-Litovsk Voivodeship * Minsk Voivodeship * Mścisław Voivodeship *

Smolensk Voivodeship Smolensk Voivodeship ( la, Palatinatus smolencensis, be, Смале́нскае ваяво́дзтва, pl, Województwo smoleńskie, lt, Smolensko vaivadija) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of L ...

Vitebsk Voivodeship Vitebsk Voivodeship ( be, Віцебскае ваяводзтва, pl, Województwo witebskie, la, Palatinatus Vitebsciensis) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (from 1569 Polish–Lithu ...

* Połock Voivodeship *In the historical

Duchy of Livonia The Duchy of Livonia ( or ; lt, Livonijos kunigaikštystė; la, Ducatus Ultradunensis; et, Liivimaa hertsogkond; lv, Pārdaugavas hercogiste; german: Herzogtum Livland), also referred to as Polish Livonia or Livonia ( pl, link=no, Inflanty) ...

: ** Wenden Voivodeship (1598–1620) **

Dorpat Voivodeship The Dorpat Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo dorpackie or ''województwo derpskie'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1598 until the Swedish conqu ...

(1598–1620) **

Parnawa Voivodeship The Parnawa Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo parnawskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in 1598 until the Swedish conquest of ...

(1598–1620) **

Inflanty Voivodeship The Inflanty Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo inflanckie), or ''Livonian Voivodeship'', also known as Polish Livonia, was an administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in the 1620s out ...

(from the 1620s) Voivodeships of Poland, 1921–1939: * Silesian Voivodeship (''Województwo Śląskie'') * Białystok Voivodeship (''Województwo Białostockie'') * Kielce Voivodeship (''Województwo Kieleckie'') * Kraków Voivodeship (''Województwo Krakowskie'') *

Łódź Voivodeship Łódź Voivodeship (also known as Lodz Province, or by its Polish name ''Województwo łódzkie'' ) is a province- voivodeship in central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Łódź Voivodeship (1975–1999) and the Sier ...

(''Województwo Łódzkie'') *

(''Województwo Lubelskie'') *

Lwów Voivodeship Lwów Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo lwowskie) was an administrative unit of interwar Poland (1918–1939). Because of the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland in accordance with the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it became occupied by both the Weh ...

(''Województwo Lwowskie'') * Nowogródek Voivodeship (''Województwo Nowogrodzkie'') * Polesie Voivodeship (''Województwo Poleskie'') *

(''Województwo Pomorskie'') * Poznań Voivodeship (''Województwo Poznańskie'') *

Stanisławów Voivodeship Stanisławów Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo stanisławowskie) was an administrative district of the interwar Poland (1920–1939). It was established in December 1920 with an administrative center in Stanisławów. The voivodeship had an area o ...

(''Województwo Stanisławowskie'') * Tarnopol Voivodeship (''Województwo Tarnopolskie'') * Warsaw Voivodeship (''Województwo Warszawskie'') * Wilno Voivodeship (''Województwo Wileńskie'') * Volhynian Voivodeship (''Województwo Wołyńskie'') Voivodeships of Poland, 1945–1975: * Białystok Voivodeship *

Bydgoszcz Voivodeship Bydgoszcz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Capital city: Bydgoszcz Area: Statistics (1 January 1992): Population ...

* Gdańsk Voivodeship * Katowice Voivodeship * Kielce Voivodeship * Koszalin Voivodeship * Kraków Voivodeship *

Olsztyn Voivodeship Olsztyn Voivodeship () was an administrative division and unit of local government in Poland in the years 1945–75, and a new territorial division between 1975–1998, superseded by Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Olsztyn. ...

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship, or Opole Province ( pl, województwo opolskie ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Upper Si ...

* Poznań Voivodeship *

Rzeszów Voivodeship Rzeszów Voivodeship () can refer to one of two political entities in Poland: Rzeszów Voivodeship (1) was a unit of administrative division and local government from 1975 to 1998, superseded by Podkarpackie Voivodeship. Major cities and towns i ...

* Szczecin Voivodeship * Warsaw Voivodeship *

Wrocław Voivodeship Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...

Zielona Góra Voivodeship Zielona may refer to the following places: * Zielona, Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland) * Zielona, Gmina Gródek in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland) * Zielona, Gmina Supraśl in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland) * Zielona, Bochnia Coun ...

Voivodeships of Poland, 1975–1998: *

Biała Podlaska Voivodeship The Biała Podlaska Voivodeship was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic from 1975 to 1989, and the Third Republic of Poland from 1989 to 1998. Its capital was Biała Podlaska. It was established on 1 June 1975, from the parts ...

* Białystok Voivodeship *

Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

Chełm Voivodeship Chełm Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Lublin Voivodeship. Its capital city was Chełm. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * Chełm (69,100) * K ...

* Ciechanów Voivodeship * Częstochowa Voivodeship *

Elbląg Voivodeship Elbląg Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, superseded by the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Elbląg. Major cities and towns (p ...

* Gdańsk Voivodeship *

Gorzów Voivodeship Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland between 1975 and 1998 when it was superseded by Lubusz Voivodeship. Its capital city was Gorzów Wielkopolski. Major cities and towns (popula ...

Jelenia Góra Voivodeship Jelenia Gora Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Jelenia Gora. Major cities and towns (population in ...

* Kalisz Voivodeship * Katowice Voivodeship * Kielce Voivodeship *

Konin Voivodeship Konin Voivodeship () - a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its capital city was Konin. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * Konin (82,700) * Turek ...

* Koszalin Voivodeship * Kraków Voivodeship *

Krosno Voivodeship Krosno Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Subcarpathian Voivodeship (except Biecz Commune which is now a part of Lesser Poland Voivodeship). Its capital city ...

* Legnica Voivodeship *

Leszno Voivodeship Leszno Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, superseded by Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its capital city was Leszno. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * Leszno (61,300) * ...

* Łomża Voivodeship *

* Nowy Sacz Voivodeship *

* Ostrołęka Voivodeship * Piotrków Voivodeship *

Piła Voivodeship Piła Voivodeship () was a voivodeship (unit of administrative division and local government) in Poland from 1975 to 1998. It was superseded by the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The Voivodeship's capital city was Piła. Major cities and towns (pop ...

* Poznań Voivodeship * Przemyśl Voivodeship *

* Radom Voivodeship *

Siedlce Voivodeship Siedlce Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Masovian Voivodeship and Lublin Voivodeship. Its capital city was Siedlce. Major cities and towns (population ...

* Skierniewice Voivodeship * Suwałki Voivodeship * Szczecin Voivodeship * Słupsk Voivodeship * Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship * Tarnów Voivodeship *

Toruń Voivodeship Toruń Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Toruń. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * ...

* Warsaw Voivodeship *

Wałbrzych Voivodeship Walbrzych Voivodeship ( pl, województwo wałbrzyskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Major cities and towns (population in 1995) * ...

Włocławek Voivodeship Włocławek Voivodeship ( pl, województwo włocławskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998. It was superseded by Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Capital city: Włocławek Popul ...

Zamość Voivodeship Zamość Voivodeship ( pl, województwo zamojskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Lublin Voivodeship. Capital city: Zamość Major cities and towns (population in 19 ...

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