Voivodeship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poland voivodeships since 1999
Enlarge
Poland voivodeships since 1999
Vojvodina map

A Voivodeship, also spelled Voivodship, Voivodina or Vojvodina (Romanian: voievodat, Polish: województwo, Serbian: vojvodina (војводина), vojvodstvo (војводство) or vojvodovina (војводовина), Hungarian: vajdaság, Lithuanian: vaivadija), is a geographical unit of administration dating to medieval Romania, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia (see Vojvodina), ruled by a Voivod (voivode, wojewoda). The Voivod (literal translation: "the one who leads the warriors") was initially the military commander next to the ruler.

The term voivodeship is used in the native languages for the 16 voivodeships of Poland, and for the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Serbia, and has found its way into English in some of the larger dictionaries such as the OED and Webster's Third New International Dictionary, though it is not in common usage. Depending on the historical context in which it is used, it is translated variously as duchy, province, palatinate, or administrative district. The appropriate translation in modern usage is "administrative district".

Contents

[edit] List of Voivodeships

[edit] Modern

[edit] Historical

The three Romanian voivodeships ruled by Mihai Viteazul in 1600
Enlarge
The three Romanian voivodeships ruled by Mihai Viteazul in 1600
Serbian Voivodina (1848-1849)
Enlarge
Serbian Voivodina (1848-1849)
Voivodeships of Poland (1921-1939)
Enlarge
Voivodeships of Poland (1921-1939)


[edit] See also