Governorate of Estonia

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Эстляндская губерния Estlyandskaya guberniya Governorate of Estonia Governorate of the Russian Empire ← 1721 – 1917 → Flag Coat of arms Courland Governorate, Governorate of Livonia, Governorate of Estonia of the Russian Empire Capital Reval History  - Established (de facto) June 9, 1719  - Established (de jure) September 10, 1721  - Renamed 1796  - Autonomy granted April 12, 1917

The Governorate of Est(h)onia^[1] (Russian: Эстляндская губерния or Estlyandskaya guberniya) or Estland, also known as the Government of Estonia or Province of Estonia, was a governorate of the Russian Empire in what is now northern Estonia.

Initially named the Reval Governorate after the city of Reval, today known as Tallinn, it was created in 1719 out of territories conquered from Sweden in the Great Northern War. The former dominion of Swedish Estonia was formally ceded to Russia in the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. During subsequent administrative reordering, the governorate was renamed in 1796 into the Governorate of Estonia. While the rule of the Swedish kings had been fairly liberal with greater autonomy granted for the peasantry, the regime was tightened under the Russian tsars and serfdom was not abolished until 1819.

The governorate consisted the northern part of the present-day Estonia approximately corresponding to Harjumaa including the city of Tallinn, Western Virumaa, Eastern Virumaa, Raplamaa, Järvamaa, Läänemaa and Hiiumaa. On April 12, 1917 (March 30 Old Style) it was expanded to include northern Livonia, thereby forming the Autonomous Governorate of Estonia. After the Russian revolution of 1917, Tallinn remained under Soviet control until February 24, 1918, when Estonian independence was declared.

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[edit] See also

• Governorate of Livonia
• Saint Petersburg Governorate
• Administrative divisions of Russia in 1719-1725
• History of Estonia - Part of Imperial Russia