Kazan Governorate

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Kazan Governorate (English) Казанская губерния (Modern Russian) Казанская губернiя (Pre-1918 Russian) Казан губернасы (Tatar) Хусан кěперниě (Chuvash)
Kazan Governorate in the late 19th century
Coat of Arms
Coat of arms of Kazan Governorate
Established	1708
Abolished	1920
Political status Region	Governorate European Russia
Area
Area - Rank	55,900 verst² n/a
Population (1913 census)
Population - Rank - Density - Urban - Rural	2,850,000 inhabitants n/a 51 inhab. / verst² n/a n/a
Government
Governor Gubkom chairman	n/a n/a

The Kazan Governorate (Russian: Каза́нская губе́рния ; Tatar: Qazan gubernası / Казан губернасы ; Chuvash: Хусан кěперниě) or Government of Kazan was a governorate (guberniya) of Imperial Russia from 1708–1920, with the city of Kazan as its capital.

[edit] History

History of Tatarstan
Great Bulgaria
Khazars
Volga Bulgaria
Kipchaks
Mongol invasion
Golden Horde
Khanate of Kazan
Muscovy
Kazan Governorate
Idel-Ural State
Tatar ASSR
Republic of Tatarstan
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When created by Peter the Great, it was one of eight original guberniyas of Russia and included the lands of Kazan, Siberian, and Astrakhan Khanates, with addition of some lands from the Nogay Horde. These were the areas historically governed by the Kazan Palace's Prikaz.

In 1717, Astrakhan Governorate was separated from Kazan Governorate; in 1719—Nizhny Novgorod; in 1744—Orenburg; in 1781—Vyatka, Simbirsk, and Ufa Governorates were separated. Under Catherine the Great (1781–1796) Kazan was the center of a namestnichestvo (viceroyalty), with Kazan, Penza, and Saratov Governorates as its integral parts.

At first the governorate was divided into lots (доли, doli), then into provinces (провинции, provintsii) in 1719, and into uyezds (уезды) in 1775. Prior to 1796, there were Kazan, Kozmodemyansk, Laishev, Mamadysh, Sviyazhsk, Spassk, Tetyushi, Tsaryovokokshaysk, Tsivilsk, Cheboksary, Chistopol, and Yadrin uyezds.

In 1913, the area of the governorate comprised 55,900 square versts, its population was estimated at 2.85 million (38.9% Russians, 31.2% Tatars, 22.8% Chuvash, 5.1% Mari, 1.2% Mordva). There were 7,272 settlements, including 13 towns: Kazan, Arsk, Sviyazhsk, Kozmodemyansk, Laishev, Mamadysh, Spassk, Tetyushi, Tsaryovokokshaysk, Tsivilsk, Cheboksary, Chistopol, Yadrin; and two posads—Mariinsky and Troitsky.

The governorate was finally abolished during the Bolshevik administrative reform (see Idel-Ural State). Thereupon its Eastern part was proclaimed the Tatar ASSR, while the Western part was eventually divided between Chuvashia and Mari El.