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Berestia (Beresteyschina - Russian: Берестейщина), or Land of Berestia is the part of Belarusian and Polish ethnic territory, bounded by the Bug River, Pripyat River, Yaselda River, and Narew (Narva) River.
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Its main cities were Berestia, Bilsk, Dorohychyn, Kobryn, Kamyanyets and Vizna.
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Halych-Volyn in
mid-13th century Annexations by
Halych-Volyn (years) Other Ruthenian
Principalities Borders of lands
and regional principalities Main trade
routes Borders of
Ruthenian Prinicipalities "Capital cities"
Sluchesk
Stepan'
Horchevsk
Kolodiazhen
Hubyn
Valkhovyisk
Suteysk
Peresopnytsia
Vasyliv
Okut
Boloto
Ushytsia
(1230–1240)
(1230–ті)
(1252–1276)
(1280–1320)
(1289–1302)
(1251–1252)
(1254)
Halych Principality
Land of
Berestia Volhynia
Principality Lutsk
Principality Vepr
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Princes of Berestia (Brest)
The city was founded by the Slavs. As a town, Brest – Berestye in Kievan Rus – was first mentioned in the Primary Chronicle in 1019. It became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, laid waste by the Mongols in 1241 (see: Mongol invasion of Europe), and was not rebuilt until 1275.
In the second part of the 12th century Berestia became the center of the small feudal duchy called Land of Berestia which was part of Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In 1164 the Lithuanian Duke Skirmunt took Berestia but did not own it for a long time. Unsuccessful were the attempts of the Polish king Kazimierz II in 1179 and 1182 to join Berestia to Poland.
In 1213 Polish King Leszko occupied Berestia but in 1222 Volhynian duke Vasilka returned the city to the bosom of the Land of Berestia. In the beginning of the 13th century the troops of the Polish king Konrad Mazowiecki occupied the city but the population of Berestia resisted and the king had to return the city to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia. In the middle of the 13th century the Berestia Land was invaded by Mongols. There is no historical evidence about the depredation of Berestia by them. Mongols were weakened by fights with Slavonic Duchies and could not move further to Western Europe. Many times Berestia was besieged by enemies, sometimes the town was burnt down totally but every time it was reconstructed. To defend their territories from invaders the Slavonic dukes built fortification castles and towers. In the 12th century a castle and a fortification to harbor the trade caravans were built in the city. Berestia served as a customs where the merchants paid their taxes for carrying goods. In 1276 Wolyn duke Wlodzimierz Vasilkovich erected high stone tower in the city. Also he ordered to build up another tower on the Lyasnaya river in Bialowierza Puszcza to defend the northern territories of his duchy. The city of Kamienec soon appeared near the second tower in the primeval forest. The tower in Kamienec still stands as a witness of those events.
To the North of Berestia, an old Lithuanian-Belarusian state, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was emerging. The state appeared on the territories of baltic tribes half-assimilated by Slavs. The dukes of Lithuania managed to escape the subjugation to Russian Dukes and the state was growing and getting stronger. Since the end of the 12th century the Lithuanian territories were attacked by crusaders who wanted to subdue the Baltic and the Russian territories. To resist the crusaders threat the peace treaty between Russian and Lithuanian dukes was signed in 1219.
From 1080 to 1150 the land belonged to the Principality of Turov and Pinsk (Turiv-Pynske) {Turów, Pinsk}, later to the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, and after 1320 to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the Trakai Voivodeship. From 1569 to 1795 it constituted the Podlaskie Voivodeship and Brest Litovsk Voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After the third partition of the Commonwealth (1795), the territory was annexed to the Russian Empire.