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Trakai Voivodeship,[1] Trakai Palatinate, or Troki Voivodeship[2] (Lithuanian: Trakų vaivadija, Latin: Palatinatus Trocensis, Polish: Województwo Trockie), was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1413 until 1795.
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Trakai Voivodeship together with Vilnius Voivodeship was established by the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great in 1413 according to the Union of Horodło.[1] Vytautas copied Polish system of administrative division in order to centralize and strengthen the government. Trakai Voivodeship replaced the former Duchy of Trakai, which was ruled directly by the Grand Duke or his close relative (brother or son). The Duke of Trakai (Latin: dux Trocensis) was replaced by appointed officials – voivodes and his deputy castellan.
The voivodeship was divided into four powiats: Hrodna, Kaunas, Trakai (ruled directly by the voivode), and Upytė.[1] The biggest cities in the voivodeship were Kaunas, Hrodna and Trakai.
The western portion of the voivodeship was split off in 1513 by Sigismund I the Old and transferred to the Polish Crown. It was organized as the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
After the Union of Lublin the voivodeship, together with whole Grand Duchy of Lithuania, became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until the partitions of the Commonwealth in 1795. Most of the territory became part of the Russian Empire, while territories west of the Neman River – part of the Province of East Prussia.
The Voivode of Trakai (Lithuanian: Trakų vaivada) was one of the most important state offices in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. They were appointed from prominent magnate families and competed only with voivode of Vilnius and Grand Chancellors for power and prestige.[3] Voivodes were the ex officio members of the Lithuanian Council of Lords. Voivodes had their residence in Trakai city, near Galvė Lake, north of the Trakai Peninsula Castle.
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