Vilnius voivodeship

Vilnius Voivodeship Lithuanian: Vilniaus vaivadija Polish: Województwo wileńskie
Voivodeship of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
← 1413–1795 →
Coat of arms
Vilnius Voivodeship in red. Voivodeship's borders did not change since the Union of Lublin.
Capital		Vilnius
History
•	Union of Horodło	1413
•	Third partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	1795
Area		44,200 km2(17,066 sq mi)
Political subdivisions		counties: five

Coat of arms

The Vilnius Voivodeship (Latin: Palatinatus Vilnensis, Lithuanian: Vilniaus vaivadija, Polish: województwo wileńskie) was one of voivodeships in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, created in 1413, from the Duchy of Lithuania and neighbouring lands and later incorporated into the newly established Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Geographically the area was centered on the city of Vilnius, which has always been the capital of the entity and the seat of a voivode. However, the actual territory of the voivodeship varied over time. Together with the Trakai Voivodeship it was known as Lithuania propria. Until the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth the voivodeship was composed of five smaller units of administrative division named powiat (in Lithuanian: plural - pavietai, singular - pavietas), similar to British counties:

In 1413 the Union of Horodło introduced the title of voivode to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Before the reform, the area, centered on Vilnius, was known as the Duchy of Lithuania or sometimes as the Duchy of Vilnius. Vilnius Voivodeship became the capital voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

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