Principality of Podolsk

The '''Principality of Podolsk]] is a princedom formed on the lands of the Podillia in 1363 and transferred by Olgerd to his nephews to the Koriatovich brothers. Koriatovici was ruled by Podolia until 1393/1394, when Vitovt was expelled from there, whose authority was refused to recognize after signing the agreement in Koriatovic Island. The emergence of the principality was the result of the war for the Galician-Volyn inheritance and threats from the Horde Tatars.

In 1399, the Podolsky reign was transferred to Prince Svidrigailo, after his escape in 1402 was subordinated to the royal headman. In 1430, with the revival of Svidrigailo in Lithuania, the principality was recreated, but in the course of the war for power with Sigizmun Keistutovich he lost, the principality on Podolia was finally eliminated and transformed into a province under the rule of the Polish Crown.

Territory Main article: skirts



The Principality of Podolsk covered the territory from the interfluve of the Strypa and Zolotoi Potok rivers in the west to the Dnieper in the east, in the south it bordered the Steppe, controlled by the Golden Horde at that time, and the Kiev and Volyn principalities in the north In the southwest , the Dniester was the natural border.

The main river arteries were Zbruch, Southern Bug and Dniester.

The Principality of Koriatovich
See also: Koriatovichi and the War of the Halych-Volhynia succession

The elder sons of the prince of Novogrudok Koriat, grandchildren of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas became entrenched in the Podolia region in the late 1340s, when the Polish-Lithuanian confrontation over the lands of Galicia and Volyn entered the active stage. The elder princes Koriatovichi took part in it: Yuri Koriatovich in 1355 and 1366 participated in the signing of treaties, in which territorial changes were regulated, and Alexander Koriatovich altogether went to the service of the Polish king Casimir the Great, and after he captured most of Volyn, received in the management of Vladimir-Volyn.

In 1362, four Koriatovich brothers: Alexander, Yuri , Konstantin and Fyodor participated in the army of Grand Duke Olgerd in the Battle of Blue Waters. For this, in 1363 their possessions in the Podolia region were assigned to the brothers and the Podolsk principality was formed. The brothers were co-rulers of the principality: Yuri kept Kamenetz, and Konstantin - Smotrich. Fedor at this time was in Hungary. In 1371 Alexander Koriatovich returned to Podolia, having ceded Vladimir-Volynsky to Lyubart Gediminovich a year earlier.

In 1374, the princes Yuri and Alexander bestowed Kamenets on Magdeburg Law, Yuri transferred the capital to this city, starting the construction of a fortified fortress. When Koriatovicha across Podol began large-scale construction of castles, and in the city - the Catholic monasteries and the spread of the Catholic faith : in 1366 the Order of Dominicans appeared in Kamenetz. In 1375, Pope Gregory XI approved the Catholic Diocese of Kamenets and the first Bishop of William the Dominican. In 1377 a wooden Catholic cathedral was built in the center of the city. Around 1390 the Order of the Franciscans appeared in Kamenets. Gradually, the city became an outpost of Catholicism in the south-west of Russia.

In 1375 (or 1374), Prince Yuri Koriatovich died, Alexander became the eldest prince. In 1377 began the campaign of King of Poland and Hungary, Louis the Great, on Galicia and Volyn. His successful actions, the seizure of Galicia and the vassal oath of Lyubart, forced the princes Alexander and Boris Koryatovich to swear allegiance to the Polish-Hungarian ruler, which resulted in the appearance of the Anjou dynasty on the coin of the Podolsky princes.

Polugroshik Konstantin Koriatovich Around 1380, Alexander Koriatovich died and power was concentrated in the hands of Constantine, Prince of Podolsk and Czartoryski. After the death of Louis the Great (1382), Konstantin and Boris (according to O. Khaletsky, he was also the son of Koryat) took an active part in electing Yagailo to the Polish throne and organizing his wedding with Queen Jadviga. However, the Podolsk princes formally kept the oath not on Poland, but on the Hungarian kingdom, therefore, after the Union of Krevo in 1386, they refused to take the oath of Jagiello. Soon after that (until 1388), Prince Konstantin Koriatovich fled to Hungary, where he died (no later than 1392). Fyodor Koriatovich became the full Prince of Podolia. Fedor was supported by another prince from Koriatovich - Vasily Koriatovich. Boris Koriatovich was, on the contrary, one of the main adherents of the union.

Fyodor entered into a coalition with the princes Olgerdovich: Vladimir of Kiev, Koribut of Seversky and Svidrigailo of Vitebsk , as well as with Moldovan ruler Roman Mushat. The war began against Vitovt, which became part of a full-scale civil war , but Vitovt managed to beat his rivals one by one. In 1392, the Ostrovsky Agreement was signed between Vitovt and Yagailo, ending both the civil war and the war for the Galician-Volyn inheritance. However, Prince Fedor Koriatovich refused to recognize Vitovt as Grand Duke of Lithuania. In 1393 began the campaign of Vitovtagainst Podolsky principality. This campaign ended in 1394 with the expulsion of the Koriatoviches from Podolia. Fedor fled to Moldova, and then to Hungary.

1394-1402 Vitovt returned Podolie to the Polish-Lithuanian state. In 1395, the administration of the principality was entrusted to Kraków governor Spytko from Melsztyn. Actually, in the documents testifying to this, the toponym “Podolie” is found for the first time (before that, the names “Poniye” [1] and “Naddnistrian” were encountered ). Spytko received the management of Podoliem on the "full princely right". However, the chroniclers note a gradual gap in the relationship between Zpytko and the Polish crown. According to the researchers of the Podolsk land [2], Spytko quarreled with Queen Jadviga and King Jagiello, who avoided the unpleasant consequences of the actions of the new ruler of Podillia. She stops participating in Polish affairs and practically does not appear in Krakow, focuses on activities in Podolia and makes an alliance with Moldovan governor Stefan Mushat [2].

In 1399, in the battle of Vorskla, Spytko dies. Jagiello transfers the specific Podolsky reign to his brother Svidrigailo. However, he, intending to fight with Vitovt for the great reign of Lithuania, at the end of 1401 / early 1402, flees to the lands of the Teutonic Order, from whom he asks for help. Podolia, as a result, was transferred to the management of the Polish crown headman, the reign here is eliminated. In 1403, the last Koriatovichi (Boris and Vasily) left Western Podolia. In 1411, shortly after the victory of Vitovt and Jagiello under Grunwald Podolia, it was transferred to the Grand Duke of Lithuania.

Prince Svidrigailo In 1430, Svidrigailo still became Grand Duke of Lithuania. Podolsky reign was restored, it became one of those princes that supported Svidrigailo. Management of the principality passed to Fyodor Koributovich (according to another version - to Fyodor Nesvitsky ; however, there is a version of Y. Puzyna, according to which these two Fyodor were in fact the same person). In Poland, meanwhile, war was being prepared - the Catholic gentry was going to support Sigismund, Vitovt's younger brother. Soon an open confrontation began, which led to the loss of Svidrigailo to the Lithuanian throne in 1434 - many lands, including Podolia, Volyn and Kievpassed under the authority of the Crown of Poland. Svidrigailo resisted for some time, finding support in the southern and eastern lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as from foreign powers, but by 1437/1438 it was completely defeated.

Podolsk principality was eliminated. On the lands of Podolia was organized Podolsky Voivodeship, managed by the Polish administration. The first Podolsky commander became Peter Odrovonzh. Assistants to the governor were Kamenetsky castellans (state affairs) and Kamenetsky elders (military administration).