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24-573: The area of the governorate was inhabited in the 10th century by the Slav tribes of the Krivichi and Radimichi . In the 14th century, the land became part of Lithuania , and later Poland . The governorate was formed in 1772, in the aftermath of the First partition of Poland , from parts of the voivodeships of Witebsk , Mścisław , Połock and Inflanty . Parts of these territories were also used to form

48-802: A portage led to the Toropa River  [ ru ] and downstream to the Western Dvina River . From the Western Dvina, the ships went upstream along the Kasplya River and were portaged again to the Katynka River (near Katyn ), a tributary of the Dnieper. It seems probable that once the route was established, the goods were unloaded onto land transport to cross the portage and reloaded onto other waiting ships on

72-581: A historical region on the east side of the River Vistula , or to Vindau on the coast of Courland . On the Dnieper , the Varangians had to portage their ships around seven rapids , where they had to be on guard from Pecheneg nomads. The rapids began below the modern city of Dnipro , where the river turns south, and fell 50 meters in 66 kilometers. Today, the rapids are underwater, due to

96-608: A medieval trade route that connected Scandinavia , Kievan Rus' and the Eastern Roman Empire . The route allowed merchants along its length to establish a direct prosperous trade with the Empire, and prompted some of them to settle in the territories of present-day Belarus , Russia and Ukraine . The majority of the route comprised a long-distance waterway , including the Baltic Sea , several rivers flowing into

120-571: A tribal union of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. It is suggested that originally the Krivichi were native to the area around Pskov . They migrated to the mostly Finnic areas in the upper reaches of the Volga , Dnieper , Dvina , areas south of the lower reaches of river Velikaya and parts of the Neman basin . In some variants of Belarusiphile anti-normanist history,

144-695: Is the same as Hólmgarðr (‘Island Enclosure’) and Nýgarðr (‘New Enclosure’); Kiev is equally called Kœnugarðr (‘Boatyard’) or Σαμβατας, which might derive from Norse Sandbakki-áss (‘Sandbank Ridge’). Though Constantin Zuckerman suggests a more obvious etymology, from the Turkic (Khazar) roots sam and bat (literally, ‘upper fortress’). The runestone N 62 preserves the name Vitaholmr (‘demarcation islet’), which could refer to Vitichev, according to Boris Kleiber. Judith Jesch , however, suggests Vitaholmr may refer either to Witland ,

168-735: The Pskov Governorate . In 1796, Mogilev and Polotsk Governorates were united and formed Belorussian Governorate . In 1802, the Belorussian Governorate was divided into Vitebsk Governorate and Mogilev Governorate. In 1917, Vitebsk, Mogilev and parts of Minsk Governorate and Vilna Governorate were united into the Western District (from 1918 known as Western Komuna ). In 1918, it was joined by Smolensk Governorate and in October 1919, Mogilev Governorate

192-763: The Varangians . Their chief tribal centres were Gnezdovo , Izborsk , and Polotsk . The Krivichs as a tribe took part in Oleg 's and Igor 's military campaigns against the Byzantine Empire. They are also mentioned in De Administrando Imperio as Krivitzoí ( Κριβιτζοί ). Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks The trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks was

216-959: The trade route from the Khazars to the Germans . According to Constantine VII , the Krivichs and other tribes dependent on Kiev transported hollowed-out sailboats, or monoxyla , which could accommodate thirty to forty people, to places along the rivers. These sailboats were then transported along the Dnieper to Kiev. There they were sold to the Varangians who re-equipped them and loaded them with merchandise. Places named include Smolensk (Μιλινισκα), Liubech (Τελιουτζα), Chernihiv (Τζερνιγωγα), Vyshhorod (Βουσεγραδε), Vitichev  [ pl ] (Βιτετζεβη), and Kiev (Κια[ο]βα). Some of these cities had alternate names in Old Norse , and Constantine quotes some of them: So Novgorod (Νεμογαρδα)

240-515: The 6th to 9th centuries with cremated bodies; burial mounds of rich warriors with weapons; sets of distinctive jewelry (bracelet-like temporal rings and glass beads made out of stretched wire). By the end of the first millennium, the Krivichs had already acquired well-developed farming and cattle-breeding. Having settled around the Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , the Krivichs traded with

264-597: The Baltic Sea, and rivers of the Dnieper river system , with portages on the drainage divides . An alternative route was along the Dniester river with stops on the western shore of Black Sea . These more specific sub-routes are sometimes referred to as the Dnieper trade route and Dniester trade route , respectively. The route began in Scandinavian trading centers such as Birka , Hedeby , and Gotland ,

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288-480: The Byzantines meant all Scandinavians and their kindred living in what are now Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. The route was probably established in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, when Varangian explorers searched for plunder but also for slaves and lucrative goods. The route gained significant importance from the 10th until the first third of the 11th century, concurrently with the Volga trade route and

312-708: The Danube by the Blakumenn (Vlachs). The Trade Route from the Varangians to the Greeks was connected to other waterways of Eastern Europe, such as the Pripyat - Bug waterway leading to Western Europe , and the Volga trade route , which went down the Volga waterway to the Caspian Sea . Another offshoot was along the Dnieper and the Usyazh-Buk River towards Lukoml and Polotsk . The Trade Route from

336-467: The Dnieper. Along the Dnieper, the route crossed several major rapids and passed through Kiev . After entering the Black Sea , it followed its west coast to Constantinople . The route from the Varangians to the Greeks was first mentioned in the early 12th-century Primary Chronicle (on page 7, line 2), although it does not describe it in detail. But its effects were reported much earlier, in

360-476: The Slavic adjective krivoy ("crooked/twisted") due to some possible birth defect. Jan Stankievič believed it was derived from the adjective kroŭ / kryvi ("blood"), hence, kryvič would mean "blood relationship". The Krivichs left many archaeological monuments, such as the remnants of agricultural settlements with traces of ironworks, jeweler's art, blacksmith's work and other handicrafts; long burial mounds of

384-581: The Varangian presence in this area at Murfatlar Cave Complex near Constantia (today Constanţa, Romania). Numerous runic inscriptions, symbols and even a graffiti of a Viking navy are visible on the walls of the rock church from Murfatlar. A rune stone from the Sjonhem cemetery in Gotland dating from the 11th century commemorates a merchant Rodfos who was traveling to Constantinople and was killed north of

408-531: The Varangians to the Greeks was used to transport different kinds of merchandise. Wine , spices , jewelry , glass , expensive fabrics, icons , and books came from the Byzantine Empire . Volhyn traded spinning wheels and other items. Certain kinds of weapons and handicrafts came from Scandinavia . Northern Rus' offered timber, fur, honey, and wax, while the Baltic tribes traded amber . In

432-413: The city, and later principality of Polotsk is linked to Krivichians, much like Kyiv is linked to Polianians , however, based on most modern evidence, these were all likely linked to Rus' people . Many historians suggest that the name of the tribe probably stems from that of their legendary forefather Kriv, possibly a kniaz or a voivode . According to Max Vasmer , this sobriquet was derived from

456-516: The construction of the dam of DniproHES , a hydroelectric power station, in 1932. Below the rapids, they had to pass a narrow rocky spot called the Ford of Vrar (Russian: Krariyskaya crossing), where the Varangians were often attacked by the Pechenegs . The Varangians stopped at St. George Island . Then they equipped their ships with sails in the Dnieper estuary and continued to navigate along

480-852: The eastern route crossed the Baltic Sea, entered the Gulf of Finland , and followed the Neva River into Lake Ladoga . Then it followed the Volkhov River upstream past the towns of Staraya Ladoga and Velikiy Novgorod (where it met the Volga trade route and which became a major trade centre ), crossed Lake Ilmen , and continued up the Lovat River , the Kunya River and possibly the Seryozha River  [ ru ] . From there,

504-607: The ninth chapter of Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus 's book De Administrando Imperio , who noted that the Rhos came down the river Dnieper from Veliky Novgorod , Smolensk , Liubech , Chernigov , Vyshgorod , gathering in Kiev before sailing further down the Dnieper towards the Black Sea in June. Though "Varangians" has come to mean "Vikings" to many, the term for

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528-637: The second half of the eleventh century, the Crusades opened more lucrative routes from Europe to the Orient through the Crusader states of the Middle East. By that time, Rus' had strengthened its commercial ties with Western Europe, and the route from the Varangians to the Greeks gradually lost its significance. For a related military route, see Muravsky Trail . " Holmgard and beyond That's where

552-456: The western shore of the Black Sea all the way to Constantinople ( Slavic : Tsargrad , Old Norse: Miklagarðr ). The Varangian boats were used along the rivers and along the Black Sea shores. According to Constantine VII , the navigation near the western shore of Black Sea contained stops at Sulina (Danube Delta), Conopa, Constantia (localities today in Romania). There are some remains of

576-588: Was reformed into Gomel Governorate . 53°55′00″N 30°21′00″E  /  53.9167°N 30.3500°E  / 53.9167; 30.3500 This Belarus location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Russian history –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Krivichi The Krivichs or Kryvichs ( Russian : кри́вичи , romanized : krivichi , IPA: [ˈkrʲivʲɪtɕɪ] ; Belarusian : крывічы́ , romanized :  kryvičý , IPA: [krɨvʲiˈt͡ʂɨ] ) were

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