Navahradak

Navahradak (??????????? in Belarusian; Polish: Nowogródek; Russian: Novogrudok, Lithuanian: Naugardukas) is a city in western Belarus.

History

It came under the control of the Kyivan Rus at end of the 10th century. In the 13th century, the fragile unity of Rus' disintegrated due to nomadic incursions from Asia, which reached a climax with the Mongol Horde's sacking of Kyiv (1240), leaving a geopolitical vacuum in the region. The Early East Slavs splintered along preexisting tribal lines into a number of independent and competing principalities. Due to military alliances, dynastic marriages and previous assimilation, the Belarusian principalities gravitated toward the expanding Lithuanians and became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Because Lithuanians were pagan, they were generally tolerant towards other religions, including Eastern Orthodox, unlike European Catholic powers of the time.

Related Topics:
Kyivan Rus - 10th century - 13th century - Asia - Mongol - Kyiv - 1240 - Early East Slavs - Lithuanians - Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Pagan - Eastern Orthodox - Catholic

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According to the disputed Stryjkowski Chronicle (1582) the city was the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. This theory is popular among people of Navahradak and other Belarusians though. Other theories state that Voruta, place of which is unknown, was the first capital of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, second capital was Kernav?, Trakai - the third and Vilnius - the fourth.

Related Topics:
Stryjkowski Chronicle - Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Voruta - Kernav? - Trakai - Vilnius

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Navahradak become part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth following the Union of Lublin in 1569 and later become part of imperial Russia due to the partitions of Poland in 1795. In the First World War, it was occupied by Germany from 1915 to 1918. After the end of the war it belonged to the Belarus National Republic but the Second Polish Republic occupied it in 1919. Later on the Red Army occupied it during the Polish-bolshevik war, but Poland took it back and due to the treaty of Riga, Navahradak became part of Poland and capital of the Nowogródek voivodship. Soviet troops occupied it again in September 1939 and it became part of the Byelorussian SSR until 1941. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 it became part of the Ostland. The Soviet Union recaptured it in July 1944. Following the Yalta Conference and Potsdam Agreement Navahradak again became part of Byelarussian SSR. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 it belonges to Belarus. Both in the times of the BSSR and presently Navahradak has been capital of Navahradak raion (district) in the Hrodna voblast (province).

Related Topics:
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Union of Lublin - 1569 - Imperial Russia - Partitions of Poland - 1795 - First World War - Germany - 1915 - 1918 - Belarus National Republic - Second Polish Republic - 1919 - Red Army - Polish-bolshevik war - Treaty of Riga - Nowogródek voivodship - September - 1939 - Byelorussian SSR - 1941 - Soviet Union - June - Ostland - July - 1944 - Yalta Conference - Potsdam Agreement - Dissolution of the Soviet Union - 1991 - Belarus - Raion - Hrodna voblast

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