Revel Governorate (Russian: Ревельская губерния), also known as Tallinn Governorate, was an administrative division (a guberniya) of the Russian Empire from 1719 to 1783.

History

The Tallinn Governorate was originally formed in 1719, by the Russian Tsar Peter the Great's decree of 29 May 1719, and included four North-Estonian counties (Läänemaa, Harjumaa, Järvamaa and Virumaa), as the Narva region was originally merged with the St Petersburg Governorate.

The Estonian territories were conquered from Sweden in the Northern War by the Russian Tsarist troops in October 1710 (Viibur on 24 June 1710, Riga on 15 July, Pärnu on 23 August, then Paide and Haapsalu, Kuressaare on 26 September and Tallinn on 10 October).

In the course of the Northern War, the Russian troops had already conquered Virumaa, which was called Narva Province, and Tartumaa, which was called Tartu Province (Дерптский уезд), and which were part of the St Petersburg Governorate, in 1708.

Sweden formally ceded the territories of Estonia conquered during the 1710 war in the Treaty of Uusikaupunki in 1721. After the Great Northern War, the Swedish system of administration and government remained in Estonia. This was ensured by the acts of capitulation of the Estonian towns, by which the Estonian knighthood and the town of Tallinn surrendered to the Russian troops in the Great Northern War.

From 1713 to 1722, Tartu county belonged to the governorate. However in 1722 Tartu county rejoined the Riga Governorate.

In 1727, Narva County was separated from the St. Petersburg Governorate, but the town of Narva and Jaanilinna remained in the St. Petersburg Governorate, where it was the capital of Jamburg County from 1775 to 1802. The eastern border of the Revel Governorate (Narva County) began at Joala Manor and went to the mouth of the Narva River, but further work on defining the border stopped in 1784.^[1]

In 1783, Tallinn deputy governorate was formed from Tallinn governorate, and in 1796, together with Narva county, which was separated from St. Petersburg governorate, the Estonian governorate was formed.

Administrative Divisions

In 1719, the Russian Empire carried out a reform of the administrative division of territories, dividing governorates into provinces and provinces into districts. The administrative division of the Tallinn Governorate, due to its small territory, was not divided into provinces, but only into districts, and in 1719 was as follows:

Harju district (Russian: Гарриенский дистрикт), which^[2] included the parishes of Kuusalu, Jõelähtme, Harju-Jaani, Jüri, Juuru, Kose, Rapla, Hageri, Nissi, Keila, Madise and Risti. Virumaa distrikt (Вирляндский дистрикт) comprising^[3] the parishes of Jõhvi, Vaivara, Lüganuse, Viru-Nigula, Rakvere, Haljala, Kadrina, Jaagupi, Väike-Maarja and Simuna Järva distrikt (Эрвенский дистрикт) comprising^[4] the parishes of Ambla, Jaani, Madise, Koeru, Peetri, Anna and Türi Haapsalu district (Викский дистрикт), comprising^[5] Märjamaa, Vigala, Kullamaa, Martna, Kirbla, Lääne-Nigula, Ridala, Lihula, Karuse, Hanila, Mihkli, Haapsalu parishes and islands.^[6]

Governors

• 1710–1711 Rudolph Felix Bauer – General-Governor
• 1711–1719 Prince Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov – General-Governor
• 1719–1728 Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin – General-Governor
• 1728–1736 Friedrich Baron von Löwen
• 1736–1738 Sebastian Ernst von Manstein
• 1738–1740 Gustaf Otto Douglas
• 1740–1743 Woldemar von Löwendahl
• 1743–1753 Peter August Friedrich von Holstein-Beck (1696–1775)
• 1753–1758 Prince Vladimir Petrovich Dolgorukiy
• 1758–1775 Peter August Friedrich von Holstein-Beck – General-Governor
• 1775–1792 Count George Browne – General-Governor
• 1783–1786 Georg Friedrich von Grotenhielm
• 1786–1797 Heinrich Johann Baron von Wrangell

See also

• Baltic governorates

References