Kazan Governorate

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Kazan Governorate, together with seven other governorates, was established on December 29 [O.S. December 18], 1708, by Tsar Peter the Great's edict[1] on the lands of the Khanates of Kazan, Sibir, and Astrakhan, with addition of some lands from the Nogai Horde. These were the areas historically governed by the Kazan Palace's Prikaz. As with the rest of the governorates, neither the borders nor internal subdivisions of Kazan Governorate were defined; instead, the territory was defined as a set of cities and the lands adjacent to those cities.[2]

In 1717, Astrakhan Governorate was separated from Kazan Governorate; in 1719—Nizhny Novgorod; in 1744—Orenburg; in 1781—Vyatka, Simbirsk, and Ufa Governorates were separated. Under Catherine the Great (1781–1796) Kazan was the center of a namestnichestvo (viceroyalty), with Kazan, Penza, and Saratov Governorates as its integral parts.

At first the governorate was divided into lots (доли, doli), then into provinces (провинции, provintsii) in 1719, and into uyezds (уезды) in 1775. Prior to 1796, there were Kazan, Kozmodemyansk, Laishev, Mamadysh, Sviyazhsk, Spassk, Tetyushi, Tsaryovokokshaysk, Tsivilsk, Cheboksary, Chistopol, and Yadrin uyezds.

In 1913, the area of the governorate comprised 55,900 square versts, its population was estimated at 2.85 million (38.9% Russians, 31.2% Tatars, 22.8% Chuvash, 5.1% Mari, 1.2% Mordva). There were 7,272 settlements, including 13 towns: Kazan, Arsk, Sviyazhsk, Kozmodemyansk, Laishev, Mamadysh, Spassk, Tetyushi, Tsaryovokokshaysk, Tsivilsk, Cheboksary, Chistopol, Yadrin; and two posads: Mariinsky Posad and Troitsky Posad.

The governorate was finally abolished during the Bolshevik administrative reform (see Idel-Ural State). Thereupon its Eastern part was proclaimed the Tatar ASSR, while the Western part was eventually divided between Chuvashia and Mari El.

• 1774 Pugachev rebellion
• 1861 Bezdna unrest
• 1880s Wäisi movement

Kazan Governorate consisted of the following uyezds (administrative centres in parentheses):

• Kazansky Uyezd (Kazan)
• Kozmodemyansky Uyezd (Kozmodemyansk)
• Laishevsky Uyezd (Laishevo)
• Mamadyshsky Uyezd (Mamadysh)
• Sviyazhsky Uyezd (Sviyazhsk)
• Spassky Uyezd (Spassk)
• Tetyushsky Uyezd (Tetyushi)
• Tsaryovokokshaysky Uyezd (Tsaryovokokshaysk)
• Tsivilsky Uyezd (Tsivilsk)
• Cheboksarsky Uyezd (Cheboksary)
• Chistopolsky Uyezd (Chistopol)
• Yadrinsky Uyezd (Yadrin)

• Results of 1897 all-imperial census for Kazan Governorate

• William Henry Beable (1919), "Governments or Provinces of the Former Russian Empire: Kazan", Russian Gazetteer and Guide, London: Russian Outlook – via Open Library

55.7908°N 49.1144°E / 55.7908; 49.1144