White Ruthenia

show This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Russian. (June 2018) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 2,191 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary Content in this edit is translated from the existing Russian Wikipedia article at [[:ru:]]; see its history for attribution. You should also add the template {{Translated page}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

White Ruthenia (Church Slavonic: Бѣла Роусь, Bela Rous;^{[citation needed]} Belarusian: Белая Русь, Biełaja Ruś ; Polish: Ruś Biała; Russian: Белая Русь, Belaya Rus; Ukrainian: Біла Русь, Bila Rus) alternatively known as Russia Alba, White Rus' or White Russia, is an archaism^[1][2] for the eastern part of present-day Belarus, including the cities of Polack (Polotsk), Viciebsk (Vitebsk), and Mahiloŭ (Mogilev).

History[]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Russia Alba between Livonia Aquilonaris and Moscovie Pars from the map Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus, 1539

Many other variations of this name appeared on ancient maps; for instance, Russia Alba, Russija Alba, Wit Rusland, Weiß Reußen (Weißreußen), White Russia, Hviterussland, Hvíta Rússland, Weiß Russland (Weißrussland), Ruthenia Alba, Ruthénie Blanche and Weiß Ruthenien (Weißruthenien). The name was also assigned to various territories, often quite distant from that of present Belarus. For example, at one time the term was applied to Novgorod.^{[clarification needed]}

The 16th century chronicler Alexander Guagnini's book Sarmatiae Europeae descriptio wrote that Rus' was divided in three parts. The first part, under the rule of the Moscovite Grand Duke, was called White Russia. The second one, under the rule of Polish king, was called Black Russia. And the rest was Red Ruthenia. He also said Moscow was the center of White Russia and Russian metropolitanate, and that Grand Duke of Moscow was called the White Czar, especially by his subjects.

Sigizmundian Plan of Moscow, engraved in 1610, is the last city plan compiled (by the Poles) before the destruction of the city in 1612 and subsequent changes to the street network. Orientation: North is at the right, West at the top. (Moscovia urbs metropolis tutius Russiæ Albæ).

Map "The Grand Duchy of Moscow or the Kingdom of White Russia on the latest reports" (Estats du Grandduc de Moscovie ou de l’Empereur de la Russie Blanche suivant les derniers relations), approximately 1749 years cartographer Hendrik de Leth (Netherlands)

Only by the late 16th century, the name was associated with the area of present Belarus. The origins of the name, which is attested from the 14th century, are unclear.^[3] Vasmer's dictionary mentions the dichotomy of "white" land and "taxed" land in Domostroi and speculates that "white" Russia may have referred to the parts of Russia that were not subject to Tatar rule. Another speculation in Vasmer is that the color of the clothes of the White Russians (perhaps as well as the color of their hair) may have contributed to the name. Oleg Trubachyov calls both theories "complete fantasies".^{[citation needed]}

According to Alfred Nicolas Rambaud:

The name of White Russia is given to the provinces conquered from the 13th to the 14th century by the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. These were the ancient territories of the Krivitches, Polotchans, Dregovitches, Drevlians, Doulebes, now forming the governments of Vitepsk, Mohilef, and Minsk.^[4]

See also[]

• Black Ruthenia
• Red Ruthenia

• Little Russia
• Great Russia
• New Russia

References[]

Sources[]

External links[]

• Why is the Russia White?