Administrative and Territorial Reforms in the European North of Russia in the Last Quarter of the 18th – Early 19th Century (A Case Study of Vologda Governorate)

The article studies the formation of administrative and territorial units in the European North of Russia in the last quarter of the 18th – early 19th century. Based on the materials from Vologda Governorate, the article attempts to characterize the model of administrative and territorial structure proposed during the 1775 Governorate reform as well as analyze its suitability for local conditions and its relationship with the system of governance. The article also studies the problems caused by the reform and the proposed solutions. The documents found in the state archives of Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Yaroslavl oblasts made it possible to identify the features of the reformed territory and their impact on the formation of administrative units and establishing administrative centers. It has been shown that the huge Vologda Viceroyalty, which was created during the 1775 Governorate reform and included three vast regions, caused administrative difficulties even in the first years of its existence. Those difficulties were attempted to be solved by transforming Arkhangelsk Oblast into a separate viceroyalty. During the reign of Paul I, the administrative and territorial structure of the governorates was revised, resulting in the creation of Vologda Governorate, which was divided into ten uyezds. Some uyezds were comparable in size to many governorates in central Russia. The center of the governorate was located on its southwestern outskirts and was significantly distant from many of the uyezd towns. The author concludes that the established administrative and territorial structure turned out inconvenient for administration and affected the operation of local institutions, slowed down records management, and made it difficult to control the uyezd officials, contributing to the flourishing of abuse in remote uyezds.

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