Administrative divisions of Lithuania 1561, became a condominium (joint domain) of both Lithuania and Poland. This left Lithuania with eight voivodeships and one eldership: After the Livonian War (1558–1582), Lithuania acquired the vassal state of Duchy of Courland with its capital Jelgava. This administrative division remained without any major changes until the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the late 18th century. Under the Russian Empire, the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania was divided into governorates (Russian: "guberniya", Lithuanian: "gubernija") and districts (Russian: "uyezd", Lithuanian: "apskritis"). Such system was introducing in Russia during the reforms of 1775. The first governorates, Vilna
Grand Duchy of Lithuania Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that lasted from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria. The state was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija. The Grand Duchy expanded to include large portions of the former Kievan Rus' and other Slavic lands, including what is now Belarus and parts of Ukraine, Poland and Russia. At its greatest extent, in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe. It was a multi-ethnic and