Novogrudok
Novogrudok or Navahrudak is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624.
In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son Vaišvilkas.
During and after Mindaugas' rule, Novogrudok was part of the Kingdom of Lithuania, and later the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which was later part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 14th century, it was an episcopal see of the Metropolitanate of Lithuania.
From 1795 to 1915, the Russian Empire ruled over the lands, with brief periods of intercession, e.g. Napoleon's Grande Armée in 1812 and the Uprisings of 1831 and 1863. After 1915, Novogrudok was occupied by the Imperial German Army for three years in World War I, by the Second Polish Republic until the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Thereafter, the Soviet Union annexed the area to the Byelorussian SSR. From 1941 to 1944, Novogrudok was occupied by the German Army, thereafter returning to the Soviet Union until 1991.
Toponymy
The name comes from the Old East Slavic words "New town". It was a large settlement in the remote Western lands of the Krivichs, which came under the control of the Ancient Rus' state at the end of the 10th century. The ancient name of Novgorodok. In some sources, it is called Maly Novgorod.Archaeological excavations made by Gurevich F. D. in different places of the city, gave a huge number of interesting finds this, as well as the conclusion of the archaeologist that the city appeared on this site no later than the 9th century, allows Novogrudok to claim the role of historical chronicle Novgorod. In favour of this version of localization is the fact that in the earliest annals of Novgorod called "Novgorodou", and in the end later added the letter "k" turned , so the chronicle "Novgorodou" transformed into "Novgorodouk" and was later simplified to "Novogrudok".
Locals use the older name "Navаgradak", especially the older people. The place of stress is recorded in the publication of the "Tribunal for the inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania'", where it is marked in print "in Novа́gorodku".
At the time of entry into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the traditional Belarusian pronunciation Navа́gradak led to Polish exonym Nowogródek. In turn, this led to the written Russian exonym Novogrudok, and the written Ukrainian exonym Novohrudok.
Some historians believe that the chronicle versions of the name of the city – Novogorod, Novgorodok, Novy Gorodok, Novogorodok-Litovsky, etc. indicate that, perhaps, there was an old city center of the district – Radogoshcha.
History
Early history
Novogrudok was established in Baltic Yotvingian lands. Eastern Slavs, specifically Dregoviches and Volhynians, were the first settlers who established Novogrudok at the end of the 10th century. According to archaeological research conducted in Novogrudok in the 1960s, the settlements arose on modern Novogrudok's territory at the end of the 10th century, and the fortifications by the mid-11th century. Research also suggests that a city already existed on-site in the 9th–10th centuries, which had trade links with Byzantium, the Near East, Western Europe and Scandinavia. These trade links were related to the Amber Road. Archaeologically, Novogrudok was studied in the years 1957-1977. In the first half of the 11th century, the city consisted of two undefended settlements located on the Small castle and Castle hill. In the second half of the 11th century, fortifications were built around the settlement on the Castle hill, thus forming the Novogrudok detinets. On the Small Castle to the West of the detinets formed a settlement, which in the 12th century was also fortified and turned into a roundabout city.On the territory of the detinets, wooden ground buildings with wood burning stoves made out of adobe and plank floors were studied. The most important activities of the city's population were crafts and trade. Often, there is evidence of local jewelry craft – there were foundries and jewelry workshops that formed a whole block on the small castle. Bone-cutting, wood and stone processing were also common. Graffiti with old Russian letters was found on fragments of frescoed plaster from building No.12 of the 12th century on the Small Castle. Trade relations in the 12th–13th centuries were far-reaching, as evidenced by many imports: from Kyiv came glass bracelets, non-ferrous metal jewellery, engolpions, icons, spindle whorls, faience vessels from Iran, glassware from Byzantium and Syria, from the Baltic – amber.
Novogrudok was first mentioned in the Sofia First Chronicle and Novgorod Fourth Chronicle in 1044 in reference to a war between Yaroslav I and Lithuanian tribes. It was also mentioned in the Hypatian Codex in 1252 as Novogorodok, meaning "new little town". Novogrudok was a major settlement in the remote western lands of the Krivichs that came under Kievan Rus' control at the end of the 10th century. However, this hypothesis has been disputed as the earliest archaeological findings date from the 11th century.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
13th century
In the 13th century, Kievan Rus' disintegrated due to Asian nomadic incursions, which climaxed with the Mongol horde's Siege of Kiev, resulting in the sack of Kiev. This left a regional geopolitical vacuum in which the East Slavs splintered along pre-existing tribal lines and formed several independent, competing principalities. It is known that even prior to Mindaugas' arrival, there was a Catholic church in Novogrudok.File:Nowogrodek.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the Novogrudok Castle, destroyed in the 18th century, drawing by Napoleon Orda.
Maciej Stryjkowski asserts that Ringold's father, Algimunt, ruled in Novogrudok over all Rus' and Lithuania, starting from Vilija River up to Starodub, Chernigov, Turau and Karachaev, as well as all of Podlasie with its adjacent castles, Brest, Mielnik, Drohiczyn, etc., holding them in peaceful tenure.
Mindaugas' son Vaišvilkas ruled Novogrudok. Novogrudok was one of Mindaugas' residences. Some identify Novogrudok as Lithuania's first capital, later the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, however, this is refuted by the fact that Voruta is the only contemporary mention of a possible early Lithuanian capital ruled by Mindaugas. Voruta's most likely location has been identified as Šeimyniškėliai mound. The Great Russian Encyclopedia states that Mindaugas' state had no permanent capitals, but his early residence was Black Rus', whose center was Novogrudok. Encyclopædia Britannica mentions only the following Lithuanian capitals: Kernavė, Trakai and Vilnius, excluding Novogrudok from the list.
During the 16th century, three centuries after the events, Maciej Stryjkowski was the first, in his chronicle, to propose the theory that Novogrudok was the capital of the 13th-century state. Vaišvilkas, the son and successor of Mindaugas, took monastic vows in Lavrashev Monastery near Novgorodok and founded an Orthodox convent there. The enmity between Mindaugas and his relatives, who were refuged in Volhynia, led to a great war with the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which made several major campaigns against the city. These campaigns forced Mindaugas to ally with the Livonian Order. In 1253, Mindaugas was crowned king of Lithuania on behalf of the Pope. Vaišvilkas made peace on behalf of his father with the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia and handed over Novogrudok and all Lithuanian cities to Roman Danylovich. After breaking the peace in 1258, Vaišvilkas again became a duke in Novogrudok, and then passed it along with the entire country to Shvarn. The Golden Horde Tatars repeatedly attacked Novogrudok in 1255, 1274, and finally in 1279.
14th century
In 1314, the castle was besieged by the Teutonic Order. It was again attacked by the Teutons in 1321, 1341, 1390 and finally in 1394.As the centre of the appanage Principality, Novogrudok was owned from 1329 by Prince Karijotas, and then by his son Fyodor from 1358, and from 1386 by Kaributas. At that time, Novogrudok was part of the Trakai Voivodeship, whose population was entirely ethnically Lithuanian, hence Novogrudok was part of Lithuania Proper.
Since 1392, Novogrudok was one of the centres of the Grand Ducal demesne of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where the stone Novogrudok Castle was built. The Novogrudok Castle's firmness allowed the existence of a Castellan and a Koniuszy.