rozmiarch

Rozmierch refers to a historical administrative division in what is now eastern Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine. During the Grand Duchy of Lithuania period, it was used as a territorial unit. The term is also associated with a smaller administrative division in the Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, under the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a rozmiarch was typically a substantial administrative and territorial unit, equivalent to what is now a district or county. Each rozmiarch was usually subdivided into smaller territorial units called atrymancy or atyradzi. Rozmierchs were often associated with notable local leaders or magnates who possessed significant political and military power within the region.

The title of the ruler of a rozmiarch varied, often including the names such as starosta, hetman, or pidmarsh. The Rozmiarch was not a fixed unit, and its boundaries were subject to change over time as a result of the shifting borders of the Grand Duchy and subsequent territorial divisions. In the Polish-Lithuanian period, the rozmiarch became increasingly associated with the sejmik system, a regional assembly where local nobles would gather to discuss and decide upon regional matters.

The use of the term rozmiarch declined with the partitioning of Poland and Lithuania in the 18th century. Today, it is mostly of historical interest, with remnants of its original meaning surviving in the regional place names and territorial divisions in the area.