The Settlement of Old Believers in the North-West of Belarus in the Second Half of the XVII — First Half of the XVIII Centuries

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2025-1/337-352

Authors

Keywords:

Old Believers, northwestern Belarus, ethnic history, historiography, settlement, ethnic group

Abstract

The article focuses on the settlement of the Russian Old Believers in the northwestern Belarusian lands in the second half of the XVII – first half of the XVIII century. We analyze the results of previous studies dealing with this issue, characterize their sources and methodology. We come to the conclusion that although a number of publications have considered the early history of the Old Believers in the northwestern region of Belarus, the question of their settlement here in the second half of the XVII – first half of the XVIII century remains unresolved. To date, the published studies have failed to provide solid facts about the Old Believers' settlement in the region during this period. Therefore, more serious questions of the early history of the Old Believers in the region still seek resolution. For example, the places of initial settlement have not been identified, no attempt has been made to analyze the intensity of migration and to count the number of newcomers.

Author Biography

  • Uladzimir Auseichyk, Polotsk State University

    Auseichyk, Uladzimir E. — Ph.D. in History, Associated Professor, Polotsk State University (Novopolotsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: u.auseichyk@psu.by ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6433-0039

    For citation: Auseichyk, U. 2025. The Settlement of Old Believers in the North-West of Belarus in the Second Half of the XVII — First Half of the XVIII Centuries. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii). 1: 337–352.

    References
    1. Anoszko, S. 2020. Staroobrzędowcy na białoruskich ziemiach Rzeczypospolitej Obojga Narodów w XVII–XVIII stuleciu [Old Believers in the Belorussian Lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 17th–18th Centuries]. NURT SVD: półrocznik misjologiczno-religioznawczy 1: 93–111.
    2. Auseichyk, U. 2021a. Rassialenne і demagrafіchnaia kharaktarystyka staraveraў paўnochna-zakhodniai Belarusі ў drugoi palove XIX – pachatku XX st. [Settlement and Demographic Characteristics of the Old Believers of Northwestern Belarus in the Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries]. Vesnіk Grodzenskaga dziarzhaўnaga ўnіversіteta іmia Iankі Kupaly. Seryia 1. Gіstoryia і arkhealogіia. Fіlasofіia. Palіtalogіia 13 (1): 57–67.
    3. Auseichyk, U. 2021b. Staravery paўdneva-ўskhodniai Belarusі: gіstaryiagrafіia і suchasny stan dasledavanniaў [Old Beliefs of Southeastern Belarus: Historiography and Current State of Research]. Vestnik PGU. Seriia A. Gumanitarnye nauki. Istoricheskie nauki 1: 136–146.
    4. Gorbatskii, A. A. 2004. Staroobriadchestvo na belorusskikh zemliakh [Old Believers in the Belarusian lands]. Brest: Brest Derzhavnii Universitet. 305 p.
    5. Hedeman, O. 1930. Historja powiatu Brasławskiego [History of the Braslav District]. Wilno: Polska Druk. Nakłądowa «Lux». 434 p.
    6. Iwaniec, E. 1977. Z dziejów staroobrzędowców na ziemiach polskich XVII–XX w. [From the History of Old Believers in Poland in the 17th and 20th Centuries]. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. 295 p.
    7. Morozova, N. 2020. Starovery glazami predstavitelei drugikh khristianskikh konfessii Rechi Pospolitoi: iezuit Ian Aloizii Kulesha [Old Believers through the Eyes of Other Christian Denominations within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: Jesuit Jan Aloysius Kulesha]. Slavistica Vilnensis 65(2): 54–64. https://doi.org/10.15388/SlavViln.2020.65%282%29.47
    8. Ovseichik, V. E. 2022. Iz istorii izucheniia staroobriadchestva severo-zapadnoi Belarusi: obzor literatury (vtoraia polovina XVIII v.–1980 gg.) [From the History of the Study of Old Believers in Northwestern Belarus: A Review of the Literature (Second Half of the 18th Century–1980)]. Slavistica Vilnensis 67(2): 141–149.
    9. Ovseichik, V. E. 2023. Iz istorii izucheniia staroobriadchestva severo-zapadnoi Belarusi: obzor literatury (sovremennyi etap) [From the History of the Study of Old Believers in Northwestern Belarus: Review of the Literature (Current Stage)]. Slavistica Vilnensis 68(1): 102–115. https://doi.org/10.15388/SlavViln.2023.68(1).98
    10. Ovseichik, V. E. 2024. Staroobriadtsy severnoi Belarusi v seredine XІX v.: rasselenie i chislennost' [Old Believers of Northern Belarus in the Middle of the 19th Century: Settlement and Numbers]. Etnografiia 1(23): 169–188. https://doi.org/10.31250/2618-8600-2024-1(23)-169-188
    11. Pastuszewski, S. 2015. Staroobrzędowcy na ziemiach białoruskich [Old Believers on Belarussian Lands]. Rocznikі Bialskopodlaski XXIII: 159–207.
    12. Podmazov, A. A. 1970. Staroobriadchestvo v Latvii [Old Believers in Latvia]. Riga: Liesma: 111 р.
    13. Potashenko, G. 2000. Emigraciya staroobryadcev v Velikoe knyazhestvo Litovskoe: 1700–1760 [Emigration of Old Believers to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: 1700–1760]. In Staroobryadchestvo: istoriya, kul'tura, sovremennost': Materialy V nauchno-prakticheskij konferencii, g. Moskva, 20–21 noyab. 2000 g.; Red. Osipov V.I., Sokolova E.I. Borovsk. 76–86.
    14. Potashenko, G., 2006. Staroverie v Litve: vtoraia polovina XVII – nachalo XIX vv. Issledovaniia, dokumenty i materialy [Old Belief in Lithuania: Second Half of the 17th – early 19th Centuries. Research, Documents, Materials]. Vilnius: Aidai. 543 р.
    15. Sivitskene, M. 1997. Iz istorii russkogo starozhilcheskogo naseleniia Litvy [From the History of the Russian Old-Timer Population of Lithuania]. Slavistica Vilnensis 46(2): 153–164.
    16. Zavarina, A. A. 1986. Russkoe naselenie vostochnoi Latvii vo vtoroi polovine XIX – nachale XX veka: Istoriko-etnograficheskii ocherk [Russian Population of Eastern Latvia in the Second Half of the 19th – early 20th Centuries: Historical and Ethnographic Essay]. Riga: Zinatne. 246 р.

Downloads

Published

15.03.2025

Issue

No. 1 (2025): Вестник антропологии

Section

Anthropology of Religion