Turaw, Belarus

Turaw (Belarusian Ту́раў, Russian Ту́ров, Polish Turów, also transliterated as Turov) is a town in Zhytkavichy district of Homel voblast of Belarus.

History

Turaw was an ancient capital of the Dregovichs tribe - one of the three Eastern Slavic tribes that are considered the ancestors of modern Belarusian nation (the others being Krivichs and Drevlians). Turaw was first mentioned in the "Tale of Bygone Years" from 980. It is located in the South of Belarus, in the historical region of Palesse.

The city was founded at the crossing of Yazda and Strumen rivers by certain Duke Tur - hence the name Turaw. Other ethymology draws the name from Tur, the Slavic name of an extinct wild species of European ram. Both rivers join with Pripet river, which in turn flows into Dnipro and then leads to the Black Sea. This river route was known to Vikings, who used it extensively for communication and during their raids to Constantinople. The Varangian dynasty of Ruriks has became dukes in the neighboring Kyiv principality and Turaw soon also became ruled by a local branch of dukes of the Rurik Dynasty. In that period the town of Turaw was an important trade centre within the Kyivan Rus, mostly due to the abovementioned trade route.

Thanks to the towns' strategic location, many different crafts were developed and practiced in Turaw. It was also home to bishop Cyril of Turaw (Kiryla Turawski), an ancient Ruthenian philosopher and religious figure. The town's period of prosperity ended with a number of feudal conflicts in 12th century. Soon afterwards Turaw lost much of its importance.

In 1320 Turaw became a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1430 it became a private town of the Grand Duke Svitrigaila. In the end of the 15th century Turaw became a property of Grand Court Marshal of Lithuania Michał Gliński. In 1502 it was damaged by a Tatar invasion. After Gliński's betrayal and escape to Muscovy in 1508, Turaw was confiscated by the family of Konstanty Ostrogski, who started the reconstruction, but the town was yet again destroyed by the Tatars in 1521. The Ostrogski family owned the town for more than a century, until it was given as a dowry to the Sapieha and then Potocki magnate families. During The Deluge the town was taken by Muscovy, but was soon retaken by Janusz Radziwiłł. After the period of constant wars with Muscovy, the town was severely damaged. In 1667 Turaw had only 111 households - out of 401 standing there in 1648.

The town never fully recovered. After the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 it was annexed by Russia and remained a small, provincial town for most of the 19th century. From that time onwards it shared the fate of the nearby town of Homel.