Volost

Volost (Russian:во́лость;IPA: [ˈvoləsʲtʲ]) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.

In earlier East Slavic history, volost was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ruler or with varying degree of autonomy from the Velikiy Knyaz (Grand Prince). Starting from the end of the 14th century, volost was a unit of administrative division in Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Poland, Muscovy, lands of modern Latvia and Ukraine. Since about the 16th century it was a part of provincial districts, that were called "uyezd" in Muscovy and later Russian Empire. Each uyezd had several volosts that were subordinated to the uyezd city.