Берасцейскі павет у палітычнай геаграфіі Вялікага Княства Літоўскага ў 1630-1640-я гг.

ENThe article presents the results of the study of the role and place of the Brest County in the political life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1630s and 1640s. The author drew attention to the unexplored local political history in the Belarusian historiography and fragmentary information about the specifics of the political forces structure in the Brest region in foreign historiography. The article notes that political competition in Brest was a reflection of the processes that took place at the national level. The leadership of the Brest Voivodeship changed several times during the 1630s and 1640s, and the voivodeships were persons belonging to three different political groups, including the Radzivil and Sapega ones. The local administration of the County was formed from local gentry, that also oriented one of the political groups. Despite the fact that the main Voevode and County posts belonged to Catholics and Uniates, the Protestant group of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania led by the Radzivils from Birzhy was very popular among the local gentry. One of the County leaders and the main representative of Protestant interests at the Sejms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the famous Brest nobleman Peter Kohlevsky. Keywords: gentry, Brest region, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, governor of province, the Radzivils, the Sapegas. [From the publication]