As Kobrin was given …

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

At acquaintance with history of our city it is necessary to pay attention to abundance of various "donations" of Kobrin therefore it a set of times changed the owners.

In this regard I would call rather symbolical already very first of the written mentions of Kobrin which reached us which is connected with the act of donation.

On one of ancient Ipatyevskaya's pages letopisiv we read records of 1288: "Xie Az, the prince Volodimir, the son Vasilkov, the grandson Romanov, I write the diploma: Kobrin is people, is a tribute gave esm to the princess on the stomach (life) the city, Kako at me thawed, taka and on me allow to at to my princess" …

What data a story about the author of the provided will about which the contemporary wrote has: "The scribe great and the philosopher what was not before him in the whole earth and after will not be him". The Volynsk prince Vladimir, Roman's grandson galitsky, is mentioned in the chronicle since 1260. In 1262 it accompanied the father in a campaign to Lithuania. In 1264 married Roman's daughter Bryansk to Olga. In 1271 after death of the father sat down on reigning in Vladimir. Despite peaceful temper, it had to combat yatvyaga and Lithuanians, actively to interfere with conflicts of other neighbors, including Polish princes. In its reigning the Tatar attacks strongly devastated princely lands. In rather quiet intervals it restored Brest ruined in 1241 by Tatars, Kamenets is founded in 1276, efforts became to develop trade for what to the country foreigners were attracted. Autographic copying of prayer books was his hobby. The last years of the life Vladimir suffered from a heavy illness, apparently, of a cancer of the lower jaw. This illness sent him to the grave on December 12, 1288.

When in the middle of the 14th century Grand Duchy of Lithuania managed to subordinate to the power all Belarusian lands, the prince Gedimin, distributing production between the sons, sent to destiny Keystuta Brest, Kobrin, Belsk, Kamenets. After death Keystuta Kobrin passes to Olgerdovicham.

In one of documents of 1377 there is a mention of the specific prince Fedor Ratnenskom which possession Kobrin entered. On his death the Ratnensky principality was also divided between sons of the dead. One of them, Roman, about 1404 receives from the grand duke Lithuanian Vitovt in hereditary possession Kobrin with adjacent lands. From now on our city becomes the center of the Kobrin specific principality, i.e. the independent administrative and judicial district.

With death of the last prince Ivan Semenovicha Kobrin takes over his widow Anna Semenovna who died in 1517, without having left successors. The same year Kobrin district is transferred to lifelong possession to the second husband of the princess Anna marshal Václav Kostevich who died in 1532. In documents it for the first time is called as the Kobrin head.

On Kostevich's death the Polish king Sigismund Stary gives Kobrin povt to the wife queen Bona coming from a noble family of Sforts. This imperious and ambitious Italian figured at policy. She owned Kobrin up to the departure to Italy in 1556. On its initiative the strengthened colonization of the Belarusian lands not only Polish shlyakhty, but also natives of Holland and Italy began. It is so known that in Kobrin the goldsmith Pyotr Neapolitanets deserved at its yard was lodged. Only during this time in Kobrin the first Catholic church appears. To remember in passing pertinently Bona's channel proceeding on the western suburb of Kobrin. The name of Bona it was called in the twenties by the belopolsky authorities whereas earlier was called Cossack. Apparently, once, it is possible at Bona, it was dug by prisoners of war Cossacks.

After death of the king Stefan Batory in 1586 the Kobrin economy came to widow destiny to his widow Anna Yagellonka, Sigismund and Bona's daughter. Having arrived to Kobrin in 1588, it exempted citizens from territorial duties and since January 5 of the same year provided to the city self-government by the so-called "magdebursky right". At the same time citizens acquired the right of free use of the wood for firewood and construction of a town hall, two fairs – on September 8 and on January 6, trading days on Mondays. The first city coat of arms with the image of the Mother of God and Saint Anna was also established.

The shlyakhtich owning in the city a household also podlegat jurisdictions of city courts. As for trade, Jews acquired the rights, equal with other petty bourgeoises.

Soon after Anna Yagellonka's death in 1596 the Kobrin economy was transferred "for feeding" to the wife of the king Sigismund III Constantius "Avstriyachke". The next audit of economy made at it in 1613 showed that the privileges received by the city only in insignificant degree promoted growth of the city and welfare of the population. However, the income from the city nevertheless considerably increased and reached 765 Lithuanian kopeks.

And in conclusion of the long list of donations we will pass to the latest which is dated the end of the XVIII century.

On August 18, 1795 the empress Catherine II sent to the Senate the decree in which it is told: "In requital of the well-known services of our general field marshal count Alexander Suvorov-Rymniksky … the most gracious we granted it eternal and hereditary possession from come to our treasury of the Lithuanian province from economy of Brzhestskaya who was in number royal table manors, the Key Kobrin with other keys, folvarka and settlements in which according to the sheet submitted to us six thousand nine hundred twenty two souls of a muzhesk of a floor are shown (according to reports of the colonel Koritsky making reception at the request of Suvorov it appeared much more – 8087 souls. A.M.) with the lands belonging to them, grounds and all economic cash in it, ruling over our Senate, having ordered where follows, about return of all that to it, to the count Suvorov-Rymniksky to prepare to our signing our appointed diploma".

"the highest favor" on September 14 the same year the Lithuanian governor general Repin notified Suvorov who was in Warsaw on this. For acquaintance with the new huge estate, nearly three times surpassing all other manors of Suvorov combined, the entrusted person and the major Balk subordinated to it on service was sent to Kobrin.

Apparently, already soon excessive office diligence of a glavnoupravlyayushchy Key of Koritsky led to the open conflict between "yard" and Kobrin petty bourgeoises. The legend about this collision so characteristic of customs of that era, for a long time remained in memory of Kobrin old residents.

Began with what to the Kobrin city head – or to "president", on terminology of that time – to Yarmoshevich arrived from the residence of the Key, the estate Province located in verst from the city, the instruction – to send to the estate of petty bourgeoises for work. The vast majority of citizens at that time was engaged in agriculture and on a way of life in every respect a little in what differed from peasants. Out of respect for the famous neighbor the president implicitly fulfilled the requirement and petty bourgeoises enough willingly went to the Province, considering the forthcoming work as usual in these parts "toloka", i.e. the free good-neighbourhood aid.

However Koritsky was not inclined to be satisfied with a disposable exit of petty bourgeoises to work at all and demanded that and from now on citizens regularly two times a week were to the estate for corvee serving.

Having realized that business turns in the party, undesirable to them, and the corvee loop just about will drag on, petty bourgeoises rebelled and flatly refused to satisfy illegal claims of Koritsky. In turn Yarmoshevich declared on behalf of citizens to the managing director's messenger that Kobrin petty bourgeoises from time immemorial were free people, and therefore nobody has the right to force to work them for himself. In confirmation of told he referred to the appointed diplomas confirming the petty-bourgeois rights and privileges stored in archives of a town hall. In response to so "prederzostny words" the enraged Koritsky sent Cossacks who whipped him lashes for disobedience to Yarmoshevich. So convincing argument conceived due effect: petty bourgeoises were forced to reconcile and go for work.

However, having conceded before force, kobrinets were not inclined to reconcile really with an illegal enslavement at all. It was decided to choose delegation which led by Yarmoshevich had to go to the capital for upholding of the rights. And as petty bourgeoises of that time wore homespun clothes, including the top caftans from grubosherstny white cloth, we will cover similar to usual Polesia rolls, someone more bright expressed opinion that not gozhe to petty bourgeoises to go to St. Petersburg in shape of men. And about two kopeks from soul for coloring deputy a roll were therefore decided to samooblozhitsya.

Having studied the shown documents and having listened to oral complaints of chelobitchik, Petersburg instances recognized validity of petty-bourgeois arguments. The decision to relieve citizens of work in the Key was passed, Kobrin was appointed by the district city of the Lithuanian province. And that Suvorov's interests did not suffer, 340 serfs instead of the released petty bourgeoises were in addition allocated to him. Moreover the decayed ancient Kobrin castle, a house was transferred to it in the city and an economic barn over Mukhavts being on the island in the downtown and completely.

While in the capital the destiny of a lawsuit of the Key with citizens was decided, Suvorov in the letter to Repnin tried to defend the belief inspired in it by Koritsky in the correctness, proving that "Kobrin, in my opinion, has to be subject in number of other possession, is the most tallest to me granted. Evenly I from the card see that the dense forest called by Kobrinska tozh in possession to me proceeds".

Apparently, Repnin did not decide without sanction from above at own risk to give to Suvorov a certain answer. Therefore he sends on the raised question the letter addressed to Platon Zubov with a request "to report on its imperial majesty whether he will poveleno be city of Kobrin and the forest area called the Kobrin dense forest count Alexander Vasilyevich to give".

Meanwhile, as we already spoke above the destiny of the city finally was defined. As for Suvorov's claims for a dense forest, appears from the next letter of Repnin sent Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky on November 15 that "all wood Kobrin is granted to the count Alexander Vasilyevich".

On it it is possible to put end under centuries-old history of donation of Kobrin.

20.01.1987.



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