The author introduces a description of ancient history by invoking the pre-emininent Russian poet A. S. Pushkin:
Affairs of bygone days,
Tales of ancient times...
This chapter introduces the history of Divin from the earliest times, a history that is obscured by the lack of documentation from those times. The site of Divin, the effect of Tatar invasions, the emergence of the old land of Lithuania, the establishment of Divin as a tiny village, the early Jewish population, and some names of the original families. The town was seen in old law books, and its Jewish inhabitants protected by decrees of 17th-century Polish kings. Divin was a rural town, and remained so for a very long time.
The area of Divin was the site of battles for hegemony among the neighboring powers. On top of that, Napoleon's eastward invastion of 1812 resulted in the occupation of the town.
In the late 18th century, the Russian Empress Catherine II gave the town, all its inhabitants, and vast tracts of farm land to a Russian general. The estatepassed into the hands of an oppressive Polish landlord, Paul Yagmin. Thus the poor peasants of Divin became serfs to a Pole, whose control was supported actively by the Russian government.
How did Divin gain its name? Early on, the town was heavily influenced by the nearby Ukraine.
The dominant religion was Greek Orthodox Christian. The region was controlled partly by Lithuania and partly by Tatars.
