"Gubernya" is the administrative-territorial division in the Russian Empire and in the USSR from 1708-1929.
It was introduced by Peter the I.
By the end of reign of Ekaterina the II, there were 51 gubernii.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were 101 gubernii.

The head of the gubernya was the Gubernator (governor).

The executives: - Gubernskoe Pravlenie (Gubernya's management) and Zemskoi Sud (court of law). After serfdom ended, the governmental management of gubernya consisted of the departments such as court department,military department, finance department and so on.

Belarus was divided into the gubernii after it was connected to Russian Empire.
In 1772 Vitebsk, Inflyantsk, Mstislav, and Polotsk voevodstvos formed Mogilevskaya Gubernya (in 1778 - 96 estates) and Piskovskaya gubernya.
In 1776, Polotskaya Gubernya was formed out of Belorussian and Pskov povets (in 1778 - 96 estates).

From the territory of Belarus given to Russia after the second division of Rech Pospolitaya in 1793, Minskaya Gubernya was formed.
After the third division of Rech Pospolitaya, Slonim Gubernya was formed.

Oshmyanya and Braslav povets became a part of Vilno Gubernya.

In 1796, Mogoilev and Polotsk Gubernyas were united and formed Belorussian Gubernya.
In 1797, Slonim and Vilno Gubernii were united into Lithuanian Gubernya.
In 1801, Lithuanian Gubernya was divided into Grodno Gubernya and Vilno Gubernya.
In 1802, Belorussian Gubernya was divided into Vitebsk Gubernya and Mogilev Gubernya.

At the end of 18th-19th centuries, unusual administrative divisions were formed in the territory of Belarus: governor-general divisions which united several gubernii.
After the October revolution of 1917, the former administrative division was preserved for some time but the gorverning departments were changed into the Counsil of Worker, Soldiers and Farmers.

In 1917, Vitebsk, Mogilev and non-occupied povets of Minsk and Vilno Gubernii were united into the Western District (beginning 1918 it was called Western Komuna).
In 1918, it was joined by Smolensk Gubernya. In October 1919, Mogilev Gubernya was reformed into Gomel Gubernya (and belonged to the Russian Federation).
In 1924, gubernii in Belarus were canceled. In the Russian Federation, gubernii existed until 1929.