Travel information, Central Europe and Lithuania
Historical Lithuania
The complex and varied history of Lithuania has meant that there are many influences which can still be seen today both in the buildings and the culture of the country. This means that there are many interesting and beautiful places to visit in order to help to understand Lithuania and its people. With far too many sites to list in entirety, here are just five to whet your appetitie. [Read more...]
The new kingdom created by the alliance of Lithuania and Poland immediately became the most powerful state in Eastern Europe. The arrangement guaranteed that Lithuania would still maintain its own separate identity with a Grand Prince of its own that may or may not at the time also be the King of Poland. Such was the strength of the state that it secured a great victory against the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410.
In 1501, an agreement, the Union of Lublin, was reached stating that the King of Poland would always also be the Grand Prince of Lithuania, a situation which continued until 1569 when there occurred a more complete merging of the two regions with the creation of a joint parliament made up of nobles from both areas.
During the renaissance which took place in Europe during the 16th century, there were innovations in the arts and styles of architecture as well as a renewed interest in the classical civilisations of Rome and Greece. The legacy of this period of development can be seen today in many of the beautiful buildings which survive in Lithuania from this time, particularly in Vilnius and Kaunas. Following this union, the influence of Poland on Lithuania began to increase.
The Lithuanian upper classes and the church began to use the Polish language and this usage was to filter down into public life, so much so that in 1696 Polish was to become an official language in replacement of the Lithuanian language. Despite the close union between Poland and Lithuania, however, Lithuania still retained certain autonomy and was still known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Despite the shared parliament (sejm), Lithuania had separate laws and its own army and treasury.
In May 1791, government attempts were made to integrate the two countries more closely but separation was maintained by the Mutual Declaration of the Two Nations. However, partitions to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 1790s meant that Lithuania was divided up between Russia and Prussia and it ceased to exist as a distinct country for over a century.
Other than a brief mention by the Roman writer Tacitus, the first written reference to Lithuania as a nation is in 1009AD. This reference is found in the annals of Quedlinburg monastery.
In the 11th century, Lithuania was included in the number of lands paying taxes to Kievan Rus (an area covering parts of modern day Russia, Poland and Ukraine.) By the 12th century, however, the tables had turned and the Lithuanians were themselves plundering their neighbouring territories. Such military activities started a struggle for power which was eventually to lead to the formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
By the early part of the 13th century, Lithuania was still a very much pagan country. This led to it becoming threatened by groups of crusaders from Germany with the Knights of the Sword trying to forcibly convert those in the north and the Teutonic Knights doing the same to the south. Tribal chiefs manage to resist this invasion but do seem to have considered the potential advantages of adopting either of the neighbouring religions, i.e. the Catholicism of Germany or the Orthodox church of the Russians.
In 1251, Mindaugas, a Supreme Chieftain decides to become Catholic and he and his family are baptised. However, he and his two sons are assassinated two years later by the strongly pagan opposition. Still Pagan, Lithuania thrives under the rule of Gediminas from 1315. It is at this point the Vilnius is made the country’s capital. Gediminas extends his territory so much that by the time his grandson, Jogaila, inherits in 1377,Lithuania stretches through Belorussia and as far as the city of Kiev in the Ukraine.
It is under Jogaila that the problem of which religion to adopt is finally solved. In 1385 He reaches an agreement with Polish ambassadors that Lithuania, Belorussia and Kiev become linked to the Polish crown. In return, he agrees to marry the 11 year old Polish Queen and becomes the King of Poland. The following February, Jogaila travels to Cracow where he is baptised in the Catholic cathedral, adding the Polish name Wladyslaw to his own. Three days later he marries Jadwiga and is finally crowned on March 4th 1386 as Wladislaw II, thus marking the end of the last remaining wholly pagan kingdom in Europe.