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Vilnius The Capital of Lithuania

February 25, 2011 By admin

In 1323, The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gedimin, appointed Vilnius as the capital city of Lithuania although it wasn’t until 1387 that Vilnius was granted city status.  The influence of the European renaissance can be seen in the architecture of parts of the old town to this day and it was during this flowering of culture and science that the city’s university, the oldest in Lithuania, was established in 1579. The Union of Lithuania and Poland in 1569 meant that Vilnius became a centre of both Polish and Jewish culture and learning.  In 1655, however, the city was plundered by Russian forces and parts of it were destroyed and some of the population were massacred.

In 1769 the Rasos Cemetery was founded in Vilnius.  It is one of the oldest cemeteries in the world to remain in continuous use and is the resting place for many famous Lithuanians.  By 1796, Lithuania had been divided between Russia and Prussia and Vilnius was incorporated into the Russian Empire. 

Napoleon I seized Vilnius in 1812 on his progression towards Moscow. 
The November Uprising of 1831 against Russian rule led to the University of Vilnius being closed due to Russian repression.  In an attempt to staunch further uprisings, the use of the Lithuanian language was banned both in public and in print and many from Vilnius were deported to Siberia for their political views.

During World War I, German forces occupied the city (from 1915 – 1918) and in 1920 it was to become part of the Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) until Polish forces re-occupied the city later the same year.
At the beginning of World War II, the USSR captured Vilnius once more and the following year (1940) Vilnius became the capital of the newly created Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic SSR, only to be occupied by German forces from 1941 – 1944.

In 1991, Vilnius was still the capital but now to an independent Lithuania which since 2004 has been a member of NATO and member state of the European Union.
Such a turbulent history of occupation and re-occupation has imparted many influences on the City of Vilnius making it an interesting place to visit with a rich cultural heritage.

Filed Under: Lithuania, Lithunanian Places of Interest Tagged With: , ,

Lithuanian History 1386 – 1796

February 21, 2011 By admin

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.

Filed Under: Lithuania, Lithuania History Tagged With: , ,

Pagan Lithuania

February 18, 2011 By admin

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.

Filed Under: Lithuania, Lithuania Culture, Lithuania History Tagged With: , ,
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