In 1260 the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the land of Lithuania, and ethnic Lithuanians formed majority (67.5%) of its 400,000 people. In the 13th century, the centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was inhabited by a majority that spoke Lithuanian,[41] though it was not a written language until the 16th century. The rapid territorial expansion started at the late reign of Gediminas[7] and continued to expand under the diarchy and co-leadership of his sons Algirdas and Kęstutis. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that lasted from the 13th century [1] to 1795, [2] when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia and Austria. Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vytautas backed the economic development of the state and introduced many reforms. In 1260 the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the land of Lithuania, and ethnic Lithuanians formed majority (67.5%) of its 400,000 people. At its greatest extent, in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe. Date: 6 août 2020: Source: Travail personnel. 3 Gröscher, Landesdenkmalamt Berlin, Ausgrabung U5, 660 – 2635, Rückseite.jpg 782 × … The war of Lithuania against military Orders, which lasted for more than 200 years, and was one of the longest wars in the history of Europe, was finally ended. A central pillar of the state was tolerance. [32][33][34] The Grand Duchy retained many rights in the federation (including separate ministries, laws, army, and treasury) until the May Constitution of Poland and Reciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations were passed in 1791. Locality Vistychi, Brest District, Brest Region, Belarus . In 1274, the Great Prussian Rebellion ended, and the Teutonic Knights proceeded to conquer other Baltic tribes: the Nadruvians and Skalvians in 1274–1277, and the Yotvingians in 1283; the Livonian Order completed its conquest of Semigalia, the last Baltic ally of Lithuania, in 1291. In an attempt to place Tokhtamish on the Golden Horde throne in 1399, Lithuania moved against the Horde but was defeated in the Battle of the Vorskla River, losing the steppe region. It was started by the Lithuanians. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th –13th century until 1569. One of the main sources of Lithuanian written in the Eastern Aukštaitian dialect (Vilnius dialect), preserved by Konstantinas Sirvydas in a trilingual (Polish-Latin-Lithuanian) 17th-century dictionary, Dictionarium trium linguarum in usum studiosae juventutis, the main Lithuanian language dictionary used until the late 19th century. Live Help . Smaller picture is placed in Encyclopedia of Soviet Lithuania, volume 4, General editorial office of encyclopedia of the Lithuanian SSR, Vilnius, 1988. From the time of Vytautas, there are fewer remaining documents written in Ruthenian than there are in Latin and German, but later Ruthenian became the main language of documentation and writings, especially in eastern and southern parts of the Duchy. The Friedland Family of Ariogala, Lithuania by David Hoffman (Beginning with family lore →1882 birth certificate →1874 Ariogala family List → 1848 taxpayers list → 1846 candle tax list → 1816 revision list → 1784 census of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania →1765 GDL census) Vytautas was one of the most famous rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, serving as the Grand Duke from 1401 to 1430, and as the Prince of Hrodna (1370–1382) and the Prince of Lutsk (1387–1389). It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija. In the struggle against the Order, Vytenis allied with citizens of Riga; securing positions in Riga strengthened trade routes and provided a base for further military campaigns. 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