…north, the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia won their independence from Moscow and were sheltered by the British fleet. Lithuania was Christianized in 1387, led by Jogaila, who personally translated Christian prayers into the Lithuanian language[31] and his cousin Vytautas the Great who founded many Catholic churches and allocated lands for parishes in Lithuania. With the acquisition of new Ruthenian territories, in 1340 this portion decreased to 30% By the time of the largest expansion towards Rus' lands, which came at the end of the 13th and during the 14th century, the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was 800 to 930 thousand km2, just 10% to 14% of which was ethnically … After Gediminas’ death, two of his sons succeeded him: Kęstutis ruled Lithuania proper, preventing territorial encroachments from the German knights and their allies, while Algirdas, the titular grand duke, continued his father’s expansionist policies and, by conquering vast Russian and Tatar territories, stretched his domain from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Encouraged by Treniota, Mindaugas broke the peace with the Order, possibly reverted to pagan beliefs. In 1248, a civil war broke out between Mindaugas and his nephews Tautvilas and Edivydas. The governours were rich landowners who formed the basis for the nobility of the Grand Duchy. A. Dubonis , D. Antanavičius, R. Ragauskiene, R. Šmigelskytė-Štukienė. Some older etymological theories relate the name to a small river not far from Kernavė, the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the would-be Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is usually credited as the source of the name. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was only Lithuanian in name. Lithuania was in a good position to conquer the western and the southern parts of former Kievan Rus'. Following the Galicia–Volhynia Wars which divided Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia between Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland, in 1355 the Halych metropoly was liquidated and its eparchies transferred to the metropoles of Lithuania and Volhynia. Although they had battled in the past, the Lithuanians and the Žemaičiai now faced a common enemy. 3 Gröscher, Landesdenkmalamt Berlin, Ausgrabung U5, 660 – 2635, Rückseite.jpg 782 × 801; 149 KB. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/grand-duchy-of-Lithuania, CRW Flags - Flag of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th –13th century until 1569. The Grand Duchy Research Project was begun by Sonia and David Hoffman. Political, economic and cultural life in the Grand Duchy was governed by Belarusian and Lithuanian tribes. Influenced greatly by their Russian subjects, the Lithuanians not only reorganized their army, government administration, and legal and financial systems on Russian models but also allowed the Russian nobility to retain its Orthodox religion, its privileges, and its local authority. [43][44][45][46], The voivodeships with the predominant ethnic Lithuanian population, Vilnius,[citation needed] Trakai,[citation needed] and Samogitian voivodeships, remained almost wholly Lithuanian speaking, both colloquially and by ruling nobility. The Gediminid dynasty ruled the grand duchy for over a century, and Vytenis was the first ruler from the dynasty. [15] The most credible modern theory of etymology of the name of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuva) is Artūras Dubonis's hypothesis,[16] that Lietuva relates to the word leičiai (plural of leitis, a social group of warriors-knights in the early Grand Duchy of Lithuania). It was started by the Lithuanians. Grand Duchy of Lithuania (until 1569) For millennia before ~1000 AD, the Baltic tribes lived in a separate world, barely noticed by foreigners, save for sporadic trade. During the 16th century Lithuania made major economic advances, including agrarian reforms, and generally appeared to maintain itself as a strong, dynamic state. The grand duchy, however, retained its autonomy, and, under the rule of Vytautas, Jogaila’s cousin and former political rival, who was named viceroy in 1392, it expanded to the Ugra and Oka rivers in the east, assumed a dominant role in Tatar and east Russian political affairs, and became the most powerful state in eastern Europe. From 1263 to 1269, Lithuania had three grand dukes – Treniota, Vaišvilkas, and Švarnas. The medieval state came into being in the 13 th century through alliances of various Slavonic duchies (Polotsk, Turow, Pinsk, Smolensk), due primarily to the spreading of Baltic peoples such as the Lithuanians, Yotvingians and others. (2003). Current state (2004), Vilnius University and the Church of St. John, Pažaislis Monastery church, decorated with expensive marble, Žemaitukas, a historic horse breed from Lithuania, known from the 6–7th centuries, used as a warhorse by the Lithuanians, "Christianization of Lithuania in 1387", oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1889, Royal Castle in Warsaw, Priest, lexicographer Konstantinas Sirvydas, the cherisher of the Lithuanian language in the 17th century, European state from the 12th century until 1795, Supposed appearance of the royal (military) banner with design derived from a 16th century coat of arms, The Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the height of its power in the 15th century, superimposed on modern borders, Languages for state and academic purposes. The lands of modern-day Belarus and Ukraine, as well as local dukes (princes) in these regions, were firmly Orthodox Christian (Greek Catholic after the Union of Brest), though. Germany had the highest witchcraft execution rate, while Ireland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) had the lowest. The state was founded by the Lithuanians, a polytheistic nation born from several united Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija.[3][4][5]. A failed attempt was made in 1918 to revive the Kingdom under a German Prince, Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach, who would have reigned as Mindaugas II of Lithuania. The peace treaty with Galicia–Volhynia of 1219 provides evidence of cooperation between Lithuanians and Samogitians. Notwithstanding the above, Lithuania was a kingdom under Mindaugas, who was crowned by the authority of Pope Innocent IV in 1253. Traductions en contexte de "Grand Duchy of" en anglais-français avec Reverso Context : grand duchy of luxembourg, of the grand duchy, grand duchy of lithuania As a result, it gained control of the northwestern territory of Samogitia (confirmed in 1422) and permanently reduced the German threat to Lithuania. According to Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii by Sigismund von Herberstein, the primary source for the information on the battle, the much smaller army of Poland–Lithuania (under 30,000 men) defeated the 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander. In 1569 it became a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791. 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. [11] However, unsuccessful wars with the Grand Duchy of Moscow forced the union to remain intact. In a crusade against the Golden Horde in 1398 (in an alliance with Tokhtamysh), Lithuania invaded northern Crimea and won a decisive victory. As military campaigns were not successful, the relationships between Mindaugas and Treniota deteriorated. Under the 1522 peace treaty, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania made large territorial concessions. The state was founded by the Lithuanians, a polytheistic nation born from several united Baltic tribes from Aukštaitija. Lithuanian resistance to a union was strong, but, when Sigismund II Augustus (grand duke of Lithuania 1544–72; king of Poland 1548–72) attached one-third of Lithuania’s territories (Volhynia, Kiev, Bratslav, and Podlasia) to Poland, the Lithuanians had to accept the Union of Lublin (1569). For over five hundred years Britons have visited the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Around 1307, Polotsk, an important trading centre, was annexed by military force. Influence and became an occasional dependency of the union of Lublin of 1569 created a new state the. A papal bull proclaiming the creation of the new world were not far behind by Petkevicius 1598. Polish-Lithuanian victory against the Teutonic Knights ( Battle of Saule constituting an equal partner Poland. 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