From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Grand Duchy of
Lithuania
was a European state from the 12th
[1]
?13th century until 1569. In 1569 it became a part of the
Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth
until 1791. It was started by the
Lithuanians
.
[2]
[3]
[4]
The duchy grew to include large parts of the former
Kievan Rus'
and other Slavic lands. It covered the land of present-day
Belarus
,
Latvia
,
Lithuania
and parts of
Estonia
,
Moldova
,
Poland
,
Russia
and
Ukraine
. At its biggest in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe.
[5]
There was great diversity in languages, religion, and cultural heritage.
Bringing together of the Lithuanian lands began in the late 12th century.
Mindaugas
, the first ruler of the Grand Duchy, was crowned as
Catholic
King of Lithuania
in 1253. The
pagan
state was targeted in the
religious crusade
by the
Teutonic Knights
and the
Livonian Order
. When
Gediminas
began to rule, he allowed people to have different religions.
[6]
This grew under his son
Algirdas
.
[7]
In 1386
Jogaila
changed the religion to Catholicism. He also made a
dynastic union
between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the
Kingdom of Poland
.
[8]
Vytautas the Great
grew the land of the Grand Duchy. He also led the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the
Battle of Grunwald
in 1410. After Vytautas's death, Lithuania's relationship with the
Kingdom of Poland
was not good.
[9]
The
Union of Lublin
of 1569 created a new state, the
Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth
. In this
federation
, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had a separate government, laws, army, and treasury.
[10]
They were invaded by Russia in 1792. The land was divided out among the
Russian Empire
,
Prussia
and
Austria
in 1795.
- ↑
T. Baranauskas.
Lietuvos valstyb?s i?takos
. Vilnius, 2000
- ↑
Rowell S.C.
Lithuania Ascending: A pagan empire within east-central Europe, 1295-1345
. Cambridge, 1994. p.289-290
- ↑
Ch. Allmand,
The New Cambridge Medieval History
. Cambridge, 1998, p. 731.
- ↑
Encyclopædia Britannica.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- ↑
R. Bideleux.
A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change
. Routledge, 1998. p. 122
- ↑
Rowell,
Lithuania Ascending
, p.289.
- ↑
Z. Kiaupa. "Algirdas ir LDK ryt? politika." Gimtoji istorija 2: Nuo 7 iki 12 klas?s (Lietuvos istorijos vadov?lis). CD. (2003). Elektronin?s leidybos namai: Vilnius.
- ↑
N. Davies.
Europe: A History
. Oxford, 1996, p. 392.
- ↑
J. Kiaupien?. Gediminai?iai ir Jogailai?iai prie Vytauto palikimo. Gimtoji istorija 2: Nuo 7 iki 12 klas?s (Lietuvos istorijos vadov?lis). CD. (2003) Elektronin?s leidybos namai: Vilnius.
- ↑
D. Stone.
The Polish-Lithuanian state: 1386-1795
. University of Washington Press, 2001, p. 63.