The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Retrospective of Comparative Historical Sociology of Empires

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenonas Norkus
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Historical Sociology ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Structure Characteristic ◽  
Socialist Revolution ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Comparative Historical Sociology ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Grand Duchy

The article discusses the problem that was recently raised in Lithuanian historical literature and public discourse by G. Beresnevi?ius, A. Bumblauskas, S.C. Rowell: was the medieval Lithuanian state (Grand Duchy of Lithuania; GDL) an empire? Traditional historiography did not use concepts of ``empire" and ``imperialism" in the work on GDL. For Non-Marxist Russian historians, GDL was simply another Russian state, so there could not be Russian imperialism against Russians. For Marxist historians, imperialism was a phase in the ``capitalist formation," immediately preceding the socialist revolution and bound to the specific period of world history, so the research on precapitalist empires and imperialism was suspect of anachronism. For the opposite reason, deriving from the hermeneutic methodology, the talk about how the medieval Lithuanian empire and imperialism was an anachronism for Non-Marxist Polish and German historians too, because they considered as Empires only polities that claimed to be successors to Roman Empire. However, the Lithuanian political elite never raised such claims, although theory of the Lithuanian descent from Romans (Legend of Palemon) could be used for this goal. Using the recent work in comparative historical sociology of empires by S.N. Eisenstadt, I. Wallerstein, A. Motyl, B. Buzan, R. Little, A. Watson, M. Beissinger, Ch. Tilly, Th.J. Barfield and M. Doyle, the author argues that GDL was an empire because it was (1) the greatest state in Europe in the late 14-early 15th century, (2) militarily expansive in all directions if not held in check by superior military power, (3) displayed the territorial structure characteristic for empires, consisting of metropole and periphery, (4) had an informal empire and sphere of hegemony, (5) established imperial ``Pax Lituanica" on broad territories securing long-distance trade roads. Typologically, it was a patrimonial empire, typologically distinct from the ``barbarian kingdoms" created by ancient Germans and Vikings. After the internal crisis in 1432-1440 that is interpreted as ``Augustan threshold" (in M. Doyle's sense), the Lithuanian empire evolved into a federal state by the early 16th century. Drawing on the distinction between ``primary empires" and ``shadow empires" proposed by Th.J. Barfield, GDL is classified as subtype of ``shadow empires," called ``vulture empires." GDL started as a ``vulture empire," using for its expansion a geopolitical situation created by the decline of the Mongol empire and aspiring to unite under its power all lands of the former Kiev Russia. The most important outcome of the failure of the Lithuanian imperial project is the emergence of the three different Eastern Slave peoples (Belorussian, Ukrainian, Great Russian), while the probable outcome of its success would be the continuation of the undivided old Russian ethnicity.

scholarly journals The social biography of the Lublin Diet’s participant (1569): Peter Kisel and Cimafiej Hurka

2019 ◽  
pp. 10-21
Author(s):  
U. A. Padalinski
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
Political Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
The Military ◽  
Grand Duchy

The article explores the biographies of Peter Kisel and Cimafiej Hurka, who represented the Viciebsk district at the Diet of 1569 and directly participated in the conclusion of the Union of Lublin. For a long time in historiography, attention was paid only to the most influential figures of this Diet. However, the simple, «unremarkable» representatives of the wide circles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’ nobility played their role in the negotiations on the union. Interests and ideas, conscious and values, and finally, the personal experience of these people directly determined their social and political position, and therefore, to one degree or another, the life of the entire state. The aim of research is to reflect the most important forms of social activity of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’ petty and middle nobility in the second half of the 16th century on the example of two Viciebsk noblemen’s unique destinies. It shows the influence of the military and political events of the 1560s on political activities of Peter Kisel and Cimafiej Hurka. The Livonian War’s experience definitely influenced their position on the conclusion of the union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish Kingdom in 1569. The author concludes that it was the cardinal transformations of the 1560s (state reforms, the establishment of the Commonwealth) that allowed them to actively participate in a public life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It also enabled Kisel and Hurka noble families to take a firm place among the political elite of the Viciebsk district for a long time. It is emphasized that a detailed study of «unremarkable» noblemen’s biographies provides advanced research of the noble estate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

scholarly journals Genealogical Links in Samogitian Nobility Heraldry Sources in the Second Half of the 16th–18th Centuries

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 148-166
Author(s):  
Gabrielė Jasiūnienė
Keyword(s):  
Focus Of Attention ◽  
The State ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
The Political ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Specific Individual ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Coats Of Arms ◽  
Grand Duchy

Heraldry and its research have deep traditions in Europe, making it a certain focus of attention among researchers. The interest in this field in Lithuania is a more recent phenomenon. The late beginning of heraldry research was partly influenced by Lithuania’s loss of independence. At present, researchers’ attention is focused mainly on the periods of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, also looking at Lithuanian heraldry from the 20th–21st centuries, and conducting thorough research of the coats of arms of the state, cities, and towns. Research of the heraldry of the nobility is also being conducted, such as the heraldry of the political elite in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – the Goštautas, Pacas, Radvila, Sapiega families, etc. The heraldry of representatives of the lower gentry, especially among the Samogitian families, has received less attention. Many unanswered questions and undeveloped themes remain in the field of the Samogitian nobility’s heraldry, overlooked in research for a long time. This article analyzes how genealogical links were reflected in Samogitian nobility heraldry sources in the second half of the 16th–18th centuries. Having analyzed the heraldic sources of the Samogitian nobility, it was found that these reflected not only information about a specific individual, but also their broader origins, family and marital lines. The coats of arms of the Samogitian nobility in time became a unique means of representation. The coats of arms of the Samogitian nobility were depicted in seals, literature, portraits, architecture, and elsewhere.

VEIKLIOS MOTERS KASDIENYBĖ: EPIZODAS IŠ IZABELĖS LIUDVIKOS BORCH-PLIATERIENĖS (1752–1813) GYVENIMO

2018 ◽  
pp. 116-143
Author(s):  
Ramunė Šmigelskytė-stukienė
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
History Of ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Home Space ◽  
Grand Duchy

On the basis of empirical sources the article analyses the daily life of a noblewoman from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Izabela Ludwika Borch Platerowa (1752–1813), with a special focus on several elements of the daily life of the late eighteenth century woman of the elite: time management and daily routine, food and diet, health (illnesses and their treatment), and relationships with family members (husband, children, parents) and the near environment. The article underlines the network of communication of the duchess Platerowa in a given period, covering not only family members or the spiritual and political elite of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Livonia but also artists residing in Warsaw, among them closest being Italian born artist and poet Antoni Albertrandy (ca. 1733–1795) from the court of the King Stanislaw August, and his family. Despite the micro-world of Izabela Ludwika Platerowa being framed within two socially important factors of the time, i.e. social status of a noblewoman and her gender, which would confine the field of activities of a woman to the privacy of a home-space, the ties of partnership, love and respect, linking husband and wife in the Plater family, opened wide opportunities for the creative activities of the woman. As active and educated woman of the Enlightenment, she managed to cross the frame of her home-space and dedicate large portion of her time to important public activities: editing of a special reading publication for children Przyjaciel dzieci (A Friend of Children), on which she intensely worked 6–8 hours every day. Schedule of the duchess was occupied with Masses, teaching of children and translations. Personal needs and entertainment received very little attention, only from a quarter to half an hour a day. In the period of Lent very strict fasting was observed, as well as abstinence from any entertainment, including full renouncing of music. Keywords: Izabela Ludwika Borch Platerowa (1752–1813), daily life, family, history of women.

«On the Model of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania»: Prospects of Integration of Cossack Ukraine into Compound of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1658–1659 (Expectations and Realities)

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (6) ◽  
pp. 84-100
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Hazin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Prime Factor ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Equal Rights ◽  
State Development ◽  
Successful Development ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
The Church ◽  
Grand Duchy

The article explores the discursive questions connected with the preparation and conclusion of the Ukrainian-Polish treaty of Hadiach in 1658. In particular, the content of the agreement and factors that led to the fact that the idea of the Hadiach treaty (realignment of the Commonwealth into a state of three nationalities) remained unrealised are analysed. The attention was paid to the fact that Polish-Ukrainian negotiations and the conclusion of the agreement in the set near Hadiach in 1658 were conditioned by a number of factors relating to the current Ukrainian-Polish, Ukrainian-Moscow and Polish-Moscow relations. The prime factor that made the Hetman’s government of Ivan Vyhovsky negotiate with the authorities of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the fact that it looked for a medium of reconciliation and further state development of Ukraine because there was a growing threat from Moscow. In Warsaw, in return, having made the most from the dire situation of Ukraine, the authorities longed for solving the “Ukrainian question” by the peaceful return of the lost Ukrainian territories in 1648. They also hoped that in the context of successful development of negotiations with Chigirin, it would be possible to get an advantage over Moscow in the long-running confrontation over dominance in CEE. The content of the treaty of Hadiach that was worked out during the long negotiations mirrored the trend when the Ukrainian part, which was more interested and acted with a weak diplomatic hand, had to agree to the terms dictated by Warsaw. Although, in general, the position of Ukraine in the reformed Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth should have resembled the position of Lithuania, Chigirin was forced to accept territorial restrictions, Warsaw's refusal to liquidate the church union, and so on. The author concluded that the prime factor, which eventually led to the collapse of the idea of Hadiach, was the reluctance of the Polish political elite to recognise equal rights for Ukraine and the Cossacks, and the fact that Warsaw sleepwalked when Moscow troops invaded Ukraine and Hetman Vyhovsky desperately needed the promised help.

scholarly journals Vieškelių tinklo struktūra Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje XVI–XVII a.

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019/1 ◽  
pp. 33-77
Author(s):  
Tomas Čelkis
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Entire Region ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
The West ◽  
Southwestern Part ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Road ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Grand Duchy

The article reconstructs the public road network of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (hereafter referred to as the GDL) in the 16th–17th centuries, and discusses its structure. In the historical sources, special terms describe public roads (highways), which are also called “big”, “great” or “eternal” roads. These were long-distance routes that connected urban, economic, and political centres. Roads and local pathways led towards them. The structure of the public road network in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was based on the distribution of settlements and towns in the country. The densest public road network as in the western and southwestern parts of the GDL; meanwhile in the east of the country it was rather sparse. It depended on geographical features, as the eastern part of the country was marshier and woodier. Besides, the population of the eastern part of the GLD was affected by wars with Moscow. Active development of internal colonization could be observed in the western and southwestern part of the GDL. Intensive life was also affected by the concentration of the sovereign’s estates. All this encouraged the mobility of the population. The cities in the west and southwest of the GDL were enlaced in the network of public roads and were actively involved in the system of land transport and communication. Part of them attracted population not only locally but also from the entire region. During this research, a special scheme map featuring all public roads in the GDL in the 16th–17th centuries, as described in historical sources, was drawn. A separate list of sources, which is the scientific apparatus of the scheme map, is vailable.

Introduction

2001 ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
Antony Polonsky
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Life ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
World War ◽  
History Of ◽  
Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Second World ◽  
Grand Duchy

This introductory chapter briefly explores Jewish life and Polish nationhood within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth up until the Second World War. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dual state, created in 1569 by the union of the kingdom of Poland with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was extremely heterogeneous in character. The history of Poland–Lithuania throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries raised the questions of who was a Pole and what should be the boundaries of the future Polish state. For the Polish political élite, there was no question that the goal was the reconstitution of the country within its 1772 frontiers. This created a new interest in documenting the ‘Polishness’ of the borderlands (kresy) of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Manuscript Catalogs and Inventories of Books from the Lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – Some Problems of Publishing Rules

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 107-121
Author(s):  
Lilia Kowkiel ◽  
Arvydas Pacevičius ◽  
Iwona Pietrzkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
Digital Form ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Historical Texts ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Grand Duchy ◽  
Book Culture

Historians and publishers of historical sources have a lot of problems with the texts written in different languages and alphabets, which were created at different times, in the multilingual areas inhabited by many nations following different religions. The historians of book culture have the same problems with texts of inventories and catalogues of books, which are the primary source of knowledge about the content of libraries. At present it’s also important the historical texts to be published in the digital form. This article is a part of the discussion on this very important subject.

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