The Lithuanians were one of the tribal entities to evolve out of the ancient Balts, Baltic-speaking peoples living in north-central Europe. Their homeland was in present-day eastern Lithuania—in the Middle Lithuanian Lowland as well as the Baltic highlands (one of their names means highlanders). Along with other Baltic peoples of the region, especially the Samogitians, classified as a subtribe of Lithuanians by some scholars, the tribal Lithuanians were ancestral to inhabitants of the modern nation of Lithuania (see Lithuanians: nationality). They are sometimes referred to as Lithuanians proper to distinguish them from other tribes ancestral to modern Lithuanians, such as the Samogitians.
ORIGINS
Baltic-speaking peoples migrated westward to the Baltic Sea region by about 2000 to 1500 b. c.e. Although the Lithuanians perhaps coalesced as a tribe by the ninth century c. e. the first reference to the Lithuanians by name was in 1009 c. e. in a medieval German manuscript, the Quedlinburg Chronicle.
Lithuanian and Latvian are the only two Baltic languages still spoken. Lithuanian is considered the most archaic of all surviving Indo-European languages, that is, preserving more characteristics of the original language ancestral to all Indo-European languages, Aukstaitich (from the tribal name Aukstaiciai for highlanders), or High Lithuanian, is one of the two major speech patterns of the Lithuanian language; the other is Samogitian, or Low Lithuanian. Between the 16th and 19th centuries three Lithuanian dialects developed: a Low Lithuanian dialect in the west near the Baltic Sea, an East High Lithuanian poetic dialect, and a West High Lithuanian dialect, used primarily in the southern region bordering the region that became known as East Prussia. The modern standard literary language, written in a 32-letter Latin alphabet, is based on the West High Lithuanian dialect.
Because they lived inland, much of their territory rugged terrain, the Lithuanians proper had fewer contacts with outside peoples, such as the VIKINGS, who, from the ninth century, traded with and carried out raids on coastal regions. The arrival of German missionaries in the Baltic Sea region in the late 12th century c. e. and the founding in 1202 of the military and religious order Brothers of the Sword to Christianize Baltic lands had a greater early impact on coastal peoples as well. In 1229 the Brothers of the Sword began raids in Lithuania, although without great success. The Lithuanians, along with allies among the Semigallians, triumphed under the nobleman Vykintas at Saule (near modern Siauliai) in 1236. The next year the Brothers of the Sword united with the Teutonic Knights.
Mindaugas became the most powerful leader, uniting other nobles under him in 1236-38. In 1251 he chose to be baptized as a Christian to gain the backing of Christian interests; in 1253 he was crowned grand duke of Lithuania under the authority of Pope Innocent IV His capital was at Trakai. In 1259-61 Lithuanians defeated the Teutonic Knights in a series of battles. In 1261 because the Germans continued their aggression despite his being baptized, Mindaugas returned to paganism. Two years later he was assassinated, and Treniota, a Samogitian, succeeded him as Lithuania’s ruler, at which time Lithuania officially reverted to paganism. Treniota was assassinated the next year, but Christianity would not take hold in Lithuania for more than another century.
Over the next years the Lithuanians expanded into Slavic lands to the southwest, including the region of Volhynia, present-day Belarus, and present-day northwestern Ukraine. The grand duke Gediminas established Vilnius as the new capital in 1323. As joint rulers his sons, Kestutis and Algirdas, defeated the Teutonic Knights in 1360, then expanded the Lithuanian domain east toward Moscow and south to the Black Sea, where they defeated the Golden Horde (see Mongols) in 1362-63. In 1386 Grand Duke Jogaila joined Lithuania in a dynastic union with Poland through marriage to the Polish queen Jadwiga (see Poles). Jogaila accepted Christianity, becoming a Roman Catholic, and was crowned Wladyslaw II Jagiello, king of Poland. In 1410 he and his cousin, Vytautas, grand duke of Lithuania since 1392, decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights at Tannenberg (modern Stebark) in northern Poland.
As of 1447 the king of Poland also ruled Lithuania, and the various peoples who then identified themselves as Lithuanians went through a period of Slavicization.
Lithuanians time line
LITHUANIANS
Location:
Lithuania; western Russia; Belarus; Ukraine
Time period:
Ninth century c. e. to present
Ancestry:
Baltic
Language:
Lithuanian (Baltic)
C. E.
Ninth century Identifiable Baltic tribes coalesce.
1009 Lithuanians are recorded by name.
1202 Military and religious order Brothers of the Sword is founded to Christianize Baltic lands.
1229 Brothers of the Sword begin raids in Lithuania.
1236 Lithuanians and Semigallians defeat Brothers of the Sword at Saule in northern Lithuania.
1236-38 Mindaugas first unites Lithuanian nobles.
1251 Mindaugas converts to Christianity.
1253 Mindaugas becomes grand duke of Lithuania with capital at Trakai.
1316 The pagan archduke Gediminas expands Lithuania and moves capital to Vilnius.
1360 Grand Dukes Algirdas and Gestutis defeat Teutonic Knights.
1386 The Lithuanian archduke Jogaila marries Jadwiga and pledges loyalty to Catholic Church.
1410 Lithuanian-Polish army defeat Teutonic Knights at Tannenberg.
LITHUANIANS:
NATIONALITY
Nation:
Lithuania (Lietuva); Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika)
Derivation of name:
Possibly a Latin form of Lituae, or from the Latin word lituus, meaning "crooked," in reference to wooden trumpets; or from lietava, "small river"; or from lietus, "rain" or "land of rain"
Government:
Democratic republic
Capital:
Vilnius
Language:
Official language is Lithuanian, a Baltic language; Russian, Polish, and English are also spoken.
Religion:
More than 80 percent of the population are Catholic; Lutherans and Eastern Orthodox Christians make up religious minorities.
Earlier inhabitants:
Balts (Jotvingians; Lithuanians; Nadruvians; Samogitians; Skalvians)
Demographics:
About 80 percent of the population are Lithuanian; minorities include Russians, Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Latvians, and Jews.
CULTURE (see also Balts)
Art
Over the centuries Lithuanian women developed weaving as an art form. Their fabrics for male and female garments, table cloths, bedspreads, towels, sashes, and ribbons are notable for originality. The basic materials are linen and wool. The fabrics are decorated with national ornaments—mostly geometrical—such as checks, crosses, stars, stripes, and conventionalized leaves. The color pattern is based on contrast; Lithuanian weavers have traditionally contrasted red and green, orange and blue, yellow and violet, black and white.
Religion
Before the introduction of Christianity the Lithuanians worshipped the forces of nature and had many gods and goddesses. The chief god was Perkunas, the thunder god. The ancient Lithuanians worshipped their gods in sacred groves and forests where a holy fire was kept, guarded by vaidilutes (the Lithuanian equivalent of vestal virgins). The will of the gods was expounded by priests called kriviai, headed by the principal priest, kriviu krivaitis. Lithuanian burials included numerous ornaments and tools. Many graves contained a horse’s head and feet.
The Lithuanians and Samogitians have the distinction of speaking the most archaic of Indo-European languages as well as being the last European people to practice paganism officially.
Further Reading
S. C. Rowell. Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire within East-Central Europe, 1295-1345 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994).
Saulius Suziedelis. Historical Dictionary of Lithuania (Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997).
World History
