Lithuania/Lithuanians:
Development of a Nation How Lithuania became
Lithuania,
and how the Lithuanians became Lithuanian.
How
Lithuania as a people, and the country of Lithuanians as a nation-state,
evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral
bloodlines, the Lithuanian language, borders, culture, and even how they
received their name.
3000
BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic population (based on speakers of the
Proto-Balto-Slavic language) materialized around modern Lithuania.
1000 BC – A division in the Proto-Balto-Slavic
population occurs, as a group moves southeastward toward modern
Ukraine and Moscow. This break-away group represented the earliest
Slavs. The group that remained behind in the region south of Baltic
Sea became the basis of the Balt nationality. In the following
centuries, the Balts proceeded to establish themselves throughout
modern Latvia, Lithuania, and northern Poland.
As Crusaders from Germany expanded to the east
during 12th and 13th centuries, Balts
consolidated in modern Lithuania and Latvia, forming a
loosely-affiliated band of Baltic tribes.
The Livonian Order (Germanic Catholic order of
knightly priests, also know as Teutonic Knights) captured the
territory that comprised modern Latvia (along with Estonia),
separating it from Lithuania.
Those
Balts in modern Lithuania, including others in surrounding areas,
escaped German rule, consolidating in modern Lithuania to
successfully defend this last vestige of an independent Balt people.
Subsequently, the Kingdom of Lithuania was formed, a fully organized
Baltic state and the predecessor to modern Lithuania.
3000 BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic language
(branch of
Proto-Indo-European) is spoken by Proto-Balto-Slavic group
centered around Lithuania.
After a split in the Proto-Balto-Slavic nation
around 1000 BC, the language of those that migrate east and south
evolves into Slavic (thus the origin of Slavic peoples). The
language of those that remain in the Baltic region evolves into
Baltic.
Sometime between 400 and 600 AD, the Baltic
languages split into Western Baltic (ancestral to languages such as
Old Prussian) – all of which are extinct, and Eastern Baltic
(ancestral to Latvian and Lithuanian) - with descendant languages
still in use to this day.
By about 800, Latvian and Lithuanian began to
develop as dialects of Western Baltic, the divergence between the
two would spawn separate but related languages.
3000 BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic population
materializes around modern Lithuania.
1000 BC – A division occurs in the
Proto-Balto-Slavic population. Those that migrate to the south and
east toward modern Ukraine and Moscow become predecessors to the
Slavic ethnogroup. Those that remain behind near the Baltic coast,
around modern Latvia, Lithuania and Northern Poland become the
forerunners to the Balts.
As Crusaders from Germany expand to the east
during the 12th and 13th centuries, Balts
consolidated in modern Lithuania and Latvia, forming a
loosely-affiliated band of Baltic tribes.
By
1237, Germanic priestly knights (Livonian Order) conquered the Balts
in modern Latvia and southern Estonia, which becomes Livonia.
Livonian-ruled population was largely comprised of Balts (and Finnic
Estonians to the north), with Germans as the ruling class.
Many
of the Balts were able to resist German rule, consolidating in
modern Lithuania. From this final stronghold, they defeated the
Germans, forming the first, fully organized Baltic sovereign state,
the Kingdom of Lithuania, in 1251. It was the first predecessor to
the modern Lithuania state, establishing the approximate border
between Lithuania and Latvia, which has remained in place with only
minor fluctuations ever since.
The western coastal territories of the Kingdom
of Lithuania were conquered by the Livonian Order (a.k.a. Teutonic
Knights) in 1308.
In the 14th century, Lithuania
began to take the offensive against the Mongols who had gained
control of much of Rus (Russia), expanding into parts of modern
western Russia, and most of Belarus and Ukraine. Lithuania managed
to protect itself from Mongol domination.
Russia attempted to gain Baltic access,
invading the Livonian Order in 1558. Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania and
Poland joined the Order to restrain Russia. The Livonian
Order/Teutonic Knights are wiped out in disastrous defeats to Russia
in battle in 1560, ceding its Estonian territory to Lithuania (Duchy
of Livonia), Sweden (the northern portion), and Denmark (island of
Osel), which collectively went on to defeat Russia. This marked the
end of the Livonian Order, and the Teutonic Knights outside of the
Holy Roman Empire.
Poland and Lithuania combined to form the
Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth in 1569, making the Duchy of Livonia
part of this new political entity. It was dominated by Poland, as
Lithuania was forced to combine with Poland due to the growing
Russian threat.
In
the Polish-Swedish War of 1625 – 1629 (battle for supremacy along
the southern Baltic coast), Sweden gained Livonia, consisting of
southern portion of Estonia and the northern portion of Latvia.
Southern Latvia remained part of Poland-Lithuania.
In the Great Northern War (1700-21, battle
over supremacy of Baltic Sea), Russia defeated Sweden, gaining all
of Livonia. Southern Latvia remained with Poland-Lithuania.
1725: Poland-Lithuania falls under Russian
control.
The three partitions of Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth (1772, 1793, 1795) divided Lithuania between Russia and
Prussia, with most of it allocated to Russia. The Lithuanians no
longer have a sovereign state of their own.
The southwest portion of Lithuania that had
been split between Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw (French puppet
state) was awarded to Russia after Napoleonic Wars in 1815, placing
all of Lithuania within Russia control.
With the disarray caused by the Russian
Revolution (1917 – 22) and German occupation, Lithuania declared
independence in 1918, after German withdrawal and surrender in WWI.
This triggers the Lithuanian War of Independence, won by Lithuania.
As both Lithuania and Poland were in the
process of defeating the Russians to gain the respective
independence, a border dispute arose between the two, involving the
Vilnius Region. Lithuania claimed it in 1920, since it was the
historic capital of Lithuania, and was ceded to Lithuania by the
Russians upon the conclusion of the Lithuanian War of Independence.
Poland claimed it due to its sizable Polish population. The
controversy led to the Polish-Lithuanian War in 1920, resulting in a
Polish victory. Consequently, the region remained with Poland,
despite the fact that the League of Nations diplomatically sided
with Lithuania, and had requested Poland to withdraw, to which
Poland refused.
In 1923, Lithuania took possession of the
Klaipeda Region (Memel territory), which had long been part of
German Prussia, making it permanent part of Lithuania.
In 1939, the German Nazis issued an ultimatum
to Lithuania, demanding that they return the Klaipeda Region, to
which Lithuania complied, as the German-friendly National Socialist
Party had taken over in Lithuania.
As part of a secret pact between Nazi Germany
and the USSR in 1939, the USSR claimed control over various Eastern
European nations, including Lithuania, under the agreement that Nazi
would not interfere (as USSR would not interfere with German
annexation of various central European nations). The USSR moved in
to occupy Lithuania in 1940, during World War II. In betrayal of the
secret pact, Nazi Germany began its invasion of Russia in 1941,
occupying Lithuania in 1941. When the Red Army had the Nazis
retreating a few years later, it reoccupied Lithuania in 1944. Upon
the defeat of the Nazis in WWII, the Soviets refused to withdraw
from Lithuania, establishing the Lithuania SSR (Soviet Socialist
Republic), as part of the USSR. The USSR also occupied Poland,
electing to assign western Vilnius region back to Lithuania, and
eastern Vilnius region to Belarus. The USSR annexed the Klaipeda
Region taken by the Nazis in 1939, assigning it back to Lithuania,
with which it would remain even after Lithuania became independent
in 1990.
Upon the collapse of the USSR, Latvia declared
independence in 1989 (the first Soviet Republic to do so), resulting
in military suppression of independence movement by Russian
soldiers. Russia finally recognizes independence of the Republic of
Lithuania in 1991, as it faced the reality of its situation and its
inevitable collapse.
Like Latvian culture, original Latvian culture stems back before the
Northern Crusades into the region during the 12th century, when most of
Lithuania was forcibly Christianized. However, Lithuania managed to
remain independent from foreign rule for a few more centuries, allowing
Balt culture to flourish more in Lithuania than Latvia.
Also like
Latvia, Lithuania faced attempts by foreign rulers to extinguish its
language and culture, which it successfully resisted. Lithuanians also
faced severe persecutions under Soviet rule, making it wary of an
assertive Russia. Unlike other former, similarly suspicious Soviet
Republics, Lithuania is more open to Russian influence and ties, perhaps
due to a large Russia contingency within its borders, that has possibly
softened the nation toward its former captor.
Economy: Unlike other former Soviet Republics, Lithuania embraces
trade with Russia, experiencing strong growth since the Russian economic
recovery beginning in 1998, and still ascending this day as energy
prices continue to rise. Lithuania has also increased its trade with
western partners as well. Transition to a privatized, free-market
economy is nearly complete. Since joining the EU in 2004, has seen a
large emigration rate to other, more established European nations with
higher wages, but strong growth is closing the gap more each year. Government: Democratic Republic
Religion: Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%. Bucking the trend
of Europe, church activity has increased since escaping Soviet control
in 1990. 49% believe in God, 36% other ID, 12% atheist. Demographics: Latvian 83.4%, Polish 6.7% (historically tied
together, as kingdoms were united for a long time during late middle
ages), Russian 6.3 (long time Russian rule – soviet republic –
population exchange). Foreign Policy: EU and NATO in 2004. Population: 3,565,205 (2008)
How
Lithuania as a people, and the country of Lithuanians as a nation-state,
evolved and materialized into current form, in terms of ancestral
bloodlines, the Lithuanian language, borders, culture, and even how they
received their name.
3000
BC – The Proto-Balto-Slavic population (based on speakers of the
Proto-Balto-Slavic language) materialized around modern Lithuania.
Formation
of Lithuanian
By
1237, Germanic priestly knights (Livonian Order) conquered the Balts
in modern Latvia and southern Estonia, which becomes Livonia.
Livonian-ruled population was largely comprised of Balts (and Finnic
Estonians to the north), with Germans as the ruling class.
In
the Polish-Swedish War of 1625 – 1629 (battle for supremacy along
the southern Baltic coast), Sweden gained Livonia, consisting of
southern portion of Estonia and the northern portion of Latvia.
Southern Latvia remained part of Poland-Lithuania.