Why did the Lithuanian state adopt Catholicism. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russian lands. Lithuanian prince Gediminas
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This century was for the Smolensk land more
favorable than the previous one. There were no serious epidemics (in the XIV century
it was twice), there were no debilitating strife between Smolensk
Rurikovich, because the senior among them in position was Yuri Svyatoslavovich
fled, while others remained in their possessions and with their rights, recognizing
the supreme power of Vytautas.
There is an opinion that in the so-called "Lithuanian period" in Smolensk they had
place of religious oppression. This is a misconception. notice, that
"Lithuania", "Litvins" in Muscovite Russia were called everyone who lived in
within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Russia (VKLR), Smolensk including
number. In the VCLR, the Orthodox population retained their faith, in fact
Lithuanians - former pagans accepted the faith of their choice, many
The Olgerdovichs became Orthodox, like their mothers. According to the terms of Krevskaya
union (1385), when Jagiello - Jagiello Olgerdovich became Polish
king, it was supposed to introduce Catholicism in the principality and the principality itself
be incorporated into Poland. However, soon Jagello, fearing an uprising,
deviated from part of the provisions of this union.
In 1392, it was signed, and in 1401, the provision was confirmed, according to which
the old order was preserved, without Catholicization and incorporation into Poland.
It was beneficial to accept Christianity according to the Catholic rite to the feudal lords: on
they extended all the rights and privileges that the feudal lords had
Poland, and they were such that, perhaps, the Muscovites dreamed, but
which never existed either in the Moscow principality or in the Russian
centralized state, nor in the Russian Empire.
In the Kingdom of Poland there were very rich feudal lords who had both money and
sometimes there were more troops than the king - magnates (from lat.
"rich"), the poorer feudal lords and the very poor were called gentry (from
old name. "genus", "breed"). All of them had their rights and obligations, as,
however, the king. Their property could not be taken away, they could not
punished without trial, and even in court it was impossible to subject to humiliating
punishment. They had the right to agree among themselves (create
confederation), raise an uprising against the king (rokosh), if he does not
fulfilled his obligations. They had the right to drive off with all their
land to another ruler (which the Orthodox princes did later), and
no one considered them traitors. And if the Orthodox Vishnevetsky and
Catholic Mnishek supported the pretender to the throne of a neighboring state, and
gentry, desiring military glory and booty, went to his army, this is their
a private matter, not a state or royal one. Their rights, for them
no one is the answer.
Hello guys. Is everyone ready for the lesson? Who is absent today? Let's start.
Today in the lesson we will consider the formation of the Lithuanian state and its relationship with the Russian lands. At home, you studied paragraph 20 "Russian lands under the rule of the Golden Horde." Let's check our homework.
The first task is to solve the crossword puzzle. On the board you see a crossword puzzle made up of concepts on a home topic. I will call the number of the word, those who wish to answer raise their hand.
Horizontally:
Descendants of Genghis Khan
Capital of the Mongolian state
The dynasty founded by the Genghisids in China
Head of the Mongol Empire
Genghis Khan's grandson, founder Golden Horde
Capital of the Golden Horde
Supreme Council of Nobles and Warlords
State religion of the Golden Horde
Second task. On the board you see the contours of the Golden Horde. You need to fill in the empty space. I call a student who names the territories that were part of the Golden Horde, and I fill it in with the contours of these territories. As a result, on the board we see which lands were part of the Golden Horde.
And now you need to show on the map the Golden Horde and its capital.
Third task. Using the diagram on the board, tell about the Horde power in Russia. In the course of his story, I ask the class what labels are, who the Baskaks are.
The fourth task. I read the text about Alexander Nevsky, and the students need to correct the mistakes and say correctly: “Prince Alexander Nevsky believed that to be at enmity with the Golden Horde. Through thick and thin sought to unleash a war with the Horde. In 1252 he became the Grand Duke Galician. Never went to the Golden Horde. Died Houses in 1263."
So, guys, we examined the power of the Golden Horde in Russia, which had a different impact on the Russian lands, now let's see what this influence led to in the Southern and Western Russian lands, which were in the vicinity of the Lithuanian state.
Write the topic of the lesson in your notebook: "The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Russian lands." (slide1)
Lithuanian state dates back to the first half of the 13th century. Prince Mindovg is considered its founder. (slide 2)
The basis of the state was the Lithuanian tribes Samogitians and Lithuanians, who lived along the Neman River and its tributaries. Initially, some Russian lands became part of the Lithuanian state. Mindovg obeyed Eastern Lithuania and the lands of modern Western Belarus.
Look at the map of the Lithuanian state. (slide 3)
Its capital was the Russian city of Novgorodok. I show the territory of the Lithuanian state, the land.
Significantly strengthened the Lithuanian state under Gediminas (1316-1341) (slide 4)
During the reign of Gediminas' son, Prince Olgerd (1341-1377) (slide 5), huge territories entered the Lithuanian state, whose capital was the city of Vilna (now Vilnius).
Look at the map in your textbook on page 143 and say which Russian lands and principalities became part of the Lithuanian state.
Thus, almost all of Southern and Western Russia ended up as part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which since then has become known as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russian and Samogitian. (slide 7)
This state contributed to the unification of Russian lands. Often the Russian princes voluntarily recognized the power of the Lithuanian rulers. Why do you think?
True, because the Russian lands that joined the Lithuanian principality did not pay tribute to the Horde, and the Lithuanian state also protected them from Mongol raids.
Find the state structure in your textbook Principality of Lithuania. Let's write it in a notebook in the form of a table. We look at the screen and write down: (slides 8-9)
The head of the Lithuanian state was the Grand Duke of the Gediminids dynasty. The highest layer of the aristocracy was made up of princes - the descendants of local rulers. The next step in society was occupied by pans - rich landowners. The gentry are the owners of small plots of land, often received for service to the Grand Duke. The Grand Duke ruled the state with the help of a council - a council of nobility and senior officials. The administration was headed by the Chancellor. The hetman was at the head of the army. The territory of the country was divided into voivodeships headed by princely governors - governors.
(slide 10) In the 14-15 centuries, the ancient Russian people disintegrated, the formation of the Ukrainian people began on the outskirts of the Lithuanian state (Ukraine), to the north, on the territory of White Russia - Belarusian. In the northern and northeastern lands Ancient Russia formed the modern Russian people.
After the death of Olgerd, a struggle for the throne began between the Gediminids. The son of Olgerd Jagiello married the Polish queen, converted to Catholicism and became the Polish king Vladislav II. (slide 11)
The Union of Poland and Lithuania was sealed by the Union of Krevo, concluded in the village of Krevo in 1385. Do you remember what a union is?
Now the Grand Duke of Lithuania became at the same time the Polish king. Catholicism became the official religion of the Grand Duchy.
Jagiello's cousin, Vitovt, opposed the union. He achieved autonomy within the new state, and then independence. (slide 12)
We already know that the crusaders made campaigns in the Baltic states, on the territory of the Lithuanian principality. Union did not save either Lithuania or Poland from the aggression of the crusaders. The order continued its advance on the Polish and Lithuanian lands.
(slide 13) On July 15, 1410, near the town of Grunwald, a decisive battle took place between the Polish-Lithuanian army and the knights of the order. Russian regiments, Tatars, Czechs took part in this battle on the side of the Polish-Lithuanian army. (slide 14) Therefore, it is called the "battle of the peoples." As a result of this battle, the crusaders were defeated, the knightly aggression came to an end.
The lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania again came under the control of Poland.
As a result of the Union of Lublin in 1569, the state of the Commonwealth was formed (translated into Russian, the republic: the kings in the Commonwealth chose to know). (slide 15)
From that time began new era in the history of the Lithuanian people. Find in the textbook and read the changes that came to the state of Lithuania after the formation of the Commonwealth.
So, when was the state of Lithuania formed?
Who is considered its founder?
According to the diagram on the board, tell about the state structure of the Lithuanian state.
So, in the 14th century, a significant part of the Old Russian lands became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the formation of the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples took place here. The unification of Lithuania and Poland created a new state - the Commonwealth.
I announce grades for the lesson.
Paragraph 21, repeat paragraphs 18-21. (slide 16)
During the XIV - early XV centuries. many territories that were previously part of Kievan Rus came under the rule of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. These are Polotsk, Chernihiv, Kiev, Bryansk lands, Volyn. At the beginning of the XV century. Vitovt was able to capture and annex to his possessions the Smolensk principality. Lithuania, thus, turned out to be the largest state in Eastern Europe.
The Slavic population made up the majority of the subjects of this state and, since it was at a higher level of cultural development than the Lithuanians proper, had a significant influence on them. The language of the Slavic population became the official language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, many Lithuanian princes converted to Orthodoxy and Russified, legal norms dating back to Russian Truth continued to operate. The Lithuanian rulers initially did not interfere in the internal life of the annexed Slavic lands, limiting themselves only to demanding tribute and military service.
However, from the second half of the XIV century. increasing Polish influence in Lithuania. The beginning of this process was laid by the marriage of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jagiello with the Polish Queen Jadwiga (1385). These two states were pushed towards the union by common foreign policy interests - the struggle against the expansion of the Teutonic Order, which equally threatened both Lithuania and Poland. One of the conditions for the marriage of Jagiello with Jadwiga was the introduction of Catholicism as the official religion in Lithuania. Jagiello himself was baptized according to the Catholic rite and became both the King of Poland (under the name of Vladislav) and the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Thus, the first Polish-Lithuanian union took place.
Part of the Lithuanian nobility was dissatisfied with the beginning of the penetration of the Polish order into Lithuania. With her support, the cousin of Jagiello Vitovt seized power in the Grand Duchy. Ultimately, Lithuania remained a de facto independent state, and the provisions of the union remained on paper. Only the main directions were coordinated foreign policy two states. Such a policy led to the decisive victory of the combined forces of Poland and Lithuania over the troops of the Teutonic Order in the famous Battle of Grunwald (July 15, 1410). The main role in the defeat of the Germans was played by the Russian regiments that were part of the Lithuanian army of Vitovt.
In 1413, the second Polish-Lithuanian Union (Gorodelskaya) was concluded. Under the terms of the agreement, Lithuanian Catholics received advantages over representatives of the Orthodox nobility when occupying certain government posts, Lithuanian nobles (gentry) who converted to Catholicism now received the rights of the Polish gentry. Local government was gradually rebuilt in the Polish manner: local diets were introduced, and so on. The penetration of the Polish language and culture accelerated.
The gradual expansion of the privileges of the Catholic gentry led to the fact that many representatives of the Orthodox nobility converted to Catholicism and became Polonized, adopting the Polish language and culture. Over time, especially after the adoption of the Church Union of Florence, the pressure on the Orthodox population of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania increased, which caused discontent among many Orthodox magnates and the Slavic population. The deterioration of the position of the Orthodox in Lithuania was clearly marked even during internecine war that broke out after the death of Vitovt. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was actually divided into two parts: in Lithuania proper, Sigismund Keistutievich was proclaimed the Grand Duke, and the Russian lands supported Svidrigailo Olgerdovich - he was declared the Grand Duke of Russia. However, as a result of bloody clashes, Sigismund won, continuing the Polonization policy, which increasingly tied Lithuania to Poland. This policy continued under the following great princes: Casimir, Alexander and others.
Finally, the process of merging Poland and Lithuania was completed under the Grand Duke Sigismund-August (at the same time he was the king of Poland). In 1569 the Union of Ljubljana was concluded. As a result, one state was formed - the Commonwealth. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, however, continued to maintain some autonomy, but was reduced in size.
In the XV century. Ukrainian and Belarusian nationalities begin to form. Some differences in language, material culture among the Eastern Slavs were observed earlier, but at that time, on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, on the basis of the Old Russian literary language, the Old Belarusian language was being formed. Then, on its basis, as a result of the penetration into it of turns of live colloquial speech and individual words from the Polish language, the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages are formed. In addition to the language, a certain commonality of economic life, culture and way of life is taking shape. However, this took not one century, but in the XV century. this process has just begun.
So, during the XIV century. Lithuanian princes actively annexed Russian lands to their possessions. Connection methods were different. Of course, there was also a direct seizure, but often the Russian princes recognized the power of the Lithuanian prince voluntarily, and the local boyars entered into a “row” (agreement) with him. The reason for this was the unfavorable foreign policy situation of the Russian principalities and to a large extent Tatar-Mongol yoke. The Lithuanian princes were not vassals of the Horde, and therefore, their power brought liberation from the power of the khan. The growing Moscow principality could not yet provide the lands of Southern and South-Western Russia with sufficient effective support. The inclusion of Russian lands in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was also facilitated by the long-standing and multilateral ties of the Lithuanian tribes with Russia. The Russian lands within the Lithuanian state, more numerous than the Lithuanian proper, and standing at a higher stage of development, had a significant impact on the social relations and culture of Lithuania. The share of Russians among the feudal nobility was very high. This was due, among other things, to the fact that in Lithuania itself, for a long time, a free peasantry remained subordinate directly to the prince, and local feudal lords were few in number. Russian princes and boyars in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania participated in solving all the most important issues domestic policy and in diplomatic negotiations.
The composition of the Lithuanian legislation included Russian law. "Russkaya Pravda" was the current code of laws on the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later served as one of the sources for the Sudebnik of Grand Duke Casimir (son of Jagiello), adopted in 1468. The Old Russian language in its western version was the state language of the principality. Subsequently, it served as the basis for the formation of the Belarusian and Ukrainian languages. In terms of its functions, this language is comparable to Latin in Western Europe.
First, you need to understand that the phrase Lithuanian principality is used in the article only because of its wide distribution, while the real one had the full name in modern transcription - - when it appeared, which would later be transformed into Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russian and Samogitian.
In Europe, the Latin name was fixed, which only shows us the ideas of medieval Europeans about the Principality of Lithuania as part of Russia, because in translation from Latin into Russian the name means - Rus Litvinskaya grand duchy.
Formation of the Principality of Lithuania
The place of creation of the Principality of Lithuania was the northwestern outpost of Russia, called Black Russia, - a wedge between the Polish lands (once conquered from the Balts) and the lands of continuous residence of the Baltic peoples. The very territory of Black Russia was also once the original territory of the Balts, where from ancient times there was penetration from the union of Slavic tribes, which had the name krivichi who created the Principality of Polotsk, which became the hegemon in the entire Baltic region. Here, Yaroslav the Wise laid the foundation around which the city of Novy Gorodok grew up, which became under the name Novogrudok the first capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
The territory of continuous residence of the Balts was a coastal strip along the Baltic Sea, meager natural resources, which forced the tribes of the Balts to make predatory raids deep into both the Polish and Russian principalities that arose on the border lands. There is no doubt that the lands of the Balts would have been divided between Russia and Poland, if not for the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, which coincided with the crusades of the Catholic European empire against the Baltic pagans. To pacify the Prussians, who were the most numerous tribe of the Balts, the Polish prince Konrad I of Mazovia invited the crusaders, and in the Russian Novogrudok principality chose the path of seeking an UNION with the Lithuanian tribes, for which they invited one of the tribal leaders by name to reign in the city of Novogrudok.
As a result, taking advantage of the difficulties of Poland and Russia after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars, it was the Teutonic Order that would capture the entire Baltic. As it turned out, the Polish prince, at the instigation of his Russian wife, made a strategic mistake by inviting the Catholic German knights, who became the main enemies of both Poland and Russia for hundreds of years. Therefore, I believe that reasons for the emergence of the Principality of Lithuania- in joint reaction Baltic tribe called Lithuania and the Russian specific Novogrudok principality to the danger of being captured, from both the Catholic order states, and from the Galicia-Volyn principality.
The geopolitical position of Black Russia, which became the center of the birth of the Principality of Lithuania, was determined by the history of the Principality of Gorodensk, which early separated into an independent inheritance from the Principality of Polotsk. Actually, historically, Black Russia was the land of the Dregoviches, and not the Polochans (Krivichi), which, along with the impenetrable forests that separated the region from Polotsk, only contributed to isolation. In the northern part, bordering Lithuania, Slavic settlements alternated with settlements of Lithuanian tribes, so there was a kind of mutually beneficial symbiosis that protected the local Slavs from the robberies of the Balts. It is this union at the level of a mixed population that will serve as the basis for inviting a Litvin to the place of princes in Novogrudok, which emerged as an independent inheritance from the Gorodno principality.
Russia and Lithuania
Lithuanian tribes through the lands of the Turov-Pinsk principality made numerous sorties to Volhynia, without destroying the settlements of the Slavs in Black Russia itself. All this forced Daniel of Galicia to make retaliatory punitive campaigns against the Yotvingians and Lithuania, because the capture of Black Russia was of strategic importance for the Galicia-Volyn principality. We have little information, but judging by the rejection of the Kletsk inheritance from the Principality of Turov, a similar task - the elimination of the threat from Lithuania - was also set by Mikhail Chernigov. At the beginning of the 13th century, only the Galicia-Volyn and Chernigov principalities could claim Black Russia, but the second Mongol-Tatar invasion of Russia in 1237-129 allowed the leader of the Lithuanian tribes to seize all of Black Russia with impunity.
Personally, to me, the official version about the peaceful nature of the invitation of Litvin Mindovg to reign in the Russian Novogrudok principality seems more like a myth that the great Lithuanian princes would later introduce into the public consciousness to whitewash the ancestor.
Today, the year of the "invitation" of Litvin Mindovg to reign in the Novogudsk Principality is not exactly known. calls the year 1236, which coincides with the beginning of the weakening political influence princes of the Chernigov principality to Black Russia in connection with the outbreak of war with the Galician principality. 
The weakening of attention from the Russian princes allowed the boyars of Novogrudok to invite Litvin Mindovg, which grossly violated the previously unquestioningly sacred rule of reigning in Russia, which allowed only descendants to take the place of the prince. When, as a result of a new Mongol invasion in 1238-39, the Chernigov principality was defeated, a second "window of opportunity" opened up for the formation of a Lithuanian-Russian state, which Litvin Mindovg successfully took advantage of, capturing the rest of the Russians with impunity. appanage principalities in Black Russia. The death of Prince Mikhail of Chernigov in Sarai in 1246 did not coincide by chance with the date of the Orthodox baptism of Mindovg, if we consider it as preparation for the proclamation of formation of the Principality of Lithuania. Therefore, to rename the Novogrudok principality into Great principality Lithuanian year
1246 - is quite acceptable, although the year of the formation of the state of the Great Principality of Lithuania Encyclopedia still calls the year 1248.
On old maps you can find the name Lithuanian principalities, used as a designation for all the lands of the Balts, which is completely wrong, since the Balts in the 13th century did not have feudal principalities, since they themselves were still at the stage of tribal relations. The statehood of the Balts was at the level of tribal unions, and only one of the unions was called the word Lithuania, while others are Yotvingians, Samogitians, aukshtaites- did not identify with the tribe Lithuania. In Russia, not all the lands of the Balts received the name Lithuania, but only a specific area of \u200b\u200bresidence of the Lithuanian tribes, bordering on the Principality of Polotsk and Gorodensk, as the northern part of Black Russia.
History of the Principality of Lithuania
History of the Principality of Lithuania begins on Russian soil, when the boyars of the principality of Novogrudok invite Litvin Mindovg to reign. The scenario for inviting Mindovg to reign in Novogrudok resembles the plot of calling a Varangian, but this was already common practice for many escheated Russian principalities, whose princes died without leaving sons heirs. Another thing is that the choice of the prince was a feature not from the descendants of Rurik, but one of the leaders of the neighboring Baltic tribes. In the article I will try to explain why the choice fell on a representative of the Baltic people, and what conditions allowed Mindovg not only to become a prince in the Russian principality, having no family ties with the Rurik dynasty, but to stay in the place of the prince and create Russian-Lithuanian state.
Actually, the scenario of the military capture of Novogordok and other principalities of Black Russia by the Lithuanian tribes would lead to exactly the same result.
However, whatever the nature of the seizure of power by the Mindovgs in Novogrudok, when studying the history of Lithuanian Rus, we must always take into account the fact joint participation of the Balts and Slavs in formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. If Litvin Mindovg had not annexed the lands of the Balts to the Russian principality of Novogrudok, then most likely, no state with the name Lithuania wouldn't even show up. Midovg himself could be at least a Moor, at least a Varangian, but he came to the ready-made infrastructure of the Russian principality and his merit is not that he inserted into the name of the principality word Lithuanian(which is what his merits among Lithuanian historians are limited to), but in the fact that he successfully implemented a successful foreign policy situation to create an independent Russian-Lithuanian state, uniting the Lithuanian Balts with the Rusyns of the Novogrudok principality.
The neglect of the history of the Principality of Lithuania on the part of Soviet historians should be explained, who viewed the history of Russia through the prism of the program for the reunification of the Russian lands, in which the Muscovite kingdom succeeded, while Lithuanian Rus has always been a nuisance. I hope the reader understands the legitimacy of my use of the terms - Galician Rus, North-Eastern Vladimir Rus or like here - Lithuanian Rus as a synonym Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the context of the struggle waged by these parts of Russia for the collection of lands Kievan Rus.
Certainly, formation of the Principality of Lithuania was only an alliance of Russian boyars of the Novogrudok principality and the leaders of the Baltic tribes, but the name Vyalіkae Principality of Lithuanian and Russian was not accidental, since it obviously had a focus on the inhabitants to explain the nature of the new state as a union of two peoples. used a name that simply and clearly indicated to the citizens the allied character of the principality, respecting the ethnic balance, as they would say today. In the same vein, the addition to the name of the epithet took place Zhamoitska - Vyalіkae Principality of Lithuania, Russian and Zhamoitska, when the leaders of the Jamoits, who did not identify themselves with the Lithuanian Balts, entered the elite of the principality.
Name Lithuania
origin of name Lithuania it is not clear, since it was most likely temporary and accidental, but it got into history for the same reason as the word Rus. We don't even know if the word Lithuania self-name, but the fact that this region was called so East Slavs recorded in the Russian chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years" among the peoples of the "Japhetic part". I think that the word Lithuania to designate the country of the Lithuanian tribes was known in Russia much earlier than it was mentioned in the annals. Another thing is that the Russian chronicles themselves will begin to be compiled later than the first mention of Lithuania in the form of a Latin word Lithuania in the Quedlinburg annals of the convent in connection with the murder in 1009 of the Catholic missionary Bruno of Querfurt. Moreover, this first mention does not give us the exact name of the country, since the meaning of the entry is "Bruno of Querfurt was killed by pagans on the border between Russia and Lithuania", because the word Lithuania is the indirect case of the name. Later, in European languages, the word for Lithuania began to be used more often. Lithuania, which in Russian will sound like Litvinia, which correlates well with the name of the neighboring Livonia.
With a high probability, we can say that the name of the territory inhabited by Lithuanian tribes was known much earlier from Rusyns or Poles traveling in Europe. Obviously, the news of the death of the monks contained a mention of the Russian name, as a kind of Lithuania, on the border with which the murder took place, because it was not the pagans themselves who told the Catholics. If not Lithuanian pagans, then only Rusyns remain as a source of news.
The name Lithuania was lucky to be preserved in History, since it managed to pass into the name of the first state of the Balts, the very possibility of the appearance of which was given by the boyars of the Russian city of Novogrudok, inviting Litvin to reign Mindovga- one of the five leaders of the Lithuanian tribes. And only then Mindovg annexed the territories of the rest of the Baltic tribes to the Novogrudok principality, creating Russian-Lithuanian principality. Word Linvins, which was originally the collective name of several Baltic peoples, from which the new elite of the Lithuanian principality originated, soon passed to the Russians of all Black Russia, just the understanding of citizenship in those days prevailed over the understanding of belonging to some ethnic group.
If we analyze the meaning of the title Mindaugas used by him in diplomatic correspondence - rex Litwinorum, then translated into Russian it means " king of litvins", what immediately excludes the word "Litvin" from ethnic terms. Word litvin became the designation of a subject of the Lithuanian-Russian state, since Mindovg himself knew for sure that his subjects belonged to two different ethnic groups. Therefore, consider that ancestor of Lithuanians or ancient Lithuanians by nationality" - Lithuanians, is just as true as the statement that the same Litvins - ancestors of Belarusians.
However, the official name of the Principality of Lithuania, adopted in Europe - Magnus Ducatus Ruthenia Lituaniae- translated into Russian means Grand Duchy of Russia Litvinskaya, as an adjective Lituaniae- it's clearly not Lithuanian. Russian adjective Lithuanian was used by Litvin Mindovg when renaming the already existing Novogrudok principality into Grand Duchy of Lithuania for the reason that he was originally going to build a common state of Russians and Balts, for which he attached to Novogrudok as his capital - the lands of Lithuanian tribes, where he was considered a tribal prince, but the adjective Great clearly raised Mindovg himself not so much above the rest of the tribal princes, as it was a frank application for political independence from Russia and equality with the dynasty of Russian princes Rurikovich.
The reason why the successors of Mindaugas abandoned the title rex Lituaniae, probably consisted in the fact that the Catholic title meant little in the Russian world, which surrounded the Lithuanian-Russian principality, where much more powerful lords were limited to the title of prince.
For Russian history, something else is more important - that medieval Europe perceived the Lithuanian principality as Russia, as the title Magnus Ducatus Ruthenia Lituaniae- means Rus Litvinskaya with clarification of the title of the monarch - grand duchy.
Reasons for the formation of the Principality of Lithuania
I remind readers that the activities of the Lithuanian princes are covered in a special article, and the main article is.
The first Lithuanian princes
In the light of the Byzantine cunning with which Mindovg deceived the pope and the emperor with their crown - characterization of Mindovg it turns out not quite crystal clear, rather, on the contrary, Mindovg became great due to the elimination of other leaders of the Lithuanian tribes from the crown lands, moreover, he began with his relatives. Apparently, the Baltic lands closest to Novogrudok were directly included by Mindovg in his principality, since the chronicles directly indicate that Mindovg forces the Lithuanian leaders, among whom his nephews are listed, to go on a campaign against Pskov, promising to leave the conquered lands behind them. When the campaign failed, Mindovg uses the defeat of the leaders to further expand the lands annexed to Novogrudok. Accusing the leaders of the defeat, in order to punish them, he himself goes with the army, expelling even his nephews from Lithuania to the neighboring tribes of the Balts, where, however, they do not descend to the level of ordinary members, but soon make their way to the leaders. Probably, interpersonal relationships did not interfere with supporting members of the same family to occupy the places of leaders and not only, since, most likely, Mindovg contributed to the occupation of many leaders by princely places in the nearest Russian lands, like the same Tovtivil - to the place of the Polotsk prince.
The political somersaults of Mindovg in order to weaken the positions of the crusaders in the form of flirting with the Catholic pope, baptism and taking the title of king of the Litvins, and then returning to paganism and concluding an alliance with Daniil of Galicia, whom Mindovg recognizes as his master and puts the son of Daniil of Galicia to reign in the capital Novogrudok - Roman Danilovich, led him to a confrontation with his eldest son Voyshelok, who was displaced just from the place of the appanage prince of Novogrudok. Voyshelka, devoted to Orthodoxy, headed the pro-Russian party in Novgorod, but did not rebel against his father, therefore, left out of work, Voyshelka goes on a pilgrimage to Athos and even takes monastic orders in an Orthodox monastery in Moldova. However, even before the death of his father, Voyshel would return to the Principality of Lithuania and play his role as the leader of the pro-Russian party, becoming the Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Voyshelk
In line with the controversy with the official historians of modern Lithuania, I want to note that they are trying to keep quiet reign of Prince Mindovg, nominating Vitovt to the place of the most famous Grand Duke. However, this is easily explained, since the territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania under Vitovt reached its maximum size - from sea to sea - which amuses Great Lithuanian pride, and the founder of the Principality of Lithuania, although he was a Litvin, acted like a typical Russian prince. The reign of Prince Mindovg does not make it possible to squeeze out at least a drop of nationalism, since he himself transferred his principality under the rule of the Galicia-Volyn prince, who is already being pulled to his side by Ukrainian nationalists. A particular headache for Lithuanian nationalists is the son of Mindovg - Voyshelk, who was noted as an ardent supporter of Orthodoxy and the Russian principle in the Lithuanian principality. Voyshelka's biography shows how, already in the second generation, Litvin became Rusyns. Actually, such a shift occurred not only with the Litvins, who were accepting the way of life of the Rusyns in the Novogrudok Principality, but also with the Rusyns of Black Russia themselves, due to the fenced off borders of the Grand Duchy from mainland Russia, which began to form into the future nationality of Belarusians.
Formation of the Lithuanian-Russian state
Today we have little information about the balance of power in the Principality of Lithuania at the time of the return of Wojšelok to Lithuania, which took place two years before the assassination of Mindovg. It is known that Voyshelk settled with his cousin, the Polotsk prince Tovtivil, with whom he organizes a conspiracy against the Novogrudok prince Roman Danilovich, and then his murder. However, Voyshelk had every reason to remove Roman in the form of betrayal of his father Daniil of Galicia, who had previously planned a joint campaign of the Litvins and Galicians against Kyiv, but under pressure from the Khan, who sent the Galicians against Lithuania. The news about the preparation of the campaign of the Horde and Galicians against Lithuania allowed Voyshelok to eliminate Roman and return to reign in Novogrudok.
Mindovg himself, apparently, did not personally participate in repulsing the campaign of the Horde and Galicians, organized by the Khan of the Golden Horde, who did not forgive Mindovg for his coronation, as did his relative, Daniil Galitsky, who, by the way, had personal reasons in connection with the murder of his son Roman. The Galicians in the campaign against Lithuania were led by the brother of Daniil Galitsky - Vasilko Romanovich, who later repelled the return campaign of the Litvins to Volhynia, in which (like) neither Voyshelka nor Mindovg participated
For all reasons, during this period, Mindovg did not have a permanent residence, moving to organize a war against the crusaders through the fortresses on the lands of the Balts, in one of which he was killed as a result of a conspiracy of his own nephews, of whom Tovtivil (the former prince of Polotsk) from among the pretender to the reign will be eliminated almost immediately after the murder of Mindovg and his younger sons by another nephew - Trainee(Russian Troynat).
Troynat
Probably, it was precisely the strengthening of the role of the Samogitians in the squad that became the factor in the transfer of power to the family of the Samogitian leaders, or, at least, who had a huge influence among the Samogitians, since Samogitia itself retained autonomy for a long time, not uniting with Lithuania. The historical incident is that Samogitia did not consider itself a part of Lithuania, for a long time lagged behind its independence so that the Samogitians (Zmotians) even considered themselves an ethnic group different from the Lithuanian tribes.
The policy of the princes of the founders of the Gediminovich dynasty was allied with the southern Galician Rus, in opposition to the order states and predatory in relation to the neighboring eastern Russian principalities - and Berestye, Vitebsk, Minsk, Turov and Pinsk, which are fragments of the Polotsk Grand Duchy (Polotsk itself and Gorodno were included in composition of VKL earlier). Such expansion caused opposition from the descendants of Alexander Nevsky, who ruled in North-Eastern Russia.
Lithuanian prince Gediminas
Today's popularity of Gediminas is due to a series of victories over the German knights in alliance with the Polish king, which will become the basis for the subsequent alliance with Poland. The dynastic marriages of the children of Gediminas with the monarchs of neighboring states will have political consequences. Having supported the Principality of Tver against Moscow, Gediminas gave his eldest daughter to the prince of Tver, and when an alliance was concluded against Novgorod, the youngest daughter became the wife of the Moscow prince Simeon the Proud. The fourth daughter was the second wife of the Polish king, and the third married the last duke of Galicia-Volhynia, Yuri II Boleslav. Actually, a complex dynastic knot of kinship began around the inheritance of Galician Rus, since the son of Lubart Gediminovich would marry the only daughter of the Galician-Volyn Duke (King) Andrei Yuryevich.
It is Gediminas who begins the seizure of the empire of the Galician princes with his campaign to Kyiv (disputed for some inconsistencies), where he imprisons the local prince Fedor, who falls into double dependence - on the Golden Horde and Lithuanian Rus. Almost simultaneously, his son Lubart Gediminovich, as the son-in-law of the Galician king, occupied the vacant seat of Prince Volynsky. With the imminent death of the last king of Russia, he will declare his claims to the entire Galician duchy as the domain of Russian kings, since, in addition to the fact that his wife was the only child of the previous prince-king of Russia Andrei Yuryevich (ruled with his brother Lev Yuryevich) and cousin the sister of the last prince-king, so also the sister of Lubart became the widow of the deceased Yuri Boleslav.
Let us remember once again that feudal states of that time, which was Grand Duchy of Lithuania, - were a union (confederation) of smaller feuds, which, however, could fight with each other as part of one state. The war for the Galician-Volyn inheritance, important for the history of Russia, will begin as a war of the specific Volyn prince Lubart Gediminovich with the Polish king, who captured Lvov and the western lands of Galicia. It was then that the title of the Polish king will be added with pretensions - "King and Dedich (hereditary ruler) of Russia", indicating the expansionist goals of the Kingdom of Poland in relation to the lands of Southwestern Russia. Poland, as a result of the war, will tear away the western part of the Galician principality, which will be the beginning of the long wanderings of these primordially Russian lands in different states, together with Carpathian Rus, which ceded to the Kingdom of Hungary in 1418.
The recognition of the strengthening of the Principality of Lithuania should be considered the occupation by Narimunt Gediminovich of the place of prince in Novgorod, as the first prince who was not a Rurik, which happened for the first time in Russia since the demonstrative execution of Askold and Dir by Prince Oleg the Prophet. This exception either (1) confirms the version that Gedimin was still a relative of Mindovg, who, as a member of the dynasty of Polotsk princes, had the right to take the place of a prince in the Russian principality, or, according to the Novgorodians (2), the rights of the Gedimin dynasty were equalized with Rurikovich. The independence of the Principality of Rus of Lithuania was confirmed by the formation of a separate Orthodox metropolis with its capital in the city of Maly Novgorod (Novgorodok) from the Kievan metropolis with its capital in the city of Vladimir-on-Klyazma in North-Eastern Russia.
Even earlier, a special diocese was allocated for the territories of Southwestern Russia, which was controlled by the Galicia-Volyn principality, which in the documents of the Patriarch of Constantinople received the name - in Greek. Μικρὰ Ῥωσσία - in what sense younger in relation to the Kiev metropolis, which, after narrowing it to the borders of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus (with the residence - the "seat" of the metropolitan - in Vladimir) became known as senior- i.e. Great Russia (Μεγάλη Ῥωσία - Megalē Rhōsia). Actually, after the inclusion of the territory of the Galician diocese, which had the church name Little Russia, coinciding with the Ukrainian lands for the Commonwealth (Małopolska province), the name of the diocese Μεγάλη Ῥωσία - translated into Russian as Little Russia- approved as the Russian name of the region. - this is a geographical Polish word, similar to the Russian "outskirts", which will be taken Zaporozhye Cossacks to indicate the territory they captured. The choice of the word UKRAINE as a proper name to designate the land of the Cossacks was not accidental, since it carried the political slogan - separatism of the region (Zaporozhian Sich) from the base (Poland). The Cossacks perfectly catch (unlike the Bolsheviks) that by putting forward the word Ukraine as the name of the outskirts, they declare their desire for independence. When joining Russia, the word "Ukraine", which had a separatist meaning in relation to Poland, was not used. The lands of the Cossacks became part of Russia under the neutral name of the church diocese - Little Russia.
Moreover, we must remember that the designation of Russia in Greek - Ῥωσία - comes from an error in the ideas of the inhabitants of the Eastern Roman Empire about warriors from an unknown country with the self-name Rus, who appeared at the borders of Byzantium, as warriors from the country of a mythical prince Roche, located according to the myths of Byzantium also in the East.
It is also believed that Gediminas is the founder of the new capital - Vilna (modern name - Vilnius), the wooden castle of which became his residence no later than 1323. Gediminas was the second after Mindaugas to use the title of king, calling himself "the king of Lithuania and Russia" in agreements with German orders and the magistrate of the city of Riga. However, for the reason that Gediminas himself remained a pagan until the end of his life, he did not have the right to the title of king, but carried on diplomatic correspondence with the pope, promising to accept Christianity and invited German knights, artisans, merchants, farmers, priests to Lithuania.
