2020-09-24
34
SEMINAR 2
TOPIC 2
THE LITHUANIAN-POLISH PERIOD
The Rise of Lithuania
At the beginning of the 13th century Lithuania was a backward country. Lithuanian tribes were pagan (they worshiped grass-snakes and oaks) and illiterate. They were often at war with each other. At this time the Roman Pope sent German crusaders to Lithuania with the aim of capturing new territories and spreading Catholicism in the area. That threat caused Lithuanians to stop quarrels and unite. In the mid-13th century the Lithuanian tribes were united under the leadership of Prince Mindovg. He defeated a German army and burnt all the prisoners to thank the Lithuanian gods for the victory. Having a powerful army the Lithuanians decided to conquer nearby lands. In the 14th century they moved first into Belarus and then to Ukraine.
At this time Ukraine was under the control of the Golden Horde, the state formed by the Mongol-Tatars in the 13th century. By the mid-14th century the Golden Horde was not as powerful as in the 13th century since it was in a process of disintegration. In 1362 at the Battle of Blue Waters (Suni Vody) the Tatars were defeated by the Lithuanians and Ukraine became part of the Grand Principality of Lithuania. The Lithuanian state was the biggest in Europe and included, besides Lithuanian lands, also the territories of Belarus, Ukraine, and significant parts of Russia (as far as the Oka River with such cities as Viazma and Smolensk).
The Lithuanians were culturally inferior to the Ukrainians as they were pagan and illiterate. So they quickly adapted to a more developed Ukrainian culture. Many of the upper class Lithuanians adopted Orthodox faith and intermarried with Ukrainian nobles. The Ruthenian language (common for Ukrainians and Belarusians at the time) became the official language of government. Ukrainian and Belarusian laws were used to form the basis of the Lithuanian law. Having powerful enemies (Moscow Principality on the east and the Teutonic order of German knights on the west) the Lithuanians were interested in good relations with the Ruthenian (Ukrainian/Belarusian) majority.[1] That is why a popular slogan of the Lithuanian rulers was “We do not change the old traditions.” The Lithuanian army was well organized and strong. It adopted modern military equipment and tactics from German crusaders. Lithuanians built a number of powerful fortifications in Ukraine after the model of German fortresses and castles.
The Conquest of Western Ukraine
After the Mongol invasion of 1240 Western Ukraine managed to quickly recover and restore statehood in the form of Galicia-Volhynia principality. Located strategically on the major trade routs and possessing substantial deposits of salt, a valuable commodity in those days,[2] the principality prospered. Under Prince Danylo of Halych (1238-1264), Galicia-Volhynia reached the peak of its political influence. He subdued the powerful local aristocracy, defeated the German knights on his western borders, and tried to form a military coalition against the Mongols.[3] In 1253 in recognition of Danylo’s power the Roman Pope granted him the title of king. After Danylo’s death the principality had been relatively stable until his dynasty died out in the 14th century (1340). Taking advantage of the situation Poland and Lithuania invaded Western Ukraine. The result of the long struggle between Poland and Lithuania was the division of Western Ukraine (1387) into two parts: the Poles gained Galicia and the Lithuanians gained Volhynia.[4]
The Union of Krevo (1385)
Both Poland and Lithuania had a common powerful enemy – the Teutonic knights. This threat caused the two countries to seek some kind of a defensive union against the Germans. In 1385, in a small Belarusian town named Krevo, the two sides concluded the Union of Krevo by means of a marriage between Polish Queen Iadwiga (she was only 12 years old) and Grand Prince of Lithuania Iogailo (he was 37).[5] According to the agreement Iogailo got the title of the king of Poland and was to attach all his lands to Poland. Besides, he also was to turn the Lithuanians into Catholicism. Some powerful nobles in Lithuania did not want their country to loose independence. They gathered around Iogailo’s cousin Vitovt, who managed to retain control of the Grand Principality of Lithuania. Though formally Vitovt was Iogailo’s subordinate, he was the real ruler of Lithuania. In fact, the union of Krevo was only dynastic. It means that Lithuania had the common with Poland king but was part of the union only formally. In fact it was independent. The Union of Krevo, however, influenced cultural life in Lithuania. Many nobles accepted Catholicism and Polish customs.
The Union of Lublin (1569)
By the early 16th century the Grand Principality of Lithuania was in decline. It lost several provinces to Russia (called at the time Muscovy) and was not able to defend its southern lands against Crimean Tatar military raids. Exhausted by wars against Russia and Crimea, the Lithuanians turned to Poland for aid. The middle and lower Lithuanian nobility were also attracted to Poland by the wide rights enjoyed by the Polish nobility. Thus it was mostly because of their pressure that the so-called Lublin Union was concluded.[6]
As a result of the union, Poland and Lithuania formed a single state called the Rzeczpospolita (republic) or the Commonwealth. The king (who was simultaneously the grand prince of Lithuania) was elected by Lithuanian and Polish nobility.[7] As a result of the union Lithuania retained autonomy[8] but it had to give all Ukrainian lands to Poland. Thus this event ended Lithuanian rule in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian nobility favored the attachment of Ukrainian lands to Poland. Compared to a very centralized but backward Russia, Poland seemed to them the best choice. Poland guaranteed their nobles wide political rights and privileges, legal protection and religious tolerance. A Polish noble’s estate could not be confiscated without a court decision. Any Polish noble could not be arrested without court decision either. (In Russia the nobility was completely defenseless before the tsar). Polish courts were independent of the king. The Polish king’s power was seriously limited and looked democratic compared to the despotic power of the Moscow tsar. Only the Sejm (parliament) could make laws, and the king could not raise taxes or troops without its consent.
In contrast to strictly Orthodox Russia, the Commonwealth was a tolerant state. The nobility included Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians (Ukrainians and Belarusians), Germans, Italians, Moldavians, Armenians, etc. ‘One is born noble, not Catholic’ was the motto. Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox could be senators in the Sejm.[9] However, since Poland officially was a Catholic state, it tried to promote Catholicism whenever it was possible. The Polish government believed that a single religion would better stimulate the unification of the state.
