Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state the neighbours, with a truncated state (principal cities be- from the 13th century[1] until 1795.[2] The state was ing Kraków, Warsaw and Vilnius) remaining only nom- founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic Baltic inally independent. After the Kościuszko Uprising, the tribes from Aukštaitija.[3][4][5] territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Austria in 1795. The duchy later expanded to include large portions of the former Kievan Rus’ and other Slavic lands, covering the territory of present-day Belarus, Latvia, and Lithuania, and parts of Estonia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. At its 1 Etymology greatest extent in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe.[6] It was a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional The Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania name state with great diversity in languages, religion, and cul- the complete name of the state as Grand Duchy tural heritage. of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia (Ruthenian: Consolidation of the Lithuanian lands began in the late Великое князство Литовское, Руское, Жомойтское [13][14] 12th century. Mindaugas, the first ruler of the Grand и иных). The title of “Grand Duchy” was con- Duchy, was crowned as Catholic King of Lithuania in sistently applied to Lithuania from the 14th century [15] 1253. The pagan state was targeted in the religious cru- onward. sade by the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. In other languages, the Grand Duchy is referred to as:
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