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Lithuanian Collectors Coins LITHUANIAN COLLECTORS COINS MIX–MMIX Lithuania’s Millennium Millennium Lithuaniae Millennium and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Lithuania in 1009, its “king” Netimer, his and his troops’ baptism have become a historic episode. This event seems to have encoded the entire subsequent destiny of Lithuania – we rose and fell: 12th century Russian sources mention Lithuania among those paying tribute to Russia. In the 13th century, Lithuania as if started everything anew and eventually established a state, which went down in history as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). Lithuania was the only one to do it out of the three Eastern Baltic Lithograph of Vytautas the Great in com- nations, and Vilnius later for long became memoration of his 500th death anniver- sary (1430–1930). According to J. Matejko’s Moscow’s main or even sole (especially drawing after weakening of the Tartars) political and military rival on the wide areas of differentiated depending on where they Eastern Europe. originated from: the towers of Vilnius Today, this stage of the state and of and Kaunas, Moscow and St Petersburg, ancient Lithuania’s history and culture Krakow and Warsaw, or, eventually, is most often remembered in the context Minsk or Kiev. To a Russian historian of Millennium. Even if we agree with the GDL often was “the genuine Russian the views that much more important in lands” and to a Polish one – a part of certain respects are historical processes Poland’s history. Lithuanian historians of the modern times whose impact on attempted to cut off a national slice of the today has been greater, i.e. the 20th GDL’s history, they were later followed century stages of Lithuania’s statehood, by Belarus historians who were cutting we will still have to admit that most of a still bigger slice, appropriating in the Millennium of Lithuania consists of addition Ukraine’s heritage and leaving the GDL history. to the Lithuanians only the history of On the other hand, this state was so Samogitia. original in its set-up and multiculturalism The views on what should be treated that there still exist most different as ups and downs in the GDL’s history opinions as to its national character, differentiated too. For the old and the chronology of its “golden ages”, and equally for a part of modern historians, even the State and the titles (knights or the essence of the GDL was and continues kings) of its rulers. First of all the views to be its imperial powers and occupied territories from seas to seas, therefore the GDL occupied vast East European for them the “golden ages” was the spaces from the Baltic to the Black Sea (at history of the 14th–16th c.c. with heroic that time the State’s area was 1 million battles against German orders, marches sq. km), where today we find the states to Moscow, Grünwald and Orsha. In of Belarus and Ukraine, therefore it is modern times, Christianisation and sometimes called “a shadow empire”. civilisation progress in the 16th–18th First of all it should be noted that c.c. have been increasingly accentuated, Lithuania occupied a sizeable part of which have led to Vilnius School of disunited Kievan Rus’ heritage following Baroque and the 3 May Constitution. after the Mongol “tiger”, i.e. profiting Whatever differences in the opinions, from Mongol devastations and the old it is agreed over the main events, only Russians’ aspiration to stick to the less their assessments differ. Laconic records ferocious aggressor. This lesser ferocity of exactly these events and phenomena was certainly conditional, but actually comprise the contour of the GDL’s Lithuanians, similarly to the Franks in largest expansion from the Baltic to the Gaul once, did not thrust their culture Black Sea in the 15th century on the coin on conquered lands; on the contrary, dedicated to the Millennium: they took over the Orthodox tradition of writing and culture thus not reminding Mindaugas King of Lithuania 1253 the classical empires in behaviour. Vilnius the capital of Lithuania 1323 On the other hand, while the first The Christening of Lithuania 1387 ruler of Lithuania, Mindaugas alone Vytautas the Great 1392–1430 was crowned King of Lithuania, even The battle of Grünwald 1410 Grand Dukes of Lithuania Gediminas The battle of Orsha 1514 and Algirdas, who backslid from The first published book 1522 Christianity, titled themselves as “kings”, The Statutes of Lithuania of 1529, and Vytautas, before his death in 1430, 1566, 1588 was one step away from royal crowning. The first Lithuanian book 1547 Even, supposedly, it would be too strong The Union of Lublin 1569 to call this state an empire, we would Vilnius University 1579 still have to admit that in the 14th-15th Vilnius Baroque c.c. the GDL was a super state and an The Constitution of 3 May–20 October 1791 important political power in Central and Eastern Europe. This enabled to The state: from “a shadow empire” to withstand the aggression of the German Poland’s shadow? Order and to win, together with Poland, the fatal Battle of Grünwald in 1410. The GDL expanded its territory far From the late 14th century for 200 years eastwards. At the times of its largest representatives of the Jagiellonian dynasty expansion in the early 15th century, were ascendants to the Polish throne (and to the Czech and Hungarian in the early local conservative opposition and the 16th c.) of Lithuanian origin, who mostly neighbouring countries Russia, Prussia ruled both Poland and Lithuania. As and Austria. They carried out the last the Russian state became more active partition of the Polish and Lithuanian on the political scene in the mid-16th Commonwealth and most of Lithuanian century, Lithuania was obliged to form lands went to Russia. a stronger union with Poland. In 1569, a Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth, Civilisation: from pagan uniqueness the Republic of the Two Nations was to the earliest constitution in Europe created, in which the GDL, having lost Ukraine, still retained sovereignty, West European countries started their though limited. On the other hand, it cultural tradition in the times of Antique should be born in mind that in European Rome or Charles the Great Empire, historiography the Polish and Lithuanian Central European countries stepped into Commonwealth is often erroneously Christian civilisation at the time when held a solely Polish state and is referred to their right to independent baptism was as Poland. And yet even in the late 18th still recognised (9th–10th c.c.), whereas century, trying to implement reforms and the Lithuanian State originated with a to strengthen the State while adopting delay and therefore it had to withstand the 3 May Constitution, the dualism of Crusades. Western civilisation did not the Commonwealth was still perceived, already recognise Lithuania’s right to which was revealed by the clarification independent baptism. While Lithuania’s of this Constitution of 20 October 1791. first ruler, Mindaugas got baptised and These reforms were fiercely opposed by even had a royal crown put on his head in 1253, it was turning out that the baptism put the existence of the State at stake. Therefore Lithuania backslid from baptism remaining for another 150 years a pagan state – the last in Europe! The cultural values provided by paganism were not high and therefore a particularly significant role in the State was played by the culture of annexed Orthodox lands. In addition, there was not a single pagan ruler of Lithuania who would not have aspired for baptism and some of them would not have invited merchants and artisans from the West. In 1387, baptised Lithuania turned State emblem of the GLD, Vilnius, ca. 1555 towards Western culture. A 15th c. fresco Fragment of a picture of Orsha Battle (1514) in St. Pierre le Jeune Church in Strasbourg Vilnius University was established. In has become a symbol of Lithuania’s the 17th century, Lithuania not only joining Christian civilisation – in it, studied from European books but our the march of the nations towards the books began spreading in Europe too: cross ends with the Grand Duchy of suffice it to mention the poetry of Lithuania. Mathias Casimirus Sarbievius, crowned The last to have adopted baptism, over by the pope with a royal wreath of the a century it made a unique cultural jump, poet, and “The Great Art of Artillery” by which not a single European country Kazimieras Semenavičius (the first edition had to make while adopting the values “Magna ars artileriae” in Amsterdam, of Western Christian culture. The most 1650), which followed in a great number evident and at the same time probably the of editions and translations in the West . most essential part of this cultural jump The process of Europeism also manifested was mastering of writing. Already in the itself in Lithuania’s learning to create early 16th century, writing (“Agenda” by Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Martinus, published in Gdansk in 1499) Already in the early 16th century, a true and printing (“A Small Travel Book” by masterpiece of Gothic architecture, Franciscus Skorina, printed in Vilnius St Ann’s Church was erected in Vilnius. in 1522) of books began and the ideas of European architecture flourished mostly the Renaissance and Reformation were during the times of Baroque, when an taken over, which paved the way for the original and independent school of appearance of the first Lithuanian book Baroque formed in Lithuania, which (“Cathecismus” by Martynas Mazvydas, had no analogue in Europe in the area of 1547). On arrival in Lithuania in 1569, its impact from Samogitia to the Dnepr Jesuits included the territory in the in Belarus.
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