LITHUANIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES 6 2001 ISSN 1392-2343 pp. 162–181

Lietuvos Metrika. Knyga Nr. 51 (1566–1574) / Užrašymų knyga Nr. 51 [The Lithuanian Metrica. Book no. 51 (1566–1574) / Book of Inscriptions no. 51] Ed. A. Baliulis, R. Ragauskienė, A. Ragauskas. Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos institutas, 2000. Pp. 485. ISBN 9986-34- XXX-X.

Book no 51 of the Lithuanian Metrica is a typical book of inscriptions, revealing the everyday life of the nobility, gentry and burghers of the GDL, the activity of the central administration of the state on the eve of the Union of Lublin (1569) and several years after it. The Book is not original, it is a copy, made on the orders of Chancellor Leon Sapieha in 1597. The overwhelming majority of the inscriptions (about three fourths of the total number of 242) are the donations and privileges of Sigismund Augustus and Henri Valois granting the gentry land, estates or serfs, donations of urban possessions and other privileges. Some inscriptions relate to tax exemptions for individual boyars and even townsmen. There are five charters for inns or mills, seven for markets and fairs; there are also charters providing for autonomy and self-government according to Magdeburg Law. All these documents are particularly valuable for the study of the development of economy of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Nevertheless, documents reflecting the state reforms of the GDL are more interesting. The Book covers a period of eight years in which several significant reforms were carried out: the Second Lithuanian Statute was adopted (1566), administrative, military and judicial reforms were imple- mented, the Union of Lublin was concluded, producing the federal state of Poland-Lithuania. In this period a war was waged with Moscow, the last regnant representative of the Jagiellonian dynasty died and for the first time a foreigner was elected king. Several more interesting documents relate to Jews (nos. 20, 178) and Tartars (nos. 24, 176, 224). There are documents dealing with the salt store in Kremenets (no. 128), two documents on conferring gentry titles (nos. 117, 163) and three wills (nos. 82, 183; no. 40, made by Mikołaj Radziwiłł the Black). The publication contains a chronological list of the documents, sub- ject, name and place-name indices.

Darius Vilimas

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Saliamonas Risinskis. Trumpas pasakojimas apie garsiausius šviesiau- siojo didiko Biržų ir Dubingių kunigaikščio Kristupo Radvilos žygius [A Short Narration about the Celebrated Deeds of the Illustrious Noble- man Duke Kristupas Radvila of Biržai and Dubingiai]. Compiled, translated from the Latin, annotated and introduced by S. Narbutas. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2000. Pp. 253. ISBN 9986-513-90-1.

The works of Saliamonas Risinskis (Rysinio) (ca. 1560–1625 c) have re- ceived attention of the researchers of GDL culture more than once. It is worth noting that this figure and his works have been studied by Lithua- nians, Poles and Belorussians, and this testifies to the cultural interaction typical of the Republic of the Two Nations. Before taking up the post of tutor and teacher to Kristupas, a son of Kristupas Radvila Perkūnas in 1598, Risinskis taught in Žemaitija and in Lithuania Minor and travelled across Europe. Since then his life had been associated with the Radvila dukes of Biržai and Dubingiai. Risinskis ac- companied the young Kristupas on his journey abroad. From 1604 he lived mostly in Vilnius, where he accumulated his greatest and only treasure – a library of about 1,000 volumes, the catalogue of which has survived to this day (cf. I. Lukšaitė. ‘Saliamono Risinskio bibliotekos Vilniuje sąrašas’, Iš bibliotekų istorijos . Vilnius, 1985). However, the fate of his own works is much sadder. Already in his lifetime were there only single copies, scattered in the libraries of Germany, Russia and Poland. Meanwhile his manuscript heritage was dispersed much more, from Minsk and Warsaw to Paris and Chicago. Therefore the publication of A Short Narration about the Celebrated Deeds of the Illustrious Nobleman Duke Kristupas Radvila of Biržai and Dubingiai first issued in Lubcza in 1614 is to be welcomed. It comprises a concise biography of the palatine of Vilnius, commending him for his victories and merits to the Lithuanian state, texts on the occasion of his funeral and ten necrological eulogies, dedicated to Jurgis Radvila, nephew of Radvila Perkūna, his daughter-in-law Sofija, the sons Jonušas and Stanislovas and daughter Kotryna of his nephew, grandson Mikalojus, Andrius Volanas, Barbara Ossolińska, Elżbieta Turska and Regina Buczyńska. The latter texts are thought to have appeared between 1589 and 1613 and form an appendix to the main body of the book. Also included are the two most valuable of Risinskis’ works of belles-lettres, preserved in manuscript– Variorum monumentorum a Solomone Rysinio conscriptorum decas altera and De origine gentis Radiviliae syntagma . A comprehensive introduction describes Risinskis’ biography, the char- acter of his works and their connection with mainstream European culture.

Jolita Sarcevičienė

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Liudvikas Rėza. Žinios ir pastabos apie 1813 ir 1814 metų karo žygius iš vieno Prūsijos armijos kapeliono dienoraščio [News and Notes about the Military Expeditions of 1813 and 1814 from a Diary of a Prussian Army Chaplain]. Translated from the German by R. Šaltenis]. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2000. Pp. 235. ISBN 9986-513-86-3.

In Lithuania Liudvikas Rėza (1776–1840) is known as a scholar, philologist of Lithuanian and poet, closely related to Lithuanian culture and history. Therefore it is often overlooked that he was a citizen of Prussia and, as is stated by Dainora Pociūtė in the foreword, ‘a fervent patriot’. Presenting the translation of Rėza’s work, she stressed that here ‘we see most authen- tically the real Rėza and his relation to the cultures of various nations. Rėza’s criteria of evaluation are formed by the ideals of the Enlightenment, his view of life, however, is full of passionate albeit restrained pre-Roman- tic élan’. In the preface ‘A Witness of the Napoleonic Wars, a Shrewd Observer and an Excellent Narrator’ Albinas Jovaišas describes the contemporary situation and Rėza’s activity before he became a brigade preacher in 1811, Lithuanian episodes of The News and Notes , Rėza’s political views. He also presents the characteristics of various nations given by the author as well as his attitudes to the Germans, Kashubians, Slavs, French and the English; however, ‘Rėza did not give any generalizations about the Lithua- nians of Lithuania Minor or the Lithuanian nation in general’. The diary clearly indicates the fact that Rėza was a university professor of theology, in his journeys he took interest in various scholarly issues (theology, homiletics, art, etc.). Rėza’s book consists of five chapters: ‘The Departure from Königsberg to the Army’, ‘The Arrival at the Army and the Events before the End of the Truce’, ‘The First Military Expedition through Bohemia and Saxony’, ‘The Second Military Expedition through Saxony up to the Rhine’ and ‘The Military Expedition through Lorraine and Champagne in France’. They reveal Rėza’s views on the above-discussed things and the general culture of Europe, devastated by the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars. The book contains extensive commentaries prepared by D. Pociūtė and V. Pugačiauskas as well as a list of names, compiled by V. Grigalaitė.

Jolita Sarcevičienė

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Motiejus Valančius. Ganytojiški laiškai [Pastoral Letters]. Ed. V. Merkys ir B. Vanagienė . Historiae Lithuaniae Fontes Minores , 2. Vilnius: Žara, 2000, Pp. 214. ISBN 9986-34-058-6.

The second issue of the series of Historiae Lithuaniae Fontes Minores comprises 37 letters of the Bishop of Žemaitija (or Telšiai) Motiejus Valančius, written to the Catholics of the diocese to effect teaching them good morality, and guard them against belief in various political rumours, indicating how to behave during the Abolition of Serfdom (1861) and in the Uprising of 1863. There are also two letters containing the bishop’s will. The book consists of an introduction, reviewing previous publica- tions of Valančius’ pastoral letters, the circumstances of the appearance of the letters, their authenticity, the principles of their preparation for publication, 37 facsimiles of the letters, their translation into Lithuanian or texts rendered into Standard Lithuanian. An overwhelming number of letters, dated between 1858 and 1862, are related to the temperance movement, initiated by him, and to the increas- ing social and political tension created by actions surrounding the Abo- lition of Serfdom; that sort of atmosphere lasted until the Uprising of 1863. Valančius wrote three letters in connection with the abolition of serfdom and nineteen on the problems of the temperance movement. Nine letters were written at the request of the officials of Russian administration, who did not hesitate to interfere in the life of the Church. Of those published 28 are written in Lithuanian. Some are autographs of the Bishop, other letters are his texts, written by his secretary and signed by the Bishop himself. The pastoral letters of Valančius are an important historical source, furnishing information on their author and worldview, his pastoral, social and cultural activity, his concern for the economic situation of the country, in particular the material conditions of the peasantry. The letters reflect the Bishop’s attempts to integrate the peasants into society, to develop their social self-respect and national integrity. The letters are useful for linguis- tic studies, since they contain information on the writer’s dialectal lexis, terminology and grammar. The present publication is not entirely new – only six letters are published for the first time. Nevertheless, the former publications did not always meet the requirements of modern palaeographical standards. In some cases authentic texts were missing, correction of spelling and punctuation was not consistent enough.

Jolita Sarcevičienė

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Saulius Pivoras. Lietuvių ir latvių pilietinės sąmonės raida. XVIII a. pabaiga – XIX a. pirmoji pusė (Lyginamasis aspektas) [The Formation of Lithuanian and Latvian Civic Self-Consciousness. The Late Eighteenth – Early Nineteenth Centuries. (A Comparative Account)]. Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto leidykla, 2000. Pp. 152. ISBN 9986-501-42-3.

This book is devoted to the analysis of the civic attitudes of the main social strata – the peasantry, the gentry and the intelligentsia – towards the structure of society, its cultural and political content, its development prospects and related public behaviour. The mentality of the town popu- lation is not dealt with, since in Lithuania the majority of this layer was made up of a particular ethno-cultural group – the Jews. Analyzing the development into modern nations of comparatively similar ethno-social communities – the Lithuanians and Latvians – and factors and possible alternatives related to this process, the author maintains that the mentality of the Lithuanian and Latvian peasants at the turn of the century was grounded in serfdom and serf self-consciousness, which produced the conception of the serf as an eternal social child, always in need of care. However, there were differences in the self-consciousness of the two nations. The serf self-consciousness of the Lithuanian peasantry was not totally detached from the mindset of Lithuanian estate owners and gentry, indeed, there was even some cultural overlapping. Meanwhile Latvian serf self-consciousness completely separated the peasants from the German landowners and emphasized their social, ethno-cultural and ethno-genetic isolation. There were certain differences between the civil and national attitudes of the Lithuanian gentry and the Baltic Germans. Lithuanian dispositions were based mainly on the statehood of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, while the Baltic German ones drew on the tradition of the estate self-rule of the country. Lithuanian and Baltic German attitudes towards their re- lationship with the Russian Empire differed as well. The former regarded the Empire as a foreign state and were inclined to identify themselves with the Poles of the Kingdom of Poland, while the Baltic Germans were among the most loyal subjects of the Russian Empire. The intelligentsia of the Lithuanian gentry cherished the idea of Lithuanian statehood and consist- ently conducted a pro-national propaganda. In the middle of the nine- teenth century Balto-German intellectuals in Livonia adhered to the cul- tural tradition of the privileged estates and fostered the historico-cultural patriotism, while Latvian intellectuals orientated themselves towards a purely countryside tradition – ethno-cultural patriotism. Ethno-social con- flict and homogeneous ethno-cultural genesis in Lithuania were facilitated not by the objective conditions of the socio-cultural development, but by the official policy of the Russian Empire. Meanwhile the separation of the

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Latvians and Baltic Germans was predetermined by many objective fac- tors, and the policy of the authorities was less influential.

Vilma Žaltauskaitė

Antanas Kulakauskas. Kova už valstiečių sielas [The Struggle for the Peasant Souls]. Kaunas: Vytauto Didžiojo universiteto leidykla, 2000. Pp. 164. ISBN 9986-501-43-1.

The study under review is devoted to the analysis of the home policy of the tsarist administration in the middle of the nineteenth century. Recently various aspects of this theme have received the attention of researchers both abroad and in Lithuania (Theodore R. Weeks, Zita Medišauskienė, Vytautas Merkys, Darius Staliūnas, et al.). The sub-title of the book ‘Tsarist Rule, Lithuanian Society and Primary Education in the Mid-Nine- teenth Century’ aptly defines the author’s concern. The book analyzes the motives and methods used by the tsarist government in the reform of primary education in ethnic Lithuania and introducing a state-controlled system. Questions are raised as to how the policy of Russification, in particular through primary education, affected ethno-social and ethno- political processes in Lithuania, whether a new stage in the Lithuanian national movement during the latter half of the nineteenth century was associated only with the abolition of serfdom or was caused by other policies of the tsarist government. After his investigation of the projects offered by the tsarist administration, local officials, teachers and the pro- posals of the social élite of the country concerning primary schools, the author states that before the Uprising of 1863 the Russian authorities did not object to the organization of Lithuanian primary schools. The Uprising strengthened nationalistic and chauvinistic tendencies in Russian ruling circles. The Lithuanians, as Catholics and also as potential supporters of the ‘Polish cause’, could not be relied on. In the ‘Provisional Instructions’, adopted by the tsar to regulate the functioning of primary education, the Lithuanian peasants were allowed to be taught only religion in Lithuanian, while writing and reading in Lithuanian were not permitted. Nevertheless, that problem was not yet finally solved. After the suppression of the Uprising in 1864 and after the change of the administration and extension of its mandate, the discussions about the national trend of the primary schools in Lithuania were revived. Among the projects there were favour- able ones for the Lithuanian school. Nevertheless, the tendencies of Russification prevailed. At that time the governor general of Vilnius had prepared a project of the administration of the North-Western Region; this

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Russian administrative unit included the greater part of ethnic Lithuania, except Užnemunė (the Trans-Nemunas area). However, practical steps taken by the government are not analyzed by the author, the object of his study being the tsarist policy of education in ethnic Lithuania rather than the situation of the primary schools proper.

Vilma Žaltauskaitė

Darius Staliūnas. Visuomenė be universiteto? (Aukštosios mokyklos atkūrimo problema Lietuvoje: XIX a, vidurys – XX a. pradžia) [Society without a University? (The Problem of the Re-establishment of a School of Higher Education in Lithuania in the Mid-Nineteenth and the Beginning of the Twentieth Centuries)]. Lietuvių Atgimimo istorijos studijos (His- torical Studies of Lithuanian Rebirth), t. 16. Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla , 2000. Pp. 216. ISBN 9986-480-30-6.

In the context of the formation and development of modern nationalism the educational system became a battlefield in which the future of the Russian multi-ethnic state was to be decided. This monograph attempts to determine the political imperatives of the Russian government in the policy of higher education in Lithuania (the term is used in the historical rather than ethnic meaning, and the change of the content of this term in the period under consideration is discussed) as well as the shifts in the social attitudes in this sphere. The period analyzed here covers the inter- val between the closure of the University of Vilnius in 1832 and the First World War. Relatively the book can be divided into two parts, the first related to the policy of the government and the second dealing with the social initiatives in the field of higher education at the turn of the century. This change of accents in the analysis is conditioned by the development of the political and socio-cultural situation. Besides, in the period under consideration radical changes were taking place in the differentiation of Lithuanian society – that was the time of the formation of the modern Lithuanian, Polish, Jewish and to some degree, Belorussian nations, all of them striving for their national pyramids of education. The book contains an analysis of the projects for the establishment or re-establishment of a university or any other school of higher educa- tion, their political and socio-cultural aspects, the endeavours of the authorities to influence both the professional careers and the ethno- cultural and political orientation of separate non-dominating ethnic groups. The problem of the school of higher education was discussed in the context of the ‘national policy’ of Russian rule, and its treatment varied. The cultural Russification of different regions of the empire was con- ducted differently and by different means.

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The author maintains that the main reason why the authorities did not dare to open a school of higher education was the fear of potential Polish domination in that institution and the spread of influence of that social group in the entire North-Western Region. The projects, envisaging the establishment of a school of higher education, reflected the socio-cultural and political development of the former lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Vilma Žaltauskaitė

Aldona Prašmantaitė. Žemaičių vyskupas Juozas Arnulfas Giedraitis [Bishop Juozas Arnulfas Giedraitis of Žemaitija]. Vilnius: Diemedis, 2000. Pp. 352. ISBN 9986-23-076-4.

Bishop Juozas Arnulfas Giedraitis (Józef Arnulf Giedroyć) (1757–1838) was a scion of a famous ducal family from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. His episcopacy coincided with a period of intensive cultural activity in Žemaitija, often referred to as the ‘Lithuanian Movement’. It must be noted that Giedraitis assumed his pastoral duties at the time when the Catholic Church had lost its leading positions and was treated as a doomed structure by the Petersburg authorities. Therefore scholarly inter- est in this figure is understandable. So far a comprehensive study of Giedraitis’ biography, the cultural processes of that time and the history of the diocese of Žemaitija has been missing, and the author of this monograph aimed at filling in this gap. Extensively using various sources (the documents of the Vatican Curia, the rules and regulations of the Russian authorities relating to the Catholic Church, the bishop’s corre- spondence, documents having to do with the administration of the dio- cese, reminiscences, etc.), she has produced a wide panorama not only of the bishop’s life and work, but also of the entire contemporary period. In her research she sometimes arrived at original conclusions, shedding light on the relatively little known aspects of the bishop’s life. Having property at his disposal, Giedraitis was less dependent on Petersburg than the Bishop of Vilnius was, who received his salary from the state treasury. Being born and bred in the cultural milieu of the GDL and adhering to the civic values of the of the Republic of the Two Nations, Giedraitis often transgressed the limits of loyalty to the lay authorities by preventing the transfer of the bishopric to Grodno, he was not indifferent to the Uprising of 1830–1831, and he regarded the Orthodox Church as unacceptable to the cultural tradition of the Commonwealth. In the book great attention is paid to the bishop’s cultural and intel- lectual activity. He knew the Lithuanian language, proceeded to translate the New Testament, took an interest in the history of the language – he

Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 02:58:51PM via free access ARTICLES 171 wrote a treatise entitled A Description of the Lithuanian Nation, Lan- guage and Literature , etc. The author maintains that ‘his broad-minded view to the use of Lithuanian, and understanding of the necessity to create Standard Lithuanian are weighty arguments against the unfounded belief that Giedraitis was concerned merely with pastoral matters. Skilfully using administrative and economic advantages, provided by his high hierarchical post, he contributed greatly to the establishment of an effi- cient intellectual centre within the Lithuanian Movement, which left its imprint on the cultural life of the country for many decades’.

Jolita Sarcevičienė

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