First mention of "Lithuania" on a World Map?
- kapochunas
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Not "Lithuanians" or "Lithuanian Pagans," but "Lithuania" (Litvania) as a political entity alongside, and separate from, "Polonia." After all, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (founded c. 1236) did not join as political equals in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1569. The Grand Duchy remained a separate state and retained many rights in the federation: separate name, coat of arms, ministries, ruling system, laws, army, courts, treasury, and seal. (OK, the Grand Duchy did give up nearly 60% of its territory to the Kingdom of Poland, which demanded it as part of the deal, but what are you going to do when feeling pressure from the Swedes in the North, and Russians in the East?)
Here's a detail image from the map:
How did the alliance work out for Lithuania in the 17th century? There were wins -- and terrible losses:
Wins:
1600-11: Lithuanian and Polish forces won the Polish–Swedish War
1605-18: Lithuanian and Polish armies gained territory during the Polish-Muscovite War, restoring control over Smolensk, and for the first time fully captured Russia's capital Moscow in 1610
Losses:
1648-67: in a series of wars most of the Grand Duchy's territory was annexed by Russia, and its capital, Vilnius, was captured for the very first time by a foreign army and plundered
1655: the Grand Duchy unilaterally seceded from the Commonwealth, declared the Swedish King as Grand Duke of Lithuania, and became a protectorate of the Swedish Empire
Restoration -- and then the Plague:
1657: the Grand Duchy rejoined the Commonwealth following a revolt against the Swedes, but a resurgence of the Plague in 1657-58 decimated the country, Vilnius losing half its population
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1635-86 halibutt, wikimedia