Grand Duchy of Lithuania Facts for Kids

Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13–15th centuries

Magnus Ducatus Lithuania, Tobias Lotter, 1780

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th –13th century until 1569. In 1569 it became a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791. It was started by the Lithuanians. The duchy grew to include large parts of the former Kievan Rus' and other Slavic lands. It covered the land of present-day Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and parts of Estonia, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. At its biggest in the 15th century, it was the largest state in Europe. There was great diversity in languages, religion, and cultural heritage.

Bringing together of the Lithuanian lands began in the late 12th century. Mindaugas, the first ruler of the Grand Duchy, was crowned as Catholic King of Lithuania in 1253. The pagan state was targeted in the religious crusade by the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. When Gediminas began to rule, he allowed people to have different religions. This grew under his son Algirdas. In 1386 Jogaila changed the religion to Catholicism. He also made a dynastic union between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland.

Lithuanian ancient hill fort mounds in Kernavė, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vytautas the Great grew the land of the Grand Duchy. He also led the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. After Vytautas's death, Lithuania's relationship with the Kingdom of Poland was not good. The Union of Lublin of 1569 created a new state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In this federation, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had a separate government, laws, army, and treasury. They were invaded by Russia in 1792. The land was divided out among the Russian Empire, Prussia and Austria in 1795.

Images for kids

Lithuania in the Mappa mundi of Pietro Vesconte, 1321. The inscription reads: Letvini pagani – pagan Lithuanians.
Gediminas' Tower in Vilnius
Lubart's Castle in Ukraine, built by the son of Gediminas' Liubartas in the mid-14th century, is famous for the Congress of Lutsk which took place in 1429
Poland and Lithuania in 1386–1434
Trakai Island Castle, residence of the Grand Duke Vytautas
The Battle of Grunwald, 1410, with Ulrich von Jungingen and Vytautas at center
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania within the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth c. 1635
Lithuania and its administrative divisions in the 17th century
Church of St. Johns in Vilnius. Example of Vilnius Baroque style
St. Anne's Church and the church of the Bernardine Monastery in Vilnius
Constitution of 3 May, one of the first official state documents issued in both Polish and Lithuanian, Lithuanian edition
Lithuanian primer for kids, published in Vilnius, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 1783 edition
Area where Lithuanian was spoken in the 16th century
Lithuania proper (in green) and Samogitia (in red) within the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in a map from 1712
Panegyric to Sigismund III Vasa, visiting Vilnius, first hexameter in Lithuanian, 1589
The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania (1588) in Ruthenian printed in Vilnius
The first printed book in Lithuanian Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas by Martynas Mažvydas
Lithuanian ancient hill fort in Rudamina
Lithuanian ancient hill fort mounds in Kernavė, now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kaunas Castle
Lida Castle
Ruins of Navahrudak Castle. Current state (2004)
Ruins of Kreva Castle
Mir Castle - a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Belarus.
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle in Ukraine.
Medininkai Castle
Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius
Vilnius University and the Church of St. John
St. George Church (1487) in Kaunas
Church of Vytautas the Great in Kaunas
Pažaislis Monastery church, decorated with expensive marble
Royal insignias of the rulers of Lithuania in the Vilnius Cathedral, 1931
Coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Coins of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Recreation of the Lithuanian soldiers
Showcase of the Crimean Karaites traditional lifestyle in Trakai, Lithuania
Žemaitukas, a historic horse breed from Lithuania, known from the 6–7th centuries, used as a warhorse by the Lithuanians
"Christianization of Lithuania in 1387", oil on canvas by Jan Matejko, 1889, Royal Castle in Warsaw
Priest, lexicographer Konstantinas Sirvydas, the cherisher of the Lithuanian language in the 17th century
Lithuanian national coats of arms: Columns of Gediminas, Double Cross of the Jagiellonians (Jogaila) and Samogitian bear
Coat of arms of the Grand Chancellors of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Coat of arms of the Grand Marshals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Lithuanian Metrica
Reciprocal Guarantee of Two Nations which distinguishes Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, and others, adopted on 20 October 1791

Grand Duchy of Lithuania facts for kids

Images for kids

See also