Discover

(Redirected from Lithuania Propria)

'Lithuania proper' (; , ''tikroji Lietuva'', literally: "Lithuania in a narrow sense", "Genuine Lithuania"; , ''Lite'') refers to a region which existed within Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The primary meaning is identical to the Duchy of Lithuania, a land around which Grand Duchy of Lithuania evolved. The territory can be traced by Christian parishes established in pagan balts lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania subsequent to the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387. They were quite distinguishable, as the Ruthenian parts of the Duchy were already baptised in orthodox manner^[1][2]. The term in Latin was widely used during the Middle Ages and can be found in numerous historical [1] maps until World War I.
From 16th century it sometimes was used to contrast the main Lithuanian territory with Lithuania Minor.

Contents

Evolution of a term

Before the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Eastern part of Lithuania Propria

Modern developments

Notes

See also

External links

Evolution of a term

Before the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Historians designate Lithuania Proper (or Land of Lithuania in a narrow sense) as a Lithuanian land that existed prior to Grand Duchy of Lithuania, near other lands: Land of Nalšia, Land of Deltuva, Land of Upytė. According Henryk Łowmiański Lithuania Proper was in nucleus of future Trakai Voivodeship between rivers: Nemunas, Neris and Merkys. Tomas Baranauskas suggests^[3] that Lithuania Proper was around Ashmyany area, now in Belarus. According to Mikola Yermalovich (the reliability is utterly discussed by academic scholars^[4][5]) Lithuania proper () (literary: Lithuania of chronicles) was in upper Neman region^[6], now in Belarus too.

In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Scholars often use term ''Lithuania proper'' to refer to lands inhabited by ethnic Lithuanians^[7] as opposed to lands controlled by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania inhabited by Ruthenians (ancestors of modern Belarusians and Ukrainians), Russians, Poles, Lithuanian Jews or many other nationalities. Already during the Grand Duchy times, Lithuania Proper was a term designated to land where Lithuanians live^[8]. Administratively it consisted of Vilnius Voivodeship and Trakai Voivodeship.^[9] Such division existed until 1795, when Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned and ceased to exist.
Samogitian Eldership was not a part of Lithuania Proper.^[10] Thus Grand Duchy of Lithuania was divided in such historical regions: Samogitia, Lithuania Proper and White Ruthenia.^[11]

Eastern part of Lithuania Propria

For centuries, eastern and southern lands of this territory, that had direct contacts with Ruthenia and Poland, initially inhabited by ethnic Lithuanians were slowly Ruthenised, Polonised and Russified, and Lithuanian speaking territory shrunk. Eastern parts of Lithuania Propria suffered heavy population losses during the Deluge, and further on during the Great Northern War and following plague epidemic in 1710-1711. Subsequent immigration of Ruthenians and Poles into these territories accelerated the process. A significant push to the de-Lithuanisation ensued when Lithuania became a part of the Russian Empire, and especially, after Lithuanian language books were forbidden to print in Latin letters in 1864. The process continued at the time of Polish rule, as Lithuanian language schools and libraries were closed, and later under Soviet rule, as no Lithuanian schools were in these territories at all. Nowadays only minor "islands" of Lithuanian-speaking people remain in what is now Western Belarus and Northern Poland.

Modern developments

At the end of World War I Council of Lithuania declared that an independent Lithuanian state is re-established in the ethnic Lithuanian lands. Lithuania was understood by the ethnic meaning of Lithuania i.e. Lithuania Propria combined with the Samogitian Eldership.
After negotiations with Bolshevik Russia a large part of Lithuania Proper was acknowledged as part of Lithuanian Republic by signing the Soviet-Lithuanian Treaty of 1920. Some of these territories were also claimed by Second Republic of Poland. This led to series of military conflicts and eventually to war.
At the beginning of the World War II as the Red Army invaded Poland, the Soviet Union passed Vilnius and its region to Lithuanian control, according to Soviet-Lithuanian Treaty of 1920, although almost a half of the historical Lithuania Proper territory, granted by the treaty to Lithuania, including Ashmiany, Lida, Kreva, Smarhon, Braslau, Hrodno was transferred to Byelorussian SSR.
In 1943, Antanas Smetona in exile began working on a study "Lithuania Propria"^[12]. The book was dedicated to the history of Lithuanian lands before Polonisation, Russification, and Germanisation hoping that it would help to substantiate a claim to not returned territories in a peace conference after World war II. His work was left unfinished, and for a long time was available only as a manuscript and was virtually unknown.
Currently the Republic of Lithuania has no territorial claims.

Notes

1. Гаучас П. К вопросу о восточных и южных границах литовской этнической территории в средневековье // Балто-славянские исследования. 1986. М., 1988. С. 195, 196.
2. Safarewicz J. Studia językoznawcze. Warszawa, 1967. S. 257-259
3. Kur buvo Lietuvos žemė?, , Tomas, Baranauskas, Lituanistica, 2002
4. Following the Tracks of a Myth, , Edvardas, Gudavičius, Lithuanian Historical Studies, 1996
5. Насевіч В.Л. Працэс утварэння Вялікага княства Літоўскага (13-14 стст.) // Актуальныя пытанні гісторыі Беларусі ад старажытных часоў да нашых дзён. Мн., 1992. С. 54-63.
6.
7. Native Realm Revisited: Mickiewicz's Lithuania and Mickiewicz in Lithuania
8. Litewska granica etniczna na wschodzie od epoki plemiennej do XVI wieku, , Jerzy, Ochmański, Wydawn. Nauk. Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza, 1981,
9. Viduramžių Lietuva Viduramžių Lietuvos provincijos. Retrieved on 2007.04.11
10. Authentic maps showing ''Lithuania Propria'':
Poloniae Regnum ut et Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae Accuratiss
Poloniae Regnum ut et Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae Accuratiss
11. Authentic map showing Lithuania Proper and adjustant White Ruthenia of Lithuania:
Carte des Estats de Suede , de Dannemarq, et de Pologne ; sur la Mer Baltique
12. Lithuania Propria, , Antanas, Smetona, Darbai ir dienos,

See also

★ Central Lithuania

External links

★ The map of the ethnic groups of the eastern Poland in 1921, after Norman Davies, ''God's Playground: A History of Poland: Volume II, 1795 to the Present''; Columbia University Press: 1982