VILNIUS - In Your Pocket

The Lithuanian state arose and strengthened to counter
the religious fervour of crusading German knights. Lithuania
was the last European country to convert to Christianity,
and has seen countless invasions and occupations over
the centuries.
7th-2nd centuries BC The first Baltic tribes establish themselves
on what’s now known as Lithuanian territory.
11th century The word Lithuania is first used in written
texts in AD 1009. At the same time, a wooden castle is built
on Vilnius’ Gediminas Hill (Gedimino Kalnas), leading to the
construction of a diminutive settlement beneath it.
13th century Žemaitians defeat the Livonian Knights at
the Battle of Saulė in 1236, establishing the settlement
of Šiauliai. After uniting local chieftains, on July 6, 1253
Mindaugas (circa 1203-1263) is crowned Lithuania’s one
and only king. During his reign as the first Christian sovereign
of the state, Vilnius Cathedral is built. However, the majority
of the population remains pagan.
14th century In 1323 Grand Duke Gediminas (circa 1275-
1341) sends letters to various Germanic-speaking towns,
inviting their craftsmen and merchants to settle in Vilnius with
the promise of religious freedom. Trying to ensure peace, in
1325 he forms a union with Poland by marrying his daughter
Aldona to the Polish king’s son. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
comes into being with the 1387 Krėva Union,
whereby Gediminas’ grandson Jogaila (circa 1348-1434)
becomes a Polish king by marrying the Polish Princess Jadwiga
(circa 1373-1399). Even with the increased security,
the Teutonic Knights still manage to invade, resulting in the
1390 burning of the wood-constructed Vilnius.
15th century The Teutonic Knights are eventually defeated
on July 15, 1410 by joint Polish-Lithuanian armies led by
Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas (1350-1430) at the Battle
of Grunwald (Lithuanian, Žalgiris. German, Tannenberg),
one of the greatest battles in medieval Europe. The country
flourishes and by 1430 the borders extend from the Baltic
to the Black Sea.
16th century The Renaissance sees marked cultural
advances, notably the printing of the first Lithuanian book
in 1547, and the founding of Vilnius University in 1579. The
end of the Jogaila dynasty in 1572 results in the political
and cultural marginalisation of Lithuania. Polish becomes the
state language. The Livonian Wars (1558-1582) with Russia
and Sweden drain the Commonwealth’s resources.
18th century At the start of the 18th century both Swedish
and Russian forces try to seize control of Vilnius. In 1795
Lithuania is incorporated into tsarist Russia. The 120-year
Russian occupation is only interrupted by a short liberation
by Napoleon’s army in 1812 on his failed campaign
to Moscow. During the Napoleonic army’s return through
Vilnius nearly 40,000 of his soldiers die due to starvation
and extreme cold.
19th century Vilnius University acts as a hotbed of dissent
against the tsarist government, culminating in the 1831 November
Uprising, which leads to the closing of the institution.
Russification ensues with non-Orthodox churches forcibly
closed, the Lithuanian language banned in 1864 and the
country named the Northwest Region. The ban on the Latin
script forces the smuggling in of books from neighbouring
East Prussia. Another uprising takes place in 1863 and
General Muravyov (The Hangman) is sent from Moscow to
restore order, resulting in deaths by hanging for most of the
vilnius.inyourpocket.com
20th century
history
leading activists. The repression is countered and defied by
a revival of Lithuanian culture and tradition. In 1883 Jonas
Basanavičius (1851-1927) publishes the first Lithuanianlanguage
newspaper, Auszra (Aušra, or Dawn).
Independence & Beyond
1988 June 3 The Lithuanian reform movement Sąjūdis is
founded by some 500 representatives of the intelligentsia,
advocating openness, democracy and sovereignty. August
23 Some 250,000 people gather in Vilnius to mark the 49th
anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.October 7 The
Lithuanian flag is raised on Gediminas Castle.
1989 February 16 Lithuanian Independence Day is officially
commemorated. August 23 An estimated 2,000,000
Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians join hands in a human
chain stretching the 650km between Vilnius and Tallinn to
protest the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop
Pact.
1990 January 11-13 Mikhail Gorbachev’s visit to Vilnius
is far from pleasant as 300,000 pro-independence
demonstrators turn out to ‘welcome’ him. March 4 Proindependence
Sąjūdis candidates receive an overall majority
in the first free elections in Lithuania since 1940. March
11 The Supreme Council (later to become Parliament, or
Seimas) declares the restoration of Lithuanian independence
and demands the withdrawal of Soviet forces. Dr. Vytautas
Landsbergis is elected parliamentary chairman. April 17
Moscow imposes an economic blockade.
During the WWI German
occupation of 1915-
1918 the Lithuanian
Council proclaims independence
on February
16, 1918. As the
Germans retreat, the
Lithuanian state comes
under attack by the Polish General Józef Piłsudski (1867-
1935) who seizes control of Vilnius and areas south of
it from1920-1939. Poland maintains control of these
areas by claiming they were a portion of the pre-war
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Kaunas becomes
the interim capital of Lithuania until 1940. During the
inter-war period independent Lithuania prospers under
the 14-year dictatorship (1926-1940) of the nationalist
president Antanas Smetona (1874-1944). Lithuanian
independence ends with the clandestine signing on August
23, 1939 of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between
Hitler and Stalin, who carve up Europe into portions to
be controlled by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Lithuania is subject to both Soviet and Nazi occupation.
Between 1941-1944 the Nazis and their Lithuanian
henchmen organise the mass murder of over 200,000
Jews, 94% of the entire Litvak population. The return of
the Red Army and the re-incorporation of Lithuania into
the USSR on July 7, 1944 results in the deportation of
some 250,000 Lithuanians to Siberia, a task they’d already
begun in 1940 before the Nazis arrived. Lithuanian
partisans, dubbed the Forest Brothers (Miško Broliai),
wage guerrilla warfare until 1953. In an act of protest
against the Soviet occupation, on May 14, 1972 19year-old
student Romas Kalanta sets fire to himself in
public in Kaunas, dying from his wounds.
August - November 2012
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