History-before-1900

BY JOLANTA KARPAVIČIENĖ THE PALACE OF THE GRAND Dukes of Lithuania, which is now being reconstructed in Vilnius, embodies the whole course of Lithuanian history. The foundation signifies the beginnings of statehood in the thirteenth century and multiple layers of artifacts document the expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania …

BY JŪRATĖ MIČIULIENĖ Historian Jolanta Karpavičienė states that women surrounding Lithuania’s rulers, from the time of Mindaugas, lived a more active public life than Slavic princesses shut up in their ivory towers.— JOLANTA KARPAVIČIENĖ, Assistant director of the National Museum Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, said …

By Charles Perrin IN 1902 THE COAL MINERS IN THE ANTHRACITE region of Pennsylvania, which at that time had the most dangerous mines in the world, went on strike. It was one of the largest strikes the region ever experienced and Lithuanians played a prominent role in it. Jonas Šliūpas, …

by Al (Alvydas) Karaša Who were the people that comprised the tribes which Mindaugas united and ruled as their first king? BEFORE THERE WAS A LITHUANIA, AND BEFORE her first Christian king united her people in the 13th century, there were tribes. Made up of clans, and families extended to …

By Henry L. Gaidis “What am I if not a Lithuanian, one of your chosen countrymen?… Whom should I defend if not you and myself?… It angers me to be away from Lithuania and serving in Poland…” –Thaddeus Kosciusko I RECENTLY ATTENDED A SEMINAR AT THE U.S. Military Academy in …

by Alvydas (Al) Karaša WITHOUT DOUBT, THE MOST PROMINENT PERsonality of the 14th-15th centuries Lithuania is Vytautas the Great. He stands as the most astute and powerful ruler, who suppressed enemies and negotiated alliances beyond any his immediate predecessors or followers could manage, and led his nation to become the …

Text and photos by Val Ramonis   KĖDAINIAI IS A CITY I HAD HEARD AND READ MUCH ABOUT, but never had the opportunity to visit during any of my earliertrips to Lithuania. While in Vilnius during the Millennium celebrations at the beginningof July, I wanted to get away from the …

By Audrone Kasperaviciene It is a myth that both Rome and Vilnius were established by wolves. But it is no myth that the Italians left an indelible mark on Lithuania. For hundreds of years, the spirit of Rome has played a main role in the development ofVilnius, and to a …

By John J. Chernoski (Černiauskas) REDISCOVERING A LOST HERITAGE THE HOLOCAUST HAS NEARLY ERASED FROM OUR collective memory a people who were long a vibrant part of the Lithuanian scene – the Litvaks (Lithuanian Jews.) During the 14th century Grand DukeGediminas encouraged immigrants to assist in the economicgrowth of the …

BY AL (ALVYDAS) KARAŠA LESS WELL KNOWN THAN THE crusades in Outremer, crusading wars in the Baltic region were just as bloody and fruitless as those in the Holy Land. Crusading was an ongoing military occupation, supported politically by European rulers, and sanctioned by the Church. Just as Pope Urban …